POSTSECONDARY AND

WORKFORCE READINESS
Stakeholder involvement and PWR development
process
– Fall 2008 tour/online survey, Standards Stakeholder and Fac-
to-Fac input, WestEd research
– 13 regional meetings: Gunnison, Colorado Springs, Denver, Ft.
Collins, Grand Junction, Alamosa, Pueblo, Sterling, Steamboat
Springs, Glenwood Springs, Durango, Boulder, Limon
– 1 business-only meeting, hosted by the Denver Chamber of
Commerce
– 1,000+ early childhood, K-12, higher education, business,
parents, other community members
– Colorado Succeeds survey of business and community college
leaders
 POSTSECONDARY AND
WORKFORCE READINESS
Main considerations about PWR in CO:
– ALL students
– School readiness and PWR provide anchors for revising
standards
– Incorporates what’s needed for success after HS
without need for remediation
– Incorporates what’s needed to compete in global
economy
– Locally driven and the description is locally created
– Milestone for P-12 and higher education in Colorado,
representing joint agreement from CDE and DHE about
what a prepared graduate looks like
 POSTSECONDARY AND
WORKFORCE READINESS
Adopted by the State Board of Education/CCHE in June
2009:
“Postsecondary and workforce readiness” describes the knowledge, skills,
and behaviors essential for high school graduates to be prepared to enter
college and the workforce and to compete in the global economy.
 
To be designated as postsecondary and workforce ready, secondary
students shall demonstrate that the following content knowledge and
learning and behavior skills have been achieved without the need for
remedial instruction or training. This demonstration includes the
completion of increasingly challenging, engaging, and coherent academic
work and experiences, and the achievement of proficiency shown by a
body of evidence including postsecondary and workforce readiness
assessments and other relevant materials that document a student’s
postsecondary and workforce readiness.
 Critical
Thinking &
Problem Civic
Work Ethic Solving Responsibili
Collaborati ty Communicati
on on

Personal
Creativity &
Responsibili
Innovation
ty
Learning &
Find and Behavior Skills Global &
Use
Cultural
Information
Awareness
& IT
Postsecondary
Social & Workforce
Studies & Ready Literacy
Social • Read with
understanding
Sciences
• Social, cultural, Content & write
coherently
historical
concepts
Knowledge • Employ
English
• Interpret
Arts & Science properly &
sources, evaluate • Scientific fluently
evidence, build Humanities Mathematical method • Use logic &
conceptual
frameworks
• Shaping of Sciences • Draw rhetoric
• Access
culture • Be quantitatively conclusions
• Civic • Instruments of • Core concepts primary &
literate
responsibility & social & political of disciplines secondary
• Algebraic &
political process thought • Scientific sources
• Interpret from a geometric principles
• Awareness of • Problem solving concepts can be
global innovators challenged
• Data & statistics
perspective