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The American Diploma Project (ADP), a partnership of Achieve, Inc., The Education Trust, and the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, identified what they consider to be an essential knowledge base for postsecondary success. ADP’s graduation benchmarks in English and mathematics were developed on the basis of input from English and mathematics faculty, as well as managers in high-growth, highly skilled occupations.[1] ADP recommends a rigorous curriculum for all students and includes examples of the types of reading and mathematics problems its benchmarks address in an effort to define rigor. Although each of the 32 states currently active in the ADP Network has agreed to certain common goals, each state devises its own action plan for implementing the benchmarks.
Studies have shown that demanding coursework in high school prepares students for college, and such coursework is the most important factor not only in college entrance, but also in degree attainment for students who attend a 4-year college.[2] A highly academic high school curriculum appears to play an even greater role in African American and Latino college achievement than it does in the student population as a whole.[3] Students joining the workforce after high school also benefit from a rigorous, or college preparatory, course load. An analysis of data from the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) found that “Algebra II is the threshold for well-paid, white collar jobs or highly paid professional jobs.”[4]
Related Research Base
The graduation benchmarks are based on 2 years of research, including surveys, focus groups, and data analysis, conducted by the ADP. The multistep process included:
- Reviewing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Department of Education’s NELS
- Examining the content of high school graduation exams, college entrance admissions and placement tests, a sampling of postsecondary placement tests, and the General Educational Development (GED) tests.
- Asking employers and faculty to define English and mathematics content and skills required in an entry-level position or a freshman level course, as well as to identify gaps between the identified content and skills and high school assessments and standards
On the basis of this process, certain expectations emerged for high school graduates, and drafts of the benchmarks were then circulated to postsecondary faculty and employers. Panels of business representatives and content area experts advised ADP as it continued revising the benchmarks. Finally, ADP pulled together samples of workplace tasks and postsecondary assignments to exemplify the content and skill requirements.[5]
The benchmarks provide concrete guidance for their use; each set of benchmarks is organized by content strands. The English benchmarks comprise eight strands: Language, Communication, Writing, Research, Logic, Informational Text, Media, and Literature. The mathematics benchmarks have four strands: Number Sense and Numerical Operations; Algebra; Geometry; and Data Interpretation, Statistics, and Probability. Each strand is further divided into specific skills for students to master.
There are few third-party evaluations of the ADP’s approach to standards-based high school reform.
[1] Achieve, Inc. (2004). Ready or not: Creating a high school diploma that counts. Washington, DC: The American Diploma Project. (p. 105).
[2] Adelman, C. (2006). The toolbox revisited: Paths to degree completion from high school through college. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
[3] Adelman, C. (1999). Answers in the tool box: Academic intensity, attendance patterns, and bachelor's degree attainment. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Accessed February 20, 2008: http://www.ed.gov/pubs/Toolbox/toolbox.html
[4] Carnevale, A. P., & Desrochers, D. M. (2005). Connecting education standards and employment: Course-taking patterns of young workers. Washington, DC: The American Diploma Project. (p. 9).
