Core to College, one of Hawai‘i P-20's newest programs, aims to foster long-term collaborations between higher education and K-12 to improve student achievement and college readiness, and ultimately increase the number of students who enroll in and graduate from a post-secondary institution. Hawai‘i is one of ten states to receive the Core to College grant which is funded by the Lumina Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Desired grant outcomes include:

1. A statewide definition of college readiness.
2. Alignment between K-12 and postsecondary institutions in key transitional academic courses based on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS).
3. Agreement by institutions of higher education to use the Smarter Balanced Assessments to determine readiness for college-level course enrollment in math and English Arts (ELA).

To help achieve these outcomes, Hawai‘i P-20 will coordinate a variety of activities that include: 

1. Convening a series of summits and trainings joining K-12 and high education in conversations around the CCSS, the Smarter Balanced Assessments, and alignment related to math, ELA, and teacher preparation.
2. Supporting policy discussions to reach consensus on a statewide definition of college readiness.
3. Providing GEAR UP grant funds to support regional alignment projects between K-12 and higher education partners.

For Core to College news and events click here.

For Core to College resources click here. 

For further information about Core to College, contact April Goodwin, Core to College Alignment Director at agoodwin@hawaii.edu.