College and Career Readiness in Boston: Understanding and Tracking Competencies and Indicators

Research on college and career readiness indicators is a vast field, examining a variety of indicators that relate to several different kinds of outcomes, including high school completion, college enrollment, college persistence, and obtaining gainful employment after school. These goals vary greatly, but start from a similar place: students’ experiences during their high school years.

AIR conducted this research review on college and career readiness indicators for partners at the Boston Opportunity Agenda. The indicators are based on students’ experiences during their years in high school. Based on a review of peer reviewed journal articles, this report includes evidence of academic indicators, soft skills, and contextual and social indicators. In addition to the articles reviewed, AIR conducted a series of semi-structured interviews with experts with a diverse set of experiences with measuring college and career readiness indicators and similar constructs.