by Mary Macrae ’14

MCPS is reviewing its Seven Keys to College Readiness in order to accommodate new national and state education reforms—such as the Common Core Standards—and the changing needs and expectations of its students.

Since 2009, the Keys set the minimum requirements and benchmarks for students in order to increase their chances of being ready for and successful in college. However, MCPS has determined that the county fails to recognize other pathways after high school like joining the workforce or army.

According to The Washington Post, Superintendent Joshua P. Starr hopes to widen the Keys’ definition of student achievement to include skills not measured in standardized tests like persistence and motivation, while also assessing performance in math and reading. Starr also seeks to create new goals that focus on skills like communication and problem solving. The decision to revamp MCPS’ Seven Keys reflects Starr’s belief that there has been too great a focus on standardized testing and overly rigid measurements of student success.