Washington state is making a concerted effort to better prepare its students for the rigors of a college curriculum. Education officials are also working on a definition of college readiness. Standards have been written for students who have progressed up to the 10th grade. Now there is a need to finish the standards and give students a definition of college readiness. Numerous academic pathways are attempting to facilitate this transition. The primary emphasis has been on the dual credit program called Running Start that allows high school students to take college classes at 1 of the 34 community or technical colleges or 1 of 4 universities. In addition, there has been a movement toward increasing the rigor of the core curriculum so students are ready for college when they graduate from high school. Around 50% of students entering college are estimated to have to take some sort of remedial class.
