• Following the 2005 National Education Summit on High Schools, all 50 governors committed to adopting a common standard for calculating graduation rates. The new standard will create much greater transparency and accuracy in the reporting of graduation and drop-out rates.
  
  
• Prior to the summit, only five states had high school standards that ensured students would learn the skills necessary to be successful in college and work. Since the summit, 30 additional states are taking action to align their learning standards with the expectations of colleges and employers. 
  
  
• At the time of the summit, only six states had high school tests in place that indicated whether students were ready for college-level work. In the past year, eight additional states have committed to adopting these assessments. 
  
  
• Currently, only three states have data systems that can track individual students’ progress from high school through college. Following the summit, 31 states are now in the process of creating this capacity. These systems provide critical information that states need in order to increase the number of students who graduate ready for college and careers.

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