Beginning in fall 2016, all public postsecondary institutions in Kentucky will now give students the option to use several different assessments as college readiness indicators, including PARCC, Smarter Balanced, ACT, and SAT. Upon admission, students scoring at or above the scores indicated "will not be required to complete developmental, co-requisite, supplemental, or transitional coursework and will be allowed entry into college credit-bearing coursework that counts toward degree credit requirements," according to the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education. By utilizing an 11th grade assessment, Kentucky's placement policy saves students time by allowing them demonstrate college readiness before arriving on campus -- without an additional placement test.  Early warnings from rigorous, 11th grade assessments can help close preparation gaps before postsecondary enrollment though K-12 bridge courses, reducing time and money spent on non-credit-bearing coursework --  see our Alignment Policy Brief  for more information.

Newly released  data from Tennessee shows a four-year drop in the percentage of first-time freshmen who arrived at college in need of remedial classes, from 77% in 2011, to 63% in 2015. Remedial math rates were lower too: 77% in 2011 down to 55% in 2015. An  article from the Tennessean connects the drop in the need for remediation to the success of the SAILS program, a statewide program that offers self-paced remedial coursework in high school, through collaboration with the local community colleges. See our Seizing the Moment report for more information on how precollege interventions like SAILS can support student success.