California State University (CSU) will be eliminating remedial education and placement testing starting in fall 2018, in an effort to "facilitate equitable opportunity for first-year students to succeed." Students who would otherwise be enrolled in remedial courses will now enroll in the credit-bearing introductory course, and have options to receive additional tutoring or take the course at a slower pace, stretching it over multiple semesters. CSU will also redesign the "Early Start" summer program for incoming freshmen who need extra preparation to count for credit and use high school grades and standardized test scores, instead of an additional placement test. Helping students graduate on-time is a system priority since Cal State has made a goal to double four-year graduation rates to 40 percent by 2025.  California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley also endorsed this change as "the right approach" in an interview with The Los Angeles Times. Earlier this summer, Texas also passed a law making co-requisite remediation the required model for students in developmental education courses. 

Starting this fall, Minnesota students can submit their 10th-grade reading and 11th-grade math scores to the state postsecondary system to demonstrate college readiness & place into credit-bearing coursework. Additionally, this summer, Minnesota State College and Universities are offering a  bridge program in math, reading, and writing to improve students' readiness for college-level work prior to matriculation. The Summer Scholars Academy targeted students nearest to the proficiency benchmark, serving nearly 200 students. The state intends to scale the program in the future. Modeled after CUNY's ASAP program that offers wraparound supports, students will also receive subsidized transportation and a $150 scholarship for fall tuition at a Minnesota State college or university after they successfully complete the program. Using high school assessment scores to indicate readiness and developing summer bridge courses are two of the three policies we highlight in Seizing the Moment.

 The Kansas Board of Regents charged high school educators and two-year college math facultywith creating a course to enable more graduating high school seniors to enroll into college-level math courses when they start college. Last school year, more than 35 high schools piloted the Transition to College Algebra, and at least 15 other high schools will join this school year. Students who pass this course in high school can place directly into credit-bearing coursework upon matriculation. For more information on the role that 12^th grade transition courses can play in improving postsecondary transitions and success, check out our alignment policy brief on TN SAILS. Removing barriers to postsecondary success by reducing remediation will be critical to meeting the Kansas Board of Regents' target of graduating about 53,000 students annually systemwide - see our Leveraging ESSA brief for more examples of how states are working to reach credential attainment goals.