The University of Texas at Austin recently recognized four Austin ISD high schools for their participation in the College Readiness Assignments Field Test (CRAFT) program during the 2012-2013 school year. 

Faculty at Anderson, Austin, Bowie, LBJ, and McCallum High Schools piloted College Readiness Assignments (CRAs) in their classrooms and provided invaluable data to the CRAFT team to help refine the CRAs prior to their statewide launch in October 2013. More than 50 field testers, in 18 institutions, including high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions, representing more than 3,500 students participated in the field test. Austin ISD was a critical partner as the data provided led to substantive revisions to the CRAs.

About College Readiness Assignments (CRAs) 
CRAs are standalone assignments, developed in collaboration with high school and higher education faculty, which are designed to help students in the state of Texas improve the skills necessary for college and career readiness. Each assignment includes instructor information, student notes, student handouts, and a comprehensive scoring guide that aligns with the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS). In addition, to help educators align CRAs with their current plans, the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) covered in each assignment are also outlined.

There are 50 college readiness assignments available for use in classrooms, and 10 of the assignments are also available completely online for independent study by students. All the CRAs are now available on CRAFTx.org.

About College Readiness Assignments for Texas (CRAfT)
College Readiness Assignments for Texas (CRAfT), rebranded for statewide launch, is a multi-year research initiative, supported by a grant from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The CRAfT team lead the development of CRAs by faculty from high schools, community colleges, and universities as well as a statewide field test of the CRAs to assess their usability and effectiveness.

During the 2012-2013 school year, field testers across the state of Texas implemented and reviewed the CRAs. Field test data show that faculty found the CRAs overall helpful, usable, and effective in improving college and career readiness. In addition, faculty provided invaluable suggestions and numerous sources of data, which the CRAfT team utilized to revise and improve the CRAs. All the fully-vetted and revised CRAs along with valuable resources and an interactive online community are now available on CRAFTx.org