Oxford School District Superintendent Bradley Roberson met with parents on Thursday night to discuss changes to the district’s college readiness standards.

Roberson said more and more students who graduate are not adequately prepared for college, and cited the growing number of students who attend college, but do not finish with a degree after at least six years.

In the Oxford School District, 88% of students who graduate move on to college, but just 54% of those students complete their degree within six years. Those numbers are slightly higher than the national average, as 70% of high school students across the country enter college upon graduation, but just 46% graduate with a degree.

Roberson cited a number of contributing factors, namely the lack of technological, social and emotional education at the high school level. He cited an American Association of School Administrators study that found that jobs in the highest paying quintile require significantly higher levels of cognitive skills, technological skills, and social and emotional development.

Because these skills are not a key part of the high school curriculum, Roberson says schools much change their college readiness benchmarks to incorporate those skills and better prepare students for not only college, but the working world as well.

Students within the Oxford School District will now have to reach a series of benchmarks to be considered “ready for graduation.” These benchmarks will go down all the way to the elementary level, and include not just academic goals, but career and life readiness standards as well.

Roberson hopes these new standards will help better prepare Oxford students for the world beyond high school, and create better, more well-rounded young citizens.

The district’s new college readiness benchmarks can be found here.