The high school diploma is no longer the credential for a lifetime and it has not been for decades. Since the 1970s, there has been a growing consensus that training or education beyond high school is necessary to qualify for "family wage" jobs, jobs that pay enough for a family to live reasonably comfortably. Despite this widespread realization, a high school diploma still does not assure that a graduate is ready for college. Further, despite years of statewide efforts to optimize education for all students, high schools continue to operate on a two-track system that is founded on the obsolete notion that many students are not and never will be "college material." This paper summarizes the results of efforts to identify academic factors that can make a difference for students of all backgrounds. In 2003, with support from the Illinois Board of Higher Education through a Higher Education Cooperation Act grant, the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University began a multi-faceted study of the course-taking patterns and other characteristics of juniors in Illinois high schools and their performance on the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE). This summary draws upon the reviews of the literature and research conducted by faculty and graduate students in the Center. [This report was submitted to the Illinois Board of Higher Education by the Center for the Study of Education Policy Illinois State University.]