The writers discuss the low level of readiness for college-level reading among ACT-tested high school graduates. One of the reasons for this low level of performance may be that students are not being asked to meet specific, rigorous reading standards during their high school years. Research indicates that performance on complex texts is the clearest differentiator in reading between students who are more likely to be ready for college and those who are not. To help high school graduates to become ready for the type of reading they will encounter in postsecondary education and in the workplace, reading instruction must be strengthened in all high school courses by incorporating complex reading materials into course content, state standards should explicitly define reading expectations across the high school curriculum and incorporate increasingly complex texts into all courses in each grade, and high school teachers must be provided with professional development and support to help them understand how to incorporate the kinds of complex texts that are most likely to increase students' readiness for college-level reading.