Their most celebrated accomplishments to date include the Shasta Promise, an agreement between Shasta schools and area colleges that Shasta will make sure all students are college ready, and, in return, participating colleges—all located within 150 miles of Shasta County—will guarantee enrollment and in-state tuition. For the schools’ part, this means aligning curriculum and assessments across the county’s 25 independent school districts so that all students, no matter their zip code, are equally prepared. For example, Shasta’s elementary schools have adopted uniform reading assessments for kindergarten through the third grade; its high schools have strengthened graduation requirements, agreed on common assessments and the same math courses throughout the county, and eliminated numerous courses not linked to college or career readiness, while making sure to retain sports, music and art classes.