While the buzzer-beating jumper is a thrilling way to end a game, waiting until the last moment is a losing strategy in college preparation.

Much attention is focused on the high school years and graduation rate – rightfully so. A high school diploma is the first step before post-secondary education – a bachelor’s degree, an associate’s degree, a union journeyman’s certificate or a similar credential – which is essential to landing a self-supporting job in the 21st Century economy.

Indiana’s high school graduation rate is 81 percent – an impressive 7 percent increase in the last three years. And two-thirds of Indiana’s high school graduates enroll in college, ranking Indiana 20th nationally for college access.

However, only half of Indiana’s college students graduate and one-fourth need remedial education.

Thus, the improving high school graduation rate is not enough. We must ensure that more students are ready for post-secondary education and complete it.

According to the testing firm that publishes the ACT exam, the best time to bolster college readiness, access and success is in middle school.

Reviewing data from more than 200,000 high school graduates and more than 4,000 high schools, the ACT’s researchers found, “The level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness…than anything that happens academically in high school.

“Although high school coursework and high school grades have a positive relationship with college and career readiness, their impact is far outweighed by that of eighth-grade academic achievement,” the study states. “Without sufficient preparation before high school, students cannot maximize the benefits of high school.”

Fortunately, the opposite also is true. “If we can improve students’ academic skills before grade 8, then the other high school-level enhancements will be far more effective.”

The ACT report also examined a wide range of personal and social factors including health, motivation, social connectedness and avoiding drugs. Academic discipline – good study habits – “proved to be the strongest predictor (of college access and success) among all the behaviors studied.”

Several free online resources can help inspire academic achievement and the development of good study habits. “Drive of Your Life” (www.driveofyourlife. org) helps students explore careers and “Trip to College” (www.triptocollege.org) helps parents find money and prepare their kids for college. “KnowHow2Go” (www.knowhow2goindiana.org) encourages students to take rigorous course work while “Learn More” (www.learnmoreindiana.org) provides updated college access information.

As the ACT report concludes, “Students who leave eighth grade without the essential skills they need to be on target for college and career readiness too often leave high school not ready for any kind of meaningful future.” High school is helpful, but preparing in middle school is better. The stakes are too high to rely on a last-second shot.

Bill Stanczykiewicz is president and CEO of the Indiana Youth Institute. He can be reached at iyi@iyi.org.