Winning Gold:The College Readiness Partnership

Missouri Department of Higher Education

Overview

Policy Environment of College and Career Readiness:+ ACT Diploma Project+ NCLB waivers demand college/career readiness standards.+ ESEA reauthorization elevates college and career readiness.+ Individual states are setting college/career ready goals.+ Missouri:

+ Curriculum Alignment Initiative+ Common Core State Standards Adoption+ SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium+ College Readiness Partnership*

-Conley, 2011

Definition of College Readiness?The level of preparation a student needs in order to enroll and

succeed—without remediation—in a credit-bearing course at a postsecondary institution that offers a baccalaureate degree or transfer to a baccalaureate program, or in a high-quality certificate program that enables students to enter a career pathway with potential future advancement.

– Succeed is defined as completing the entry-level courses or core certificate courses at a level of understanding and proficiency that makes it possible for the student to consider taking the next course in the sequence or the next level of course in the subject area or of completing the certificate.

-Conley, 2011

What does it mean to be College Ready?

• Key Cognitive Strategies• Key Content Knowledge• Key Learning Skills & Techniques• Key Transition Knowledge & Skills

-Conley, 2011

Key Cognitive Strategies+ Problem formulation

+Hypothesize+Strategize

+ Research+Identify+Collect

+ Interpretation+Analyze / Evaluate

+ Communication+Organize+Construct

+ Precision & accuracy+Monitor+Confirm

-Conley, 2011

Key Content Knowledge

+ Structure of knowledge+Key terms and

terminology+Factual information+Linking ideas+Organizing concepts

+ Challenge level+ Value+ Attribution+ Effort

-Conley, 2011

Key Learning Skills & Techniques

+ Ownership of learning+ Goal setting + Persistence+ Self-awareness + Motivation+ Help seeking+ Progress monitoring+ Self-efficacy

+ Learning techniques+ Time management + Test taking skills + Note taking skills+ Memorization/recall+ Strategic reading+ Collaborative learning+ Technology proficiency

-Conley, 2011

Key Transition Knowledge & Skills

+ Postsecondary awareness+ Aspirations+ Norms/culture

+ Postsecondary costs+ Tuition / Financial aid

+ Matriculation+ Eligibility / Admissions+ Program

+ Career awareness+ Requirements+ Readiness

+ Role and identity+ Role models

+ Self-advocacy+ Resource acquisition+ Institutional advocacy

10

FOUR KEYS TO COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS

Key Transition

Knowledge & Skills

+ Postsecondary awareness+ Aspirations+ Norms/culture

+ Postsecondary costs+ Tuition+ Financial aid

+ Matriculation+ Eligibility+ Admissions+ Program

+ Career awareness+ Requirements+ Readiness

+ Role and identity+ Role models

+ Self-advocacy+ Resource acquisition+ Institutional advocacy

Key Content

Knowledge

+ Structure of knowledge+ Key terms and

terminology+ Factual

information+ Linking ideas+ Organizing

concepts+ Challenge level+ Value+ Attribution+ Effort

© 2011 David T Conley

Key Cognitive Strategies

+ Problem formulation+ Hypothesize+ Strategize

+ Research+ Identify+ Collect

+ Interpretation+ Analyze+ Evaluate

+ Communication+ Organize+ Construct

+ Precision & accuracy+ Monitor+ Confirm

Key Learning Skills &

Techniques

+ Ownership of learning+ Goal setting + Persistence+ Self-awareness + Motivation+ Help seeking+ Progress

monitoring+ Self-efficacy

+ Learning techniques+ Time management + Test taking skills + Note taking skills+ Memorization/recall+ Strategic reading+ Collaborative

learning+ Technology

proficiency

Definitions & Assessments

How would you define College & Career Ready?

How would you assess College & Career Readiness?

Curriculum Alignment Initiative (CAI)

• SB 289 (2007): mandated alignment of entry- and exit- level competencies in freshman-level general education courses

• Goal: send clear message regarding content knowledge necessary for success in college.

• Statewide work identified entry-level competencies in six competency areas:

Arts and Humanities MathematicsEnglish and Communication ScienceForeign Languages Social Sciences

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

• National Governor’s Association initiative• 45 states formally adopted these standards• Math & English Language Arts (ELA)

competencies for K-12 as well as entry into college and career

CCSS Goal:

Prepare students for success in entry-level, credit-bearing, academic college courses (2 and 4 year postsecondary institutions) in domains of reading, writing, speaking, listening, language, and mathematics

CCSS in Missouri• Formally adopted by Missouri in 2010• CCSS competencies for entry into college and career

are well-aligned with CAI competencies– Lower college remediation rates – Reduces costs for institutions of higher education and increases

likelihood of graduation– Tighter link for students between high school and post-

secondary education – Tighter link for teachers between pre-service education and the

classroom

The Assessment Challenge...to here?

Common Core State Standards

specify K-12 expectations for

college and career readiness

How do we get from here...

All studentsleave high school college and career

ready

...and what can an assessment system do to help?

How Do We Measure This?Role of SMARTER Balanced Assessment

Consortium:• To develop a comprehensive and innovative assessment

system for grades 3-8 and high school in English language arts and mathematics aligned to the Common Core State Standards, so that...

• ...students leave high school prepared for postsecondary success in college or a career through increased student learning and improved teaching [The assessments shall be operational across Consortium states in the 2014-15 school year]

A National Consortium of States

29 states representing 48% of K-12 students

21 governing, 8 advisory states

Washington state is fiscal agent

Higher Education Engagement• 175 public systems/institutions of higher education, representing 74% of

direct matriculation students across all SMARTER Balanced States, agreed to partner on assessment development

• Higher education representatives serve on:• Executive Committee• Assessment scoring and item review committees• Standard-setting committees

• Director of Higher Education Collaboration started in October; Higher Education Advisory Panel now forming• Higher education representatives will join key work groups• Senior Higher Education Consultants will work with states on CCSS

implementation.

College (and Career) Readiness Partnership

• State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)

• Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) • American Association of State Colleges &

Universities (AASCU) (supported by the Lumina Foundation for Education / Hewlett Foundation)

College (and Career) Readiness Partnership

Seven states were selected:• Kentucky • Maine• Massachusetts• Missouri • Oregon• Tennessee• Oregon• Wisconsin

Missouri’s RepresentationName Position Organization

Terry Adams Superintendent Wentzville R-IV School District

Kenneth Dobbins President Southeast Missouri State University

Ann Harris Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs &Provost Lincoln University

Sharon Hoge Assistant Commissioner for College & Career Readiness Department of Elementary &Secondary Education

Paul Long Vice Chancellor for Academic &Student Affairs Metropolitan Community College

Carolyn Mahoney President Lincoln University

Rusty Monhollon Assistant Commissioner for Academic Affairs Missouri Department of Higher Education

Chris Nicastro Commissioner Department of Elementary &Secondary Education

David R. Russell Commissioner of Higher Education Missouri Department of Higher Education

Paul Yoder Chair, Department of Education Truman State University

Karla Eslinger Assistant Commissioner for Educator Quality Department of Elementary &Secondary Education

Goals of PartnershipThe CRP’S purpose is to promote the broad implementation of Common

Core State Standards in mathematics and English Language Arts by achieving three primary objectives:

• Identifying how the Common Core State Standards should be implemented in each participating state in order to actually improve college and career readiness for all students;

• Defining how leaders and faculty across K-12 and higher education need to work together to improve both teaching and learning in ways essential to achieving the goal of college and career readiness; and

• Identifying specific steps that higher education and states must take together in order to make effective implementation a reality. This includes making college and career readiness expectations more transparent to teachers, students and parents, to align curricula, to assess student performance more effectively and to improve teacher preparation and professional development.

Phase I (November 2011)

• Convened all seven state teams to identify:– critical issues– resources– effective practices

• The focus of the meeting was on: – how states can leverage and coordinate this initiative with

existing efforts.– providing a roadmap for other states

Phase II (TBD)

• Support of comprehensive and systematic implementation of the Common Core State Standards Initiative across other states

In Missouri

• Four-Part Plan:1. Formalize the structure and objectives of the state CRP team through

workgroups and subcommittees1. Definition & Assessment Workgroup is Being Created…

2. Develop a communication plan, both for internal and external constituents3. Develop a model curriculum in both mathematics and English/Language Arts for

use in teacher preparation programs4. Find meaningful ways to engage the SMARTER Balance assessment consortium in

developing assessment tools to validate and expand the usefulness of the CCSS1. Stay tuned….

Questions?

Heather MacCleoudResearch Associate - Academic Affairs

Missouri Department of Higher Education205 Jefferson Street / P.O. Box 1469

Jefferson City, MO 65102-1469Phone: (573) 751-2361

Fax: (573) 751-6635info@dhe.mo.gov www.dhe.mo.gov