Texas P16 College Readiness

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Texas P-16 College Readiness Success
InitiativesPriscilla Martinez, P-16 Field
Specialist, Texas Higher Education Coordinating
BoardNovember 27, 2007
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MISSION

• The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Boards
  mission is to work with the Legislature,
  Governor, governing boards, higher education
  institutions and other entities to help Texas
  meet the goals of the states higher education
  plan, Closing the Gaps by 2015, and thereby
  provide the people of Texas the widest access to
  higher education of the highest quality in the
  most efficient manner.

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CRITICAL GAPS IN THE EDUCATION PIPELINE
Critical Gap
Critical Gap
Critical Gap
Critical Gap
Critical Gap
(P-3 Gap in Cognitive Development)
(High School to College)
(First Year Retention)
(Transfer from 2-year to 4-year)
(7th10th Grade Dropout)
Birth to PK
High 9-12
Lower Division
Upper Division
Middle 6-8
Elementary PK-5
Completion Point
Completion Point
Completion Point
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History of P-16 Legislation in Texas

• In 2003, Texas legislature formally created the
  P-16 Statewide Council
• Members include
• Commissioner of Education
• Commissioner of Higher Education
• Executive Director, Texas Workforce Commission
• Executive Director, Department of Assistive and
  Rehabilitative Services
• Added three additional members (ISD, IHE,
  Business)
• Chair rotates between two commissioners

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Regional P-16 Councils

• Play a significant role in Texas College
  Readiness and Success
• Grants up to 15,000 for established Councils and
  up to 20,000 for newly forming Councils
• Grant Purpose To provide professional
  development activities in the form of work
  sessions in Austin hosted by the Coordinating
  Board
• Work Sessions Goal To develop or
  review/enhance a long-range plan for each
  participating Council

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Third Called Special Session, 79th Legislature

• Two Major P-16 Developments
• Creation of college readiness standards
• Standards will define what students need to know
  and be able to do to be successful in entry-level
  college courses and/or careers
• Creation of P-16 College Readiness and Success
  Strategic Action Plan
• Articulates the work plan, assigns
  responsibilities, allocates the budget, and
  specifies the timeline to meet objectives and
  statutory requirements of HB1

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P-16 College Readiness and Success Strategic
Action Plan

• Adopted by the statewide P-16 Council in March
  2007
• Approved by Commissioner of Education
• Adopted by Texas Higher Education Coordinating
  Board (CB)
• Plan has eight objectives that guide the action
  of the statewide P-16 Council

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ObjectivesP-16 Strategic Action Plan

• Develop College Readiness Standards (CRS)
• Align exit-level public school assessments with
  entry-level expectations for public IHEs
• Infuse PK, elementary, middle and high school
  curricula with appropriate rigor to academically
  prepare students
• Establish sound accountability measures for
  college readiness in public school system and
  measures for persistence and timely graduation in
  IHE system

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Objectives P-16 Strategic Action Plan

• Create college-going culture in every Texas
  public school
• Prepare educators in both public and higher
  education to prepare and support students in
  meeting CRS
• Coordinate college readiness and success plan
  objectives with strategies for persistence and
  timely graduation
• Provide HS students with increased availability
  to challenging advanced academic opportunities

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Education Research Centers

• Approved 3 centers for education research.
• The University of Texas at Austin
• The University of Texas at Dallas
• Texas AM University
• Establishing the Joint Advisory Review Board
  which will work with centers.
• Working with the Department of Information
  Resources on security measures required to create
  data sets of both P-12 and higher education data
  that will be used for research.
• Sec. 1.005

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Vertical Teams

• Created Discipline-Specific Vertical Teams to
  develop College Readiness Standards in
  English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Science,
  and Mathematics
• Teams are composed of both public and higher
  education faculty
• The Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC),
  under the direction of Dr. David Conley at the
  University of Oregon, facilitated the work of the
  vertical teams.
• Sec. 28.008

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Draft CRS
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College Readiness Standards

• Developed draft College Readiness Standards,
  which is open for public comment until December
  10th
• Standards will be used as the basis of the
  College Readiness portion of high school end of
  course exams
• Adoption by THECB and Commissioner of Education
  in January 2008
• Validate for use in higher education

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P-16 Special Advisors

• Colleges and universities have appointed a P-16
  Special Advisor to work with the THECB staff on
  college readiness and P-16 initiatives
• Advisors attending meetings and working on gap
  analysis of the CRS and current expectations of
  higher education (entry-level coursework syllabi)
• Soliciting faculty input of the draft college
  readiness standards
• Dissemination of the final college readiness
  standards when adopted

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Plans for CRS

• Evaluate and align post secondary and high school
  curricula
• Develop instructional strategies
• Implement in post secondary
• Develop professional development materials
• Provide online support materials for students
• Recommend CRS be used to determine Texas Success
  Initiative (TSI) assessment cutoff scores for
  first-time students entering higher education in
  2012

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Implementation of CRS

• ELA-Fall 2009
• Math-Fall 2010
• Social Sciences-Fall 2011
• Science-Fall 2012

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2007 Legislative Action That Supports the P-16
Plan

• Section 28.009 College Credit Program
• Requires each school district to implement a
  program by which a student may earn at least 12
  semester credit hours of college credit in high
  school
• Requires higher education institutions assist
  high schools in developing and implementing the
  program

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2007 Legislative Action That Supports the P-16
Plan

• Section 28.025 Recommended High School Program
  (RHSP)
• Improves the rigor of the senior year in high
  school (4X4 ELA, Math, Science, and Social
  Studies)
• Improve developmental education in both two-year
  and four-year institutions
• College Preparation assessments in 8th, 10th, and
  11th/12th grade

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2007 Legislative Action That Supports the P-16
Plan

• Section 29.124 Texas Governors Schools
• Summer residential program for high-achieving
  students in
• -Math and Science
• -Leadership
• -Humanities

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High School Allotment

• Each school district or campus must use funds to
  support college readiness
• 275/each high school student
• Beginning fall 2006
• Matching funds from HSA for participation in HS
  Summer Bridge programs conducted by CB

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Programs to Enhance Student Success

• Summer Bridge Programs
• -UTB/TSC Dual Enrollment Summer Bridge Program,
  397 students earned 7 college credits in
  five-weeks
• STEM initiatives
• Uniform Recruitment and Retention Strategies

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Texas Work-Study Student Mentorship Program

• Previously known as Collegiate G-force Program
• Partnerships with higher education institutions
  and public education
• College mentors paid 10.00/hr.
• Promotes College for
• Texans Initiative
• Go Centers and G-Force
• Outreach

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What Programs Have in Common

• All emphasize partnerships and P-16 collaboration
• All require strong research base
• All re-emphasize the importance of college
  readiness standards

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Next Steps at State Level

• Implementation of programs and services initiated
  during 80th Session
• P-16 curriculum articulation
• Development of instructional materials
• Development of appropriate professional
  development, for both public educators and
  college/university faculty

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Implications for Regional Activities

• Review curriculum alignment in region between
  Elementary, Middle, High School, Two-Year and
  Four-Year IHEs
• Review CRS and assess alignment issues
• Apply for grants from CB to support P-16 regional
  council activities
• Check TEA/CB websites for P-16 information

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Regional P-16 Initiatives

• P-16 Contracts include
• -P-16 Councils
• -P-16 Special Advisors
• -Texas Work-Study Student Mentorship Program
• -Course Redesign
• -CRS Vertical Team Members
• -College Connection Program
• -Summer Bridge Programs

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Websites

• THECB
• http//www.thecb.state.tx.us/
• College For Texans
• http//www.collegefortexans.com/default2.cfm
• College Readiness Standards
• http//www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/TCRS
  .cfm
• Councils
• P-16 in Texas Closing the Gaps
  http//www.p16texas.org/

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Questions?

• Priscilla Martinez, M.A.
• Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
• P-16 Field Specialist
• 956-364-4519
• priscilla.martinez_at_harlingen.tstc.edu