Curriculum for College and Career Readiness Committee Meeting EMC Corporation May 22, 2006

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Curriculum for College and Career Readiness
Committee MeetingEMC CorporationMay 22, 2006


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Agenda

• Welcome and introductions
• Why are we here?
• Purpose of the task force
• Context for our work
• Relevant data
• Related initiatives
• What are the challenges?
• Michael Cohen, President, Achieve, Inc.
  Washington D.C.
• What are your perspectives?
• Next steps

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Purpose/Role of the Committee

• Advise the Department of Education, the Board of
  Higher Education, and the University of
  Massachusetts Presidents Office on a course of
  studies all students should complete in high
  school that will increase the likelihood that
  they graduate prepared for college and workplaces
  that require individuals with similar skills and
  knowledge as college entrants.

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Related State, National, and Regional Initiatives

• Massachusetts Board/Department of Education
• Competency Determination Graduation Requirement
• MA Board of Higher Education
• STEM Pipeline
• National Governors Association (NGA)
• State Honors Grant Program Redesigning the
  American High School
• Achieve Inc., Washington D.C.
• American Diploma Project
• U.S. Department of Education
• Academic Competitiveness Grant Program
• New England Board of Education
• College Ready New England Initiative

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Whats the good news?
Context Student Achievement

• MA 4th and 8th grade NAEP reading and math
  results are among the highest in nation.
• More than half of tenth graders are Proficient or
  Advanced in both ELA and Math.
• For the past two years, over 80 of 10th graders
  have earned a CD on their first attempt, up from
  68 in 2001, 48 in 2000.
• 2005 marked the 14th year in a row that SAT
  results have improved. MA SAT scores exceed the
  regional and national average.

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Whats the problem?

• Achievement Gap
• MCAS scores have improved in almost every grade
  and every subject, but the achievement gap is
  wide.
• High School Graduation Rate
• Graduation rates are unacceptably low for all
  student groups, especially black and Hispanic
  students.
• College/Career Readiness
• Too few high school graduates are prepared for
  college/careers.
• Too many students are not completing college.
• Global Competition
• While at the top nationally, MA students are not
  at the top on international measures of
  performance.

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High School Achievement Gap
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Percentage of 9th Grade Students Graduating from
High School, 2002
Graduation Rates
Source Manhattan Institute Public High School
Graduation and College-Readiness Rates
19912002, February 2005
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College-Readiness Rates
Too few students graduate college-ready
Source Manhattan Institute, Public High School
Graduation and College-Readiness Rates
19912002, February 2005, http//www.manhattan-ins
titute.org/html/ewp_08.htm.
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College-Bound Does Not Mean College-Ready

• Nearly three in ten, first-year students are
  placed immediately into a remedial college course.

Percentage of U.S. first-year students in
two-year and four-year institutions requiring
remediation
Source National Center for Education Statistics,
Remedial Education at Degree-Granting
Postsecondary Institutions in Fall 2000, 2003.
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Remedial Coursework Does Not Lead to Degree
Many college students who need remediation,
especially in reading and math, do not earn an
associates or a bachelors degree.
Percentage of college students not earning degree
by type of remedial coursework
Source National Center for Education Statistics,
The Condition of Education, 2004.
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New Jobs Will Require More Education

• Jobs requiring at least some postsecondary
  education will make up more than two-thirds of
  new jobs.

Share of new jobs, 20002010
Source Carnevale, Anthony P. and Donna M.
Desrochers, Standards for What? The Economic
Roots of K16 Reform, Educational Testing
Service, 2003.
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New Job Growth Along Educational Spectrum
According to the Massachusetts Division of Career
Services, jobs requiring at least an associates
degree or higher will account for 62 of all new
jobs.
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Comparing Course Requirements
Current Massachusetts for HS Graduation (MGL) Four-Year Public Higher Education for College Admittance (BHE)
English 4
Math 3 years, including Algebra II
Social Studies/US History 1 3
Science 3 years (2 with lab)
Foreign Language 2 years in a single language
Health/PE 1
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Schools Graduation Requirements
Percentage of Local, Regional, and Vocational
High Schools Requiring Math and Science to
Graduate
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NGA State Honors Grant

• Goal
• Increase high school graduation rate
• Increase the proportion of high school students
  who are college and career ready
• Strategies
• Strengthen the value of the high school diploma.
• Close the college completion gap of white and
  minority students
• Use data to hold ourselves accountable

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Strategy 1 Strengthen Value of the High School
Diploma

• Develop a Recommended Curriculum for College and
  Work Readiness.
• Align high school standards with what is expected
  of students in their freshman year of college.
• Develop an optional Algebra II test.
• Redesign and restore dual enrollment.

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Strategy 2 Close the College Completion Gap

• Develop a Career and Education Planning website
  and informational materials for students and
  their parents.
• Develop a public awareness and understanding
  campaign that targets especially needy
  communities with the message that just getting by
  in high school is no longer enough.

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Strategy 3 Use Data to Hold Ourselves
Accountable

• Develop a K-16 data system to measure and improve
  student performance over time
• Provides ability to use results for increased
  alignment at the secondary and college level.
• Provides data that high schools can use to better
  prepare students.

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Alignment Initiative

• Massachusetts is partnering with Achieve in the
  American Diploma Project (ADP)
• One of the goals of ADP is to determine if state
  standards are aligned with expectations for
  college and a career.
• Over the past four months conducted four regional
  focus groups with 30 college math and English
  faculty (2-yr, 4-yr, public and private).
• Determine appropriateness of standards in
  preparing students to succeed in
• college 101 English and math classes.
• Examine trends in student preparation.

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Bottom Line Math Findings

• Massachusetts standards for grades 9-12 are fine.
  If kids knew the math standards they would
  exceed (college) entry level expectations and be
  ready for calculus.
• The problem is that many students do not have a
  deep understanding of some standards and have not
  mastered basic skills arithmetic, number sense,
  algebra and fractions.

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Math Recommendations

• Reduce reliance on calculators in lower grades so
  that students can understand and master key
  problem solving skills.
• Help students know where they stand prior to
  their senior year by
• - Increased administration of Accuplacer in
  HS.
• - Development and administration of a
  voluntary Algebra II assessment to help
  determine college readiness.
• Consider development of a senior year transition
  math course designed to address math
  deficiencies.
• Require a 4th year of college prep math in HS.

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Bottom Line English Language Arts Findings

• Standards are excellent and sufficient for
  college readiness, but dont appear to be used in
  grades 1112.
• Reading high school focuses on elements of
  narrative genre, while higher education focuses
  on short essays on a topic from a variety of
  sources.
• Writing high school focus upon five-paragraph
  essay, while higher education is focused upon
  persuasive/argumentative writing from multiple
  sources for identified audiences and purposes.

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English Language Arts Recommendations

• Increase emphasis in high school on
  persuasive/argumentative writing.
• Increase number of writing assignments across the
  high school curriculum.
• Make available examples of high school and
  college syllabi, course assignments, and student
  work course.
• Convene regional teams of HS and College English
  and math teachers for curricula alignment.