Common Core Standards and the Impact on Admissions

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Common Core Standards and the Impact on
Admissions

• January 17, 2012
• 100 - 200 PM EST
• Presenters
• Michael Barron
• Jay Goff
• Natasha Vasavada

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Advocacy Policy Center

• Mission
• To increase the number of students who earn a
  college degree and who are prepared to succeed in
  the 21st century.
• Approach

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Areas of Focus

• College Preparation Access
• Arts at the Core
• The CollegeKeys Compact
• School Counselor Advocacy
• Teacher Advocacy
• Minority Male Achievement
• Undocumented Students and the DREAM Act
• The National Commission on Writing

• College Admission Completion
• College Completion Agenda
• Admissions in the 21st Century
• Access Diversity Collaborative
• Community College Transfer Retention

• College Affordability Financial Aid
• Cracking the Student Aid Code
• Rethinking Student Aid
• Trends in Higher Education
• Education Pays
• Simplifying State Aid Processes

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Presenters
Michael Barron Assistant Provost for Enrollment
Management and Executive Director of Admission,
The University of Iowa Jay Goff Vice President,
Enrollment and Retention Management, Saint Louis
University Bradley Quin Executive Director,
Higher Education Advocacy, College
Board Natasha Vasavada Executive Director,
Standards and Curriculum Alignment Services,
Research and Development, College Board
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Objective

• This webinar will help enrollment professionals
  gain an understanding of the Common Core State
  Standards (CCSS), their effect on college and
  career readiness and the changes to English
  language arts and math standards.

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What is the Common Core?

• A state-led effort to develop a common set of
  college and career readiness standards in English
  language arts and math that
• Align with college and workplace expectations
• Represent 21st century skills
• Include rigorous content and applications of
  knowledge
• Are evidence-based
• Are informed by frameworks from top performing
  countries

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Common Core Major Change and Mindset Shift
The Common Core State Standards require a mindset
shift from high school completion to college and
career readiness for all students. There is an
important and necessary role for higher education
in the implementation of the Common Core.

• The Common Core State Standards
• Are for all students, not just students seeking
  accelerated learning.
• Will impact all teachers, not just ELA and math
  teachers.
• Are happening now 46 states have adopted the
  standards, and new common assessments (effective
  2014-15) are being developed.
• Creates important challenges, opportunities, and
  implications for higher education.

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Why Common Core State Standards?Issue 1
Inconsistent State Standards
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Why Common Core State Standards?Issue 2 Low
College Completion Rates
Too few students are receiving the academic
preparation necessary to be successful in college.
Source The College Completion Agenda 2010
Progress Report, The College Board
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Strengths of the Common Core
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Features of the Common Core State Standards
English Language Arts

• Informational text and literature
• Comprehending complex texts
• Writing in response to texts
• Conducting and reporting on research
• Language and grammar skills
• Speaking and listening
• Cross-content literacy

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Features of the Common Core State Standards Math

• Emphasis on mathematical practices
• Attention to focus and coherence
• Increased focus on algebra in middle school
• Problem solving and reasoning
• Mathematical modeling
• Standards for STEM readiness

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Common Core A Fast Timeline
Implementation is NOW!
2014 - 2015 Participating States Administer New
CCSS Assessments
Dec. 2011 46 states have adopted the CCSS
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The College Boards Role

• Helped develop standards
• Served on advisory committee guiding the
  initiative
• Provided research on college readiness skills
• Continues involvement to assist states in
  implementation

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Common Assessments
Two state consortia are building assessment
systems to measure the Common Core State
Standards as part of the Race to the Top federal
grant program.

• The assessment systems will
• Provide a common measure of college and career
  readiness
• Be computer-based and include innovative item
  types
• Measure higher order skills and application of
  knowledge through multiple assessment formats
• Include formative assessments and performance
  tasks
• Provide timely data to educators and parents
• Ensure comparable expectations regardless of
  where students live

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Impact on Higher Education
Higher education leaders need to be engaged in
the discussions and policy changes that will
result.

• Admissions officers are critical to the high
  school-to-college transition
• Understanding how Common Core will affect the
  transition to college will help students obtain
  the best experience and success out of college
• Being involved in Common Core will ensure there
  is alignment between K-12 and higher education

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Why Should the Enrollment Management Community
Participate in the CCSS Evolution?

• Enrollment professionals believe in facilitating
  student success
• Admissions processes are designed to align a
  holistic evaluation of student skills and
  potential with a best fit academic experience
• Enrollment professional voices can help ensure
  there is alignment between the admission process
  and standards at the K-12 and higher ed levels
• In order to create alignment, higher education
  professionals need to know more about CCSS

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How and When Should Enrollment Professionals Be
Involved?

• Timing for higher education involvement should
  allow for pre- and post-admission studies that
  provide insight into alignment issues such as
• How well does the Common Core align with
  institutional expectations for preparation?
• Do the new standards outperform the current
  evaluation processes?
• How effective are the assessments?
• What needs to change in first-year higher
  education expectations, if anything?

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Higher Education Involvement Who Else on the
Campus Needs to Participate?

• Faculty and Academic Leadership
• Placement/Retention Professionals
• Admission Committees
• Math and English Language Arts Staff
• Schools of Education
• Others?

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Establishing the Value of CCSS and New Assessments

• Does the Common Core supplement or supplant
  current enrollment requirements and processes?
• What are the plans for implementation scheduling?
• How do the new assessments align with other
  innovative assessments designed to facilitate
  student fit and success?
• Will CCSS assess other things enrollment
  professionals look for in students and good
  institutional matches?
• What about degree/program requirements beyond the
  first year?
• Will states mandate the use of the Common Core
  Standards at public institutions?

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Challenges Opportunities

• Questions and Comments

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Resources

• The Common Core State Standards Initiative
  http//www.corestandards.org/
• SMARTER Balanced http//www.k12.wa.us/smarter/
• PARCC http//www.parcconline.org/
• K-12 Center at ETS Guide to the Assessment
  Consortia http//www.k12center.org/publications/
  assessment_consortia.html

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For More Information

• To learn more about the work of Admissions in the
  21st Century and to download this webinar and
  presentation, visit http//admissions21.collegeboa
  rd.org.
• Upcoming Learning to Lead webinars
• Jan. 26 Be an Education Advocate
• Feb. 16 School Counselors and College and
  Career Readiness

http//advocacy.collegeboard.org