NC State Board of Education Regional Meetings

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NC State Board of Education Regional Meetings

• North Carolinas Proposed High School Graduation
  Requirements

Wandra C. Polk, Ph.D Director, Middle and
Secondary Division North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction
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Regional Meeting Agenda

• Welcome, purposes, and formatof meeting
• State Board of Education (SBE)
• Conceptual framework for proposed high school
  graduation requirements
• Department of Public Instruction (DPI) staff
• Public feedback to SBE
• Next steps
• DPI staff

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State Board ofEducations MissionFUTURE-READY
STUDENTS FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Every public school studentwill graduate from
high school,globally competitive for work and
postsecondary education and prepared for
life in the 21st century.
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Purposes ofRegional Meetings

• To create awareness of the SBEs conceptual
  framework for Core Course of Study Revised
  Graduation Requirements
• To gather feedback to help formulate SBE
  graduation requirement policy and DPIs
  priorities

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Why Do We Need to Change Graduation Requirements?
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NORTH CAROLINAS Educational Pipeline
In North Carolina, for every 100 ninth-grade
students
64 students graduate four years later.
41 students enter college.
28 students are still enrolled in their second
year.
19 students graduate with either an Associates
degree within three years or a Bachelors degree
within six years.
Source www.achieve.org
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Which is More Difficult?
War and Peace or Auto Mechanics Journal?
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When asked, the majority ofhigh school graduates
would have taken harder courses
KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW TODAY ABOUT THE
EXPECTATIONS OF COLLEGE/WORK
Would have taken more challenging courses in at
least one area?
Source Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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Would have taken more challenging courses in
Math
Science
English
SOURCE Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public
Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge Are
High School Graduates Prepared for College and
Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005.
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American Diploma Project (ADP) Network28 STATES
COMMITTED TOIMPROVING STUDENT PREPARATION
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What Does It Mean tobe a Skilled Person?
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Skilled Person

• 1952 Six or more years of school (US
  Census Bureau)
• 1960 Eighth-grade education
• (US Office of Education)
• 21st Century High school education plus (US
  Education The Conference Board)

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College Ready Work Ready

• American College Test (ACT) Study
• Ready for College, Ready for Work Same or
  Different?
• Whether planning to enter college or workforce
  training programs after graduation, high school
  students need to be educated in a comparable
  level of readiness in reading and mathematics.

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Technical Jobs RequireHigh-level Skills

• Technicians in the telecommunications industry
• Recommended high schoolcontent includes Geometry
  and Advanced Algebra
• Electricians
• Recommended high schoolcontent includes Algebra,
  Geometry, Trigonometry, and Physics

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Conceptual Framework for the Core Course of
Study (2008-09)

• All freshmen entering high school in fall 2008
  will participate in the required Core Course of
  Study.
• They also will earn at least one endorsement in a
  specialty area based on their choice and interest
  by taking at least four units in the selected
  area of interest.

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Conceptual Framework for the Core Course of Study
(continued)

• The Core (17 units)
• 4 units of English
• 4 units of Mathematics
• 3 units of Social Studies
• 3 units of Science
• 2 units of a Second Language
• 1 unit of Health/Physical Education

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Endorsements(REQUIRES AT LEAST FOUR UNITS IN ONE
AREA)

• Career and Technical Education (CTE)
• Arts Education
• Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps
  (JROTC)
• Advanced Placement (AP) / International
  Baccalaureate (IB)
• Second Language
• Other

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Core Course of Study Substitutions
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Conceptual Framework for the Core Course of Study

• Students qualifying for the Occupational Course
  of Study are exempt from this requirement.

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Mathematics UnitsPROPOSALS

• Based on student outcomes
• Workforce
• Community College
• University Liberal Arts
• University Science, Technology, Engineering, and
  Mathematics (STEM)

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Mathematics Units (continued)
OR
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Mathematics Units (continued)
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Mathematics Units (continued)
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Mathematics Units (continued)
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Mathematics Units (continued)
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Why Second Languages in the 21st Century?

• Global economy
• Living and working at homeand abroad
• National security
• Better communication innative language

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Second Languages Program of Study

• What should these courses include?
• Communication
• Cultural awareness
• Special focus on application

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CTE and SecondLanguages Project

• Level I for all students
• Differentiation beginning at Level II with focus
  on career-related vocabulary and authentic
  activities related to career interests
• Creation of activities, lessons,and
  opportunities for graduation projects

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Heritage Language Speakers

• Speak a language other than English at home
• Need to improve heritage language skills,
  especially in reading and writing
• Spanish for Native Speakers curriculum can be
  adapted to other languages

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Technology andSecond Languages

• IPODs
• Ancillary
• Downloadable,
• free resources
• Portable
• Listen record

• Online Courses
• Access to more languages via the virtual
  classroom
• Require some real- time interaction

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Public Comment
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Next Steps

• SBE discussion/action
• On-going communication
• Intervention strategies
• Accountability redesign
• Review of existing policies

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Questions or comments?

• E-mail
• feedback_at_dpi.state.nc.us

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NC State Board of Education Regional Meetings

• North Carolinas Proposed High School Graduation
  Requirements

Wandra C. Polk, Ph.D Director, Middle and
Secondary Division North Carolina Department of
Public Instruction