November 13, 2007 Superintendents’ Meeting

 Students are graduating from high school and are not college ready:  2006: 40% meet TSI of 2200 in English/LA  2006: 51% meet TSI of 2200 in mathematics  THECB is not meeting Closing the Gaps goals in participation and success  Student participation has flattened in terms of numbers, while demographics are increasing—50,000 students behind in 2006  63% of students who start college do not complete their programs

 3 rd Called Session, 79th Legislature aggressively addressed these issues and expanded scope of THECB and TEA with several initiatives:  Passed House Bill 1 (HB1)  P-16 High School Completion and Success Strategic Plan  Education Research Centers  College Readiness Standards (CRS) and Vertical Teams  Summer Bridge Programs  Developmental Education Innovations  Professional Development (THECB only)  Course Redesign (THECB only)

 Role expanded during 80 th Legi slature  Collaboration on End-of-Course Tests  Creation of new high school courses for math and science  Grant opportunities :  Math, Science, and Technology Teaching Academies  Intensive Summer Programs  Middle School Reading Academies  Others

 Created 16 P-16 Field Specialists who work in outreach units of institutions of higher education to:  Support local efforts to increase HS and postsecondary collaboratives  Support creation of GO Centers  Supported development of P-16 Regional Councils (Local is E-3 Alliance)

 Developed new RFPs :  Course redesign  Summer bridge programs  College Connection Statewide Expansion  Education Research Centers  Focused on increasing college readiness, participation, and success  With TEA, created Vertical Teams to develop College Readiness Standards (CRS)

With few exceptions, it emphasizes partnerships between secondary and postsecondary education to address problems

 Time to develop:  Partnership as well as the RFP/contracts  Recognition of various viewpoints and responsibilities  Necessity of building institutional support of ALL partners  Administration/Faculty understanding of the global picture

 All public institutions and 13 independent institutions have designated a P-16 Special Advisor to the THECB  Dr. Mary Hensley (and Gary Madsen) represent ACC

 Provide assistance in obtaining information about entry- level courses at postsecondary institutions  Attend up to two meetings per year with THECB staff  Coordinate and report on activities that assure students in its service area/region are college-ready when entering postsecondary institutions  Coordinate meetings of faculty on the College Readiness Standards (CRS) and other THECB initiatives  Provide feedback on forms and assessments provided by THECB or its contractor

Texas College Readiness Project

 Successfully responded to RFP to partner with THECB on the Texas College Readiness Project  Founded by Dr. David Conley, CEO, leading college readiness expert and author of “College Knowledge”  Nationally recognized experts on the high school-college transition and college readiness standards

 Definition of College Readiness  Capable of succeeding in an entry-level, general education, credit-bearing “reference” course  Able to perform at a level in the course sufficient to progress to another course in the subject and  To transfer knowledge learned in the course to a course in another subject area when necessary

 High School Standards:  Define the basic requirements for all students  Have an end point—high school graduation—as their reference point  Tend to focus on content knowledge  Are often the basis for state testing or accountability requirements  College Readiness Standards (CRS):  Are for students with postsecondary aspirations  Have beginning point—general education college courses—as their reference point  Tend to focus on both content knowledge and key cognitive strategies  Have not been used to specify state high school testing or accountability systems

 Help high schools establish challenge level and content necessary for college readiness  Designed to align HS and college courses  Create a more rigorous senior year  Help institutions of higher education increase course consistency  Develop better college-placement criteria

 Three-Part Process:  Phase 1: Standards Development  Phase 2: Standards Validation  Phase 3: Materials Development

 Standards development process mandated by HB 1  Required Vertical Teams (VT) composed of public and higher education faculty be created in four content areas:  English/language arts  Mathematics  Science  Social studies  Convergent Consensus Process:  VTs reviewed national and state standards  Four VT meetings  Online “homework” between each meeting  Consultations with VT co-chairs throughout the process

Field: ELA, Math, Science, or Social Studies Key Content # 1 Organizing Component #1 Performance Expectation #1 Performance Indicator #1 Performance Indicator #2 Performance Expectation #2 Performance Expectation #3 Organizing Component #2 Organizing Component #3 Key Content #2 Key Content #3 Specificity increases at each subordinate level

Example: Mathematics Performance Indicator: Recognize and describe the plane-figure components of three- dimensional figures, such as prisms, pyramids, cylinders, and cones Performance Expectation: Identify and represent the features of plane and space figures Organizing Component : Figures and their properties Key Content: Geometric Reasoning

Example: English Performance Indicator: Prepare a topic proposal that specifies a purpose and justifies the choice of audience to achieve that purpose Performance Expectation: Determine purpose, audience and task Organizing Component: Compose a variety of texts for a variety of reasons Key Content: Writing

 After College Readiness Standards (CRS) are adopted by THECB:  EPIC conducts research on what actually is being taught and expected in entry-level courses at Texas institutions of higher education and compares this to the CRS  Results are compared to the CRS and discrepancy analysis is conducted to identify any gaps or recommend modifications to the CRS  Research identifies “reference courses” that serve to define the assumed content covered and level of rigor in college courses in each subject area

 An entry-level postsecondary course that best reflects the CRS  Only entry-level courses  Those typically taken in the freshman or (more rarely) the sophomore year that meet general education requirements and often serve as the initial prerequisite course for other courses within that subject area

 Texas educators (K-12 and postsecondary) create materials aligned with College Readiness Standards  Work samples demonstrating expectations present in college courses  Course-based strategies for high schools  Ex., Senior seminars  Project templates for use in HS  Scoring guides referenced to College Readiness Standards  Formative assessments that provide diagnostic info on college readiness to teachers and students

 CRS Development Timeline in folder  For more information, contact: Dr. Mary HensleyGary Madsen