Southern Regional Education Board College- and Career-Readiness: Senior Year Transitional Courses Meeting of Legislative and Governors’ Staff Atlanta, GA ~ September 22, 2011 Cheryl Blanco, Vice President, Special Projects Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)

Southern Regional Education Board Key Steps in a Statewide College Readiness Initiative 1.Statewide College/Career Readiness Standards 2.Readiness Assessments in High School 3.School Curriculum & Transitional Courses in 12 th Grade 4.Teacher Development 5.Postsecondary Education Application of the Standards 6.School and College Accountability 2

Southern Regional Education Board States developing transitional courses  Florida  Kentucky  Texas  Virginia  West Virginia 3

Purpose: To examine the approaches taken by 5 states to design and deliver statewide transitional courses in English and math 4

Southern Regional Education Board Statewide Transitional Courses for College Readiness: Progress on 12 th -Grade Transitional Courses in Five States  Course development processes  Course content  Course delivery  Course evaluation process  Provision for professional development  Communication strategies 5

Math Transitional Courses – At a Glance StateTransitional Course Availability Targeted Students FLMathematics for College Success Mathematics for College Readiness Seniors who do not meet established scores on the CPT or P.E.R.T. TXMathematics will be finalized, piloted and launched by fall, Seniors who “pass” the end-of-course test for Algebra II but fail to reach the college-readiness qualifying score. VAMathematics Capstone course Modules available on VDOE website – courses will be piloted College intending seniors who have passed either Alg. II or Alg. Functions & Data Analysis SOL assessment but not met readiness qualifying score. WVTransition Mathematics for Seniors was available Seniors failing to perform successfully on WESTEST 2. 6

Math Transitional Courses – At a Glance StateRequirement or ElectiveContent and Format FLMathematics for College Readiness is 1 credit. Aligned with NGSSS standards. “College Success” course aligned with highest level of developmental courses. District discretion on delivery. TXIn the process of determiningAligned to Texas’ College Readiness Standards and TEKS. Math lessons designed for use in critical need areas – not full course. Delivery face to face or on-line VACurrently offered as elective but may become required prior to statewide implementation. Aligned to state and national standards reviewed by educators. Schools may choose to offer as entire course or modules. WVTransition Math for Seniors or higher level course required for college intending students. Aligned w/ WV Higher Ed. College Readiness Standards. 6 units in course available online intended to be taught face to face. 7

Southern Regional Education Board Findings  Widespread state policy support for transitional courses  Collaborative development processes  Varied assessments and target audiences  Course content, format and delivery -- some commonalities but also differences across states  Prioritizing teacher professional development  Evolving scope of public outreach  Interest in accountability and evaluation plans 8

Southern Regional Education Board Recommendations 1.Promote transitional courses as a key element of college- and career readiness 2.Ensure that qualifying scores on diagnostic assessments are high enough 3.Use transitional courses or equivalent interventions that are fully developed and applicable statewide 4.Require all districts and high schools to offer transitional courses or equivalent interventions for credit toward high school graduation 5.Require seniors who are not on track to complete appropriate transitional courses or interventions 9

Southern Regional Education Board Recommendations 6.Require postsecondary institutions to recognize successful completion of transitional courses as fulfilling placement exam requirements 7.Provide professional development for teachers, counselors, and school and district leaders 8.Develop a statewide system for evaluation of these courses and professional development activities 9.Conduct annual outreach activities about the courses 10