Creating and Implementing College Preparatory Courses Texas-Style

Creating and Implementing College Preparatory Courses Texas-Style NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence Austin, TX May 25, 2015 Mary M. Harris, University of North Texas M. Jean Keller, University of North Texas http://untavatar.org

Presentation Overview What is AVATAR and why is it needed? What is the AVATAR College Preparatory Course (CPC) Project? How does AVATAR CPC compare with national trends in transitional course offering? What can we learn from one year of Texas transitional course experience?

What is AVATAR and why is it needed?

What is AVATAR? Academic Vertical Alignment Training and Renewal First funded in 2011 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as part of its Closing the Gaps strategic plan Facilitated by the University of North Texas for the North Texas Regional P-16 Council, which serves the Dallas Fort Worth area Currently active in all 20 Education Service Center regions of the Texas Education Agency

Graduation Rates 8th Grade Cohort 2001 - 2012 Received a Higher Education Degree or Certificate. Graduated from High School… 69 19 2001 2012 100 52 Of 8th Graders Enrolled… Enrolled in Higher Education… Source: 2013 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

Out of every 100 students earn a degree Texas Public 4 Year University Pipeline: Fall 2005 Cohort In 2011, No Longer Enrolled: 28 Full-Time 2 Part-Time 4 YEARS Graduated by 2009: 27 Full-Time 0 Part-Time In 2005, 100 Enroll: 96 Full-Time 4 Part-Time 57 6 YEARS Graduated by 2011: 29 Full-Time 1 Part-Time Out of every 100 students earn a degree within 6 years In 2011, Still Enrolled: 12 Full-Time 1 Part-Time Enrollments: 61,879 Data Retrieved from: 2013 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

27 Texas Public 2 Year College Pipeline: Fall 2005 Cohort In 2011, No Longer Enrolled: 29 Full-Time 30 Part-Time 3 YEARS Earned an Associate’s or Certificate by 2008: 6 Full-Time 3 Part-Time 4 - 6 YEARS Earned an Associate’s or Certificate 2009-2011: 9 Full-Time 9 Part-Time 27 In 2005, 100 Enroll: 51 Full-Time 49 Part-Time Out of every 100 students earn a degree or certificate within 6 years In 2011, Still Enrolled: 7 Full-Time 7 Part-Time ENROLLMENT – 106,660 Data Retrieved from: 2013 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

Educational Attainment Texas 22.6% 6.5% 17.7% State Ranking 21st 44th 25th Some college, No degree Associate’s Degree Bachelor’s Degree Source: 2013 Texas Public Higher Education Almanac

Students Needing Remediation TWO-YEAR COLLEGE FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE 51.0 % Entering enrolled in remediation 22.5 % Entering enrolled in remediation Ethnicity Two-Year Colleges African-American 67% Latino 59% White 43% Other 47% Ethnicity Four-Year Colleges African-American 45% Latino 34% White 13% Other Age Two-Year Colleges 17-19 52% 20-24 51% 25+ 48% Age Four-Year Colleges 17-19 22% 20-24 39% 25+ 49% Source: Remediation: Higher Education’s Bridge to Nowhere - Texas State Profile, Complete College America 2012

Texas College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Defines college and career readiness education standards for Texas PreK- 14.  A collaboration between the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  Initiated by the 79th Texas Legislature (3rd Called Session) through HB 1, now Section 28.008 of the Texas Education Code.  Sources House Bill 1: http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/tlodocs/793/billtext/html/HB00001F.htm Section 28.008: http://www.statutes.legis.state.tx.us/Docs/ED/htm/ED.28.htm

Texas Assessments Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Grades 3-8 End of Course (EOC) Texas Success Initiative (TSI) http://untavatar.org

What constitutes an AVATAR partnership? High Schools 2 Year IHEs 4 Year IHEs   Scaffolding Student Success Regional ESCs Regional P-16 Councils What constitutes an AVATAR partnership? http://untavatar.org

What are the purposes of AVATAR? Assure success for students as they move from high school to college and the workforce Vertically align the curriculum of courses in selected disciplines Base alignment decisions on local needs and interests Support partnerships in implementing HB5 CPC mandate

AVATAR is a Process Creates and builds relationships through ongoing critical conversations Uses regional data to make alignment decisions Develops shared understanding of college and career readiness and success for students Identifies and implements intentional actions to promote student success Evaluates, sustains, and shares vertical alignment work http://untavatar.org

What is the AVATAR College Preparatory Course project?

What are College Preparatory Courses as defined by HB 5 (Texas Legislature, 2013) Offered in English language arts and mathematics by school districts in collaboration with colleges Offered for high school students who are not college ready May enable students to be exempt from the TSI (Texas Success Initiative) Evaluated annually by school district and college partners

CPC Status by Region, 2/2015 http://untavatar.org

How does AVATAR CPC compare with national trends in transitional course offering? http://untavatar.org

Transitional Courses Nationally Offered in 29 states, all efforts recent. 8 states have initiatives led by an SEA or HEA. Courses are offered in English and, more often, mathematics and are offered face to face and online, with curriculum usually developed by local high schools. No definitive research, but leading work in El Paso through experiments of Southern Regional Education Board funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Implementation of Common Core and related assessments pushes focus on student performance. Reference: Barnett, E. A., Fay, M. P., Trimble, M. J., & Pheatt, L. (2013) Reshaping the College Transition: Early College Readiness Assessments and Transition Curricula in Four States. NY: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University

Rationale for Transitional Courses Almost half of students nationally place into at least one remedial course at college entry. Even academically prepared students may lack “college knowledge” and critical skills. Vertical alignment of curriculum is supported by research in a standards-based environment. The earliest possible intervention is the least costly in public and individual resources. Reference: Barnett, E. A., Fay, M. P., Trimble, M. J., & Pheatt, L. (2013) Reshaping the College Transition: Early College Readiness Assessments and Transition Curricula in Four States. NY: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.

TX CPC’s and transitional courses in NY, TN, CA, WV Similarities 1. Courses offered in mathematics and/or English 2. Student placement determined by state-adopted tests (although local option in TX) 3. Transitional courses may meet high school graduation requirement 4. Leadership for offering and design of courses by school districts with college partners Notable about TX CPC’s 1. TX College and Career Readiness Standards 2. Enrollment a choice of the student 3. Extent of local control over curriculum and implementation

What can be learned from one year of TX CPC experience? http://untavatar.org

Region One Consortium

Regional Goals Collaboratively create two two- semester online courses providing an opportunity for students to demonstrate college readiness in mathematics and/or English Language Arts while still in high school Ensure students are able to begin taking credit bearing courses their first year of college http://untavatar.org

You’re Invited … Save the Date Signing Ceremony for the HB 5 College Prep Courses Friday, August 22, 2014 10:00 AM South Texas College Mid-Valley Campus 400 N. Border Weslaco, Texas 78596 All School District ISDs present signed the MOU © 2014 𝑅𝐺𝑉 𝐹𝑂𝐶𝑈𝑆 http://untavatar.org

CPC Status by Region, 2/2015 http://untavatar.org

Issues: Statewide draw What happens to a student who successfully completes a CPC but wants to enroll in a college not included in the local partnership?

Issues: Horizontal alignment How can receiving colleges be sure CPC’s completed by entering students are of equal rigor and provided common content knowledge? How can receiving colleges be sure that assessments and criteria used in grading the entering students were equal and applied fairly? How can receiving colleges be sure that the teachers assigned to the transitional courses were well qualified?

Issues: TSI exemption? HB5 specified exemption from the TSI for one year after CPC completion. This precludes students other than high school seniors from taking CPC’s. Is this right? What if a senior delays starting college for a good reason? What if a junior wants to be college ready? Some colleges agree to an MOU that requires the passing the TSI for CPC completion. Others agree to performance measures other than the TSI. Is this fair? Is it right? What is college readiness anyway? What if a student enrolled in a CPC independently passes the TSI? Should he/she be allowed to drop? Is the goal of a CPC college readiness or test prep?

Issues: Data sharing Some colleges have sought contact information for students enrolled in CPC’s for recruitment but were not provided this information due to FERPA. HB 5 specified partnership evaluation of CPC’s over time. This requires knowledge of student enrollment and outcomes, but data sharing was typically not part of local MOUs. Through CPC numbers designated by the state, the TEA can track student enrollment. No other provision has been made for state level study of this phenomenon.

Comments and Suggestions http://untavatar.org

Successful High School to College Partnerships Characteristics Benefits Challenges Intense Require institutional commitment Involve a champion Provide dedicated resources Greater success for students Opportunity for college recruitment Alignment of curriculum and academic standards Sharing of best practices Cross-system faculty development More beneficial collaborations Lack of funding Differences in institutional cultures and norms Complications arising from lack of clear feeder patterns Reference: Barnett, M.A., Corrin, W., Nakarishi, A., Bork, R. H., Mitchell, C., & Sepanik, S. (2012). Preparing High School Students for College: An Exploratory Study of College Readiness Partnership Programs in Texas. National Center for Postsecondary Research.

Contact Information M Jean Keller Mary M Harris Regent Professor Emerita Co-director, AVATAR University of North Texas Denton, TX Mary.harris@unt.edu 940 367-3026 Professor and Acting Vice President Director, AVATAR University of North Texas Denton, TX Jean.keller@unt.edu 940 565-3427

References Barnett, M.A., Corrin, W., Nakarishi, A., Bork, R. H., Mitchell, C., & Sepanik, S. (2012). Preparing High School Students for College: An Exploratory Study of College Readiness Partnership Programs in Texas. National Center for Postsecondary Research. Barnett, E. A., Fay, M. P., Trimble, M. J., & Pheatt, L. (2013) Reshaping the College Transition: Early College Readiness Assessments and Transition Curricula in Four States. NY: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Harris, M., & Keller, J. (2015).  Results of AVATAR Regional College Preparatory Course Survey. Texas College and Career Readiness Network Digest, 13, March-April. Available at http://bit.ly/1KoYuQS