January 23, 2012 El Paso, Tx Streamlining Transitions Through Vertical Alignment

The Great Cultural Divide K-12 SystemPostsecondary System Focus on success for all (graduation)Success is primarily up to student Support services for all who need it (differentiated instruction) Services vary; Students expected to seek out support services Mandated standardsFew overarching standards Accountable to state and federal standards Some accountability but with a focus on academic freedom Driven by high stakes accountability defined by high school graduation Less accountability tied to student success Multiple assessmentsAssessment is left to individual teachers Strong emphasis on improving instruction and teacher accountability Strong emphasis on student accountability

Bridging the Divide Mission Statement: The Texas Pathways Project is focused on increasing college and career readiness and success at the local, regional, and state levels through data-driven decision-making, increased collaboration between all educational segments, effective educational interventions and professional development, the promotion of strategies for systemic change, and regular evaluation of the project and its developed interventions.

Goals of the Pathways Project  Improve access to, analysis of, and use of data to inform decision-making at secondary and postsecondary levels.  Improve coordination between secondary and postsecondary sectors through face-to- face collaborative learning teams.  Improve successful transitions from secondary through postsecondary.

Goals of the Pathways Process Faculty teams design / change interventions Faculty teams start interventions Interventions are evaluated using data. THECB generates reports Faculty / partners review reports

Data Collection and Use COLLECTED USE  Data transmission to THECB uses a method that protects sensitive data.  Only THECB staff can access student-level Pathways data. Find a student’s highest high school course in a subject area Link the student’s data to higher education data Find the first course the student took in higher education Enrollment Course (grades included) Graduation Data

Faculty Reports Alignment reports are designed to illustrate possible gaps in secondary / post-secondary alignment. H.S. Pre- Calculus College Calculus College Pre- Calculus Below College Pre- Calculus Institution-level reports show how different student populations affect alignment and how successful projects affect alignment

First College Math Course at a Higher Ed Institution Students who Passed Algebra 2 in High School H.S. Graduates FY % 15.4% 59.4% 40.0% 2-Year4-Year Basic MathCollege AlgebraCalculus Intermediate MathPre-CalculusOther

First College Math Course at a Higher Ed Institution Students who Passed Algebra 2 with an ‘A’ in High School H.S. Graduates FY Year Basic Math Intermediate Math College Algebra Pre-Calculus Calculus Other 44.9% 52.6%

Highest H.S. English Course Taken by Students Entering Community College Location A Location B AP English*English IVEnglish IIIBelow English III Location C

First College English Course at a 2-year institution Students who Passed English IV in High School H.S. Graduates FY Location A Location B Location C Developmental EducationCompositionOther 44.9% 48.1% 13.0% 87.0% 49.0% 51.0%

First College English Course at a 2-year institution Pass Rates Students who Passed English IV in High School H.S. Graduates FY Location A Location BLocation C 56.1% 77.6% 76.5% 76.7% 57.1% 70.8% 60.9% 67.6% 76.1%

Online Data Sources  Texas Education Agency  Public Education Information Management Systems (PEIMS)  Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS)  Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board  High school to college  Performance (GPA)  Dual credit  Texas Success Initiative (TSI)  Accountability  Transfers  Texas P-16 Education Information Resources (TPEIR) See Handout for Links

Texas Pathways THECB Consortia Structure Local Consortia Regional Coordinators El PasoRGV Houston San Antonio San Jacinto Vertical Team Structure EnglishScienceMathematics IHELEA Social Studies Co-chair Student Feeder Pattern IHE LEA

The Commitment  Commitment by Leadership  To support faculty teams and coordinator(s)  To act on data  To support innovations and interventions  To take the risks of R&D  Commitment by Faculty  To participate regularly over time  To act on data  To take risks by thinking innovatively about the system

The Collaboration  All partners share data  Data is not used to compare or evaluate institutions or campuses  Faculty from all segments participate and hear one another  Partners are in this together to serve their (shared) students

Faculty Teams– the Core of Pathways–  meet once a month  are supported by a regional coordinator, the THECB, local leadership and stakeholders  identify possible local road blocks to successful transition  develop interventions/systemic policy change for all education levels to better alignment

Facilitating Vertical Teams  Represent each sector in leadership (co-chairs)  Establish group norms  Assist scheduling (release time, meeting venues and times)  Establish team goals  Establish team member roles  Provide organizational support and means to carry the results of the work beyond the membership

Faculty Team Interventions Navigate College Readiness  Review Critical TEKS and TEKS-CCRS validation studies and crosswalks  Take and analyze college readiness-placement assessments  Review college readiness and success research  Evaluation and Adjustment of CR Assessment for Alignment to College Algebra and TEKS Professional Development  Participate in professional development related to the interpretation and use of P-16 data, including the data-driven decision-making process  Secondary and Postsecondary PD: College Writing  Learning Strategies PD  “Just-in-Time” PD for Science Teachers

Faculty Team Interventions Shared Experience  Share syllabi  Visit each other’s classes  Share assignments and grading rubrics and compare scoring practices to identify shared and divergent expectations in student performance  Participate in ISD curriculum modification activities  Develop surveys for students and/or faculty to increase knowledge about programs and provide additional context for data provided to the teams

Faculty Team Interventions Messaging  Develop means to more effectively communicate with regional leadership  Development of White Papers for institutional leadership Interventions with Students  Development of a 4 th Year H.S. Mathematics Intervention  Development of a FTIC Mathematics Orientation

Projects and Resources  Developmental Ed Demo Projects (4-yr and 2-yr)  AVID Postsecondary  Early College High Schools  TCCRI Faculty Collaboratives  College Readiness Assignments Field Test (CRAFT)  P-16 Institutes

Projects and Resources  State-level data resources  P-16 Councils  Chambers of Commerce  Faculty involved in CCRS work  Colleges of Education  IHE/ESC college readiness staff

THECB Contacts Ginger Gossman Senior Research Specialist, Pathways Kristen Kramer Director of Success Initiatives, P-16 Initiatives