New High School Graduation Requirements Preparing Tennessee’s Students for The New Economy

Contact Information State Board of Education Gary Nixon, Executive Director Gary’s Blog:

The New Economy The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s adult learner (18 and up) will have _________ jobs by the time they are 38. Students beginning a 4-year technical degree today will begin learning information that is outdated by their _____ year of studies. 10 to 14 3 rd

The New Economy 1 in ____ workers have been at their job for less than one year. 1 in ____ workers have been at their job for less than five years. 2 4

In the new economy… …workers must expect change in the pursuit of careers that require more and more learning beyond high school.

What’s the outlook for the new ecomomy’s fastest growing and best paying jobs?

How are we doing in preparing our students for the new economy?

Are Tennessee Students Proficient? Spring 2007… National Chamber of Commerce comparison report card of key education factors in all states: Tennessee made an “F” in the category of Truth in Advertising…comparing Tennessee proficiency (our state assessments) to National proficiency (NAEP)

Is there a gap between achievement on state assessments and NAEP?

Performance Measures Today Beginning Advanced Proficient Below Proficient Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic

Workforce Readiness Benchmarks ACT’s research has found that the skills required to be ready for college are the SAME SKILLS required to succeed and advance in the career and technical workforce. ReadinessBrief.pdf ReadinessBrief.pdf

ACT Readiness Benchmarks ACT SUBJECT ACT (Grade 11-12) PLAN (Grade 10) EXPLORE (Grade 8-9) English Algebra Social Science Biology

EXPLORE

PLAN

ACT

What Are We Learning? Being ready is really, really important for ALL Students. It is important that students who are not ready catch up as early as possible.

What Are We Learning? Students who score, or are projected to score, more than two points below the Explore readiness benchmark score should receive extensive intervention. ACT has found that students who score more than 2 points below the Explore readiness benchmark scores rarely catch up and usually do not graduate.

What Are We Learning? Tennessee needs to more than double the rate at which students earn a postsecondary credential. Tennessee needs to develop seamless paths from the middle grades through high school to postsecondary completion.

The underworked American: Children are exceptions to the country’s work ethic The Economist, June 11, 2009 American children have it easier than most other children in the world, including the supposedly lazy Europeans. They have one of the shortest school years anywhere, a mere 180 days compared with an average of 195 for OECD countries and more than 200 for East Asian countries. German children spend 20 more days in school than American ones. South Koreans over a month more. Over 12 years, a 15-day deficit means American children lose out on 180 days of school, equivalent to an entire year.

The underworked American: Children are exceptions to the country’s work ethic The Economist, June 11, 2009 American children also have one of the shortest school days, six-and-a-half hours, adding up to 32 hours a week. By contrast, the school week is 37 hours in Luxembourg, 44 in Belgium, 53 in Denmark and 60 in Sweden. On top of that, American children do only about an hour’s-worth of homework a day, a figure that stuns the Japanese and Chinese.

High School Readiness Use TVAAS Projections as early as possible for early detection of academic need. Monitor students leaving 8 th grade to determine readiness for challenging high school studies using results on Explore and TCAP examinations. Intervene if not ready.

Middle Grades Readiness Monitor students leaving 4 th grade for numeracy and literacy readiness for middle grades content using TCAP results. Intervene if not ready.

1 st Grade Readiness Monitor students leaving kindergarten for academic and developmental readiness for first grade. Intervene if not ready.

How do we prepare our students to be college or career ready?

H S Graduation Requirements Changes that begin with the graduating class of 2013, this year’s 9 th graders, include: –curriculum aligned with ACHIEVE’s standards –new EOC assessments transition from Gateway to EOC as percentage of grade –graduation requirements increased to 22 (including a fourth credit in math, ½ credit in personal finance, and ½ credit in PE) –either chemistry or physics as one of three science courses –one diploma for all students –3 credit elective focus

H S Graduation Requirements English - 4 Credits: English I-1 Credit English II-1 Credit English III-1 Credit –AP Language and Composition English IV-1 Credit –AP English Literature or Composition –IB Language I –Communications for Life

H S Graduation Requirements Math - 4 Credits: (Students must take a math class each year) Algebra I- 1 Credit Geometry -1 Credit Algebra II-1 Credit Upper level Math:-1 Credit –Bridge Math Students who have not earned a 19 on the mathematics component of the ACT by the beginning of the senior year are recommended to complete the Bridge Math course. –Capstone Math –Adv. Algebra and Trigonometry. –STEM Math (Pre-Calculus, Calculus, or Statistics)

H S Graduation Requirements Science - 3 Credits: Biology I-1 Credit Chemistry or Physics-1 Credit –AP Physics (B or C) –Principles of Technology I and II Another Lab. Science-1 Credit

H S Graduation Requirements Social Studies – 3.0 Credits: W. History or W. Geography – 1 Credit –AP World History, Modern History, Ancient History, European History U.S. History– 1 Credit –AP U.S. History, IB History of the Americas HL (2 Years) Economics–.5 Credit Government–.5 Credit –AP U.S. Government, IB History of the Americas HL (2 Years), JROTC (3 Years), ABLS

H S Graduation Requirements P. E. and Wellness – 1.5 Credits: Wellness – 1 Credit Physical Education –.5 Credit –The physical education requirement may be met by substituting an equivalent time of physical activity in other areas including but not limited to marching band, JROTC, cheerleading, interscholastic athletics, and school sponsored intramural athletics. Personal Finance –.5 Credit

H S Graduation Requirements Fine Art, Foreign Lang., and Elective Focus – 6 Credits: Fine Art– 1 Credit Foreign Language– 2 Credits (Same) Elective Focus– 3 Credits –Students completing a CTE elective focus must complete three units in the same CTE program area or state approved program of study. –science and math, humanities, fine arts, or AP/IB –other area approved by local Board of Education The Fine Art and Foreign Language requirements may be waived for students who are sure they are not going to attend a University and be replaced with courses designed to enhance and expand the elective focus.

“Life’s not about waiting for the storm to pass… A Parting Thought: It’s about learning to dance in the rain! Vivian Greene