Diploma Implementation Advisory Task Force September 26, 2006

THEMES FROM LAST MEETING Stakeholder Engagement Communication Capacity Student Supports

Diploma Implementation Update

Project Coordination ODE Diploma Coordination Team – On-going cross-office coordination of implementation planning and communications – Building internal capacity Contracts in process – Project management plan – Stakeholder-input plan – 2008 Educator Supply and Demand Report (WOU) – Best practices case studies

Essential Skills Task Force Phase I: Define essential skills, indicators, proficiency levels and assessment options – Task Force met August 15 th & September 5 th – Defined Essential Skills and Indicators in accordance with postsecondary education and workforce expectations – Participants include: K-12, OUS, CC faculty, workforce & community representatives, students, special education representatives

Essential Skills Task Force Phase I continued: – Planning regional stakeholder-input sessions, cross-sector representation (K-12/Community Coll./Higher Ed/Business & Community) – Next meetings: Oct 1 st & 2 nd, Nov 6 th, Dec 11 th Identify ES in current K-12 standards and compare with PS/WF expectations, identify gaps Identify proficiency levels and assessment options

Essential Skills Task Force Phase II: Policy and operational implications, accountability and PK-20 alignment – Participants to include: K-12 administrators, OUS and CC academic officers and admissions administrators, business/community leaders, special education reps – Meet November/December 2007 Timeline – adoption of ES June 2008

Standards & Assessment Task Force Charter and timeline in progress Membership TBA, will include members from WestEd Critical Friends group, representatives from schools, districts, community colleges, higher education, and others TF will address WestEd review of standards and assessment system and Dr. Dave Conley’s policy analysis of the assessment system

Proficiency Credit Task Force Charter and timeline in progress Membership TBA Researching existing national and state models

Cost/Capacity Task Force Charter and timeline in progress Membership TBA Identifying issues from other task forces

Communications Get Ready Oregon! Website Public awareness campaign for parents and students

Communications Task Force Website on REAL

Standards and the Diploma

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards Given Oregon’s standards-based education system, Standards and Assessment Task Force will be thread that ties diploma implementation work together Oregon has a strong foundation upon which to build this work

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards Standards indicate what students should know and be able to do at specified grade levels Oregon has content standards for eight subject areas: – Mathematics – English/Language Arts – Science – Social Sciences – Second Language – Health Education – Physical Education – The Arts

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards: Review & Revision Regular internal and external review of a state’s content standards is important to ensure their appropriateness, effectiveness, and relevance This year (2007) WestEd conducted an independent review of Oregon’s standards system and compared them with other states’ standards

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards: WestEd Findings Overall, Oregon standards are of good quality: consistency and clarity, content coverage, depth of knowledge, reasonableness (importance for instruction), assessability Recommendations included to guide future revisions and assessment considerations

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards: WestEd Study WestEd’s recommendations will provide framework for Standards and Assessment Task Force Examples include: development of core standards, assessment of essential skills, and when to revise content standards

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards: Mathematics Revision of Mathematics standards currently underway Expected adoption by State Board in March 2008 Revised structure will easily support new diploma requirements Reflects WestEd’s recommendations for clarity and coherency, follows “core standards” model

Oregon’s Academic Content Standards WestEd presently conducting study to identify Essential Skills embedded in current content standards Will also provide additional recommendations and guidance for work on core standards