1. Creating and Implementing College Preparatory Courses Texas-Style

2. 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

3. 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?

4. What is AVATAR and why is it needed?

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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 :
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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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 of the Texas Education Code. 
Sources
House Bill 1:
Section :

12. 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)

13. 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?

14. 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

15. 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

16. What is the AVATAR College Preparatory Course project?

17. 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

18. CPC Status by Region, 2/2015

19. How does AVATAR CPC compare with national trends in transitional course offering?

20. 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

21. 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.

22. 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

23. What can be learned from one year of TX CPC experience?

24. Region One Consortium

25. 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

26. 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

27. CPC Status by Region, 2/2015

28. 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?

29. 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?

30. 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?

31. 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.

32. Comments and Suggestions

33. 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.

34. Contact Information
M Jean Keller
Mary M Harris
Regent Professor Emerita
Co-director, AVATAR
University of North Texas
Denton, TX
Professor and Acting Vice President
Director, AVATAR
University of North Texas
Denton, TX

35. 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