1. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Kentucky’s Unified Strategy for College and Career Readiness Aaron Thompson, Ph.D. Senior Vice President, Academic Affairs Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education February 28-March 1, 2011 GEAR UP Institute

2. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Kentucky’s Senate Bill 1 2009 (SB 1) SB 1 signed into law March 16, 2009. SB 1 calls upon the Kentucky Department of Education, in collaboration with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, to plan and implement a comprehensive process for revising the academic content standards, assessments, and accountability system.

3. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream The Role of the KY Council on Postsecondary Education in SB 1 The goals of SB 1 are to decrease the rates of remediation needed by recent high school graduates entering colleges by 50% by 2014 and over the next five years to increase the college completion rates of students entering underprepared by 3% annually from the 2009 rates.

4. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Continued…CPE’s Role CPE, in collaboration with KDE, was to develop a unified strategy for reaching these goals. On May 15, 2010,the Unified Strategy for College and Career Readiness was completed and is currently being implemented, as funding permits.

5. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream The KY Core Academic Standards Kentucky was the first state to adopt the common core standards for college and career readiness. Development of the common core standards was a state-led effort with 48 states and territories participating. The goal for Kentucky was to have a set of standards that: Focused on critical knowledge, skills, and capacities. Resulted in fewer but more in-depth standards to facilitate mastery learning.

6. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Continued…Common Core Standards Based on evidence-based research. Considered international benchmarks. Ensured the standards are common from high school to introductory course expectations in postsecondary institutions.

7. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream The Unified Strategy for College and Career Readiness Four Key Strategies: 1.Accelerated Learning Opportunities (focusing on the expansion of AP/IB access and dual credit opportunities). 2.Secondary Intervention Programs (focusing on the development and implementation of transitional coursework for writing, reading, and mathematics).

8. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Continued…Unified Strategies 3. College and Career Readiness Advising (focusing on the full implementation of the Individual Learning Plan and comprehensive advising programs). 4. Postsecondary college persistence and degree completion (focusing on bridge programming, accelerated learning opportunities, and student support and intervention systems).

9. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Secondary Education Commitments Our secondary schools must provide each student access to rigorous and high-quality instruction:  High-Quality Instructional Core  Common Core Standards  Assessments: EPAS, End-of-Course, formative assessments, and placement testing  Intervention programming

10. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream What is the Commonwealth Commitment? The Commonwealth Commitment for College and Career Readiness was a resolution signed by chief executive officers of public universities, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System president, CPE, and the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities to work with P-12 educators to develop and sustain an educational system that would be a cornerstone in building a strong economy.

11. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Continued…The Commonwealth Commitment The commitment references initiatives that promote college readiness and completion, align P-12 and postsecondary standards, implement the unified strategies, build high- quality teacher education programs, expand research and outreach to in-service teachers and school leaders, and build model professional development programs.

12. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Continued…The Commonwealth Commitment School district leaders recently received similar college and career ready commitment resolutions from Commissioner Holliday.

13. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream What should students be doing NOW to prepare for college? Take college readiness seriously. Understand the Kentucky ACT standards of college and career readiness. Take rigorous coursework throughout high school.

14. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Take advantage of dual credit, AP, and IB opportunities. Take advantage of high school transitional coursework and services. Continued…What should students be doing NOW to prepare for college?

15. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Continued…What should students be doing NOW to prepare for college? Contact the office of the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education if you have any questions about readiness. Sue Cain College Readiness and Developmental Education Sue.Cain@ky.gov John DeAtley Academic Affairs John.DeAtley@ky.gov 502.573.1555, Ext. 254 or 264

16. GEAR UP Alliance 2011 Institute for a College-Going Culture: Drive the dream Sue Cain College Readiness and Developmental Education Sue.Cain@ky.gov John DeAtley Academic Affairs John.DeAtley@ky.gov 502.573.1555, Ext. 254 or 264