The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative. Annual Report to the Arizona State Board of Education

Transcription

1 The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative Annual Report to the Arizona State Board of Education December 2011

2 The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative November 28, 2011 Submitted by Sybil Francis, Ph.D. Executive Director Center for the Future of Arizona Report prepared by Amanda Burke, Director of Education Strategy and Innovation Dr. Benah J. Parker, Director of Education Policy, Evaluation and Outreach Thanks to Tara Martineau for her assistance.

3 Contents Executive Summary... 1 The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative... 4 Legislation and Statewide Model Framework... 4 Figure 1 Competency-Based Pathways Leading to College and Career Readiness Legislation... 7 Role of the Arizona State Board of Education... 7 Role of the Center for the Future of Arizona... 8 Grand Canyon High School Diploma... 9 Approved Board Examination System Providers ACT QualityCore Cambridge International Examinations College Board Advanced Placement International Baccalaureate Diploma Program Critical Partners National Partners National Center on Education and the Economy University of Michigan Institute for Social Research Arizona Partners State Board of Education Arizona Department of Education Helios Education Foundation Research and Evaluation of Move On When Ready Establishing Recommended Pass Points for Lower Division Board Examination Systems Evaluation of the Implementation and Planning Process Partner Schools Early Adopter Partners Partners Supportive Planning and Implementation Structures Move On When Ready Learning Collaborative Ready Now Yuma Whole District Reform ii

4 Resources Supporting Move On When Ready Arizona Funding Sources National Funding Sources Plans for Seeking Additional Support Resources Early Challenges Board Examination System Course Substitutions Scheduling and Funding Challenges at the School Level Data Challenges Next Steps Continuing Work With 2011 Partner Schools Developing and Demonstrating Career and Technical Education Pathways through Move On When Ready Continued Collaboration with Higher Education Partners in Arizona Identifying and Supporting 2012 Partner Schools Technical Work with the State Board of Education Ongoing Work with NCEE and the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research School Accountability and Move On When Ready Conclusion Supporting Materials Appendix A Profile Summaries of 2011 Partner Schools iii

5 Executive Summary The Arizona Move On When Ready (MOWR) initiative is a high school education reform designed to increase student academic achievement to national and international levels, and to prepare all students for college and careers. The Move On When Ready legislation passed in 2010 and 2011 provide a framework for an education model that enables students to advance in their educational career based on demonstrated learning instead of seat time. Key provisions include the establishment of the Grand Canyon High School Diploma, a performance-based high school diploma available to students who demonstrate they are college and career ready, and the implementation of Board Examination Systems, which are powerful, coherent and aligned instructional systems set to national and internationally benchmarked academic standards that are designed to prepare students for success in college and careers. The first Grand Canyon High School Diplomas may be awarded as early as the academic year. In September 2010 the Arizona State Board of Education selected and contracted with the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) on a no-fee basis as the private organization responsible for launching and overseeing the Move On When Ready initiative for the first five years. CFA is responsible for collaborating with national and state partners in advancing this work, including the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), the Arizona State Board of Education, the Arizona Department of Education, the Arizona Board of Regents, community colleges, school districts, charter schools and Joint Technical Education Districts. In early 2011 CFA identified and worked directly with fourteen early adopter partner schools that began implementation of the Move On When Ready model in fall For the majority of the schools, this involved implementing the first year of the program with the freshman class. The schools include district, charter, and private schools that serve diverse populations of students in rural and urban areas. CFA was fortunate to partner with Helios Education Foundation, securing an 18-month grant, to support the development of a whole-school Move On When Ready model through a planning and demonstration initiative in the Yuma Union High School District named Ready Now Yuma. In a whole-school model, every student, rather than just a select few, is in a challenging performance-based curriculum designed to ensure they meet college-ready requirements before they leave high school. Helios, like CFA, is committed to a whole-school approach based on the belief that all students should be given the opportunity to achieve at a high level. This district-wide implementation of a whole-school Move On When Ready model is a collaborative and innovative partnership designed to develop actionable strategies that schools can implement to improve education quality and ensure students master a rigorous, curriculum-driven program of study. Most schools implementing Move On When Ready in Arizona have chosen to implement the program on a whole-school basis. For some schools, financial considerations require that it will be a number of years before all aspects of the model can be implemented school-wide. Nevertheless, the commitment is there, underscoring the belief that all students can succeed if given the opportunity to do so through a rigorous, curriculum-driven program of study designed to ensure they master the knowledge and skills 1

6 need to be prepared for and succeed in postsecondary studies without remediation whether that is at a trade or technical school, community college or four-year baccalaureate degree-granting institution. Going forward into the second year of this initiative, CFA, in partnership with its national partner NCEE, will identify a second cohort of schools to implement Move On When Ready starting with their freshman class in fall At the same time, CFA and NCEE will continue to work with the 2011 early adopter partner schools as they implement the second year of the initiative, adding a sophomore class to the freshman year program. CFA, in consultation with education leaders, will focus on designing and developing upper division pathways for grades 11 and 12, including the full time career and technical education pathway as provided for by the Move On When Ready legislation. Additionally, CFA will continue to work with K-8 schools interested in preparing students for the academically rigorous high school program as well as with higher education institutions to discuss issues related to the matriculation of Move On When Ready graduates, expected as early as fall In the coming year, preliminary data will become available regarding the impact of the Move On When Ready initiative on student performance. Results of the Move On When Ready Board Examination System assessments will become available, as will information from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded University of Michigan Institute for Social Research study being conducted in partnership with NCEE to evaluate the implementation of Move On When Ready in the NCEE Excellence for All (previously known as the Board Examination System program) consortium of states. Additionally, CFA is conducting an in-depth evaluation of the planning and implementation of Move On When Ready in conjunction with Ready Now Yuma with the intention of developing a whole-school model and implementation strategy that could be used by any school or district interested in implementing the initiative. Part of the success of the Move On When Ready initiative in Arizona can be attributed to the fact that Arizona is the only state in the NCEE national consortium of states advancing a college and career ready performance-based education model that opted to designate a non-governmental organization to lead the policy development, planning and implementation of the initiative. CFA is able to direct undiluted focus to the success of this program, so much so that Arizona is gaining a reputation nationally as having the most successful model for advancing this initiative of any state in the consortium. Arizona is the only state in the NCEE national consortium that has legislation in place making it possible for any school with the commitment and leadership capacity to implement a Move On When Ready strategy and make available a performance-based high school diploma. Additionally, Arizona has by far the most number of schools implementing this initiative than any other state, accounting for over half of the total number of schools nationally. Our national partners are interested in learning more about our model and how it might be emulated in whole or in part in other states. From the development of the initial state legislation to providing ongoing detailed support at the school level, CFA is enabling the realization of the Move On When Ready initiative. In partnership with the State Board of Education, the Arizona Department of Education, education leadership in the State Legislature, Arizona schools and school districts, higher education partners, and with the support and vision of 2

7 Helios Education Foundation, the Center for the Future of Arizona's first year of planning and implementation of Arizona's Move On When Ready initiative has been an unqualified success. 3

8 The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative The Arizona Move On When Ready (MOWR) initiative is a new model for high school education designed to increase student academic achievement to national and international levels, and to prepare all students for college and careers. Key components of the model include the Grand Canyon High School Diploma, a performance-based high school diploma available to students who demonstrate they are college and career ready, and the implementation of Board Examination Systems, which are powerful, coherent and aligned instructional systems set to national and internationally benchmarked academic standards that are designed to prepare students for success in college and careers. In September 2010 the Arizona State Board of Education selected and contracted with the Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) on a no-fee basis as the private organization responsible for launching and overseeing the Move on When Ready initiative for the first five years. In this role, CFA is responsible for collaborating with national and state partners, including the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE), the Arizona State Board of Education, the Arizona Department of Education, the Arizona Board of Regents, community colleges, school districts, charter schools and Joint Technical Education Districts. The Move On When Ready legislation passed in 2010 and 2011 provides the framework for the Move On When Ready initiative, enabling students to advance in their educational career based on demonstrated learning instead of seat time. Figure 1 illustrates the competency-based pathways to college and career readiness established by the Arizona Move On When Ready initiative. Legislation and Statewide Model 2010 Framework The Move On When Ready legislation signed into law in May 2010 provides a framework for an education model that enables students to advance in their educational career based on demonstrated learning instead of seat time. The purpose of the 2010 legislation was to greatly increase the number of students in Arizona who graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed in postsecondary study (defined as approved postsecondary education institutions including trade and technical schools, community colleges, and baccalaureate-degree granting institutions) without first taking remedial or developmental coursework; to allow students to move on when ready based on demonstrated academic outcomes; and to provide for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma to signify that those students who have successfully completed the course of study satisfy college and career ready criteria as established by Move On When Ready. Key provisions of the 2010 Move On When Ready legislation include: Establishment of the Grand Canyon High School diploma as a high school diploma option for students School districts and charter schools may choose to offer a Grand Canyon High School diploma beginning in the school year. 4

9 Figure 1 Competency-Based Pathways Leading to College and Career Readiness 5

10 Students may choose to pursue a Grand Canyon High School diploma The Grand Canyon High School diploma may be awarded at the end of grade ten or during or at the end of grade eleven or twelve to students who demonstrate mastery of academic material at a college readiness level Students who choose to pursue a Grand Canyon High School diploma participate in a Board Examination System (BES), a powerful, coherent and aligned instructional system consisting of instructional programs of study chosen by an interstate compact on Board Examination Systems and selected by the State Board of Education. Used in many high performing countries, the Board Examination System model includes core courses in mathematics, English, science, history and the arts aligned to national and internationally benchmarked standards, targeted teacher professional development, and a series of curriculum-based examinations that assess student mastery of knowledge and skills in a particular course on a variety of performance measures. Students who qualify for a Grand Canyon High School diploma may do one of the following: (1) graduate with the performance-based Grand Canyon High School Diploma and enroll in community college courses, either on a community college campus, at the high school campus, or at a combination of these campuses; (2) stay in high school and take an upper division program of demanding academic courses and exams, such as Advanced Placement, or International Baccalaureate, that will prepare students for selective college enrollment; (3) enroll in a full-time career and technical education (CTE) program offered on a community college campus, a high school campus or a joint technical education district campus (JTED), or any combination of these campuses; (4) remain in high school and participate in programs of study already available through the home high school or district, such as dual enrollment courses or specialized STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs; or (5) secure employment. No current options open to students for high school study are closed by Move On When Ready state policy. School districts or charter schools from which a student earned a Grand Canyon High School diploma and enrolls in community college shall continue to receive per pupil funding at a reduced amount until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade twelve. The purposes for which the balance of the per pupil funding may be utilized by the school from which the student receives the Grand Canyon High School diploma include: maintenance and operations, including capital; teacher and pupil incentives, including scholarship programs, for successful participation in the Board Examination System; providing customized programs of assistance for students who do not pass the Board Examination Systems; and to offset the costs of Board Examination Systems. Students who pursue but who do not yet qualify for the Grand Canyon High School diploma because they have not yet reached the requisite level of college and career readiness at the end of grade ten or eleven receive a customized program of assistance during the next school year that addresses areas in which the student demonstrated deficiencies on the Board Examination System. These students may retake the Board Examination System assessments at the next available administration. The State Board of Education shall identify college and career ready examinations that are available to pupils in eighth grade, including, but not limited to those pupils who intend to participate in the Board Examination System in high school. The examination(s) shall be selected to provide data to pupils, their families and schools regarding the pupil s level of preparation for entry into a college and career ready pathway in high school. 6

11 A private organization will manage the Board Examination System in Arizona for a period of 5 years, with specific roles for the State Board of Education, Arizona Department of Education, Arizona Board of Regents, community colleges, charter schools and school districts Legislation In early December 2010, CFA convened education stakeholders to identify areas of the Move On When Ready model that needed to be clarified to support the implementation of a whole-school Move On When Ready strategy in Arizona. Over several weeks, working groups made up of representatives from the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), the State Board of Education, the Arizona State Legislature, the State Board of Charter Schools, the Arizona Board of Regents, community colleges from across the state, joint technical education districts (JTEDs), school districts, the Arizona Education Association, and business leaders met to examine and discuss ways in which the Move On When Ready model could be further clarified. From these working sessions, a number of policy-related concerns were identified. Following the working group sessions, CFA provided recommendations to State Senator Rich Crandall and legislative staff regarding technical changes to the existing Board Examination System state statute. These recommendations were reflected in SB 1451, introduced by State Senator Rich Crandall and signed into law in April CFA actively supported SB 1451 throughout the legislative session, making presentations before the Senate and House Education Committees, meeting individually with legislators and education organizations, and working with stakeholders regarding possible amendments. SB 1451 makes no changes to the overall Move On When Ready concept or framework, but it does clarify the intent of the existing Board Examination System statute and addresses aspects of the statute for the purpose of facilitating the adoption and implementation of Move On When Ready in Arizona schools on a voluntary basis. The key technical changes enabled by SB1451 include the following: clarifies that when students become eligible for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma by demonstrating their mastery of the college and career ready curriculum at the lower division level that they are not forced to graduate but may remain in high school and pursue upper division programs of study to prepare themselves for selective university admission; clarifies that schools interested in offering the Move On When Ready program are required to collaborate with CFA rather than contract with CFA; clarifies the funding details and mechanisms needed to create upper division pathways to community college and full-time JTED enrollment; defines full-time CTE as a course of study offered by the CTE community, either at a high school, community college or JTED campus; clarifies that community colleges are not prohibited from utilizing standard placement and assessment tools for placement of incoming students who have earned a Grand Canyon High School Diploma, and if needed, community colleges are able to place such students in remedial coursework; and other minor technical clarifications for consistency throughout the statute. Role of the Arizona State Board of Education With the passage of state legislation to create the Move On When Ready initiative, the Arizona State Board of Education assumed responsibility for the following actions: Contract with a private organization to operate and administer the Board Examination Systems 7

12 Adopt rules to operationalize the Move On When Ready initiative Approve Board Examination Systems for use in Arizona for lower division and upper division courses Identify college and career ready assessments available to students in grade 8 Determine what modifications are necessary, if any, to calculate AZ LEARNS school achievement profiles Approve requirements for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma The State Board of Education issued an RFP to select a private organization to manage and oversee the Move On When Ready initiative. In September 2010, CFA was awarded a no-fee five-year contract to work with Board Examination System providers and provide technical assistance to partner schools to implement Move On When Ready. As prescribed in Arizona State Statute, CFA worked with the State Board of Education to develop rules for the Move On When Ready model, which were approved and adopted in January The rules established by CFA and the State Board of Education serve to: identify critical definitions for the Move On When Ready initiative, identify the role of CFA, identify the process by which schools can participate in Move On When Ready and offer a Grand Canyon High School diploma, and operationalize the Grand Canyon High School diploma and the pathways it provides for Arizona students. The State Board rules require that the approved Board Examination Systems must be aligned to Board-approved academic standards and set forth the specific graduation requirements for the Grand Canyon High School diploma. In setting the qualifying requirements for the Grand Canyon High School diploma, the State Board of Education determined that the criteria should include demonstration of the skills and knowledge in English and mathematics needed to be successful in college level course offerings without remediation, as well as satisfactory grades, to be determined by the State Board of Education, on approved Board Examination System courses in science, history, the arts and/or CTE, and in a locally offered course in economics. Also in January 2011, the State Board of Education approved several providers of Board Examination Systems for use in Arizona, including both lower and upper division course offerings from Cambridge International Examinations and ACT QualityCore, and upper division course offerings from College Board Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate. Going forward, the Technical Advisory Committee of the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) will establish pass point recommendations for Board Examination System English and mathematics assessments. The Arizona State Board of Education will take action on those recommendations, as well as identify a process for establishing pass points for the other core courses of science, history, the arts and CTE required for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. Role of the Center for the Future of Arizona The Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA), a non-profit organization that combines public policy research with collaborative partnerships to affect positive change in Arizona, is leading the Move On 8

13 When Ready initiative in Arizona. Selected to manage and oversee the effort by the Arizona State Board of Education, CFA is working with interested schools to plan for and implement the Move On When Ready model. CFA has particular interest in advancing the whole-school Move On When Ready strategy, in which the Board Examination System is the default educational instructional system for all students, and with support from Helios Education Foundation, is working intentionally with Yuma Union High School District to implement the model district wide in five comprehensive high schools. CFA is exercising general supervision over the implementation of the approved Board Examination Systems in Arizona for the duration of the five-year contract and will maintain communications with the State Board of Education and the Arizona Department of Education. The work of CFA around Move On When Ready includes identifying the 2011 early adopter partner schools through information sessions and intentional conversations with interested schools; working with the 2011 schools to plan for and implement Move On When Ready on an ongoing basis; collaborating with national partners NCEE to secure necessary technical assistance and serving as a liaison to Board Examination System providers; building broad support for Move On When Ready through approximately 85 presentations across the state; hosting information sessions to recruit and identify 2012 partner schools; and conducting technical studies to assess the implementation of Move On When Ready. In addition to the specific responsibilities to the State Board of Education, CFA is driving communications around the Move On When Ready initiative throughout the state, including making information available on the CFA web site, and through news and print media coverage. In order to facilitate communication, collaboration, and knowledge sharing across the early adopter schools, CFA has established the Move On When Ready Learning Collaborative. CFA was pleased to receive a grant of $50,000 from the Arizona Community Foundation in support of the Learning Collaborative. The entirety of these funds is dispersed to Move On When Ready schools directly or for activities that directly support the work of the Learning Collaborative. By purposefully bringing together early adopter partner schools, CFA is poised to bring additional visibility to the Move On When Ready effort at a state and national level, leverage the power of the Learning Collaborative to positively influence education policy, and identify resources to support schools in their implementation work. Detailed information on the CFA Move On When Ready project team can be found in Appendix B. Grand Canyon High School Diploma Qualification for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma indicates that students have met a minimum college readiness standard, defined as not needing remediation in the first credit-bearing courses offered at a community college that count towards a degree program. This performance-based diploma signals that students are well-prepared to take the next step in their educational career, with the college and career ready levels in English and mathematics to be nationally benchmarked with our national consortium partners. 9

14 While it provides an option to graduate early, the Grand Canyon High School Diploma is not intended to rush students through school, nor is it designed only for those students who may already be on a college path. Rather, the Move On When Ready model was developed with all students in mind, with the goal of clearly signaling to students what it is they need to know to be successful in education beyond high school, and to provide a way for them to get there, with less worry about how long it takes. The Grand Canyon High School Diploma is tied to a minimum level of college readiness, and offering the Grand Canyon High School Diploma is voluntary for Arizona schools. Upon completion of the requirements for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma, students become eligible to receive the diploma and may choose to graduate from high school, or they may choose to remain in high school and pursue other academic pathways as set forth in the Move On When Ready framework. To qualify for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma, students must pass all of the exams for the Board Examination System (BES) courses listed below at the designated college and career ready level and successfully complete all of the following subject-area requirements within that Board Examination System's curriculum. With these requirements, students continue to have the option to take local elective courses as part of their high school educational experience along with the course offerings from the Board Examination System providers. Two BES English courses Two BES mathematics courses Two BES science courses, including lab-based science, engineering or information technologies One BES American history course One BES world history course One BES fine arts course or career and technical education course (CTE course may be a local offering) One-half credit of economics (local offering) Students who satisfy all the criteria for a Grand Canyon Diploma are exempt from the minimum course of study requirements for a traditional high school diploma outlined under Arizona statute R Approved Board Examination System Providers In 2010, the Kentucky Department of Education managed a competitive procurement process, on behalf of the Board Examination System consortium states, to vet proposals from the world s best Board Examination Systems to make their programs available to U.S. high schools beginning in the school year. The RFP invited internationally recognized Board Examination System providers to submit proposals demonstrating their capacity to be used in U.S. schools, including how they would meet a set of demanding program and technical requirements, and how their programs would be made available to schools participating in a research study through the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Proposals were evaluated by a State Review Panel, by NCEE s Technical Advisory Committee, and by the National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment Board Examination Systems are complete instructional systems aligned to high standards. They include a set of courses that constitute a core curriculum, thoughtfully constructed course designs captured in a 10

15 syllabus, high quality exams derived from the curriculum using multiple assessment methods designed to determine whether the students have mastered the curriculum described in the syllabus, and quality teacher training matched to the course syllabi. Board Examination Systems include both lower division and upper division offerings. A lower division Board Examination System is a solid core curriculum designed for all students and typically used in grades 9 and 10. Lower division courses are intended to prepare students to a minimum level of college readiness, indicating that they would be prepared to take the first credit-bearing courses at a community college without remediation or continue with their high school experience to take a more advanced program of study. An upper division Board Examination System is an advanced program of study typically available to students in grades 11 and 12. Upper division courses are intended to prepare students for admission to a selective college or university, such as Arizona State University, University of Arizona, or Northern Arizona University. To qualify as a certified provider, organizations were asked to meet the following criteria: For all courses there are well-developed syllabi, closely aligned instructional materials, course examinations with external scoring and moderated or audited scoring processes as needed, and teacher training and related support designed to enable teachers to teach each course well to a range of students. Each course offered must be rigorous. This means that the quantity and quality of assignments, the criteria for grading assignments, and the instructional support for successful completion of assignments compares favorably to assignments in nations with exemplary Board Examination Systems. The examination system is transparent to students and teachers, including scoring rules and practices. The examinations have the capacity to assess students in each field to measure a range of higher order thinking skills. The provider s high school Board Examination Systems must have been operating for a minimum of three years. The provider must meet criteria for test design, scoring, comparability, access and accommodations for all students, administration and training, reporting, and data. Based on reviewer recommendations, NCEE certified two providers, ACT QualityCore and Cambridge International Examinations, for use in Lower Division programs and four providers, ACT QualityCore, Cambridge International Examinations, International Baccalaureate, and College Board Advanced Placement, for use in Upper Division programs. The approved Board Examination Systems are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, and schools benefit from a negotiated price break with approved providers. Following the recommendations of NCEE and CFA, the Arizona State Board of Education approved ACT Quality Core and Cambridge International Examinations for use in the lower division Move On When 11

16 Ready program and approved ACT QualityCore, Cambridge International Examinations, International Baccalaureate, and College Board Advanced Placement for use in the upper division Move On When Ready program. Following adoption of the Board Examination System providers by the State Board of Education, CFA worked closely with Arizona Department of Education and the Board Examination System providers to complete contract adoption in Arizona for each provider, complete vendor registration for each provider, and ensure all of the contracts were uploaded into procure.az.gov to facilitate the ability of Arizona schools to contract directly with Board Examination System providers. Each of the four approved Board Examination System providers offer rigorous instructional systems, but with a distinct focus and background. Details about the approved Board Examination System providers are below. ACT QualityCore ACT is one of the most widely known names in American educational testing. The QualityCore curriculum is a relatively new offering from ACT and consists of 12 courses in English, mathematics, the sciences and U.S. History. ACT QualityCore courses are designed to be offered in the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years, in a continuous sequence, but a selection of courses can be used to constitute a lower division offering culminating in assessments which, if passed, would qualify a student for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. An additional selection of courses can be used as the basis of an upper division offering. QualityCore was conceived by ACT as an integral part of its larger suite of products, which includes tests that can be used at the end of elementary school to predict middle school performance, at the end of middle school to predict high school performance and, the ACT exam itself, which is designed to predict college performance. Cambridge International Examinations Courses and examinations from the University of Cambridge are used in high schools in over 150 countries around the world. Cambridge has been developing and offering Board Examination Systems since the early nineteenth century. The experience and depth of curriculum expertise shows in the quality and diversity of the Cambridge products. Singapore uses a customized version of their O Level exams to implement that country s widely-admired standards. At the lower division level, Cambridge will offer the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) program that allows students to earn an International Certificate of Education (ICE), a lower secondary diploma recognized around the world. The IGCSE program is based on the old English O Levels, which are the gold standard for lower secondary programs in the English-speaking world. At the upper division level, Cambridge will offer the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) program, an upper secondary diploma program based on Advanced level courses that is designed to build directly on the IGCSE program. A level courses set the gold standard for college preparatory programs in many parts of the English speaking world. This latter program, adapting the A level 12

17 program for use in the United States, aims to encourage initiative and creativity and the application of knowledge. It includes a research project option that is factored into one s exam score. Most courses at both the lower and upper division will also be offered with coursework for students to complete during the academic year. College Board Advanced Placement The Advanced Placement (AP) exams from the College Board have long had gold standard status in American high schools, and are now offered around the world to students interested in attending American colleges and universities. These examinations, however, were not originally designed to provide a qualification on which college admission could be based. Instead, they were designed to provide an opportunity for high school students to take college-level courses for which colleges would offer college credit. In recent years, however, some selective colleges have restricted college credit to students earning only the highest score possible on the exam, and have instead chosen to take performance on these exams into account in their admission decisions. NCEE expects high schools offering the AP program to use it as an upper division program and to make a selection of courses for that program that constitute a balanced upper division core program. A wide range of courses is available for that purpose. Like Cambridge and the International Baccalaureate, the College Board offers some courses at both standard and advanced levels of difficulty. For those students who so desire, the College Board will offer an AP International Diploma to students who take the selection of courses required for the diploma and meet the specified performance standards. International Baccalaureate Diploma Program The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is available only as a full diploma program and is carefully constructed to balance deep knowledge in the disciplines with the ability to integrate and apply that knowledge. It attends to the moral as well as the intellectual development of the student. To be awarded an IB diploma, a student must complete the whole program, including exams in 6 subject areas, a community service requirement, an extended essay and a course on critical thinking, Theory of Knowledge. Options for subject courses include languages, math, computer science, experimental science, the arts and individuals and societies. Most courses are offered at both a standard level and a higher level, and all students are expected to take at least two courses at the higher level. The IB Diploma program is intellectually demanding and requires a good deal of a student s time, but many of the students who take it find that its coherence, depth and unity give it great power that more than justifies the effort required. IB is an upper division program offered during the last two years of high school. The IB diploma is recognized by universities around the world. 13

18 Critical Partners National Partners National Center on Education and the Economy Arizona is joined by several states interested in advancing a Move On When Ready model, including Connecticut, Kentucky, and Mississippi. The National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) has brought these states together through the Excellence for All initiative, formerly known as the Board Examination System program, and is providing substantial technical assistance to ensure the program s effectiveness. Additionally, NCEE is working with the University of Michigan s Institute for Social Research to conduct a longitudinal study of the program that includes all of the Arizona schools implementing the Move On When Ready model. The goal of Excellence For All is to greatly increase the proportion of students who leave high school ready to do college-level work and greatly reduce the proportion of students who enter our colleges and never get beyond taking a few remedial courses before they drop out. The piloting of this program in four states will change the dynamics of high school, as students who succeed in these programs will have the option to attend open admissions colleges as early as the beginning of their junior year and do so without remediation. The program is in alignment with the Common Core State Standard so high schools are able to implement these standards as early as Fall The project to pilot and evaluate Board Examination Systems in the U.S. includes a Technical Advisory Committee, a Higher Education Task Force, and an Advisory Board. The Technical Advisory Committee, composed of some of the world s leading psychometricians, cognitive scientists and literacy experts, has been established to take on the required technical work, including establishing pass points that reflect the best empirical data on the actual literacy and numeracy requirements of the initial credit-bearing courses in open admissions postsecondary institutions, and assuring that each program meets the prevailing professional standards for validity, reliability and fairness and is compatible with the Common Core State Standards. The Higher Education Task Force has been formed to guide the work in each of the states to align high school and college policies so students who succeed have the choice of starting college after their sophomore year, enrolling in a rigorous technical education program or staying in high school to prepare for admission to a selective college or university, while the Advisory Board representing the participating states and localities has come together to work with NCEE in developing policies and plans for implementation, expansion, and sustainability. Arizona is represented on the Advisory Board by Dr. Vicki Balentine and State Senator Rich Crandall, and on the Higher Education Task Force by Dr. Rufus Glasper. In support of Excellence for All, NCEE provides substantial technical assistance to partner states, including: Completing the empirical research needed to determine recommended passing scores on the Board Examination Systems that indicate college readiness in math and English. 14

19 Certifying the Board Examination System providers and leading the procurement process, which include substantial cost breaks for the Excellence for All states. Developing the research and evaluation plan that will be led by the University of Michigan s Institute for Social Research (ISR). In coordination with the Advisory Board, recommending to the states the program of study required for students to earn a diploma under the program. In Arizona, this is the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. In addition to the technical assistance, NCEE has recently hired Katy Cavanagh as the Arizona Engagement Manager for the Excellence for All initiative. Ms. Cavanagh joins NCEE after a distinguished career as an educator in Arizona, including roles as a Curriculum Specialist (ELL), Elementary School Principal, Middle School Principal, Assistant Superintendent, and Interim Superintendent of the Scottsdale Unified School District. In her new role, Ms. Cavanagh brings her knowledge about Arizona s educational system and strong relationships with key educational leaders to provide on-the-ground support to early adopter partner schools, work closely with CFA to strengthen communication and collaboration between early adopter partner schools, and connect the work happening within Arizona to the larger national Excellence for All effort. University of Michigan Institute for Social Research A team of researchers from the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, led by Dr. Brian Rowan, will serve as a third party, independent evaluation team to measure the impact of Board Examination System lower division programs in achievement and other key outcomes for the students who participate in the program. The goal of this work is to understand how state education policies, implementation supports, community factors, student motivations, and administrative processes affect implementation outcomes in high and low implementing schools. More detail about this research is discussed later in this report. Arizona Partners State Board of Education As described earlier, the Arizona State Board of Education plays a critical role in the Move On When Ready initiative in Arizona through establishing a contract with the CFA to work with early adopter partner schools and administer the Board Examination Systems, approving the providers of Board Examinations Systems for use in Arizona, and approving the requirements for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. Additionally, the State Board of Education will be responsible for establishing the pass points on the lower division Board Examination Systems for qualification for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. Arizona Department of Education In operationalizing Move On When Ready, the State Board of Education set forth a specific requirement for the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) to develop a system to track the academic progress of students who participate in Board Examination Systems. 15

20 CFA is working closely with ADE to address a number of data collection needs, including collecting Board Examination System assessment data, tracking students who qualify for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma and which pathway is chosen as a next step, keeping track of students who opt to graduate with a Grand Canyon High School Diploma, and following students as they enter postsecondary education to monitor rates of remediation, academic persistence and degree, certification or program completion. In initial conversations with ADE around data collection, ADE had indicated there will be costs associated with meeting data collection needs, both to evaluate the impact of Move On When Ready and to effectively and efficiently monitor student enrollment and academic outcomes as measured by Board Examination Systems. The Move On When Ready initiative has implications for student funding, which require tracking and data reporting from ADE, and there are possible implications for cohort graduation rate calculations. Together, CFA and ADE are working to identify and address these technical needs for the full and successful implementation of Move On When Ready. State Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal and his leadership team have been very supportive of the Move On When Ready initiative and have met with CFA multiple times to identify ways in which ADE can effectively support the implementation of the Move On When Ready model in Arizona. Recently, John Stollar, Chief of Programs and Policy at ADE, and Jan Amator, Deputy Associate Superintendent, Educator Excellence Section participated in a day-long site visit in Yuma Union High School District to learn about how Move On When Ready is being implemented in all five comprehensive high schools and determine ways in which ADE can provide support to the district to assist them in their ongoing implementation. Helios Education Foundation In an effort to implement an education model designed to graduate knowledgeable and highly skilled students who are academically prepared to successfully complete a postsecondary education, Helios Education Foundation, CFA, and the Yuma Union High School District have partnered to create Ready Now Yuma, a comprehensive, district-wide and school-wide educational reform effort framed around Move On When Ready. Helios is investing $450,000 toward this planning initiative, enabling CFA and Yuma Union High School District to develop strategies that will require all 9 th and 10 th grade students to enroll in the Cambridge International Examination instructional system, offer multiple educational pathways for 11 th and 12 th grade students, provide student academic advising and support, create opportunities for teacher professional development and include a thorough research and evaluation component. 16

21 Research and Evaluation of Move On When Ready Establishing Recommended Pass Points for Lower Division Board Examination Systems The Technical Advisory Committee established by NCEE is working to complete the empirical research needed to determine pass points on Board Examination Systems that will indicate college readiness in English and mathematics. NCEE s Technical Advisory Committee, which will plan and supervise all of the technical work related to setting the cut scores and assuring the fairness, reliability and validity of the examination systems, is composed of some of the most well-regarded cognitive scientists, psychometricians and curriculum experts in the world. It is co-chaired by Howard Everson of the City University of New York and James Pellegrino of the University of Illinois at Chicago. The work of the NCEE Technical Advisory Committee in establishing pass points in English and mathematics includes not only an analysis of materials from a range of introductory college courses, including information from Arizona community colleges, but also an analysis from a panel of community college experts, and a review of other empirical evidence and research studies that link student performance on lower division Board Examination Systems with the same students level of success in initial credit-bearing college courses. As NCEE establishes college ready thresholds for English and mathematics they aim to integrate both judgmental and empirical evidence to determine what the standards actually are, rather than set them at some arbitrary level that some might wish them to be. Interested in setting standards for the English and quantitative literacy that students actually need to succeed in initial credit-bearing courses at open admission institutions in the states participating in the Board Examination System pilot, NCEE has gathered materials from introductory courses in eight programs areas (Accounting; Automotive Technology; Biotechnology; Business; Criminal Justice; Early Childhood Education; Nursing and IT) as well as the initial mathematics and English course each of these programs requires. The analysis of English literacy is considering the demands for both reading and writing in these courses, while the mathematics courses will be analyzed for both mathematical content and practices. Once the community college data analyses are completed, the Technical Advisory Committee will bring these findings, along with other available evidence, together with the materials that describe how the domains of interest, in this case English and mathematics, are defined in the lower division courses and examinations being offered by ACT QualityCore and Cambridge International Examinations. Such materials include the examination items and exercises themselves, the course syllabi, the scoring rubrics used to mark all extended response items, and exemplars of student work at multiple mark points. NCEE s Technical Advisory Committee will be drafting detailed protocols to join the key bodies of evidence spelled out above: the findings of the community college course analyses and the specifications of the lower division Board Examination Systems, along with any additional empirical findings that can be brought to bear. As this critical work proceeds, NCEE will subject this methodology to a careful review by leaders in the consortium states in higher education and K-12 along with scholars in education measurement, English and mathematics from around the world. 17