COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS INITIATIVE FACULTY COLLABORATIVES

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1 COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS INITIATIVE FACULTY COLLABORATIVES A project of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board College and Career Readiness Initiative

2 MESSAGE FROM THE COMMISSIONER The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is pleased to support the College and Career Readiness Initiative Faculty Collaboratives. Funded by the Texas Legislature in 2008, the collaboratives were established to ensure those who prepare our teachers integrate the College and Career Readiness Standards (2008) into their preservice programs. The faculty collaboratives support our overall mission of improving higher education for the people of Texas. Our work is guided by the state s higher education plan, Closing the Gaps by 2015, which aims to close the educational gaps within Texas and between Texas and other leading states in student participation, student success, and institutional excellence and research. Preparing our teachers to meet these challenges is crucial. I hope you find the information available in this brochure useful and informative. Raymund A. Paredes, Ph.D. Commissioner of Higher Education Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board 2 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

3 Overview PREPARING information; pictures THE TEACHERS OF TOMORROW The College and Career Readiness Initiative Faculty Collaboratives were established in 2008 by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to provide teacher educators at institutions of higher education with information and resources regarding the implementation of the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards. A partnership of four universities compose the faculty collaboratives, each focusing on a subject in the standards: English Language Arts Mathematics Science Social Studies The University of Texas at Austin Texas State University Texas A&M University Corpus Christi The University of Texas at Arlington The findings and views expressed in this report are solely those of the College and Career Readiness Initiative Faculty Collaboratives and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. College and Career Readiness Initiative: 3

4 ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS Learning and Collaboration The English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative facilitates ongoing professional learning and collaborative opportunities for teacher educators and university faculty members from other departments to support their efforts to integrate the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards into preservice courses. These opportunities include statewide seminars, regional conferences, and onsite technical assistance. A total of 600 faculty members from 118 institutions of higher education, as well as faculty members from 75 K 12 campuses, have participated in the English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative. Statewide seminars address a range of topics and have included the following: Cross-Disciplinary Literacy: Metacognitive Strategies to Support Comprehension Preparing Preservice Teachers for 21st Century Teaching Integrating the English Language Arts College and Career Readiness Standards Into Preservice Courses Regional conferences, facilitated by participating universities, have been hosted by the following: Schreiner University Texas A&M University Texarkana Texas Tech University University of Houston Downtown The University of Texas Pan American Knowledge Dissemination The English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative develops and distributes products for use by teacher educators and other faculty members, including course modules and exemplar lessons to use in classes, books and resources to advance knowledge and skills, and a website with reports and other products: These products include the following: Overview of Cross-Disciplinary Strategies to Address the College and Career Readiness Standards Anticipation/Reaction Guides to Improve Comprehension of Text 4 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

5 Participant Quotes I found the discussions with other faculty members very useful, especially hearing how they had implemented the standards. After attending the CCRI Faculty Collaborative, I began to discuss the standards explicitly. Instead of discussing only the TEKS with my preservice teachers, I now discuss the TEKS, CCRS, and English Language Proficiency Standards, and we work with all documents. Opportunities for Growth The English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative provides opportunities for faculty members to enhance their professional experience by conducting research sponsored by the English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative, publishing on the English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative website, presenting at state and national conferences, serving on the English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative Advisory Council, and collaborating with other faculty members and school district personnel. College and Career Readiness Initiative: 5

6 MATHEMATICS Serving Diverse Student Populations Mathematics Faculty Collaborative professional development helps university educators better prepare teachers to meet the academic needs of the diverse student populations in Texas. These events have included the following: Strategies for Helping Underprepared Learners Achieve College and Career Readiness in Mathematics Helping English Language Learners Achieve College and Career Readiness in Mathematics Preparing Mathematics Teachers for Success in the STAAR and EOC Era These events served more than 150 faculty members from more than 35 universities and community colleges. Co-Sponsored STEM Events The Mathematics Faculty Collaborative co-sponsors science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) events with the Science Faculty Collaborative. These events have included the following: College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Symposium for Community College Mathematics and Science Faculty CCRI Mathematics/Science Summit Supporting Success in College Science: CCRS and Scientific Applications of Mathematics Approximately 400 university and community college faculty members from more than 110 institutions attended these events. Faculty Mini-Grants The Mathematics Faculty Collaborative awards mini-grants of as much as $10,000 to faculty members across the state to investigate ways to implement the Mathematics CCRS. Upon completion of the 16 projects funded to date, the minigrant recipients described their projects and reported findings at a daylong workshop. Collectively, 150 faculty members representing 35 universities participated. Seven of the mini-grant products were further developed into video-based dissemination packages that are available on the CCRI Faculty Collaboratives website. 6 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

7 Participant Quote I have implemented many active-engagement activities that I learned at the seminars. Also, before the seminars, I had no training in the CCRS and had not implemented them effectively at all. I now feel that my students leave my class with an understanding of them. University Program Improvement Initiative A primary focus of the Mathematics Faculty Collaborative is integrating the mathematics CCRS into teacher preparation programs. To that end, teams of mathematics and education faculty members from 34 universities engaged in a yearlong faculty development seminar series. Two-day collaborative work sessions were held in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, with faculty teams from 10 to 12 universities attending each event. After the seminars, each team continued their work together to implement program enhancements, which were summarized in their follow-up reports to initiative organizers. College and Career Readiness Initiative: 7

8 OUR MEMBERS 5 years of faculty participation Representing 147 institutions of higher education English Language Arts Collaborative 66 events with 3,069 attendees Mathematics Collaborative 38 events with 1,569 attendees Science Collaborative 22 events with 611 attendees Social Students Collaborative 30 events with 1,210 attendees Attendance at more than 150 CCRI events surpassed 6,450! 8 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

9 Results of 2013 Faculty Survey Teaching Experience Years of K 12 experience None 31.0% % % % 16-plus 13.5% Years of higher education experience None 0.0% % % % 16-plus 43.0% Position at College or University Tenure-track faculty 45.2% Dean, associate dean, or dept. head 19.2% Instructor 19.2% Other 12.0% Clinical faculty member 4.4% Impact of Faculty Collaboratives Over Time Integrated Texas College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) and/or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) into the courses I teach % 80.2% Met with faculty members in my department to discuss integration of CCRS/TEKS into courses 52.0% 69.2% Led efforts to implement CCRS/TEKS at my university or college 50.5% 75.0% Met with cross-disciplinary faculty members at my university/college to discuss integration of CCRS/ TEKS into courses 41.5% 54.2% Met with EC 12 educators in my area to discuss implementation of CCRS/TEKS 39.4% 55.5% Met with community college educators and/or other higher education faculty members in my area to discuss integration of CCRS/TEKS into courses 33.8% 35.5% Included CCRS/TEKS in the syllabi for the courses I teach N/A 57.8% The Education Research Center at Texas A&M University conducted this evaluation of the Faculty Collaboratives. College and Career Readiness Initiative: 9

10 SCIENCE The goal of the Science Faculty Collaborative is to improve the effectiveness of science education and to integrate the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) into regular instructional practices in higher education. Professional Development Seminars Understanding by Design: Infusing CCRS Into Science Classrooms Perspectives in Geographic and Scientific Literacy Teaching Large Undergraduate Science Classes With Team-Based Learning Promoting College Readiness by Integrating Communication and Information Technology Regional workshops in Austin, Denton, Galveston, Houston, San Antonio, Tyler, Waco, and the Woodlands Funding for New Science Resources The Science Faculty Collaborative awards grants to faculty members across Texas to develop science resources. Faculty members from 11 universities have received these grants to study a range of topics, including the following: Middle School Science Teacher Preparation Programs Changes in College Climate and Global Climate Chemistry: Bridging High School and College Success Teacher Competence in Project-Based Instruction Integrating Technology Into Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning College Readiness and Retention of Physics and Chemistry Shifting From Cookbook to Inquiry With Secondary Science Lab Activities Biology and Cross-Disciplinary Active and Collaborative Techniques Making Polarizers and 3D Movies in STEM Education 10 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

11 Participant Quotes I knew nothing about the CCRS before I attended these workshops. They were really eye opening and knowledge enhancing. I have learned something at every seminar that has improved my teaching and given me some things to think about in terms of my delivery of lectures and the goals of my courses. Resource Development to Support CCRS Understanding The Science Faculty Collaborative develops resources and posts them online at These resources have included the following: Team-based learning lesson plans in astronomy, biology, chemistry, environmental sciences, and physics Information Communications Technology and the CCRS (video) Bridging Math and Science (video) The Nature of Science (video) Education Policy Improvement Center lesson plans for biology College and Career Readiness Initiative: 11

12 SOCIAL STUDIES Research Support The Social Studies Faculty Collaborative awards research mini-grants to promote the integration of the Texas College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) into prospective teacher programs. To date, the collaborative has awarded 37 mini-grants, which resulted in research reports, resources, and regional professional development symposia and conferences, including the following: Higher Education and Public Schools Project Collaborative Corridors for College Readiness Community-Based Research Projects: CCRS in Action Closing the Circle: Infusing Social Studies CCRS Into the Texas History Course The Role of Social Sciences in Feeding the World Resource Development The Social Studies Faculty Collaborative funds the development of relevant and timely resources. These resources have included the following: Defining and Developing College Readiness Planning and Writing Effective Essays About Historical Events, Persons, and Issues TEKS for Social Studies: Bridging the Gap Between K 12 and College Readiness Standards in Texas: Recommendations for U.S. History College and Career Readiness Social Studies Vertical Team Phase 2 Gap Analysis Interdisciplinary Learning The Social Studies Faculty Collaborative partners with the Science and English Language Arts collaboratives to host events. These co-sponsored events have included the following: Social Studies and English Language Arts Faculty Collaborative Symposium Perspectives in Geographic and Science Literacy Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation of Information: Teaching With Documents Team-Based Learning Writing Seminar in Social Studies and Science 12 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

13 Participant Quote I am able to explain much more clearly to students how to plan standardsbased instruction. I have shifted my content-area literacy courses in the direction of disciplinary literacy. I am currently developing new curricula for our courses, and I am attempting to use the CCRS as a basis for learning outcomes. Timely Professional Growth Opportunities Social Studies Faculty Collaborative events explore social studies topics and provide avenues of dissemination for developed products. To date, the collaborative has hosted 28 events, including the following: Using Primary Sources to Inspire Today s Media-Saturated Students Transforming Classroom Culture to Promote Character and Civic Development Politics and Civic Engagement: Presidential Library Resources Examining the Interdependence of Global Communities with Geographic Information Systems Introduction to Team-Based Learning in the Social Studies College and Career Readiness Initiative: 13

14 WEBSITES Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board College and Career Readiness Initiative Faculty Collaboratives 14 Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

15 CCRI ACROSS TEXAS The following list and map represent the higher education institutions that have CCRI Faculty Collaborative participants. Abilene Christian University Alamo Community College District Alvin Community College Amarillo College Angelina College Angelo State University Arlington Baptist College Austin College Austin Community College Baylor University Blinn College Brazosport College Brookhaven College Cedar Valley College Central Texas College Cisco College Clarendon College Coastal Bend College College of the Mainland Collin County Community College Concordia University Dallas Baptist University Dallas County Community College Del Mar College East Texas Baptist University Eastfield College El Centro College El Paso Community College Frank Philips College Galveston College Grayson County College Hardin-Simmons University Hill College Houston Baptist University Houston Community College Howard County Junior College Howard Payne University Huston-Tillotson University Jarvis Christian College Kilgore College Lamar Institute of Technology Lamar State College Orange Lamar State College Port Arthur Lamar University Laredo Community College Lee College LeTourneau University Lone Star College Tomball Lone Star College Kingwood Lone Star College CyFair Lone Star College Montgomery Lone Star College North Harris Lubbock Christian University McLennan Community College McMurry University Midland College Midwestern State University Mountain View College Navarro College North Central Texas College North Lake College Northeast Lakeview College Northeast Texas Community College Northwest Vista College Odessa College Our Lady of the Lake University Palo Alto College Panola College Paris Junior College Paul Quinn College Prairie View A&M University Ranger College Rice University Richland College Sam Houston State University San Antonio College San Jacinto College District Schreiner University South Plains College South Texas College Southern Methodist University Southwestern Assemblies of God Southwestern University St. Edward s University St. Mary s University St. Phillip s College Stephen F. Austin State University Sul Ross State University Alpine Sul Ross State University Rio Grande Tarleton State University Tarrant County College Northwest Campus Tarrant County College Northeast Campus Tarrant County College Trinity River Campus Temple College Texarkana College Texas A&M International University (Laredo) Texas A&M University Central Texas Texas A&M University College Station Texas A&M University Commerce Texas A&M University Corpus Christi Texas A&M University Galveston Texas A&M University Kingsville Texas A&M University San Antonio Texas A&M University Texarkana Texas Christian University Texas College Texas Lutheran University Texas Southern University Texas Southmost College Texas State Technical College Harlingen Texas State Technical College Marshall Texas State Technical College Waco Texas State Technical College West Texas Texas State University RRHEC Texas State University San Marcos Texas Tech University Texas Wesleyan University Texas Woman s University The University of Texas at Arlington The University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Brownsville The University of Texas at Dallas The University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas Pan American The University of Texas of the Permian Basin The University of Texas at San Antonio The University of Texas at Tyler Trinity University Trinity Valley Community College Tyler Junior College University of Dallas University of Houston University of Houston Clear Lake University of Houston Downtown University of Houston Victoria University of the Incarnate Word University of Mary Hardin-Baylor University of North Texas University of North Texas Dallas University of St. Thomas Vernon College Victoria College Wayland Baptist University Weatherford College West Texas A&M University Western Texas College Wharton County Junior College Wiley College College and Career Readiness Initiative: 15

16 TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD For more information about the Texas College and Career Readiness Initiative Faculty Collaboratives, go to: E. Anderson Lane Austin, TX P.O. Box Austin, TX (512)