10/24/2014. What is College and Career Readiness? (Florida) Ensuring College and Career Readiness for K 12 Students: A Toolkit

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1 Ensuring College and Career Readiness for K 12 Students: A Toolkit Cheryl Holcomb McCoy PhD October 2014 Florida School Counselor Association Draft 1 When you hear college and career ready, what does that mean to you? What tools do I (and my school) need to achieve success in CCR? Draft 2 What is College and Career Readiness? (Florida) Students are considered college and career ready when they have the knowledge, skills, and academic preparation needed to enroll and succeed in introductory college credit bearing courses within an associate or baccalaureate degree program without the need for remediation. These same attributes and levels of achievement are needed for entry into and success in post secondary workforce education or directly into a job that offers gainful employment and career advancement. Draft 3 1

2 College and Career Readiness in Florida: Academic Preparation To be considered for admission to a degree program in a Florida postsecondary institution all students must, at minimum, possess a standard high school diploma or its equivalent as defined in Florida statutes and State Board of Education rule. Additionally, for students to attain the knowledge, skills, and abilities sufficient to support college and career ready standards, it is recommended that all currently enrolled Florida secondary students successfully complete a minimum of 16 high school credits in core content areas that include: 4 credits in mathematics including Algebra 1, Geometry and Algebra 2 4 credits in English that include grammar, writing, and literature 3 credits in science that include the physical, life and earth space sciences Draft 4 Draft 5 What are the barriers to fulfilling this role? In the meantime, what can we do to further our mission of ensuring CCR? The tools? The stakeholders? Draft 6 2

3 Tools to Success Draft 7 According to the Florida Department of Education handbook for school counselors, they are a key resource for providing appropriate advice related to secondary courses selection and postsecondary planning. Draft 8 Building Your Toolkit..Three Adaptive Challenges: How are you responding to the needs of students who have traditionally under achieved? What are you doing to engage their parents? What are you doing to address the needs of immigrant students? How effective are these strategies? What are you doing to insure accountability without denying enhanced learning opportunities for students or limiting the ability of schools to meet the needs of the whole child? 3

4 What we know about effective schools They have a coherent strategy for delivering high quality instruction Teachers adhere to a common set of strategies In some cases, teachers follow a common curriculum They have systems to monitor academic performance They use data to make decisions about school improvement They engage in constant assessment Diagnostic assessment They have shared and distributed leadership They create school cultures (e.g., college going culture) that affirm the importance of college/education and place student needs (e.g., career development) at the center of practice They engage parents as partners in systems of mutual accountability for teachers, students and parents Promising interventions to increase academic achievement/ccr include summer enrichment programs and college visits, promoting a strong college going culture in middle and highschools, early exposure to STEM education, and helping students understand their financial aid eligibility so they know college can be affordable. We need to start CCR work early in children s schooling experience! Draft 11 Academic achievement by 8th grade is one of the largest predictors of college readiness. Some research shows that the level of academic achievement by 8th grade has a greater impact on college and career readiness than high school achievement. Low income students are less likely to take a core curriculum, and less likely to meet readiness benchmarks on college entrance exams. While low income students have seen the largest gains in college aspirations, they have not had similar gains in college enrollment. Technology based learning, increased instructional time, and personalized approaches have been shown to improve high school algebra scores, including for students who enter high school underprepared in math. Draft 12 4

5 School Counselors Need The Following To Make Even More Impact.. (Education Trust) Revise the job descriptions for school counselors so they focus on equitable education and on preparing all students for college and career. Shift university training programsso they center on the school counselor s role in educational equity and college and career readiness. Align and tighten state credential requirements so that all school counselors get adequate schoolspecific training, including college and career ready counseling, and practice using data to spur change. Draft 13 School Counselors Need The Following To Make Even More Impact.. (Education Trust) Support school counselors and principals through strong, embedded professional development to help develop effective college and career readiness programs. Align school counselor evaluations to academic outcomes, including appropriate measures of college and career readiness. Draft 14 Undermatching According to the economists Jonathan Smith, Matea Pender, and Jessica Howell, half of all lower SES (socioeconomic status) high school graduates undermatched in 2004; among students with the academic credentials to get into a selective institution, the rate of undermatch was even higher. High achieving low income students in the lower half of the SES distribution who are predicted to have access to selective institutions undermatch at a rate of 60 percent! What can we do? Draft 15 5

6 Utah Example Metric Graduation Rate 66% 69% 71% AP Exams Taken Increase NA AP Exams % Passed 67% 69% 65% FAFSA Completion NA 41% 36%* School Counseling Internship Partnerships College Advising Corps (6 of 8 high schools) Elementary Counseling Grant NOSCA 8 Components of CCR FAFSA Completion Project Utah College Application Week Pilot CCR Initiatives AVID (14 secondary schools) Latinos in Action (14 secondary schools) Gear Up Grant (SLCC) Summer Nudge Initiative Faith Based Outreach CCTI Summer Online CCR Course Freshmen Academy Course 16 Best Practice Zap the Equity Gaps Delivery Of Service To Whom/How Many/Accountability 17 Best Practice Student Tracking To Support Postsecondary Outcomes Delivery Of Service To Whom/How Many/Accountability Counselors must Scale Up the CCR Planning process Use CCR grade level developmental steps and the Eight Components of CCR (College Board) to guide the process Involve parents as critical participants in the process Develop a system for tracking postsecondary outcomes (punch card) 18 6

7 Resources org/eight components NOSCA = National Office for School Counselor Advocacy 19 Resources.ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors Draft 20 CCR Tools Department of Education: College Scorecard /higher education/college score card Net Price Calculator: College Navigator: Draft 21 7

8 Technology..many apps, dashboards, etc. Naviance Apps CollegeSnapps Many more.need technology developed by school counselors Draft 22 Metrics for Success FAFSA Completion (Florida College Access Network for data!) FAFSA Error Rate Graduation Rate College Application Rate AP Course Taking College Going Culture (climate surveys) Draft 23 Questions! Contact: Cheryl Holcomb McCoy Draft 24 8