ESSENTIAL SKILLS DRAFT 3.0

Transcription

1 Essential Skills Task Force Update PHASE I: DEFINING THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS Essential Skills The Essential Skills are important for success in college, work and civic life in the 21 st century; therefore, the State Board of Education believes that every student must be able to demonstrate proficiency in these skills to graduate from an Oregon high school. School districts must ensure that every student has acquired and is proficient in the essential skills to receive an Oregon diploma. The Essential Skills are process skills that cross academic disciplines and are embedded in the content standards. The skills are not content specific and can be applied in a variety of courses, subjects and settings. s may demonstrate essential skills in academic and CTE courses, applied and integrated courses, and community or workplace experiences. The State Board identified the following as essential skills: Read and interpret a variety of texts Write for a variety of purposes Speak and present publicly Apply mathematics in a variety of settings Use technology Think critically and analytically Demonstrate civic and community engagement Demonstrate global literacy Demonstrate career-related learning: communications, problem solving, personal management, teamwork, employment foundations, and career development Essential Skills Task Force The Essential Skills Task Force is charged with defining the essential skills (what students should know and be able to do) aligned with postsecondary and workforce expectations, identifying proficiency levels and assessment options, and determining reporting and accountability requirements. The task force is currently in phase I of the work to define the essential skills and to identify proficiency levels and assessment options. The Essential Skills Task Force met in August, September, and October Participants included educators from K-12, higher education, and community colleges; special education; high school students; and business and community representatives. Cross-sector teams collaborated on defining the essential skills and indicators. National models and research that identified skills essential for successful entry into college and the workforce are being used as resources for this work. Task force teams began with defining the essential skills according to postsecondary and workforce expectations, i.e. indicators that would show that a student had mastered this skill at the level required to begin postsecondary education without remediation or to enter the workforce at entry-level. Next, the teams are identifying where these essential skills are located within the current K-12 content standards and identifying any gaps between K-12 and postsecondary/workforce expectations. They are also identifying proficiency levels and assessment options, looking at how these skills are currently assessed and considering other 1

2 assessment options. This phase of the essential skills work will inform the Standards and Assessment Task Force as it begins its work on a review of and recommendations for the assessment system. Essential Skills Draft 3.0 is presented in this document for review and input. Stakeholder-input will be sought through stakeholder focus groups and meetings, and through an on-line survey located on the ODE task force website The next phase of the Essential Skills Task Force work will begin in November to address policy implications for accountability and alignment between K-12 and postsecondary education. Task force members will include administrators from each sector of the education system as well as business and community leaders and other stakeholders. Draft Essential Skills Essential Skills Draft 3.0 is presented in the table below for review. Essential Skills Identified by the State Board Read and interpret a variety of texts Write for a variety of purposes Speak and present publicly Apply mathematics in a variety of settings DRAFT Essential Skills Draft 3.0 Defined by the Essential Skills Task Force Read and comprehend a variety of texts* at different levels of difficulty. Demonstrate the ability to understand increasingly challenging texts. Interpret key points of texts, distinguishing factual from non-factual and literal from inferential elements. Follow instructions from informational or technical text to perform a task, answer questions, and solve problems. *text includes all forms of written material, communications, and media Write clearly and accurately for a variety of purposes. Adapt writing strategies for different audiences, purposes, and contexts in a variety of formats and media. Use writing strategies to develop supported and focused arguments, including compare-contrast reasoning and logical arguments. Use appropriate conventions to write clearly and coherently, including correct use of grammar, punctuation, capitalization, spelling, sentence construction, and formatting. Listen actively, speak clearly, and present publicly Listen actively for clarity and understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication. Give and follow spoken instructions to perform a task, answer questions, and solve problems. Use both verbal and non-verbal techniques to communicate clearly and effectively. Use language appropriate to particular audiences and contexts Apply math to solve problems in a variety of settings Interpret the concepts of a problem solving task and translate them into mathematics. Choose and carry out workable mathematical strategies to 2

3 Use technology Think critically and analytically Demonstrate civic and community engagement Demonstrate global literacy Demonstrate careerrelated learning: communications, problem solving, personal management, teamwork, employment foundations, and career development accurately solve problems. Produce evidence to defend and verify the solution. Communicate the verified solution using pictures, symbols, models and/or vocabulary. Use technology to learn, live, and work Use creativity and innovation to generate ideas, products, or processes using current technology. Use technology to participate in a broader community through networking, collaboration and learning. Recognize and practice legal and responsible behavior in the use and access of information and technology. Use technology as a tool to access, research, manage, integrate, and communicate ideas and information. Think critically Identify and explain the key elements of a complex event, issue, problem or phenomenon. Design an investigation strategy to explore the interdependency of the key elements of a complex event, issue, problem or phenomenon. Gather and evaluate the quality of relevant evidence from multiple primary and secondary sources. Propose defensible conclusions resulting from the consideration of multiple and diverse perspectives, and evaluate the strength of conclusions based on evidence and the quality of reasoning and apply the conclusions to new situations. Differentiate reasoning based on empirical data from reasoning based on opinions or other persuasive techniques. Draft 1.0 in progress Draft 1.0 in progress Career-related learning standards (CRLS) are currently defined and required for the diploma. Several CRLS overlap with the essential skills identified above. The task force is drafting a recommendation for discussion to merge the two sets of skills. 3

4 Essential Skills Task Force Participants as of 10/2/07 Participant Alison Heimoweitz Andi Morgan Andrea Sutherland Anne Laskaya Ben Cornelius Bill Becker Bob Mason Bob Turner Brian Johnson Carla Wade Carol Harding Cheryl Kleckner Cheryll Munts Colleen Works Doug Nelson Eileen Boerger Eva Payne Ioanida Costache Janet Rash Jasmine Wood Jay Rishel Jeannie Yerkovitch Organization Education Coordinator Clackamas Community College Education Specialist Director of Education Inspiration Software, Inc. Professor of English University of Oregon Professor of Mathematics Oregon Institute of Technology Director Center for Science Education Portland State University Chair and Professor of Biology Oregon State University Special Assistant to the Chancellor Oregon University System Social Studies Teacher Pendleton High School Technology Specialist Division Chair - Humanities Western Oregon University Science Education Specialist Science Chair Sweet Home High School Social Science Teacher Corvallis High School Math Teacher Central Oregon Community College Vice President & General Manager Agilis Solutions Chemeketa Community College Community Affairs Manager Corporate Affairs, Intel English/LA Teacher Wilsonville High School Pathway Coordinator Portland Public Schools 4

5 Participant Jeff Linman Jennifer Arns Joe Buglione Jon Wiens Jon Yoder Julie Anderson Karen Ettinger Karen Hoppes Karen Sprague Ken Hermens Kim Ketterer Larry Susuki Laura Young Leslie Dotson Linda Vanderford Mada Morgan Marilyn Cover Marge Easley Mimi Bushman Norie Dimeo-Ediger Pete Ready Peter Fitzgerald Phyllis Leonard Rise Quay Organization Tech Cadre Advisor /Pulse Media Productions Advisor Director Organization for Education Technology and Curriculum Staff Development Umatilla-Morrow ESD Math Specialist Science Program Assistant Salem-Keizer School District ELA Specialist Director, K-12 Education Program World Affairs Council Teacher Lakeridge High School Vice President for Undergraduate Studies Oregon University System Specialist, English Language Arts Instructional Technology Coordinator Eugene School District 4J Teacher Ontario High School Faculty Southern Oregon University HR Manager Recruitment and Selection A-dec, Inc. Curriculum, Instruction & Evaluation, Consultant Clackamas ESD Director, University Seminar Southern Oregon University Executive Director Classroom Law Project President League of Women Voters Manager Workdrugfree, Oregon Nurses Association K-12 Program Manager Oregon Forest Institute Education Specialist Transition and Special Education Consultant University of Oregon Chemeketa Community College Chair, Composition Central Oregon Community College 5

6 Participant Ron Osibov Samuel Bogdanove Skip Rocherfort Spencer Arns Susan Abravanel Susan Iversen Terri Nickens Theresa Levy Tony Crawford Viola Olsen Wil Best Organization Principal Crow Middle/High School Director of Services Ashland School District Director, OSU and COE Pre-college K-12 Programs Oregon State University Westview High School Director of Education SOLV Portland Community College Transition Teacher, Special Education Hillsboro School District Education Specialist Teacher Ackerman Middle School, Canby School District Rogue Community College 6