Common Core Standards
and the Impact on Admissions
January 17, 2012
1:00 - 2:00 PM EST
Presenters:
Michael Barron
Jay Goff
Natasha Vasavada
Learning to Lead: Admissions in the 21st Century Webinar Series
Advocacy & Policy Center
Mission:
To increase the number of students who earn a college
degree and who are prepared to succeed in the 21st
century.
Approach:
Areas of Focus
College Preparation & Access
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Arts at the Core
The CollegeKeys Compact™
School Counselor Advocacy
Teacher Advocacy
Minority Male Achievement
Undocumented Students and the DREAM Act
The National Commission on Writing
College Affordability & Financial Aid
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Cracking the Student Aid Code
Rethinking Student Aid
Trends in Higher Education
Education Pays
Simplifying State Aid Processes
College Admission & Completion
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College Completion Agenda
Admissions in the 21st Century
Access & Diversity Collaborative
Community College Transfer & Retention
Presenters
Michael Barron
Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management and Executive Director of
Admission, The University of Iowa
Jay Goff
Vice President, Enrollment and Retention Management, Saint Louis University
Bradley Quin
Executive Director, Higher Education Advocacy, College Board
Natasha Vasavada
Executive Director, Standards and Curriculum Alignment Services, Research
and Development, College Board
Objective
This webinar will help enrollment professionals gain
an understanding of the Common Core State
Standards (CCSS), their effect on college and career
readiness and the changes to English language arts
and math standards.
What is the Common Core?
• A state-led effort to develop a common set of college
and career readiness standards in English language arts
and math that:
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Align with college and workplace expectations
Represent 21st century skills
Include rigorous content and applications of knowledge
Are evidence-based
Are informed by frameworks from top performing
countries
Source: www.corestandards.org
Common Core =
Major Change and Mindset Shift
The Common Core State Standards require a mindset shift from high
school completion to college and career readiness for all students.
There is an important and necessary role for higher education in the
implementation of the Common Core.
• The Common Core State Standards:
• Are for all students, not just students seeking accelerated
learning.
• Will impact all teachers, not just ELA and math teachers.
• Are happening now – 46 states have adopted the standards,
and new common assessments (effective 2014-15) are
being developed.
• Creates important challenges, opportunities, and implications
for higher education.
Why Common Core State Standards?
Issue #1: Inconsistent State Standards
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Why Common Core State Standards?
Issue #2: Low College Completion Rates
Too few students are receiving the academic preparation necessary to
be successful in college.
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
Enter High School Graduate from
High School
Enroll in College
Persist to
Bachelor's Degree
Sophomore year
within 6 yrs
Source: The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report, The College Board
Strengths of the Common Core
Consistency
Equity
Competition
Clarity
Collaboration
• Previously, every state had its own set of academic
standards and different expectations of student
performance.
• Common standards can help create more equal
access to an excellent education.
• All students must be prepared to compete with not
only their American peers, but also with students
from around the world.
• Clear and coherent standards will help students
(and parents and teachers) understand what is
expected of them.
• Common Standards create a foundation for districts
and states to share resources and work
collaboratively.
Source: www.corestandards.org
Features of the Common Core State
Standards – English Language Arts
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Informational text and literature
Comprehending complex texts
Writing in response to texts
Conducting and reporting on research
Language and grammar skills
Speaking and listening
Cross-content literacy
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Features of the Common Core State
Standards – Math
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Emphasis on mathematical practices
Attention to focus and coherence
Increased focus on algebra in middle school
Problem solving and reasoning
Mathematical modeling
Standards for STEM readiness
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Common Core: A Fast Timeline
Implementation
is NOW!
Dec. 2011
June 2010
March 2010
K-12 Draft
Released for
June 2009 Public
Beginning Comment
of CCSS
Initiative
46 states have
adopted the
Formal Release
CCSS
of K-12 CCSS
2014 - 2015
Participating
States
Administer New
CCSS
Assessments
The College Board’s Role
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Helped develop standards
Served on advisory committee guiding the initiative
Provided research on college readiness skills
Continues involvement to assist states in implementation
Common Assessments
Two state consortia are building assessment systems to
measure the Common Core State Standards as part of the
Race to the Top federal grant program.
The assessment systems will:
• Provide a common measure of college and career readiness
• Be computer-based and include innovative item types
• Measure higher order skills and application of knowledge through
multiple assessment formats
• Include formative assessments and performance tasks
• Provide timely data to educators and parents
• Ensure comparable expectations regardless of where students live
Impact on Higher Education
Higher education leaders need to be engaged in the
discussions and policy changes that will result.
• Admissions officers are critical to the high school-to-college
transition:
• Understanding how Common Core will affect the transition to
college will help students obtain the best experience and
success out of college
• Being involved in Common Core will ensure there is alignment
between K-12 and higher education
Why Should the Enrollment Management Community
Participate in the CCSS Evolution?
• Enrollment professionals believe in facilitating student success
• Admissions processes are designed to align a holistic
evaluation of student skills and potential with a ‘best fit’
academic experience
• Enrollment professional voices can help ensure there is
alignment between the admission process and standards at
the K-12 and higher ed levels
• In order to create alignment, higher education professionals
need to know more about CCSS
How and When Should Enrollment
Professionals Be Involved?
• Timing for higher education involvement should allow for pre- and
post-admission studies that provide insight into alignment issues
such as:
• How well does the Common Core align with institutional
expectations for preparation?
• Do the new standards outperform the current evaluation
processes?
• How effective are the assessments?
• What needs to change in first-year higher education
expectations, if anything?
Higher Education Involvement: Who Else on the
Campus Needs to Participate?
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Faculty and Academic Leadership
Placement/Retention Professionals
Admission Committees
Math and English Language Arts Staff
Schools of Education
Others?
Establishing the Value of CCSS and New
Assessments
• Does the Common Core supplement or supplant current
enrollment requirements and processes?
• What are the plans for implementation scheduling?
• How do the new assessments align with other innovative
assessments designed to facilitate student fit and success?
• Will CCSS assess other things enrollment professionals look for in
students and good institutional matches?
• What about degree/program requirements beyond the first year?
• Will states mandate the use of the Common Core Standards at
public institutions?
Challenges & Opportunities
Questions and Comments
Resources
• The Common Core State Standards Initiative:
http://www.corestandards.org/
• SMARTER Balanced: http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/
• PARCC: http://www.parcconline.org/
• K-12 Center at ETS Guide to the Assessment Consortia:
http://www.k12center.org/publications/assessment_consortia.html
For More Information…
To learn more about the work of Admissions in the 21st Century
and to download this webinar and presentation, visit
http://admissions21.collegeboard.org.
Upcoming Learning to Lead webinars:
• Jan. 26: Be an Education Advocate
• Feb. 16: School Counselors and College and Career Readiness
http://advocacy.collegeboard.org