Linked Learning: Pathways to College
and Career Success
ConnectEd and Long Beach Unified
The State of Education…
“The best employers the world over will be looking for the
most competent, most creative, and most innovative people
on the face of the earth and will be willing to pay them top
dollar for their services… Beyond [strong skills in English,
mathematics, technology, and science], candidates will
have to be comfortable with ideas and abstractions, good at
both analysis and synthesis, creative and innovative, selfdisciplined and well organized, able to learn very quickly
and work well as a member of a team and have flexibility to
adapt quickly to frequent changes in the labor market as
the shifts in the economy become even faster and more
dramatic.”
The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce, 2007
The State of Education…
So how do we fare academically on
the international landscape
compared to other countries in the
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development
(OECD)?
Program for
International Student
Assessment (PISA)
US ranks :
14th in Reading
25th in Math
17th in Science
But this is only one measure…
“…. So, the big picture from PISA is one of
education stagnation at a time of fast-rising
demand for highly-educated workers. The
mediocre performance of America’s students is a
problem we cannot afford to accept and cannot
afford to ignore.”
Secretary Arne Duncan
December 7, 2010
State of the Economy and Education
(National Trends)
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
“So What Now?”
Consensogram Activity
1.
To what degree are you familiar with the Rigor and
Relevance Framework?
2.
To what degree does my SLC integrate real-world
applications into the academic core?
3.
To what degree does my SLC team know what our local
workforce requires of a graduating senior?
4.
To what degree does your SLC team use problem- and/or
project-based learning to drive the curriculum?
5.
To what degree do you believe that ALL students can be
college and career ready upon graduation from your
SLC?
Let me tell you a story...
What is Linked Learning?
The Linked Learning approach offers students a
choice among several different multi-year programs
of study, which combine academic and technical
skills, organized around broad industry themes (i.e.,
biomedical science; engineering; arts, media,
entertainment) and prepare students for a full range
of postsecondary options, including:
– 2- and 4- year college/university admission
– Apprenticeships
– Military
– Formal employment training
– Careers
Organizing Principles
• Prepare students for both college and
career
• Connect academics to real-world
applications
• Lead to the full range of postsecondary
options
• Improve student achievement
Pathway Components
•
•
•
•
A Challenging Academic Component
A Demanding Technical Component
A Work-based Learning Component
Support Services
Math
Science
English
Social
Studies
Technical Core/Work-based Learning
Prepared
for
College
and
Careers
Post-Secondary Articulation
College and Career Plan----------college Tours----------Applications ------------Courses
Middle
School
Articulation
Social
Studies
Social
Studies
Social
Studies
Social
Studies
Math
Math
Math
Math
Technical
Core
Introductory
Level
Technical
Core
Intermediate
Level
Technical
Core
Capstone
Level
Technical
Core
English
English
English
English
Science
Science
Science
Science
Support
Services
Support
Services
Support
Services
Support
Services
Work-based Learning Opportunities
Company Tours ----------------------------Job Shadowing------------------------------ Internships
Multiple
PostSecondary
Opportunities
Reflection: Linked Learning
• How does your SLC reflect these guiding
principles?
• How does your SLC integrate the four core
components?
Example
• Health Professions High School in
Sacramento
Pathways…
Bring real world relevance to
the college preparatory
curriculum.
Promote project-based
teaching and learning.
Use more authentic
assessment methods.
Alignment: Foundations for Engaging Every Learner, Every Day
Instructional practices
that support the ACSI,
HSRI, and HSO Goals:
High School Reform
Initiative 2009-2014
1. Implement a rigorous and
relevant multidisciplinary
curriculum in the academic
core to increase student
achievement.
2. Provide all students with a
sequenced and aligned
technical curriculum,
including work-based learning
and CTE experiences, for
career exploration.
3. Provide for consistent and
sustained support, including
prevention and intervention,
to ensure that all students
achieve their maximum
potential.
Classroom
Instructional Practices
Department/SLC
PD Evolution/Action Plans
Site-Level
School Improvement Plan (WASC)
•
RR Framework
(Quadrant D)
• Linked Learning
Strategies
• Performance
Mapping:
Interdisciplinary
Teaching &
Learning
High School Office Goals
2010 – 2011
Prepare all students for postsecondary education & careers
through linked learning.
Provide support services within each pathway.
Enroll and support students in a coherent sequence of rigorous
courses aligned to student outcomes.
High School Office
4. Create a holistic campus
climate where relationships,
social behavior, and positive
professional interactions lead
to academic success.
High School Reform Initiative/District Initiative for Expanding Pathways
LBUSD Board of Education/Superintendent’s Office
Academic and Career Success Initiative
Taxonomy
Quadrant D ⎯ Adaptation
Evaluation
6
Synthesis
5
Analysis
4
Application
3
Comprehension
2
Knowledge/
Awareness
1
Rigor Relevance
Framework
2008
International
Center for
Leadership in
Education
Students have the competence to
Quadrant C ⎯ Assimilation
think in complex ways and also
Students extend and refine their
apply knowledge and skills they
acquired knowledge to be able
have acquired. Even when
to use that knowledge
confronted with perplexing
automatically and routinely to
unknowns, students are able to use
extensive knowledge and skill to
analyze and solve problems and
create solutions and take action that
create unique solutions.
C
A
D
B
further develops their skills and
knowledge.
Quadrant B ⎯ Application
Students use acquired
knowledge to solve problems,
design solutions, and complete
work. The highest level of
application is to apply
appropriate knowledge to new
and unpredictable situations.
Quadrant A ⎯ Acquisition
Students gather and store bits
of knowledge and
information. Students are
primarily expected
to remember or understand
this acquired knowledge.
1
2
3
4
5
Knowledge in
one discipline
Apply in
discipline
Apply across
disciplines
Apply to realworld
predictable
situations
Apply to
real-world
unpredictable
situations
Application Model
• SLC structures and themes give us a context
for the “Application” axis on the Rigor and
Relevance Framework.
– i.e., business academy students can learn the
historical context of To Kill A Mockingbird by
studying the Stock Market Crash, while arts
academy students can accomplish the same
task by analyzing Billy Holiday’s Strange Fruit
and pictures of the “Dust Bowl”
Past:
Student Experience was not coordinated for
student engagement or real-world
connections.
But how can we organize our work
between the disciplines to ensure a
coherent experience for the
students?
Linked Learning:
Student Experience IS now coordinated for
student engagement and real-world
connections.
Industry Sectors and Organizing Themes
Why Themes?
• Context and purpose
• Provides relevance and connections for the
students
• Provides a common ground for content
specific teachers to talk and plan
• Connection for business/community
Determining Themes:
Factors to Consider
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Successful programs
Student interest
Labor market demands
Community resources
College connections
Partnerships
Facilities
Staff interest
From Student Learning Outcomes
to Student Outcome Charts
•
Opportunity for expert practitioners to work in
interdisciplinary communities to define what
students should know and be able to do within
a particular themed course of study.
•
Process that empowers a pathway to define its
own identity around key industry themes.
Why Define Student Learning
Outcomes?
• “Clarity of desired ‘end’ provides the
framework for designing ALL student
experiences.”
• Ensures a rigorous and RELEVANT
experience for all students within a pathway.
Student Outcome Charts
Student Outcome charts are a tool that
provides a blueprint for a coherent,
engaging four year educational experience
above and beyond the academic standards
all students take.
Alignment to an Industry Sector and then a subsequent
Pathway is critical to focusing our work and making sure
that students have a coherent educational experience.
Recognize that certain sectors (& even pathways) may
NATURALLY overlap:
– Engineering & Construction
– Arts, Media, Entertainment & Fashion/Interior Design
– Finance/Business & Marketing, Sales, Services
– Etc.
PEACE Academy
• Industry Sector:
• Pathway:
Public Services
Legal/Government Services
Process
VISION
More broad
and future
oriented…
“what” we
hope to be
about.
MISSION
More specific
and defines
“why/how”
we will get
there.
GOALS AND
OUTCOMES
Why this common language is so
important…
• Finish each of the following proverbs/aphorisms…
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
People in glass houses shouldn’t…
You can lead a horse to water, but…
Don’t bite the hand that…
You can’t teach an old dog…
A penny saved is…
None as so blind as…
When the blind lead the blind…
PEACE Academy
• Vision:
“Enter to Learn, Exit to Serve”
• Mission:
“The PEACE Academy is an international negotiations
and leadership academy that promotes critical thinking,
community-minded students to advocate for social
justice through philosophical debates, service learning
projects, international negotiations, and complex
instruction.”
Student Outcomes….
focus on those skills and abilities most
critical to success within your career
theme.
So where do these come from?
Foundation Standards
They cover the 11 areas essential to all students’ success:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1.0 Academics
2.0 Communications
3.0 Career Planning and Management
4.0 Technology
5.0 Problem Solving and Critical Thinking
6.0 Health and Safety
7.0 Responsibility and Flexibility
8.0 Ethics and Legal Responsibilities
9.0 Leadership and Teamwork
10.0 Technical Knowledge and Skills
11.0 Demonstration and Application
Framework – pages xvi - xvii
Pathway Standards
• The pathway standards are concise statements that
reflect the essential knowledge and skills students
are expected to master to be successful in the
career pathway.
• Each career pathway comprises 3 to 12 standards
with 2 to 6 subcomponents per standard.
Framework – pages xvi - xvii
Define Attributes of Students in this
Pathway…
Strategy:
– Take the Pathway Standards assigned.
– Informally unpack the standards to see:
• What students should be able to do? VERB - circle
– Consider the level of rigor (Bloom’s Taxonomy)
– Skills that students might need to master to meet/exceed
the standard
• What content do students need to know? NOUN - underline
– Discuss themes & patterns that emerge from this process and use
those to define your students’ 3-5 attributes (adjective to describe
a student in this pathway). Attributes can also be known as the
broad pathway outcomes.
Student Outcomes (Deep Dive)…
Are observable, measurable results or evidence of the
educational experience. They may be things the program
wants:
– students to know (cognitive),
– ways students think (affective/ attitudinal), or
– things students should be able to do (behavioral,
performance, psychomotor).
They are detailed & meaningful enough to guide decisions
in program planning & improvement, & decisions about
From CUPR Common Language doc
pedagogy & practice. NOT ACTIVITIES.
Course (Program) of Study
Integrated Curriculum and
Linked Learning:
Performance Mapping
Integrated Curriculum Institute
This professional development is
• Process driven:
Performance Mapping
• Product driven:
Integrated Project
Integrated Curriculum Institute
The goal of performance mapping is
to use content area standards and
pacing guides to discover crosssubject area connections from which
to build an authentic integrated
project.
47
Integration Continuum
Math
ELA
CTE
Theme-based
Real-World
Application
SCI
ARTS
SOC
Single
Subject
BASIC
Paired
Interrelated
INTERMEDIATE
For
Lang
Conceptual
COMPLEX
48
Integrated Curriculum Design
1. Student Outcomes
2. Curriculum/Performance Mapping
3. Share Curriculum and Find
Connections
4. Topic Selection
5. Essential Question
6. Establish Performance
Tasks/Assessments
7. Lesson Plans
8. Reflection and Revision
Industry and
post-secondary
partners advise
in:
•Curriculum
Development
•Instruction and
Implementation
•Student
Assessment
Unpacking the standards
Uncover to determine:
• Standard Identification:
• Content: what students know…
• Skills: what students are able to…
(performances)
• Performance Standard Measures and
Criteria:
• How students demonstrate mastery of
knowledge and skill
Unpacking the Standards
Active Verbs matter!
Verbs establish the level of learning and
drive the assessment methods
Performance measures and activities in the
project must allow students to do the
VERB!
51
Place your post-it notes in chronological order
on the butcher paper
Take turns explaining the details of
your content to the team.
Connections across subjects come
from both verbs (skills = what
students should be able to do)
AND/OR nouns (content = what
students should know)
54
Make Connections
Your Turn
• Practice making connections with a partner
• Share and discuss your findings at your table
Performance Map Template Across Subject Areas
Subject
Monday
Science
English
Identify
various modes
of
transmission
for common
pathogens
Find
information
on the topic
using a
minimum of
five sources
Tuesday
Wednesday
Demonstrate proper
experimental procedure
Draw conclusions from
data regarding prevalence
of bacterial contamination
Evaluate the
credibility and
reliability of
resources.
Distinguish between
active and passive
transport along
concentration
gradients.
Thursday
Friday
Explain how
different
factors
influence the
spread of
disease
Analyze and
evaluate
symptoms to
determine
patient health
status
Paraphrase the research into
your own words.
Formulate a preliminary
thesis statement to reveal the
specific point of the paper.
Analyze
structural
differences
between cells
and viruses
Prepare a
formal outline
using proper
outlining form.
Compare and
contrast viral
replication and
cellular division
57
Topic Selection
• Reflects focus of your SLC
• Relevant to students’ lives and interests
• Includes student investigation and
research
• Addressed through multi-disciplinary
perspectives
• Includes industry & college professionals
58
Integrated Planning in Action
Video: San Diego
Teachers
59
Four Major Characteristics of
Integrated Projects
1. Standards driven – timely and identifies level of
mastery
2. Inquiry driven – becomes the students’ problem
3. Authentic – product, performance, service or
solution
4. Personalized – differentiated based on
students’ motivation and skills
60
Let’s Take a Closer Look
Integrated Project
Quality Criteria
Project Title: Forensic
Investigation
Integrated Curriculum Design
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Student Outcomes
Industry and
post-secondary
Curriculum/Performance Mapping
partners advise
in:
Share Curriculum and Find Connections
•Curriculum
Topic Selection
Development
Essential Question
6. Establish Performance
Tasks/Assessments
7. Lesson Plans
8. Reflection and Revision
•Instruction and
Implementation
•Student
Assessment
• Video Example
Integrated Curriculum Design
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Student Outcomes
Industry and
Curriculum/Performance Mapping
post-secondary
Share Curriculum and Find Connections partners advise
in:
Topic Selection
•Curriculum
Essential Question
Development
Establish Performance Tasks/Assessments
7. Lesson Plans
8. Reflection and Revision
•Instruction and
Implementation
•Student
Assessment
Integrated Problem-Based
Projects
Topic
Essential
Question
SLC:
Industry Sector
World Hunger:
Heifer International
How can I impact the
world by thinking globally
and acting locally?
PEACE 10th grade:
Public Services
Environmental Issues:
Long Beach Breakwater
Can we change our
environment?
PEACE 9th grade:
Public Services
Port of Long Beach
How do efficiency and
innovation affect ethics?
CAMS 10th grade:
Engineering Technology
Improving Community
Health
How can you make your
community healthier with
$1 million?
CAMS 9th grade:
Biotechnology/Health
Water Conservation:
Design a “Blue” house
How can we develop a
system that will deliver
sustainable, clean
water?
ACE 10th grade:
Architecture,
Construction, and
Engineering
ConnectEd Resources
• Tools and manuals
• Video examples
• Self Assessment Rubrics
• Certification Criteria
• Online collaboration spaces
• District framework for support
What I didn’t tell you was...
•
•
•
•
•
•
High academic rigor
Technical core was college level
There was an internship connected
The theme was integrated in all courses
Multidisciplinary
Exhibition of the work was
primary
• Who was the student?
Team Debrief: Force Field Diagram
SAMPLE: All teachers use performance mapping to integrate academic
content with relevant real-world competencies resulting in students who
are college and career ready [SLC Cohort 10 Goal 1 &3].
DRIVERS
• Funding available for training.
• Teachers will be comforted by
the fact that they do not have to
abandon standards and pacing
guides.
• Student-focused, teacherfriendly approach that respects a
teacher’s expertise
PREVENTERS
• Master schedule will have to
support collaboration between
grade-level teams within the
school day.
• Getting our Curriculum Office in
the district to support this work.
• Going to scale seems daunting.
• People may not know how to
collaborate.
Action Steps:
• Schedule a meeting with the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction to introduce this approach.
• Create a needs assessment to make sure the professional development is needs-driven and presumptive.
• Pilot the training with one SLC to determine how to tailor the approach to our district.
Contact Information
• Rob Atterbury,
ratterbury@connectedcalifornia.org
Director of Professional Development, ConnectEd: The California
Center for College and Careers
• Nader Twal, ntwal@lbschools.net
SLC Project Director, Long Beach Unified
• Veronica Evans, vevans@lbschools.net
Academic and Career Tech Ed Curriculum Leader, Long Beach
Unified
Why reforms fail?
• Lack of real commitment, buy-in, and a
confluence of effort
• No outside force balancing the changes in
leadership and their whims
• Lack of fidelity to the model, cutting corners
• Lack of a systemic approach
• Involvement of everyone in the design and
development
• Change the structure and never change the
instruction or culture
The Evidence
• Compared with their peers, students in
pathways:
o Attend at higher rates
o Are less likely to drop out and more likely to complete high school
o Pass the California High School Exit Exam at higher rates
o Are more likely to score proficient or higher on California
Standardized Tests in English, science, and social studies
o Earn more annually in the five years after high school graduation –
$2,500 per year more!