NORTHSIDE COLLEGE PREP
RED QUILL AWARD 2011
Using the ACT College & Career Readiness
System to Inform Curriculum, Instruction, and
Guidance Activities
Presenters: Barry Rodgers, Principal
Marina Medina, Dir. of Counseling
NORTHSIDE AT A GLANCE
• Northside College Prep is one of nine Selective
Enrollment High Schools in Chicago
• Enrollment is 1,051
• Student Diversity:
0.7%
Asian
24.5%
Black
6.6%
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander
0.5%
Hispanic
22.5%
Multiracial
3%
White
42.2%
Free/Reduced Lunch : 35%
Students with Special Needs: 6%
Recent Achievements
• National Blue Ribbon Award
Given to schools that are able to demonstrate
excellence and a high level of commitment to
success for all students.
• Ranked #16 in the nation in the inaugural
ranking of the Best High Schools for Math and
Science by US News.
PSAE RESULTS
ACT
Section
2007
2008
2009
290 students 249 students 243 students
2010
297 students
2011
250 students
English
28.5
29.4
29.5
29.3
30.0
Math
26.9
28.0
27.3
28.2
28.1
Reading
28.2
28.9
29.8
28.8
29.4
Science
Reasoning
26.2
27.6
27.7
27.5
27.7
Composite
27.6
28.6
28.8
28.6
29.0
Leadership Team/Data Team
• Using data to inform decision making
• Key Metrics for NCP
% of Students Exceeding standards
Student Growth (EPAS)
Focusing on subgroups
• Interpreting information from data: How does
this inform our practice?
ENGLISH
Course and Content Alignment:
• 9th grade (Survey of Literature) course content
aligns with skills reinforced in 11th grade AP
Language – skill sets integral to success on the
ACT English assessment.
• 10th grade (American Literature) focuses on
literary analysis to reinforce critical
comprehension and interpretive skills vital to
success on the ACT Reading section.
Data Analysis
Grade-level teams meet bi-monthly to
1. Review course outlines and integrate Common Core
Standards
2. Analyze EXPLORE/PLAN/ACT data
3. Develop and modify common assessments
4. Apply test item analysis to current practices
5. Share student work and anecdotal evidence of our
progress
Teams constantly seek to improve the instruction and
application of key ACT concepts and skill sets.
Progression of a Key ACT English/Reading Concept
Survey of Literature: Introduce
Students identify the concept in a variety of literary
contexts
Students apply the concept to texts and their own
expository writing
American Literature: Apply
Students trace the presence and impact of a concept
across a literary tradition
Students analyze the concept more closely through
formal literary essays
AP Language/British Literature: Expand
Students augment their understanding of the concept
with more challenging rhetoric and within another
literary tradition
Student progress is assessed on the PSAE and AP
testing process
MATH
• The Math Department uses an Integrated Math
curriculum which is problem-solving based.
The core skills and concepts underlying the curriculum
align with the standards promoted by the National
Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the Common
Core State Standards for Mathematics recently
adopted by Illinois.
The Explore/Plan/ACT tests align with these standards
and the math department uses the data from these
tests to identify concepts which need reinforcement.
Math Strategies
• Warm-Up Problems
The department has used item analysis to
develop warm-up problems presented at the
beginning of class.
These problems focus student attention on a
specific topic or skill. These questions provide the
basis for discussion making connections to
previously learned and/or forgotten concepts.
These may also be topics with which students
have had difficulty.
• Explore/Plan/ACT tests are used as a resource
for unit tests and semester exams to
supplement constructed response questions.
Our curriculum asks students to construct
knowledge through exploration. Assessments
are usually constructed response questions
where students show their work. Students’
thought process is valued and evident in their
responses.
Multiple choice questions provide a snapshot of
specific skills and topics without knowledge of
their understanding.
• The results of the Explore/Plan/ACT have been
used to support our belief that a problem-solving
curriculum fosters critical thinking and develops in
students the ability to tackle unfamiliar problems.
Because standardized tests are usually multiple
choice format, students must be comfortable with
this type of testing and confident in their testtaking strategies.
We use these test questions to familiarize students
with the process in order to develop an approach
to solving these types of questions.
SCIENCE
• Physics First Course Sequence:
9th Grade
Physics
10th Grade
Chemistry
11th Grade
Biology
12th Grade
Student choice of
any science elective.
Electives include:
Honors Earth and Space Science
AP Biology
AP Physics B & C
AP Chemistry
AP Environmental Science
Aquatic and Marine Science
Note: Beginning in 10th grade students may register for science
electives
Science
Decisions to incorporate particular strategies come
out of the Science department’s informal data
collection of what science components
EXPLORE/PLAN/ACT exams are assessing.
Based on reviews of student results the department
has worked to reorganize the sequence of what they
are already doing and incorporate strategies to assist
students in acquiring better scientific understanding
that extends beyond exams.
Science Strategies
• Focus on Graphing – Freshmen regularly create graphs
to represent data collection in Physics. Graphs help
students draw relationships between variables which is
especially useful in helping garner an understanding of
physics.
Graphing skills are then incorporated into
sophomore chemistry and junior biology where
students continue to represent their data and
analyze data represented in graphs.
Status: The science department began utilizing this
strategy six years ago when they decided to offer only
physics to freshmen.
• Incorporating Data Sets
The department is working to incorporate more data
set questions into traditional content assessments in
order to familiarize students with this question format.
Based on a review of test results, the department
has identified this area as a weakness for our
students .
This strategy will also help align our curriculum more
successfully to the Common Core Standards for Science
Literacy.
Status: This strategy is a work in progress that began
last year with some classes and instructors having
more success than others.
• Incorporating Earth Science or Environmental
Science into Existing Science Courses
Our core science program does not include an Earth
Science or Environmental Science course and many of the
data sets are couched in Ecology/Earth/Environmental
Science contexts.
The department has been working to incorporate Earth and
Environmental Science. In Biology classes, the Ecology unit
was moved from the last unit of the year to the first.
Status: Earth and Environmental Science applications have
been incorporated for the last several years and only last
year the Ecology unit was moved to the beginning of the
year.
Counseling Department
• The counseling department coordinates all
testing programs.
• The department incorporates activities and
strategies that address student success in our
continuous effort to meet the academic,
college and career planning needs of our
students.
• Profile Summary Reports provide a wealth of
information for counselors.
The College Pipeline
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Selective Enrollment/Peers
College Prep Curriculum
Essay Writing in Classes
Curriculum addresses standardized testing
Technology/Process
Testing
Programs that support a college going culture
Colloquium (to explore interests)
Valuable extracurricular opportunities
Academic enrichment programs
Global Initiatives
Teachers, Admin, Counselors, Parents
Alumni
Counseling Strategies
Early Interventions:
• Test results are used to insure proper course
selection and planning
• To encourage rigorous course selection
• To identify at-risk-students within our
population
Example: EXPLORE, PLAN and ACT Practice
Test results are used to identify students
needing additional academic support.
Academic Support Programs
• School Tutoring Programs
• Peer Tutoring Programs
• ACT Preparation courses:
Kaplan courses during the summer and during
the school year
• Test Gear/ ACT Preparation as part of “What’s
Next Illinois” an online college and career
exploration program funded by Chicago Public
Schools.
The Role of Testing in the College
Planning Process
As early as freshman year, students are exposed to
activities that address the role of testing in the college
planning and admission process. Efforts include the
following:
• College and career exploration unit as part of the
Freshman Connection Program for incoming Freshmen
during the summer.
• Publications given to parents and students that cover
testing programs.
• New this year is an online “Individual Learning Plan”
for all freshman that includes an initial college
exploration activity with criteria for admission.
•Extended Advisory Activities
Extended Advisory activities throughout the
year for all grade levels provide an avenue to
provide additional information about testing
programs and college and career planning.
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Test interpretation sessions
Career exploration guided lessons
College panels
Essay writing workshops
College Match and Test Results
ACT scores are considered by counselors as one of several
variables in helping students identify match institutions.
Counseling efforts include the following:
• College Planning Night with Juniors and their parents
• Individual Family College Conferences that include
information about admission criteria. Counselors help
students identify reach, target and safety schools based on
student interests, academic profile, test results and other
family considerations.
• Use of “Naviance” as a tool to help students with college and
career planning and exploration. (Uploading
EXPLORE/PLAN/ACT results and using scatter grams that
include ACT results of Northside graduates)
Northwestern University
College and Career Related Programs
and Opportunities
Counselors use test results to help identify
candidates for academic and college related
programs and opportunities.
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Selective College Scholarship Programs
College Fly-In Programs
Academic and Career Enrichment Programs
Internship Programs
College Bridge/Dual Credit and Enrollment
Programs
Turning in Transcript Requests
Contact Information
Barry Rodgers
(773) 534-3954 Ext. 43966
bprodgers@cps.edu
Marina Medina
(773) 534-3954 Ext. 43973
mmedina1@cps.edu