November 13, 2007
Superintendents’ Meeting
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Students are graduating from high school and
are not college ready:
 2006: 40% meet TSI of 2200 in English/LA
 2006: 51% meet TSI of 2200 in mathematics
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THECB is not meeting Closing the Gaps goals
in participation and success
Student participation has flattened in terms
of numbers, while demographics are
increasing—50,000 students behind in 2006
63% of students who start college do not
complete their programs
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3rd Called Session, 79th Legislature
aggressively addressed these issues and
expanded scope of THECB and TEA with
several initiatives:
 Passed House Bill 1 (HB1)
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P-16 High School Completion and Success Strategic Plan
Education Research Centers
College Readiness Standards (CRS) and Vertical Teams
Summer Bridge Programs
Developmental Education Innovations
Professional Development (THECB only)
Course Redesign (THECB only)
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Role expanded during 80th Legislature
 Collaboration on End-of-Course Tests
 Creation of new high school courses for math
and science
 Grant opportunities:
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Math, Science, and Technology Teaching Academies
Intensive Summer Programs
Middle School Reading Academies
Others
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Created 16 P-16 Field Specialists who work in
outreach units of institutions of higher
education to:
 Support local efforts to increase HS and
postsecondary collaboratives
 Support creation of GO Centers
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Supported development of P-16 Regional
Councils (Local is E-3 Alliance)
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Developed new RFPs:
 Course redesign
 Summer bridge programs
 College Connection Statewide Expansion
 Education Research Centers
Focused on increasing college readiness,
participation, and success
With TEA, created Vertical Teams to develop
College Readiness Standards (CRS)
With few exceptions,
it emphasizes partnerships
between secondary and
postsecondary education to
address problems
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Time to develop:
 Partnership as well as the RFP/contracts
 Recognition of various viewpoints and
responsibilities
 Necessity of building institutional support of
ALL partners
Administration/Faculty understanding of the
global picture
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All public institutions and 13 independent
institutions have designated a P-16 Special
Advisor to the THECB
Dr. Mary Hensley (and Gary Madsen)
represent ACC
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Provide assistance in obtaining information about entrylevel courses at postsecondary institutions
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Attend up to two meetings per year with THECB staff
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Coordinate and report on activities that assure students in
its service area/region are college-ready when entering
postsecondary institutions
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Coordinate meetings of faculty on the College Readiness
Standards (CRS) and other THECB initiatives
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Provide feedback on forms and assessments provided by
THECB or its contractor
Texas College Readiness Project
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Successfully responded to RFP to partner with
THECB on the Texas College Readiness
Project
Founded by Dr. David Conley, CEO, leading
college readiness expert and author of
“College Knowledge”
Nationally recognized experts on the high
school-college transition and college
readiness standards
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Definition of College Readiness
 Capable of succeeding in an entry-level, general
education, credit-bearing “reference” course
Able to perform at a level in the course
sufficient to progress to another course in the
subject
and
To transfer knowledge learned in the course
to a course in another subject area when
necessary
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High School Standards:
 Define the basic requirements for all students
 Have an end point—high school graduation—as their reference
point
 Tend to focus on content knowledge
 Are often the basis for state testing or accountability requirements
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College Readiness Standards (CRS):
 Are for students with postsecondary aspirations
 Have beginning point—general education college courses—as
their reference point
 Tend to focus on both content knowledge and key cognitive
strategies
 Have not been used to specify state high school testing or
accountability systems
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Help high schools establish challenge level
and content necessary for college readiness
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Designed to align HS and college courses
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Create a more rigorous senior year
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Help institutions of higher education increase
course consistency
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Develop better college-placement criteria
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Three-Part Process:
 Phase 1: Standards Development
 Phase 2: Standards Validation
 Phase 3: Materials Development
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Standards development process mandated by
HB 1
Required Vertical Teams (VT) composed of public
and higher education faculty be created in four
content areas:
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English/language arts
Mathematics
Science
Social studies
Convergent Consensus Process:
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VTs reviewed national and state standards
Four VT meetings
Online “homework” between each meeting
Consultations with VT co-chairs throughout the process
Field:
ELA, Math, Science, or Social Studies
Performance
Expectation #1
Performance
Indicator #1
Key Content # 1
Key Content #2
Organizing
Component #1
Organizing
Component #2
Organizing
Component #3
Performance
Expectation #2
Performance
Expectation #3
Performance
Indicator #2
Specificity increases at each subordinate level
Key Content #3
Example: Mathematics
Key Content: Geometric Reasoning
Organizing Component : Figures and their properties
Performance Expectation: Identify and represent the features of plane and space figures
Performance Indicator: Recognize and describe the plane-figure components of threedimensional figures, such as prisms, pyramids, cylinders, and cones
Example: English
Key Content: Writing
Organizing Component: Compose a variety of texts for a variety of reasons
Performance Expectation: Determine purpose, audience and task
Performance Indicator: Prepare a topic proposal that specifies a purpose and justifies
the choice of audience to achieve that purpose
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After College Readiness Standards (CRS) are
adopted by THECB:
 EPIC conducts research on what actually is being taught
and expected in entry-level courses at Texas institutions
of higher education and compares this to the CRS
 Results are compared to the CRS and discrepancy
analysis is conducted to identify any gaps or recommend
modifications to the CRS
 Research identifies “reference courses” that serve to
define the assumed content covered and level of rigor in
college courses in each subject area
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An entry-level postsecondary course that
best reflects the CRS
Only entry-level courses
 Those typically taken in the freshman or (more
rarely) the sophomore year that meet general
education requirements and often serve as the
initial prerequisite course for other courses within
that subject area
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Texas educators (K-12 and postsecondary)
create materials aligned with College Readiness
Standards
 Work samples demonstrating expectations present in
college courses
 Course-based strategies for high schools
 Ex., Senior seminars
 Project templates for use in HS
 Scoring guides referenced to College Readiness Standards
 Formative assessments that provide diagnostic
info on college readiness to teachers and
students
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CRS Development Timeline in folder
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For more information, contact:
Dr. Mary Hensley
mhensley@austincc.edu
512-223-7618
Gary Madsen
gmadsen@austincc.edu
512-223-7087
www.austincc.edu/isd/Superintendent/111307P16Presentation.ppt