Beginning with the End
in Mind - Career and
College Readiness
Community Night
Common Core
Standards
Common Core Standards Video
Common Core standards
• The standards are important because they help ensure that all
students, no matter where they live, are prepared for success in
college and the workforce. Standards provide an important first
step — a clear roadmap for learning for teachers, parents, and
students. Having clearly defined goals helps families and
teachers work together to ensure that students succeed. They
also will help your child develop critical thinking skills that will
prepare him or her for college and career.
English Language Arts
• What are the changes?
– More nonfiction texts in students’ classes
– Higher level of text complexity
– Shift from persuasive writing to argumentative writing where students will
have to cite evidence from multiple texts.
– Smaller research-based projects and essays
– Less reading for plot, and more reading for complex understanding
including character analysis, theme analysis, etc.
– More speaking and listening activities such as discussions and multi-media
presentations
– More academic vocabulary
English Language arts
• How can you support your children with these new standards?
– Make sure they become skilled at gathering information, evaluating
sources, and citing material accurately.
– Make sure they can assert and defend their claims, conveying what they
understand about what they read or researched.
– Make sure they can speak clearly and accurately and listen attentively
during discussions while trying to build on others’ good ideas while
expressing own ideas as well.
Sample English language arts questions
• Writing prompts will now look more like this:
• In “Brain Birds” and “A Soft Spot for Crows,” are the authors’
attitudes toward crows and ravens positive or negative? How do
the authors convey their views? Use examples from both articles
to support your response.
• In your response, be sure to
– identify the authors’ attitudes toward crows and ravens
– explain how each author supports his views
– use examples from both articles to support your response
Shifts in Common Core Math
instruction
Relevance
Traditional types of math problems…
 One train leaves a station going 30mph another leaves going 45
mph when do they meet?
 Jeff has 19 watermelons and 12 apples, Julie has 14
watermelons and 11 apples…
Students will apply their mathematical knowledge to real world
events.
More coherent Standards
Fewer, more coherent standards
– Mastered skills at each grade level
– Algebraic thinking incorporated K - 8
– Students answer the how and why alongside the content standards
– Students apply their knowledge to real world application
Math Practice Standards
• Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
• Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
• Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
• Model with mathematics
• Use appropriate tools strategically
• Attend to Precision
• Look for and make use of structure
• Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
Deeper understanding
Students are asked to explain why and how instead of just solving a
problem.
Alisa hopes to play beach volleyball in the Olympics someday. She has
convinced her parents to allow her to set up a beach volleyball court in
their back yard. A standard beach volleyball court is approximately 26
feet by 52 feet. She figures that she will need the sand to be one foot
deep. She goes to the hardware store to shop for sand and sees the
following signs on pallets containing bags of sand.
From EngageNY.org of the New York State Education Department. [G6-M1-End-of-Module Assessment Ratios and Unit Rates.]
Internet. Available from [http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-6-mathematics-module-1]; accessed [9/27/13]
Deeper Understanding
•
– What is the rate that Brand A is selling for? Give the rate
and then specify the unit rate.
– Which brand is offering the better value? Explain your
answer.
– Alisa uses her cell phone to search how many pounds of
sand is required to fill 1 cubic foot and finds the answer is
100 pounds. Choose one of the brands and compute how
much it will cost Alisa to purchase enough sand to fill the
court. Identify which brand was chosen as part of your
answer.
From EngageNY.org of the New York State Education Department. [G6-M1-End-of-Module Assessment Ratios and Unit Rates.]
Internet. Available from [http://www.engageny.org/resource/grade-6-mathematics-module-1]; accessed [9/27/13]
What can I Expect as a parent
• Fewer, more quality homework problems
• Students can use technology to aid in thinking
• Use the Jacobs Math Department Webpage for more parent
resources for math
• Use www.corestandards.org for more resources for English
Language Arts.
Questions
Career and College
Opportunities in
High School
Middle College Program
Tech Prep Dual Credit Program
- ECC
- ABC School of Cosmetology
Articulated Credit
- ECC
- Illinois Institute of Art – Schaumburg
1
2
3
Career/Vocational
• Internship Program
– Grade level: 11, 12
– Prerequisite: 2.5 unweighted GPA
– Application and interview to get into program
– Hands-on career exploration (55 – 65 hours) plus career related course
work (10 hours)
• Cooperative Work Program – Classroom/On-the Job
– Classroom - One class period a day – career related coursework
– On-the-Job – part-time work (minimum 15 hours/week)
ECC
• Career Development Services
– http://elgin.edu/students.aspx?id=678&terms=career%20services
• Financial Aid Office
Financial Aid & Scholarships
Bldg. B, Room B156, ECC Campus
Tel: 847-214-7360
Fax: 847-608-5460
financialaid@elgin.edu
Benefits of AP
Courses at Jacobs
High School
February 13, 2014
Agenda
• Introductions
• Why AP?
• Questions?
What is an AP?
• The Advanced Placement is a program in the United States
created by the College Board offering college-level curriculum
and examinations to high school students.
What do AP Classes Mean to District
300?
Greater AP numbers have led to
ACT success!
Over the last 6 years Jacobs HS
has seen a 1.6 point increase while
District 300 has seen a 0.8 point
increase in ACT Scores!
This was a GREATER increase
than the average for the entire
State of Illinois.
ACT Composite Scores
23
22.7
22.5
22.1
22
21.5
21
20.5
22.6
21.5
21
20.5
20.7
21.5
21.6
20.8
20.8
2009
2010
20.9
20.9
2011
2012
21.1
20
19.5
19
2007
2008
Jacobs
Illinois
2013
What do AP Classes have to do with
this?
• AP Classes are going to expose students to higher levels
of rigor and expectations.
• AP Questions are normally higher level thinking
questions.
AP Enrollments
Number of AP Exams
1200
1131
1000
800
600
768
551
516
568
400
519
394
274
795
304
319
2009
2010
364
200
0
2008
Jacobs
2011
D300
2012
2013
College Retention Rates
Why AP?
• Jacobs HS encourages students to take courses, such as honors
and AP, that will be rigorous, will challenge them to reach their
academic potential, and will allow them to be prepared for and
successful in college.
• Jacobs HS also encourages AP students to take the AP tests so
they have a true college experience of course work and
assessment.
Why AP?
• Help to qualify students for scholarships
• Gives students the experience of the expectations of a
college/university course
What does AP mean for you as a
student?
• Jacobs HS expectations for students enrolled in AP courses are
high, and there are typically more reading, writing, and other
relevant assignments than found in any other high school
courses.
• For example, a typical 4-hour college course would require 8
hours of work per week outside of class. This can of course vary
from student to student and class to class.
Advantages of Taking AP
Courses
• Preparation for college freshman-level courses
• Better qualifications for acceptance at the college of choice
• Display of student willingness to take rigorous college-level
courses
• Financial benefits such as savings on college tuition, room and
board
• Academic support from high school instructors
Who says?
• According to the College Board’s 7th Annual AP Report to the Nation,
released in February 2011:
– Research consistently shows that students who score a 3 or higher on AP
Exams typically experience greater academic success in college and have
higher graduation rates than otherwise comparable non-AP peers.
– A recent College Board study showed that students who scored 3 or higher on
four popular AP Exams earner higher first-year GPAs, were more likely to
continue on to a second year of college, and were more likely to attend
selective institutions, on average, than students with comparable SAT scores
and high school GPAs who did not take AP.
– Even students who scored a 1 or 2 on an AP Exam showed higher retention
rates into their second year of college than non-AP students, and they were
more likely to attend selective institutions.
Student Testimonials
Student Testimonials
Student Testimonials
How does that credit transfer to a college or
university?
• Students prepare for the AP test throughout the school year. AP
exam are taken in early May. The test is comprised of a multiple
choice, free response, and on some tests a spoken/performance
section.
• Each college and university is different, but most require a score
higher than 3 to exempt out of in introductory course and
possibly receive retro credit for the course.
How do colleges view AP courses?
• According to one representative from the University of Illinois,
one of the primary factors in evaluation of a student’s high
school transcript is whether the student has taken the most
rigorous set of courses available to him/ her during the past four
years. At Jacobs HS, AP courses represent some of our most
rigorous courses available.
• In addition to rigor, success (as measured by A, B, or C grades) is
a major factor as well.
How do colleges view AP courses?
• So… which is better?
– Getting an A in a regular level class or
– Getting a B or C in an AP class?
• No college will ever answer you… but if one of the “primary
factors” is whether a student “has taken the most rigorous set of
courses available to him/ her during the past four years”…
University of Illinois…
• AP English Language/Composition- Score of 4/5 would receive 3
hours of Credit ($3300)
• AP Spanish- Score of 4 would receive 7 hours of Credit and
placed into Spanish 204 ($7700)
Northern Illinois
• AP Chemistry Score of 4 receives 4 Credit Hours (approx. $1300)
• AP Chemistry Score of 5 receives 8 Credit Hours (approx. $2600)
• AP Biology Score of 3 receives 6 Credit Hours (approx. $1950)
• AP Biology Score of 4 receives 8 Credit Hours (approx. $2600)
ECC…
• AP English Language/Composition- Score of 4 would receive 3
hours of credit ($1360)
• AP Spanish-Score of 4 would receive 8 hours of Credit and place
into 3rd level of the Course ($2720)
Yeah… but…
• “Colleges don’t take AP Credits.”
– Not true… while the application may vary, colleges generally list exactly what
scores translate to what credits on their admissions web site.
• “Your credits have to be in your major.”
– Nope. You can apply any score at the college or university of your choice.
• “I’m scared. It seems too hard… and It’s too much for me!”
– We are here to help you plan… talk to your current teacher, a division
head, or counselor to see if you have the skills and ability necessary for
success.