WASHINGTON TRANSITION COURSES:
HOW CAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS PARTICIPATE?
Development of Transition Courses in Math and English
In May 2014, the Washington community and technical college system adopted a statewide agreement offering high
school students the opportunity to be placed into college-level coursework based on their scores on the 11th grade
Smarter Balanced Assessment.1 This agreement represents the system’s commitment to improving student college
readiness by encouraging high school students to achieve Washington’s new K-12 State Learning Standards for
English language arts and mathematics (Common Core State Standards, 2011).
As part of this agreement, the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) in partnership with the
Office of the Superintendent for Public Instruction (OSPI), has led the development of Bridge to College transition
courses in math and English designed for high school seniors who do not score at a college-ready level on the 11th
grade assessments.
Together, the placement agreement and transition courses will:
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Allow more high school students to avoid remediation and placement testing when they enter college.
Improve curricular alignment between K-12 and entry-level college courses in math and English.
Develop and sustain local college/school district partnerships and faculty/teacher collaboration.
Collaboratively designed and developed by higher education faculty, high school teachers, and curriculum specialists
from multiple colleges and school districts, the Bridge to College courses are grounded in essential career and college
readiness expectations as reflected by Washington’s Common Core state learning standards. SBCTC has received a
grant from College Spark Washington to support establishing the courses in high schools across the state over the
next three years.
Bridge to College Mathematics
The Bridge to College Mathematics course is grounded in the Southern Regional Education Board’s Math Ready course
(see http://www.sreb.org/page/1684/math_ready.html for more details). Intended for students heading for college
pathways not requiring calculus, the curriculum emphasizes modeling with mathematics and the Common Core
Standards for Mathematical Practice, focusing on higher-order thinking skills and understanding math concepts
rather than just memorizing procedures. Topics include building and interpreting functions (linear, quadratic &
exponential), writing, solving and reasoning with equations and inequalities, and summarizing, representing, and
interpreting data. The course addresses a variety of essential standards from Algebra I, statistics and geometry, plus
the Algebra II standards agreed to as essential college- and career-readiness standards for most students. While this
course covers the basics in math practices and reviews the procedural steps needed to be successful in math, the
curriculum emphasizes student engagement based heavily on conceptual teaching and learning. This course must be
taught using the Bridge to College Mathematics curriculum.
Bridge to College English
This course will develop students’ college and career readiness by building skills in critical reading, academic writing,
speaking and listening, research and inquiry, and language use as defined by the new state English language arts
learning standards for high school. Students will read complex nonfiction and fiction texts focusing on issues of both
current and enduring importance. Students will learn to evaluate the credibility of information, critique others’
opinions, and construct their own opinions based on evidence.
By the end of the course, students will be able to use strategies for critical reading, argumentative writing, and
independent thinking while reading unfamiliar texts and responding to them in discussion and writing. The course
will also develop essential habits of mind necessary for student success in college, including independence,
productive persistence, and metacognition.
November 2014
www.sbctc.edu | www.k12.wa.us
How to Participate in the Project
Beta-Testing Bridge to College English Instructional Units
When
What
November-December 2014
Identify teacher/s interested in participating; contact project staff
to express interest
By mid-January 2015
Send teachers to initial training meeting to learn more about
teaching the selected units (date TBA)
Between January and June 2015
Teachers incorporate unit/s into existing Grade 12 English class,
document and provide feedback on the unit to help refine
material
June 2015
Send interested teachers to statewide meeting to finalize full
Bridge to College English course
Offering Bridge to College Mathematics or Bridge to College English for 2015-16
When
What
November-December 2014
Contact project staff for details about offering course/s; identify
interested and qualified teacher/s
January 2015
Submit application through OSPI to participate in project
Winter 2015
Get course/s on master schedule; recruit teachers committed to
teaching the course
August 2015
Send interested teachers to statewide meeting to prepare to
teach the course/s
Resources
Districts will be awarded grants (amount based on number of teachers involved, limited to 2 per high school) to
cover project costs (teacher stipends, subs, travel).
Staff Contacts
For more information about the courses or getting involved in the work, contact the project director Bill Moore,
Director of K-12 Partnerships, State Board for Community & Technical Colleges (360-704-4346,
bmoore@sbctc.edu) or Jessica Vavrus, Assistant Superintendent, Teaching and Learning, Office of Superintendent of
Public Instruction (360-725-6417, Jessica.vavrus@k12.wa.us).
November 2014
www.sbctc.edu | www.k12.wa.us