Best Practices in School to College
Alignment: Early Assessment Program
Achieve
California Alignment Institute
October 27, 2009
San Francisco, California
Allison G. Jones
Assistant Vice Chancellor
Office of the Chancellor
The California State University
ajones@calstate.edu
BACKGROUND
2
Ways to Demonstrate English and Math
Proficiency
 SAT:
 ACT:
 AP:
 EAP:
550 or higher on Critical Reading and
Mathematics
24 or higher on English and 23 or
higher on math portion
3 or higher on AP Language and
Composition or Composition and
Literature; 3 or higher on AP Calculus or
Statistics
College Ready on English and College
Ready/Conditionally Ready
3
Goal of the CSU Board of Trustees
Reduce the percentage of those who
need remediation in English and
mathematics to 10% of the students
entering the CSU
4
Percentage of First-Time Freshmen Entering with
College- level English Proficiency
Reported
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Trustee Goals
90
78
67
53
54
54
54
51
52
53
55
55
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
The California State University
5
Percentage of First-Time Freshmen Entering with
College-level Mathematics Proficiency
Reported
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Trustee Goals
90
74
58
52
55
63
63
63
64
63
54
46
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
The California State University
6
Failure to Meet English and Math
Proficiency
 Students cannot enroll in many required CSU college
classes until they meet the requirement;
 They must spend time taking remedial English and math
classes during their freshman year until they meet the
requirement;
 They will graduate later because they get no degree
credit for these remedial classes;
 They may have to pay additional charges for these
classes; and
 If they do not demonstrate proficiency by the end of the
freshman year, they will be disenrolled.
7
COLLABORATION
8
The Problem: Disconnects between K-12 and
Higher Education
 Lack of agreement on college-readiness
standards
 Placement exam standards unclear to high
school teachers
 Senior year could be used more effectively to
prepare students academically for college.
9
Collaboration
 California State Board of Education
 California Department of Education
 California State University
10
Collaboration
 CDE sponsored legislation to allow students in grade 11
to be able to authorize the release of their results to send
to CSU as well as for CDE to release the results to CSU
 CST answer document was modified to allow the
students to acknowledge that that the EAP results could
be sent to CSU
 EAP results were added to the grade 11 CST student
report (2007)
 Parents and students receive the EAP results at the same
time they receive the CST results on the STAR report
form
11
Collaboration
 CDE allows CSU staff to review the CSTs to select items
for EAP
 CST answer document was lengthened to include 15
additional EAP items in each content area
 California Community Colleges now authorized to
use EAP for placement beginning 2010
 CSU and Community Colleges will have access to
students who do not score proficient
12
Modifications in ELM Placement Test
 Math faculty reassessed ELM in relation to campus remediation programs
and to CSU GE-Breadth courses in mathematics concepts and quantitative
reasoning
 May 2000, CSU Math Council proposed that ELM be modified to strengthen
CSU’s commitment to strong mathematics requirements for FTF
– By reemphasizing the admission requirements of 3 years of high school
math, and
– By focusing ELM on content of these courses most appropriate to basic GEBreadth courses in math concepts and quantitative reasoning
 Continue to assess student proficiency through intermediate algebra, Math
Council recommended
– that the emphasis of ELM be shifted from algebraic symbol manipulation
skills
– toward problem solving skills, number sense, graph interpretation, and the
skills most relevant to all students entering CSU
13
EAP
(Early Assessment Program)
14
Commitment
 EAP was designed to
– better align academic achievement and expectations
between K-12 and higher education
– to decrease the number of incoming college students who
required remediation in English and/or mathematics
– to encourage students to use their senior year in high
school more effectively
 Piloted in 2003
 Implemented in 2004
 Administered to high school juniors
15
Components of EAP
 11th grade testing
 Supplemental high school preparation in 12th
grade available
 Teacher/administrator professional development
 Parent/family communication
 Preservice teacher preparation
16
EAP Test
 Voluntary
 Administered in Spring of 11th grade with California
Standards Test
 Contains 15 additional multiple-choice items
in English and math
 Essay required in English
 Selected items from CST and additional EAP items
(including essay in English) are scored to determine
student readiness for college English and/or mathematics
17
EAP Results
 Students receive the CST score report, which also
indicates whether they are
– College ready at end of grade 11
 Exempt from taking CSU’s placement tests
 Exempt from remediation upon enrollment
– Not college ready yet
 Advised to take mathematics in 12th grade
 Advised to take 12th grade Expository Reading/Writing class
 Access CSU’s English and Math for Success Web sites for
additional opportunities to improve English and math skills
 Must take CSU’s placement tests
18
Benefits to Students
 Early warning
 Adjust senior-year coursework to prepare for
college-level courses
 Earn an exemption from CSU-required English
and/or mathematics placement tests
 Avoid investing time and money in college
remediation courses that do not count toward a
baccalaureate degree
19
CONTENT
SKILLS
ASSESSED
20
What is Assessed in English
 Selected CST questions are those that parallel
CSU proficiency expectations, plus 15 additional
items and essay
 Purpose of the additional items is to better
assess analytical reading skills, composing skills,
and writing proficiency
21
EAP: What is Assessed in Math
 Selected CST questions are those that parallel CSU
proficiency expectations, plus 15 additional items
selected by CSU math faculty
 CSU questions on CST are from State Board Standards
– However, CSU does not cover Proof, Trig Functions,
Probability, and Logarithms
 Important topics that need to be learned but not essential
skills for success in GE math
 Purpose: measure depth, not breadth of content
knowledge
– Depth important because CSU grants exemptions from
placement exam
22
Math Content Specifications
 More emphasis on problem solving mathematical thinking
 Less emphasis on recall of formulae than current test
 Much of the content unchanged, but notable additions
– “numbers and data” category
 And deletions
– Probability, Proof, Trig Functions, and Logarithms
 Content continued to focus on traditional high school
mathematics required for admission to the CSU, e.g.,
Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II
23
Math Content Specifications
 Revised specifications place more emphasis on
geometry, especially the connections between
algebra and geometry
 Greater emphasis on data analysis
 Smaller proportion of pure algebra problems than
on current test
 Modified ELM measures conceptual
understanding and problem solving ability more
than easily forgotten facts and algorithms
24
INTERVENTIONS
25
How CSU Supports Students to Gain
Proficiency in English and Math
 Advise students and families on how to meet CSU
expectations
 Provide educational tools and planning resources to
help students improve their English and math skills
– CSU English and Math Success Web sites
 Provide teacher professional development programs
 Support high school adoption of specific curricula
– ERWC
– Specialized support for alternative math offerings
26
Expository Reading and Writing Course
 Developed by CSU English faculty and high
school teachers
 Aligned with ELA content standards for 11th and
12th grades
 Structured around assignment template
addressing reading and writing
 Engages students in a study of rhetoric and
composition
 Enables students to read and write academic
prose effectively and strategically
27
Expository Reading and Writing Course
 Increases students’ mastery of academic
language
 Emphasizes in-depth study of expository,
analytical, and argumentative writing
 Deepens students’ critical reading, writing, and
thinking skills
 Approved to fulfill the college prep requirement
for English
 Not intended as an honors or remedial course
28
Preliminary Evaluation of Expository
Reading and Writing Course
Effect on Teachers
 Experienced strong success with curricular materials
 Found material academically rigorous and engaging
 Systemic changes in teaching
 Observed that . . .
– Depth, rigor, and intensity contributed to strong, positive
outcomes for students
– College expectations increased
– Students experienced increased confidence as writers and
readers
– Worked well for English language learners
29
Preliminary Evaluation of Expository
Reading and Writing Course
Effect on Students
 Increased skills in reading comprehension, expository
writing, and independent thinking
–
–
–
–
–
–
Analyzed text material more thoroughly
Reexamined ideas in text
Read text with different/multiple purposes
Evaluated and analyzed strength of writers’ arguments
Read more, including more complex texts by choice
Applied skills learned with expository texts with traditional
English language arts texts
 Students enrolled in course using modules scored higher
30
on EPT than students in traditional classes
English Success Home Page
31
High School Math Courses
 Most high schools offer courses beyond Algebra II
that lead to or include calculus, e.g., Trig, Solid
Geometry, or math analysis
 Recently, some high schools include statistics, but
not always with Algebra II or as a prerequisite
 Senior Year Experience: Algebra II
 Committee of 3 math faculty of ELM Development
Committee
 10 School Districts submitted these non-traditional
courses for approval for senior year
32
Math Success Homepage
33
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
IN
ENGLISH
34
Professional Development in English
 Provides teachers with skills necessary to teach the
Expository Reading and Writing Course
 Reading Institutes for Academic Preparation offered
through selected CSU campuses for teachers in
grades 9-12 in all subject areas to improve capacity
to teach reading/academic literacy across the
curriculum
35
Professional Development in English
 Offered by County Offices of Education and
the CSU to high school English teachers
 Heightens teachers’ awareness of collegelevel English expectations
 Emphasizes teaching expository text and
rhetorical analysis
36
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT
IN
MATHEMATICS
37
Professional Development in Mathematics
 Offered by County Offices of Education and the CSU to
high school math teachers
 Increases teachers’ knowledge and understanding of
EAP program
 Examines student performance on ELM to identify and
analyze patterns of student strengths and weaknesses
 Increases teachers’ knowledge and understanding of
options that exist to increase and sustain student math
skills
38
Math PD - Intent
 Did not include development and dissemination
of a course like Expository Reading and Writing
Course (12th grade)
 Did not support curricular changes as in English
 Designed to get more students to take more and
higher levels of math
 No systematic and supported evaluation of
outcomes
39
High School Math Courses Approved by
CSU for 12th Grade
 Finite Mathematics, An Applied Approach
 A Survey of Mathematics with Application
 Functional Analysis
 Pre-Calculus
 Statistics
 EAP Advanced Algebra
 Discrete Math
 These choices exist purely because of EAP.
40
High School Math Courses
 Most high schools offer courses beyond Algebra II
that lead to or include calculus, e.g., Trig, Solid
Geometry, or math analysis
 Recently, some high schools include statistics, but
not always with Algebra II or as a prerequisite
 Senior Year Experience: Algebra II
 Committee of 3 math faculty of ELM Development
Committee
 10 School Districts submitted these non-traditional
courses for approval for senior year
41
EAP
SCORE
RESULTS
42
Spring 2008 Results
 English EAP
– 352,943 of 446,153 (eligible juniors took English EAP (79%),
compared to 342,348 (78%) in 2007
– 17% college ready, compared to 16% in 2007
 Mathematics EAP
– 147,885 of 209,873 eligible juniors took Math EAP (70%),
compared to 141,648 (70%) in 2007
– 55% college ready, the same percentage as in 2007
(College Ready: 13% (19,442); Conditional: 42% (62,660)
43
Meaning?
 Overall, changes in math proficiency of entering
freshmen are minimal
– 1% over 3 years
 Among means to become exempt from taking the
CSU Entry Level Math Exam (ELM) , percent who
qualify on EAP increased from 6.5% to 8.2%
– A few more scored “ready” on EAP
– A few more who scored “conditional ready” on EAP
took 12th grade math class and moved to ready
44
Meaning?
 While percentages of students taking the EAP
have decreased, the actual number of test takers
has increased each year.
 An increase in “ready” scores among summative
math students is offset by a comparable
reduction in “conditional ready” scores.
 Performance appears to have improved more at
the summative math level than at Algebra II
45
RESOURCES
46
Web-Based Resources CSU Developed
1.
2.
3.
4.
CSU Math Success Website (www.csumathsuccess.org) – practice
tests with personalized feedback, customized Roadmap advising tool,
e-mail reminders about preparing for the CSU, student testimonial
videos explaining the importance of preparing for college-level math.
ALEKS Personalized Online ELM Exam Tutorial
(http://www.csumathsuccess.org/exam_prep) – intelligent tutor
software, costs $35, covers only those topics that appear on the CSU
ELM Exam
CSU EAP Math Professional Development for HS Teachers
(http://pd.csusuccess.org/) – Online EAP math professional
development for CA middle and high school math teachers
CSU English Success Website (www.csuenglishsuccess.org) –
practice tests with personalized feedback, customized Roadmap
advising tool, e-mail reminders about preparing for the CSU, student
testimonial videos explaining the importance of preparing for college47
level English.
Web-Based Resources CSU Developed
5. Calibrated Peer Review
(http://www.csuenglishsuccess.org/practice_ept_e
ssays) – online essay writing tool that allows
students to respond to retired EPT essay
prompts and engage in an online peer review
process using the EPT scoring rubric.
6. Online EAP Status Check
(http://www.csusuccess.org/eap_results) –
service that allows high school seniors to
determine their EAP status and receive
customized advice for becoming college-ready.48
Web-Based Resources CSU Developed
7. EAP STAR Report Website
(http://www.csusuccess.org/star) – website that
explains all EAP statuses and provides
suggestions for becoming college-ready.
8. EAP 11th Grade Portal
(http://www.csusuccess.org/juniors) – website
showing the importance of participating in the
EAP which encourages students to submit their
e-mail address in order to be alerted when their
EAP results are ready.
49
Resources
 Early Assessment Program Home Page:
– www.calstate.edu/eap
 Math Success Website:
– www.csumathsuccess.org
 English Success Website:
– www.csuenglishsuccess.org
 ALEKS ELM Tutorial:
– www.csumathsuccess.org/alekslink
 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
– www.calstate.edu/eap/documents/eapfaqfinal/pdf
 California Just for the Kids
– www.jftk-ca.org
 California Department of Education
– www.cde.ca.gov
50
Summary
 EAP helps California students to prepare
academically for college or the workforce
 Reduces need for remediation
 Improves path to degree
51
QUESTIONS
52