Implementing the Public Agenda for
College and Career Success:
90 Day Goal Plan for Improving College
Readiness through Implementation of
the Common Core
Bob Blankenberger, Ph. D.
Deputy Director for Academic Affairs
The Goal
• The 90 day plan goal
– To improve college readiness through curriculum alignment in
the implementation of the new Common Core learning
standards.
• The criteria for evaluation of this goal:
– Prepare a presentation that justifies the need for college and
university faculties to be equal partners with public high schools
in determining steps required so that high school seniors can be
college ready
– Draft several paragraphs about the role faculty and
administrators must play to achieve this goal
– Visit with five faculty and administrative college readiness
stakeholders to explain the presentation and win their support
to be leaders representing higher education during this process
Why is this important?
Source: The Illinois Public Agenda for College and Career Success Full Report
http://www.ibhe.org/masterPlanning/materials/070109_PublicAgenda.pdf
Why is this important?
• An average of 50% of first-time, full-time Illinois community
college students are required to take at least one remedial
course; the figure rises to 80% in some college districts.
• Community Colleges spent $120.8 million on
remedial/developmental education in fiscal 2007.
• Public universities spent $5.2 million
(Source: Public Agenda for College and Career Success retrieved September 19, 2010 from
http://www.ibhe.state.il.us/masterPlanning/materials/010909_Public)
• Better alignment between secondary education and higher
education is critical to improving readiness for college and
reducing the need for remediation
(Source: Achieve, 2009; Callan, Finney, Kirst, Usdan, and Venezia, 2006; Illinois Board of Higher Education,
2008).
Illinois Learning Standards and the
Common Core
• The Common Core State Standards Initiative
origin
– State-led effort coordinated by the National
Governors Association Center for Best Practices
(NGA Center) and
– The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)
Common Core Development Process
• College and career readiness standards developed in
summer 2009
• Based on the college and career readiness
standards, K-12 learning progressions developed
• Multiple rounds of feedback from states, teachers,
researchers, higher education, and the public
• Final Common Core State Standards released on
June 2, 2010
• ISBE introduced these into the Illinois Learning
Standards late June 2010
(Source: Common Core Standards website
http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards)
The Four Dimensions of Career and College
Readiness
• Key Cognitive Strategies
– Problem formulation
– Interpretation
– Research
– Reasoning
– Precision/Accuracy
• Key Content Knowledge
– Overarching Academic Skills—Reading, Writing
– Core Subject Knowledge and Skills
• Academic Behaviors
• Contextual Skills and Awareness—information about how college operates
(Source: EPIC presentations for the Common Core
College Readiness Standards Workshops, 2010)
7
The 90 Day Plan
• Goal: To improve college readiness through
curriculum alignment in the implementation of
the new Common Core learning standards.
• Presentations, meetings and workshops
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Academic Leadership
Faculty Advisory Council
Proprietary Advisory Council
Illinois Articulation Initiative Committees and Panels
Regional Common Core College Readiness Workshops
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Public Academic Leadership
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Support for implementation
Dissemination of information to faculty
Attendance at Regional Workshops
Community College hosts of the Workshops
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Faculty Advisory Council
• Panel Discussion on Remediation and Articulation
• Attendance at Regional Workshops
• Developing a policy statement paper on programs
for P-16 Vertical Alignment
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Proprietary Advisory Committee
• Presentation at January meeting
• Faculty attendance at Regional Workshops
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Illinois Articulation Initiative Committees and Panels
• Implementation Advisory Council
• Steering Panel
• GECC Communication and Mathematics Panels
• Gap analysis and alignment of courses based on
common core career and college readiness
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Regional Common Core
College Readiness
Workshops
– Convened by the Board of
Higher Education,
Community College Board
and State Board of Education
– Build on success of Career
and College Readiness Pilot
sites
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Regional Common Core College Readiness
Workshops
– Designed to develop a shared understanding of college
and career readiness among secondary and postsecondary
educators around the Common Core Standards
– Facilitated by the Educational Policy Improvement Center
(EPIC)
• Director David Conley, Co-chair of the Common Core State
Standards Initiative Validation Committee
• Has worked with Maine, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oregon,
South Carolina, Texas, Washington
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Regional Common Core College Readiness
Workshops
– EPIC staff to share research-based tools and techniques for
fostering partnerships between secondary and
postsecondary institutions.
– Initiate regional college and career readiness action
planning to build on as a model for statewide
implementation
• Develop partnerships
• Build on partnerships already in place
Meetings with Stakeholders
• Regional Common Core College Readiness Workshops
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April 4, 2011 John A. Logan College
April 5, 2011 Southwestern Illinois College
April 7, 2011 Lincoln Land Community College
April 8, 2011 Parkland College
April 18, 2011 Joliet Junior College
April 19, 2011 Elgin Community College
April 20, 2011 Illinois Valley Community College
April 21, 2011 Moraine Valley Community College
Nearly 1000 registrants
Southwestern Illinois College Workshop April 5, 2011
Lincoln Land Community College Workshop
April 7, 2011
EPIC Principles of College and Career Readiness
1) Create and Maintain a college-going culture in the school
2) Create a core academic program aligned with readiness
3) Teach key self-management skills and expect students to use
them
4) Prepare students for the complexity of applying to college
5) Align assignments and grading policies with college
expectations
6) Make the senior year meaningful and challenging
7) Build partnerships with and connections to postsecondary
education
Parkland College Workshop
April 8, 2011
Next Steps
• Continue coordination between ISBE, ICCB and IBHE
on implementation of the Illinois Learning Standards
and the Common Core
• Teacher programs
• Remediation
• Curriculum alignment
• Foster ongoing local curriculum alignment work
• Continue IAI alignment and gap analysis work
• Continue work on Partnership for the Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)