High School Transition Courses:Cross-Sector Collaboration to Improve College Readiness of

Washington High School Graduates

October 2014Bill Moore,

Director, Core to College & K-12 Partnerships

Higher Education Agreements on Smarter Balanced 11th Grade Assessment Offer high school students the opportunity to use

their SBAC 11th grade scores to place into college-level courses without remediation or additional placement testing

   Apply to placement considerations at public 2- and 4-

year institutions in WA for any students enrolling directly after high school graduation with SBAC 11th grade scores

Will be in effect for the graduating classes of 2016-2018, then reviewed and adjusted if necessary based on student performance data

Details at http://www.wsac.wa.gov/college-readiness or http://c2cwa.wordpress.com/final-sbac-agreement_wa/

 

Transition Courses

Define key standards

Determine course framework/ approach

Recruit districts & provide professional development for teachers

Core to College grant

College Spark grant

(10/14-12/17)

Jointly developed and led by higher ed faculty and high school teachers

Students:1. Placement into college-level coursework

(contingent on B or better in transition course)

2. Better understanding of full range of college readiness expectations

System:1. Improved curricular alignment between

K-12 and entry-level college courses2. Increased understanding of key

elements of CCSS for high school teachers and college faculty

Outcomes for Transition Courses

Transition Course: Bridge to College Mathematics

Designed for students who score below “college-ready” on the 11th grade Smarter Balanced assessment

Addresses key standards in Common Core to prepare students for success in non-calculus pathway college math classes

Embeds explicit emphasis in Standards for Mathematical Practices throughout the course

Math Task Force Survey Results

Placement

Transcript/course-taking agreements with high schools

Customized alternative tests (MyMathTest, ALEKS, home-grown via WAMAP)

Recognizing other results (SAT/ACT/AP/IB)

Test brush-up, preparation

Alternative secondary placements

Curricular Interventions

Differentiated sequences (different or shorter for non-STEM)

Math lab (emporium) model for below Intermediate Algebra

Paired college-level and precollege courses (with liberal arts math or statistics)

Accelerated “bucket” model courses

Student Support

Math or Learning Resource Centers

General College Success class

Productive persistence (and other student attributes) classroom activities

Online tutoring

Math study skills course