THE NEW STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION Accountability | World-Class Math and Science Standards | Meaningful Diploma/CORE 24 CORE 24 and College and Work Readiness.

THE NEW STATE BOARD OF EDUCATIONAccountability | World-Class Math and Science Standards | Meaningful Diploma/CORE 24

CORE 24 and College and

Work ReadinessPresentation to…

WERA

March 26, 2009

The Washington State Board of Education’s role in the K-12 system is to lead the development of state policy, provide system oversight, and advocate for student success. The Board is comprised of sixteen members and is supported by a staff of six.

What is the Washington State Board of Education?

1. Ensuring that all children in the State of Washington receive an equitable and excellent education

2. Developing a system of graduation credit requirements that will result in a meaningful high school diploma

3. Creating an accountability framework that will identify and assist struggling schools as well as recognize schools that are meeting or exceeding standards

What are the Board’s Duties?

4. Implementing a systematic approach so that students and teachers receive the support they need to learn and teach under the new math and science standards

The State Board of Education Sets Some Graduation Requirements

SBE-mandated requirements:• Minimum credit requirements• Culminating Project• High School and Beyond Plan

Legislatively-mandated requirements:• Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL)• Certificate of Academic Achievement/Individual

Achievement

District-, Private School-, or Tribal School-mandated requirements 4

Four drivers:1. Legislative direction to revise the

purpose of a diploma (2006)2. Legislative direction to add a third credit

of math and prescribe the content (2006)

3. Governor’s Washington Learns report calling for world-class education (November 2006)

4. Recognition that credit requirements are the product of another era: Unchanging requirements in a changing world

Why Change Graduation Requirements Now?

Shaping CORE 24

CORE 24 is the framework of 24 credits approved by the State Board of Education in July 2008 as proposed new graduation requirements, to be phased-in when funding is provided by the legislature.

What is CORE 24?

Six Contributing Factors That Shaped The Board’s Thinking about CORE 24

1. Preparation for Postsecondary Education

Preparation for Postsecondary Education: 13-1/2 Prescribed Minimum Credit Requirements Leading to Nowhere

Subject Current State Minimum Graduation Credit Requirements

Current HECB (Higher Education Coordinating Board) Minimum College Admission Requirements

English 3.0 4.0Mathematics 2.0 3.0Science 2.0

(1 lab)2.0

(2 lab)Social Studies 2.5 3.0Fine Arts 1.0 1.0World Language 0.0 2.0Occup. Education 1.0 0.0Physical Education/Health

2.0 0.0

Electives 5.5 0.0Total 19.0 15.0

Preparation for Postsecondary Education: Unacceptable Remediation Rates at Community and Technical Colleges

● 52% of community and technical college students who graduated from high school in 2006 took pre-college (remedial) classes in 2006-07: English, reading or math.

● This level of remediation cost students and the state $17.5 million. 

Source: Role of Pre-College (Developmental and Remedial) Education for Recent High School Graduates Attending Washington Community and Technical Colleges.” Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges Research Report No. 07-2.

2. The Composition of a 21st Century Workforce

Composition of a 21st Century Workforce: A Different World

Since graduation credit requirements last changed in 1985, globalization and technological change have dramatically changed the economy and labor market into which we send our graduates.

In the 21st Century Workforce, Unskilled Jobs Are Disappearing; Demand for Higher Skills is Rising

Sources: American Diploma Project; U.S. Bureau of Census and Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Center for Workforce Information and Analysis (Pennsylvania statewide)

How Do We Prepare Students for A 21st Century Workforce Where People Can Make a Living Wage?

Sources: Julie Chinitz, ChienHao Fu, and Gerald Smith. The 2008 Job Gap. Tough Times for Northwest Families. 2008 Northwest Job Gap Study. http://www.nwfco.org/pubs/2008.12.09_NW.JG.Tough.Times.pdf

In 2008 in Washington:● The median income for someone with

only a high school diploma was $10.00 per hour.

● A living wage for a single adult was $25,530 a year or $12.27 an hour.

Living Wage = One that Allows Individuals/Families to Meet their Basic Needs Without Public Assistance + Ability to Plan for Emergencies

Source: Washington State Employment Security Department, Labor Market and Economics Analysis. Washington State Job Vacancy Survey Report: Fall, 2008, Figure 4., p. 9

Washington Job Vacancies by Education and Wage, October 2008

Other Developed Nations Are Educating Their Youth And Adult Workers To Record Levels. . .While The U.S. And Washington Stand Still.

HECB. “2008 Master Plan for Higher Education in Washington.”

3. Demographics of Students in the Pipeline

Changing Demographics: Proportionally More Students of Color in Washington

Source: Escalating Engagement: Connecting Higher Education and Workforce Needs. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. PowerPoint presentation to Higher Education Coordinating Board. September 2008. Data gleaned from March 2008 WICHE Report, Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates by State and Race/Ethnicity,1992-2022.

American Indian/Alaska Native

Asian/Pacific Islander

Black non-Hispanic

Hispanic

White non-Hispanic

2014 - 15

2009 - 10

2004 - 05

Hispanic Students Are The Fastest-Growing Group

Source: Escalating Engagement: Connecting Higher Education and Workforce Needs. National Center for Higher Education Management Systems. PowerPoint presentation to Higher Education Coordinating Board. September 2008. Data gleaned from US Census Bureau.

Washington Hispanic, Native American and African American Students Less Likely to Take Courses That Meet Minimum Four-year Public Admissions Requirements

Source: The BERC Group, December 2008. Washington State Board of Education Transcript Study. Based on a random sample of 14,875 2008 Washington public high school graduates

More Low-income Students Complete College When They Take a Rigorous* High School Curriculum

* Rigorous curriculum is defined as the top 40 percent of high school curriculum and the highest high school mathematics above Algebra II.

Note: These numbers reflect outcomes for high school graduates who enter four-year institutions directly from high school.

Source: Adelman, Clifford. The Toolbox Revisited, U.S. Department of Education, 2006. Adapted from The Education Trust.

4. National Trends in Graduation Requirements

National Trend: 31 States Require More Credits to Graduate Than Washington (Based on Washington’s 20 credits in 2013)

Source: Education Commission of the States Standard High School Graduation Requirements Database. 2008. Note: Includes requirements that have been adopted and will be in effect for a graduating class in 2009 and beyond e.g., Washington’s 20 credit graduation requirement will be in effect for the graduating class of 2013. States in yellow are global challenge states. Massachusetts is also a global challenge state but has no state-mandated requirements.

National Trend: Most States Have Higher Expectations for Total Credits Earned

Across the Nation:

31 states will exceed Washington’s new 20-credit requirement; 6 other states will share it 13 states will require 24+ credits in 2009+

Closer to Home:

23: Number of credits Idaho will require (effective 2013)24: Number of credits Oregon will require (effective 2012)

National Trend: Most States Require More Credits in Core Subjects

Across the Nation, in 2009+:

39: Number of states requiring 3 or more credits of math 33: Number of states requiring 3 or more credits of science44: Number of states requiring 4 credits of English34: Number of states requiring 3 or more credits of social studies

How Important is Quantity?

● Rigor is not defined by quantity.● But: If credits are a proxy for the amount of

exposure students have to a subject, our students will be competing against many students who have more exposure/preparation.

● Quality of teaching and learning is key.

5. Washington District Graduation Credit Requirements

Considerable Variability in Graduation Requirements Within the State—Over Half of the Districts Currently Require 24+ Credits

Credits have been rounded to the nearest whole credit.Source: Washington State Board of Education. 2007.

Credits Required

All But 20 Districts Exceed Minimum Requirements in English; Far Fewer Districts Exceed Minimums in Math and Science

87% of Districts Require More Than the State Minimum 2.5 Credit Requirement in Social Studies

Districts Vary in Meeting Arts, Health and Fitness and Occupational Education Requirements

● 100% meet but do not exceed the state 1-credit minimum Arts requirement

● 24% exceed the state 2-credit minimum Health

and Fitness requirement

● 54% exceed the state 1-credit minimum

Occupational Education requirement

89% of Districts Exceed the State’s Minimum 5.5 Credit Requirement for Electives

6. Preparation for Citizenship

Growing Support for 21st Century Applied Knowledge and Skills

7 survival skills students need: • Critical thinking & problem-solving• Collaboration & leadership• Agility & adaptability• Initiative & entrepreneurialism• Effective oral & written communication• Accessing & analyzing information• Curiosity & imagination

Tony Wagner (2008). Rigor Redefined. Educational Leadership. Volume 66, #2.

Essential skills, such as: financial, civic, technology, global, and/or health literacy; employability skills, etc.

The Conclusion? Students Need Multiple Pathways To Some Form Of Postsecondary Education – And They Need Adequate Preparation

The higher skills needed for most family-wage jobs come from additional education of some kind:

● Apprenticeships: “The Original Four-Year Degree”

● Professional/Technical Degree and Certificate Programs

● Transfer Associate Degree Programs (AS-T, AA-T, AAS-T)

● Baccalaureate Degree Programs

CORE 24 Graduation Requirements Policy Framework

One Diploma – Many Pathways

Educated Citizens with Living-Wage Jobs

The Purpose of a Diploma

In January 2008, the board adopted a purpose statement for the diploma, the first sentence reads:

“The purpose of the diploma is to declare that a student is ready for success in post secondary education, gainful employment, and citizenship, and is equipped with the skills to be a lifelong learner.”

The diploma represents a balance between the personalized education needs of each student and society’s needs, and reflects at its core the state’s basic education goals.

The diploma is a compact among students, parents, local school districts, the state, and whatever employer or institution the graduate moves on to—a compact that says the graduate has acquired a particular set of knowledge and skills. How the student demonstrates those skills may differ.

Whether a student earns credit by participating in formal instruction or by demonstrating competency through established district policies is immaterial; they are equally acceptable.

The Purpose of a Diploma

Laying the Groundwork for CORE 24 Through Guiding Principles

• Start early Prepare students to enter high school and create opportunities to meet high school graduation requirements in middle school.

Equip Everyone: Prepare ALL students for life after high school—in gainful employment, an apprenticeship, or postsecondary education.

Expect More: Align requirements to meet the increased expectations of the 21st century workforce.

Provide Flexibility: Allow students to customize their education, relevance to their interests.

Give Focus: Encourage students to align course work to achieve their future career goals.

Plan Ahead: Emphasize the High School and Beyond Plan to offer students personalized guidance to prepare them for work, postsecondary education, or both.

Start Early: Prepare students to enter high school and create opportunities to meet high school graduation requirements in middle

school.

WHAT CORE 24 IS

A 24-credit framework that requires more than the minimum; a move from minimum to essential requirements

A Tool to Help Students Plan Ahead; A Framework with Flexibility: Key Features

Personalized through choices

Making middle school “count”

Stronger guidance; stronger high school and beyond plan

Built on policies that create flexibility: e.g., course equivalencies, competency-based credits, etc.

2009:• Begin to work through the mechanics and

policy implications of CORE 24 with the Implementation Task Force.

• Continue the Meaningful High School Diploma Policy Work to resolve unfinished issues, including the culminating project, the high school and beyond plan, essential skills, and middle school connections.

The Next Steps for CORE 24

• Students in the graduating class of 2013 will be expected to complete:

• 1 additional credit of math in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II (or Integrated Math I, II, III) unless a different third credit of math is elected

• Total of 20 credits

43

Implement the Third Credit of Math for the Graduating Class of 2013

Questions?

Kathe Taylor, Ph.D.

Policy Director

[email protected]

360-725-6028

For more information:

http://www.sbe.wa.gov