Senate Bill 1908 & House Bill 1255 : Florida’s College & Career Readiness Initiatives

1. Senate Bill 1908 & House Bill 1255:Florida’s College & Career Readiness Initiatives Joe Pickens, J.D. President, St. Johns River State College

2. White House CC Summit • Although the summit focused attention on community colleges and their integral role in education today, “what was missing was a call to action to bridge the divide between K-12 education and community colleges, which contributes to the nation’s low rates of college completion. It’s the students who pay the price for K-12 and postsecondary systems that are not connected—by not being ready for college.” • Nodine, Thad. “What Students Don’t Know About Community College Could Hurt Them.” Higher Education Initiative. New America Foundation, October 2010. Web. 5 January 2011. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

3. Readiness Realities • Florida: • 78% of community college students require remediation in at least one subject area • 62% of community college students require remediation in multiple subject areas • Although a 300 is passing, a 355 on the reading and a 375 on the math portions of the 10th grade FCAT are more accurate indicators of college readiness in the same subject areas. • Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. “Steps Can Be Taken to Reduce Remediation Rates.” OPPAGA. Florida Legislature, April 2006. Web. 5 January 2011. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

4. Readiness Realities • United States: • Nationwide, nearly 60% of all first-year college students discover that despite being fully eligible to attend college, they are not academically “college-ready.” • Nationwide, 75% of students enrolled in two-year colleges require remedial work in English, mathematics, or both. • National Center for Public Policy and Higher Educationand The Southern Regional Education Board. “Beyond the Rhetoric: Improving College Readiness Through Coherent State Policy.” Higher Education. The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, June 2010. Web. 5 January 2011. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

5. Lack of Preparation • “We found that many recent high school graduates were surprised to learn, when they enrolled in community college, that they were not prepared. Many were also shocked to find out that even though community colleges allow open entry, they nonetheless have standards for college-level courses.” • Nodine (2010) Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

6. Surprised Students • “Community college students reported that when they were in high school they thought they did not need to do anything extra to prepare for community college—that graduating from high school was sufficient. Some students said they had heard about preparing for the SAT or the ACT, which are required for admission at most four-year colleges and universities. But the students in general had heard very little—or nothing—about needing to prepare for rigorous courses at community colleges.” • Nodine (2010) Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

7. What we’ve got here… Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

8. Florida’s Senate Bill 1908 • 2008 Legislative Session • Purpose: to provide a mechanism to identify potential college students who need remediation and provide that remediation while the students are still in high school. • Key to Success: Avoiding the Blame Game Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

9. Florida’s Senate Bill 1908 • 10th Grade: FCAT • 11th grade: Post-secondary Readiness Testing of students who have indicated an interest in postsecondary education and have scored at levels 2, 3, or 4 on the math portion OR levels 2 or 3 on the reading portion of the 10th grade FCAT. • 12th grade: High School College Readiness & Success Coursework (Math, English, Reading) that mirrors the developmental education courses taught at the college. Passing the course and exit test enables the students to enroll in college level courses after high school graduation without additional placement testing. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

10. Florida’s Senate Bill 1908 Putting out the fire after it’s already started doesn’t address the problem at the source: There is a lack of alignment between the standards required to get out of high school and the standards required to be ready for college. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

11. Florida’s Senate Bill 1908 • Three Years in, Successes & Challenges: • Success: Eliminating the element of surprise for students, parents, and K-12 regarding what it means to be college ready • Success: Increased student testing and enrollment in high school college readiness and success courses • Challenge: Creating true alignment between the high school diploma and college/career readiness Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

12. Florida’s Senate Bill 1908 • While the legislation helped what would have made the bill even more successful…. • Requiring students who place into the courses to take them rather than making the courses an option • Weighting the funding of the courses (like AP courses) to incentivize the district’s offering them • Making the courses an enhancement for the school’s grade to incentivize the school’s offering them Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

13. Florida’s House Bill 1255 • 2008: Senate Bill 1908 • Created opportunity for readiness testing of “interested” 11th graders and transitional coursework for “interested” non-ready 12th graders • 2011: House Bill 1255 • Made completion of readiness testing and transitional coursework mandatory for both school districts and students Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

14. Transitional High School Math Courses • Math for College Success: Completing this .5 high school credit course with a C or better to include a passing score on the exit test for the course MAT0024 will guarantee that the student will be eligible for enrollment in MAT1033 Intermediate Algebra without further CPT testing/postsecondary remediation in math if they enroll in a community college within 2 years of completion. This class is a mirror of the Florida College System’s highest math developmental education course MAT0024 and is recommended for students who score below Florida’s college ready standards in math. This course was first offered in 2009-2010. • Math for College Readiness: Completing this 1.0 high school credit course with a C or better to include a score of at least an 86 on the CPT to be taken at the end of the course will guarantee that the student will be eligible for enrollment in College Algebra without further coursework if they enroll in a community college within 2 years of completion. This class mirrors the Florida College System’s three semester hour college credit postsecondary “bridge” course MAT1033.This course is recommended for students who score out of developmental education but below College Algebra. This course was first offered in 2009-2010. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

15. Transitional High School English/Reading Courses • Reading for College Success: Completing this .5 high school credit course with a C or better to include a passing score on the exit test for the course REA0002 will exempt students from further CPT testing/postsecondary remediation in reading if they enroll in a community college within 2 years of completion.  This class is a mirror of the Florida College System’s highest reading developmental education course REA0002 and is recommended for students who score below Florida’s college ready standards in reading. This course was first offered in 2009-2010. • Writing for College Success: Completing this .5 high school credit course with a C or better to include a passing score on the exit test for the course ENC0020 will exempt students from further CPT testing/postsecondary remediation in writing if they enroll in a community college within 2 years of completion.  This class is a mirror of the Florida College System’s highest writing developmental education course ENC0020 and is recommended for students who score below Florida’s college ready standards in writing. This course was first offered in 2009-2010. • English IV: Florida College Prep: Completing this 1.0 high school credit course with a C or better to include a passing score on the Florida College Basic Skills Exit test will exempt students from further CPT testing/postsecondary remediation in writing if they enroll in a community college within 2 years of completion. This class is a reworking of English IV and is intended for students who score below Florida’s college ready standards in reading and/or writing. This course was first offered in 2010-2011. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

16. Implementation Status • DOE is reviewing transitional coursework curriculum • Districts are planning across-the-board implementation • Statewide migration to PERT is ongoing—high schools will eventually be able to administer the PERT themselves • There is an ongoing need for middle and high school faculty professional development opportunities to ensure readiness standards and skills are understood and being taught Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

17. Getting the Word Out! Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

18. Collaboration is Key The single most important thing the College can do to improve the success and completion rates of our students is to collaborate with the middle and high schools in our service district to improve the college and career readiness of our high school graduates. Waiting until they are our students is waiting too long. Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011

19. Questions? Joe Pickens, J.D. President St. Johns River State College 386-312-4113 joepickens@sjrstate.edu Southern Regional Education Board Meeting "College & Career Readiness: Senior-Year Transitional Courses & College Developmental Education" 6/27/2011