Arizona's Move On When Ready Initiative

1. Arizona’s Move On When Ready Initiative AASBO MEMBERSHIP MEETING November 10, 2010 Sybil Francis, Executive Director Center for the Future of Arizona

2. The National Challenge National goal: By 2020, we want to again have the largest percentage of college graduates (associates degree or higher) in the world. Arizona goal: Double the number of baccalaureate degrees by 2020. Why? Many Reasons… Including: In our economy today, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job. Fact: Nearly 8 in 10 new jobs will require postsecondary workforce training or a higher education degree by the end of this decade.* Fact: The unemployment rate for individuals with at least a bachelor’s degree is consistently about half the unemployment rate for high school graduates.** But, those with increased education levels benefit in a number of ways, including financially. Fact: The typical bachelor’s degree recipient can expect to earn about 66% more during a 40-year working life than the typical high school graduate earns over the same period.** Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics December 2009 ** College Board 2010

3. Target: Prepare All Students For College and Careers Current Reality: Nationally, only 75% of high school freshmen graduate with a diploma in four years. Half of all minority students never graduate from high school.* Across the nation, 60% of students entering community college require remedial coursework in math and/or English. In Arizona, this number is much higher.** In Arizona, less than half of public high school graduates qualify academically to enroll in public universities.*** In Arizona, for every 100 children in ninth grade; 68 graduate from high school four years later; 19 enter a 4-year program within one year; only 9 complete their bachelor's degree within 6 years. Postsecondary Education Opportunity; www.postsecondary.org New Reality: Students graduating from high school should be college and career ready. System level change aimed at improved academic outcomes on a statewide scale is required. Sources: *College Board 2010 “Completion Agenda” Report ** National Center for Educational Statistics, 2003 ***Arizona Board of Regents, 2006

4. The Arizona Move On When Ready Opportunity Legislation enacted last spring provides a new pathway to high school graduation and created the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. Provides a powerful tool available at the high school level to improve student performance (through board examination systems). Moves us towards outcomes-based learning and away from time-based learning. Achievement of a Grand Canyon High School Diploma will signify that students are college and career ready. College ready means that a student has the English and mathematics skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college level courses at the community college level that count toward a degree or certificate without taking remedial or developmental coursework

5. The Arizona Move On When Ready Model:Multiple High-Value Postsecondary Pathways Once students qualify to earn a Grand Canyon High School Diploma, multiple options are open to them including: Remaining in high school and taking the necessary additional coursework to prepare for university entry. Graduating and enrolling in full-time community college courses on the students' current high school campus or on a community college campus. Enrolling in a full-time career and technical education program offered on a community college campus, a high school campus or a joint technical education district campus, or any combination of these campuses.

6. Move On When Ready – An Arizona System College and Career Ready Upper Division Board Examination Systems 2 yr Open Admission Institutions Arizona Community Colleges Full-Time Career and Technical Education Study Leading to Industry Certification Students continue in Lower Division and retake the Board Exams in grade 11 and 12 if not initially passed Grade 12 Grade 11 Grand Canyon High School Diploma Students can qualify for this performance-based diploma as early as the end of grade 10 Lower Division Board Examination Systems* (different providers available) *Designed for all students Grade 10 Grade 9 * Board Examination Systems are complete instructional systems designed for all students that comprise a core academic program; systems include syllabi, instructional materials, exams aligned to the curriculum, and teacher professional development

7. The Arizona Move On When Ready Model:A Few Key Points Not intended to pack four years of high school into two years but offers rigorous curriculum to prepare students for success in postsecondary educational pursuits High expectations academic program accessible to all students. Move On When Ready is not an elite program. Emphasis is on the “READY” aspect of Move On When Ready. Voluntaryprogram for interested schools. No present options open to students for high school study are closed by the passage of the Move On When Ready legislation. Designed to utilize the current funding stream more flexibly and effectively. Requires collaboration across P-20 educational pipeline.

8. The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative: Part of a Larger National Effort Arizona is collaborating with the National Center on Education and the Economy (NCEE) on the Move On When Ready effort. We are joined by several other states, including Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Mexico, New York, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. NCEE has formed a Board Examination Systems Consortium Advisory Council. Arizona is represented on this advisory council by Dr. Vicki Balentine and Representative Rich Crandall. NCEE is providing substantial technical assistance and support to Consortium member states, including establishing recommended course of study for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma and board exam pass points.

9. Board Examination Systems: Complete Instructional Systems Aligned with High Standards • A set of courses that constitute a core curriculum. They will be aligned to the Common Core Standards. • Thoughtfully constructed course designs captured in a syllabus. • High quality exams derived from the curriculum using multiple assessment methods designed to determine whether the students have mastered the curriculum described in the syllabus. • Quality teacher training matched to the course syllabi.

10. Board Exam System Providers Upper Division Program Students who take an upper division Board Examination System program (grades 11 and 12) would typically do so to prepare for admission to a selective college and continue with a rigorous core course of study. Lower Division Program The purpose of the lower division program (grades 9 and 10) is to create a very solid core curriculum for all high school students. Possible Providers Include: ACT QualityCore Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Edexcel/Pearson International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Possible Providers Include: ACT QualityCore (upper level) Cambridge Advanced International Certificate program (AICE) College Board Advanced Placement Edexcel/Pearson “A” Level program International Baccalaureate

11. Key Features of the Board Examination Systems Designed for All Students Each provider has been asked, as part of the board examination certification process, to indicate the services, materials, and offerings it would provide to meet the needs of students with disabilities, English Language Learners, those who may not be at grade level when entering high school, as well as those who may not pass the lower division examinations the first time. Aligned to Common Core State Standards Providers of the board examinations are required to align their offerings to the mathematics and English Common Core State Standards, and other Common Core State Standards as they become available. Career and Technical Education is a Key Component Career and technical courses are available from the board exam providers. Opportunity to build on existing strong career and technical education programs.

12. The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative: Update on Recent Activities The State Board of Education selected the Center for the Future of Arizona to lead the Move On When Ready initiative – voted on September 27, 2010. All interested schools must contact and work with the Center for the Future of Arizona to offer Move On When Ready. NCEE Board Examination Systems Consortium Advisory Council determined the recommended lower and upper division minimum course requirements for move on when ready diplomas (Grand Canyon H.S. Diploma in the case of Arizona) – voted on Sept. 21, 2010. Establishment of NCEE Board Examination Systems Consortium Higher Education Task Force – Arizona represented by Dr. Rufus Glasper. (Will convene in January, 2011. Work will be focused on building consensus around the board exam pass points.) May 7 summit, teacher focus groups in July and August (Phoenix Area and Tucson Area), statewide outreach to school districts, business organizations, policymakers. Continuing outreach to schools, districts, policymakers etc. Federal grant applications, foundation grant applications.

13. The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative: Planning Year Next Steps Determination of Arizona Grand Canyon High School Diploma Requirements – State Board of Education – action fall 2010. Announcement of Board Examination System provider courses, products, services, and prices – action fall 2010 Recruitment of early adopter schools - Center for the Future of Arizona – action fall 2010 Determination of college-readiness pass points in English and Math – recommendation by NCEE Board Examination Systems Consortium Advisory Council spring 2010. Building Arizona Move On When Ready implementation model in collaboration with partner district and charter schools, JTEDs, community colleges, and universities. Will involve forming working groups – Center for the Future of Arizona action 2010-2011. Early adopter schools select board examination system providers for use in their school, plan specific implementation, order instructional materials, and develop master schedules – Center for the Future of Arizona coordinating with partner schools, the state, and NCEE – winter- spring 2011

14. Early Adopter Schools During the planning year, early adopter schools will be identified. The earliest a Grand Canyon High School Diploma can be offered is 2012-2013 (start program fall 2011). Schools can implement Move On When Ready as a discrete program or as a school-wide model. Participating schools will work with the Center for the Future of Arizona to plan and implement Move On When Ready. The process of identifying and working with early adopter schools will be refined as part of the planning year activities led by the Center for the Future of Arizona.

15. The Arizona MOWR Initiative: Funding Processes An important part of the planning year work is to flesh out and further define the funding models. The idea is to use the current funding stream more flexibly and effectively. The MOWR Legislation outlines a few key funding processes. Participating high schools continue to receive ADM for students who move on to approved postsecondary study (until that student would otherwise have graduated at the end of grade 12). The retained ADM is used to provide student and teacher incentives, and to offset costs associated with the program. The school reimburses the community college district for the amount of operating full-time student equivalency monies that the district would be entitled to receive. If student instruction for full-time career and technical education programs (for participating MOWR students) is provided by JTEDs, then the ADM for that pupil will be 1.25.

16. How You Can Participate Communication/Outreach Let us know to whom else we should reach out. Join our distribution list. Send us your ideas and suggestions. Early Adopter Schools Help us identify schools that want to implement Move On When Ready. Further Development of the Move On When Ready Model Let us know if you might have interest in planning year activities. We are looking for expertise in a number of areas, including: refinement of the pathways available to students, support for struggling students, student advising, alignment with feeder schools, teacher professional development, and effective communication with and engagement of parents and the larger school community.

17. Thank You For more information, please contact: Dr. Sybil Francis, Executive Director, Center for the Future of Arizona Sybil.Francis@asu.edu or 480-335-8533 Amanda Burke, Director of Education Innovation, Center for the Future of Arizona Amanda.M.Burke@asu.edu or 602-496-2037