The American Diploma Project Network

1. The American Diploma Project Network Creating a High School Diploma that Counts

2. American Diploma Project • About Achieve • Overview of the American Diploma Project Network • State Progress Advancing the ADP Policy Agenda • Changing National Landscape • Achieve Support to ADP Network States • Key Lessons and Next Steps for Nebraska

3. About Achieve • Is independent, nonprofit, & bipartisan • Was founded by governors and business leaders at 1996 National Education Summit • Helps states raise academic standards to prepare students for college, careers and citizenship • Provides independent quality reviews of state standard and assessments • Sustains political support for standards-based education reform • Organized National Education Summits in 1999, 2001, 2005

4. Jobs in today’s workforce require more education & training Change in the distribution of education / skill level in jobs, 1973 v. 2001 -9% -23% +16% +16% Source: Carnevale, Anthony P. and Donna M. Desrochers, Standards for What? The Economic Roots of K–16 Reform, Educational Testing Service, 2003.

5. Too Many Students Graduate from High School Unprepared for College and Work 30% of first year students in postsecondary education are required to take remedial courses 40% - 45% of recent high school graduates report significant gaps in their skills, both in college and the workplace Faculty estimate 42% of first year students in credit-bearing courses are academically unprepared Employers estimate 45% of recent high school graduates lack skills to advance ACT estimates only half of college-bound students are ready for college-level reading

6. Had high schools demanded more, students would have worked harder If your high school had demanded more of students, set higher academic standards and raised the expectations of how much coursework would be necessary to earn a diploma, would you have worked harder? • Wouldn’t have worked harder 82% 80% • Would have worked harder • Strongly feel I would have worked harder High school graduates who did not go to college High school graduates who went to college Source: Peter D. Hart Research Associates/Public Opinion Strategies, Rising to the Challenge: Are High School Graduates Prepared for College and Work? prepared for Achieve, Inc., 2005

7. OVERVIEW OF THE AMERICAN DIPLOMA PROJECT NEWORK

8. American Diploma Project Research Phase: 2002 - 2005 • Partnership of Achieve, Education Trust, Fordham Foundation and National Alliance of Business • Initial ADP research study conducted in Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nevada and Texas. • Involved wide variety of K-12, higher education and business representatives. • Examined the work high school graduates do in the college classroom and on the job, and the preparation they needed to do the work. • Identified “must-have” knowledge and skills graduates will need to be successful in college and the workplace.

9. Convergence of College and Career Readiness • ADP research found a common core of knowledge & skills in math and English that are necessary for success in postsecondary education and in “good jobs.” • ACT Study Ready for College Ready for Work: Same or Different?: • Whether planning to enter college or workforce training programs after graduation, high school students need to be educated to a comparable level of readiness in reading and mathematics.

10. ADP Research Documents An Expectations Gap We haven’t expected all students to graduate from high school college- and career-ready • State standards reflect consensus about what is desirable, not what is essential • Only 2 states required algebra II for graduation • State tests measure 8th and 9th grade knowledge and skills • High school accountability rarely focuses on graduation rates or on college- and work-readiness

11. ADP Network launched at 2005 Summit: 13 states committed to improving student preparation

12. ADP Network today: 35 states now committed to improving student preparation

13. ADP Network Policy Agenda • Align high school standards and assessments with the knowledge and skills required for success in postsecondary education and work. • Require all students to take a college- and career-ready curriculum aligned with standards to graduate from high school. • Administer a college- and career-ready assessment, aligned to state standards, to high school students so they get clear and timely information and are able to address critical skill deficiencies while still in high school. • Hold high schools accountable for graduating students who are college- and career-ready, and hold postsecondary institutions accountable for their success once enrolled.

14. STATE PROGRESS ADVANCING THE ADP AGENDA

15. State Progress on Adopting Policies To Ensure That High School Students Graduate College- and Career-Ready 23 45 21 29 10 33 12 50

16. 23 states have aligned standards ME VT WA* ND NH MT MN* MA NY OR WI RI ID SD MI CT WY PA NJ IA OH DE NE IN NV IL MD WV VA UT DC KY CO KS MO CA NC TN SC OK AR AZ* NM GA AL MS TX LA FL AK Aligned standards formally verified by Achieve Aligned standards not verified by Achieve HI *Only math standards aligned

17. 19 states have a college- and career-ready diploma for all students ME VT WA ND NH MT MN MA NY OR WI RI ID SD MI CT WY PA NJ IA OH DE NE IN NV IL MD WV VA UT DC KY CO KS MO CA NC TN SC OK AR AZ NM GA AL MS TX LA FL AK HI

18. 10 states administer tests aligned with college and career expectations ME VT WA ND NH MT MN MA NY OR WI RI ID SD MI CT WY PA NJ IA OH DE NE IN NV IL MD WV VA UT DC CO KY KS MO CA NC TN SC OK AR AZ NM GA AL MS TX LA FL AK HI

19. Few states hold high schools accountable for college & career readiness

20. 12 States have P-20 longitudinal data systems and match student data at least once annually ME VT WA ND NH MT MN MA NY OR WI RI ID SD MI CT WY PA NJ IA OH DE NE IN NV IL MD WV VA UT DC KY CO KS MO CA NC TN SC OK AR AZ NM GA AL MS TX LA FL AK HI

21. CHANGING NATIONAL LANDSCAPE

22. Common Core of Standards

23. Common Core State Standards Initiative National Governors Association (NGA) and Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) initiated a state-led process, in partnership with Achieve, ACT, and the College Board. 46 states have committed to the process, with both the governor and chief education officer signing on. Effort is voluntary and led by states; different from “national standards” or previous efforts. Goal is to create K-12 common core English and mathematics standards that are: Internationally benchmarked Aligned with career and post-secondary expectations Include rigorous content and applications of knowledge Research and evidence-based.

24. 15 States are Participating in a Common Algebra II EOC test

25. State Leadership for Common Standards & Assessments A byproduct of the work of ADP states has been: • A common core of mathematics and ELA standards across a growing number of states, on a voluntary basis • A common Algebra II exam developed by a partnership of states, on a voluntary basis An outgrowth of this work has been: • Support and momentum for the common standards movement • Emphasis on college and career readiness in Race to the Top • Incentives for common state assessments

26. ACHIEVE SUPPORT TO STATES IN THE ADP NETWORK

27. Achieve Support to States • Research and Development • Reports, case studies, fact sheets, power point presentations • Technical Assistance and Networking • State Leadership Team policy development support • Annual meeting, topic-based conference calls and meetings • Policy audits • Advocacy • Web-based tools • www.achieve.org, www.biztools4schools.org, www.postsecconnect.org • Testimony • Multi-State Institutes to Provide Strategic and Technical Policy Development Support • Alignment Institute, College & Career-Ready Policy Institute

28. KEY LESSONS & NEXT STEPS FOR NEBRASKA

29. College- and Career- Ready Standards • Achieve recently reviewed Nebraska’s end of high school standards • Critical role for higher education • Common core state standards

30. Raising Graduation Requirements • Content standards need to drive the core curriculum. • Content matters more than course titles. • Determine statewide mechanisms to ensure consistency and quality of rigor. • Provide districts flexibility to organize curriculum into different courses. • Provide a system of intensive and sustained student supports. • Ramp up efforts as plan for policy implementation. • Build an early warning indicator system to identify students who are off-track and provide targeted supports. • Ensure that teachers have access to aligned training, professional development and instructional tools. • Provide guidance to teachers to ensure that rigorous courses are more engaging and relevant for students. • Encourage proficiency based approaches.

31. Building college- ready anchor assessments: Proficient should mean prepared • College-ready assessments measure student performance on high-level college- and career-ready standards • College-ready assessments provide information to signal whether a student is ready to take credit-bearing courses • Not just more assessment—better assessment • Examples: • ADP Assessment Consortium Algebra II End-of-Course Exam • California State University’s Early Assessment Program • ACT

32. Broadening Accountability Indicators to Value & Incentivize College & Career Readiness

33. ADP Policy Agenda: A Foundation for Reaching Nebraska’s Goals • Close achievement gaps • Increase high school graduation rate • Boost college access and college going rate • Decrease time to postsecondary degree completion and increase postsecondary graduation rate • Increase production of STEM teachers These goals require a high school diploma that counts

34. For more information on Achieve, please visit Achieve on the Web at http://www.achieve.org