High School Exit Standards Informational Sessions January 2005

1. High School Exit Standards • Informational Sessions • January 2005

2. Meeting Objectives • • To discuss the recently proposed framework for the High School Exit Standards • • To gather feedback to share with the NC State Board of Education on the framework and statewide implementation plan for the new Standards 2

3. Meeting Objectives • • To share future activities of the SBE regarding the Standards • • To outline procedures for participants to provide feedback 3

4. WHY We Need to Change • Increasing Pace of Change — • It took 35 years for telephones to be used in 25% of American homes, 26 years for personal computers, 7 years for the Internet and 3 years for personal digital assistants. 4

5. Spanish 87,817 Hmong 4,406 Chinese 3,142 Vietnamese 2,306 Arabic 1,810 Korean 1,540 French 1,284 Russian 1,132 Hindi 913 Japanese 860 Gujarati 820 Laotian 766 Top Home Languages (Other than English) ofNC Students, 2004-2005 5

6. WHY We Need to Change • More extensive scientific and technological advances will occur in the next few years than have happened in the last two centuries. 6

7. WHY We Need to Change • Bill Gates indicates that we can expect technology to double every nine months. That means what was projected to occur in 2012 will now take place in 2006. 7

8. WHY We Need to Change • Technology will eliminate any task that is routine, concrete and sequential. Travel agents, accountants, inventory clerks, buyers and even lawyers may find themselves increasingly supplanted by technology. 8

9. WHY We Need to Change • Today’s high schools are producing students who are unprepared for future jobs. 9

10. Reference • Data from “WHY We Need to Change” is taken from Technology 2008: Preparing Students for Our Changing World. Willard Daggett, International Center for Leadership in Education. http://www.daggett.com/Daggettpp.htm 10

11. Current High School Graduation Requirements • and • Exit Standards 11

12. Current Graduation Requirements • Attain a passing score on competency tests adopted by the SBE per GS 115C-174.11 and administered by the LEA; • Successfully complete 20 course units in grades 9-12 (22 course units for Occupational Course of Study); 12

13. Current Graduation Requirements • Successfully complete one of four courses of study: • Career Preparation • College Technical Preparation • College/University Preparation • Occupational Course of Study; • Demonstrate computer proficiency. 13

14. Post-Secondary Education Remedial Rates for North Carolina High School Graduates 14

15. The percentage rate of North Carolina high school graduates needing • remediation as they entered as freshmen into the North Carolina • Community College system. • Source: NC Community College System 15

16. The percentage rate of North Carolina high school graduates needing remediation as they entered as freshmen into the North Carolina public colleges and universities.Source: UNC General Administration 16

17. NC High School Dropouts 17

18. Higher standards and student accountability are responding to the need for … • … students to learn how to learn and how to embrace change • … students to have deep understanding of content and the world around them, not just rote memory 18

19. Higher standards and student accountability are responding to the need for … • … academic rigor to be applied in open-ended ways that are relevant to the world of the 21st century • … visionary thinking 19

20. NC General Statutes, Status • North Carolina General Statute 115 C-12(9b) called for exit exam(s), August 1997 • However, the General Assembly suspended development pending report on compliance with NCLB SB 1115, SL 2002-126: Exit Exam, September 2002 • “The Board shall not adopt any revisions prior to reporting them…to the [Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee (JLEOC)].” 20

21. SBE Academic Rigor, Relevance and Relationships (R3) Ad Hoc Committee • • Academic Rigor Committee formed by the NC SBE on April 1, 2004. • • As the committee studied high school issues, it expanded the committee's name to Academic Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships. This change reflects the committee’s views on the components needed in the best high school programs for students. 21

22. SBE Academic Rigor, Relevance and Relationships (R3) Ad Hoc Committee • Since September, the original ad hoc committee expanded its membership to include high school educators and administrators (superintendents, principals, counselors, and teachers), and parents to offer assistance and input. 22

23. SBE Academic Rigor, Relevance and Relationships (R3) Ad Hoc Committee • The Committee plans to present a rigor definition and implementation plans for new high school exit standards to the State Board in February. 23

24. New Schools Project - R3 • • High schools have not changed since the rise of the comprehensive high school nearly a century ago. • • Smaller, more personal high schools that are connected to workplace expectations and that prepare students for higher education are possible and being implemented in North Carolina. 24

25. Philosophy • • Higher student/teacher/parent expectations and standards result in higher student achievement. • • Every student in North Carolina should be provided “an opportunity to receive a sound, basic education” and also provided the academic and social support to be successful. 25

26. Philosophy • • Setting high standards that are aligned with the curriculum will provide a systematic process for intervention and graduation decisions. • • Intervention is needed for students who do not meet standards. 26

27. Philosophy • • Workplace skills are critical for students. • • Students must have content knowledge and understanding in coursework and the capacity to apply knowledge and skills in relevant real-life situations. 27

28. Goals for Graduates • Ensure that “All students will graduate from a rigorous, relevant academic program that equips them with the knowledge, skills and dispositions necessary to succeed in both post-secondary education and 21st century careers and to be participating, engaged citizens.”1 • 1Proposed State Board of Education policy entitled “Policy defining academic rigor, relevance and relationships.” 28

29. Goals for Graduates • Improved student achievement. 29

30. Goals for Graduates • Increase the percentages of students who graduate “…with an informed point of view, knowledge of the world, an ability to grapple with complex problems and a willingness to engage with people different from themselves.”2 • 2 Closing the Graduation Gap: Toward High Schools that Prepare All Students for College, Work and Citizenship. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Gates Education Policy Paper, April 8, 2003, page 2. 30

31. Goals for Graduates • • Better prepared and higher numbers of graduates. • • Increased number of students demonstrating proficiency and above on end-of-course tests in courses required for UNC System admission. 31

32. The Process • Guide the development of classroom instructional delivery that focuses on mastery of critical, real-world skills (problem-solving, evaluation, communication, analysis, prediction, etc.) in addition to active learning of content. 32

33. The Process • Initiate a Senior Project requirement that allows students to learn and to demonstrate additional skills. 33

34. The Process • • Develop a school improvement process that focuses on students, parents and educators as collaborative partners in students’ education. • • Provide focused assistance and multiple test-taking opportunities. 34

35. Proposals for Implementing the New High School Exit Standards Framework 35

36. Proposal 1 • Students should be required to pass all five EOC assessments (Algebra I, Biology I, English I, Civics & Economics, and U.S. History) and to complete successfully the senior project. 36

37. Proposal 2 • Students should be required to pass at least four out of five EOC assessments (Algebra I, Biology I, English I, Civics & Economics, and U.S. History) and to complete successfully the senior project. 37

38. Retesting Proposals • Proposal 1: Consistent with the current retesting opportunities for end-of-grade assessments at grades 3, 5 and 8, students should be given a maximum of two retest opportunities. The second retest opportunity must be preceded by focused intervention/remediation. 38

39. Retesting Proposals • Proposal 2: Consistent with the current retesting opportunities for the competency and computer skills assessments, students should be given at least one retest opportunity per year. Each retest opportunity must be preceded by focused intervention/remediation. 39

40. Senior Project • • Performance-based senior project that could include service learning or a work-based learning experience. • • One component of the new high school exit standard. 40

41. Senior Project • • Developed, monitored and scored at the local level using rubrics developed or endorsed by the NC DPI. • • Standards will be effective with the current 7th graders who begin 9th grade in 2006-07. This is the graduating class of 2010. 41

42. Next Steps • • Zoomerang survey • • Timeline for activities • • Ground rules for input • • Q/A session (with notecards) • • Q/A document 42

43. Ground Rules • • All comments and questions are welcome. • • Please refrain from talking or making comments when someone else is speaking. 43

44. Ground Rules • • Three-minute limit for comments and questions. Please provide your name and affiliation at the beginning of your comments. • • At the end of three-minute limit, a sign will be given to signal the end of the time limit. Please promptly conclude remarks. 44