The document discusses a six-point plan to increase academic rigor in schools by committing to rigor for all students, conducting an inventory of advanced course offerings, supporting teacher professional development, aligning curricula between middle and high school, using data to inform decisions and identify prospective students, and offering a fully aligned college readiness system with AP courses. The plan is presented as a treatment to address concerns about student preparation for college.

1. Curing 'Rigor' Mortis: from AVID to AP AVID Summer Institute 2011

2. Our Mission The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. The College Board is committed to the principles of excellence and equity, and that commitment is embodied in all of its programs, services, activities and concerns.

3. is composed of more than 5,700 schools, colleges, universities and other educational organizations; serves seven million students and their parents, 23,000 high schools, and 3,800 colleges; provides major programs and services in college readiness, college admission, guidance, assessment, financial aid and enrollment. offers widely recognized programs: SAT® PSAT/NMSQT® Readistep® Advanced Placement (AP®) SpringBoard® ACCUPLACER®. Founded in 1900, the College Board…

4. SpringBoard ® ELA and Mathematics PSAT/NMSQT ® AP Potential ™ College Visits SAT ® AP ® Courses College Admission ReadiStep ™ CollegeEd ® Sixth Grade The Path to College Readiness

5. Defining Rigor

6. The new 3 Rs: Rigor, Relevance, and …

7. Revelry! http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/piano-stairs-in-stockholm-volkswagen-advert-by-ddb/c3ce0eebe0bc28b27c8ec3ce0eebe0bc28b27c8e-306330994238?q=piano%20stairs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN0eabGb-vI

8. The world today isn't the same world as yesterday!

9. 1900 Workplace Demands Highly skilled Low skilled Avg. age to enter work force Avg. age to leave work force 14 47 Life expectancy 47

10. 2010 Workplace Demands Highly skilled Low skilled Avg. age to enter the workplace 21 Number of times to change jobs 5-8 Est. Life expectancy in 2100 >80

11. Career Challenges . . . Workers in the 21st century will average 5 - 8 different careers changes Job longevity will average 5 to 8 years Academics required for success in the workplace are equal to or greater than academics required for success in college Students need strong, integrated academics (Rigor) to be prepared for their future

12. Keys for Success Strong Academics Reading / Writing, Math, Science, Computer Skills Career Skills Broad and Transferable Character Virtues Honesty, Responsibility, Integrity

13. The Diagnosis

14. Out of 100 9th Graders

15. 69 Will Graduate From High School

16. 42 Will Enter College

17. 28 Will Return to College For Their Sophomore Year

18. 20 Will Earn a Bachelor's Degree within Six Years Source: The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems Progress & Completion data

19. College Eligible = College Ready

20. College Eligible, Not College Ready Approximately 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, but only 32% of all students leave high school qualified to attend four-year colleges. College readiness by ethnic group: Asian American 38% White 37% African American 20% Hispanic 16% American Indian 14% Source: Public High School Graduation and College Readiness Rates in the United States, 9/03, Funded: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Jay P. Greene, Ph.D.; Greg Forster, Ph.D., Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.

21. Concerns about Student Preparation Lack of adequate college preparation among high school students Remediation rates Failure to persist Time to degree

22. Key Cognitive Strategies Key Content Knowledge Academic Behaviors Contextual Skills The 4 Components of College Readiness College and Career Ready , David T. Conley

23. Intellectual openness Inquisitiveness Analysis Reasoning, argumentation, proof Interpretation Precision and accuracy Problem solving 1. Key Cognitive Strategies College and Career Ready , David T. Conley

24. Writing Research Core academic skills—English, math, science, social sciences, world languages, and the arts 2. Key Content Knowledge College and Career Ready , David T. Conley

25. Self-monitoring skills—thinking about how one thinks Study skills—time management, preparing for and taking tests, taking notes, communicating with teachers and advisors 3. Academic Behaviors College and Career Ready , David T. Conley

26. A systemic understanding of the postsecondary educational system combined with specific knowledge of the norms, values, and conventions of interactions in the college context, and the human relations skills necessary to cope with and adapt to this system, even if it is radically different from the community in which a particular student was raised. “ College knowledge”--formal and informal, stated and unstated, necessary for gaining admission to, and navigating within, the postsecondary system. 4. Contextual Skills Redefining College Readiness , David T. Conley

27. The Treatment—a 6-Point Plan

28. Increasing Academic Rigor: 6-point plan Description Implementation Suggestions 1 Announce a major commitment to academic rigor for all students. Launch high-profile public campaigns to increase student access to and success in academically rigorous courses, and increase parent awareness and understanding of need for academic rigor. PR collateral, parent information nights, http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/gcsd/news/release/1102/ap.asp 2 Conduct an inventory of current advanced academic offerings and capacity. Determine extent and rigor of advanced academic offerings in high schools as well as effectiveness of teacher training for Pre-AP® and AP courses. Survey schools 3 Support professional development for teachers, counselors, and administrators. Offer year-round training for AP and Pre-AP teachers and hands-on professional development for school and district leaders. One-day workshops, APSI, APSIA, Fall Counselor Workshop 4 Align middle and high school curricula. Incorporate state, local and College Board standards to ensure that students have the opportunity to be prepared for success in AP/DE courses through their previous course work. Develop student skills for college knowledge and success. SpringBoard http://springboardprogram.collegeboard.org/ ) ; vertical teaming; curriculum mapping; AVID 5 Use data to inform curriculum/instructional decisions and to identify prospective AP/DE students. Administer ReadiStep to all 8th graders and the PSAT/NMSQT® to all 9th-11th graders; use the free AP Potential program to identify those students likely to succeed on AP Exams, based on those scores (www.collegeboard.com/appotential). ReadiStep, PSAT, SAT, AP 6 Offer a fully aligned and articulated College Readiness System to prepare students for college success and beyond. Offer AP courses in at least the four core areas: Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies. Replace existing honors with AP/DE offerings where appropriate

29. Step One: Announce a major commitment to academic rigor for all students. Launch high-profile public campaigns to increase student access to and success in academically rigorous courses, and increase parent awareness and understanding of need for academic rigor. PR collateral, parent information nights, http://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/gcsd/news/release/1102/ap.asp ; http://www.cb-apc.com/fivewaysedpays ; http://youcango.collegeboard.org/

30. Step Two: Conduct an inventory of current advanced academic offerings and capacity. Determine extent and rigor of advanced academic offerings in high schools as well as effectiveness of teacher training for Pre-AP® and AP courses.

31. Survey Extent and Current Academic Rigor AP Foundation: What is your pipeline for preparing students for AP? Describe your vertical teaming process. Data that Informs: How are students identified and recruited to the AP program? Instructional Support for Teachers: How are teachers (new and veteran) prepared to offer Advanced Placement courses? What process is used in your school/district for instructional leaders to observe AP classes and provide feedback to teachers. Support for Students and Families: What kind of feedback regarding progress towards the AP course objectives is provided to both students and parents throughout the school year? What kind of support is available to students outside of the school day? How is information about the AP Program shared with the school community? How do you engage stakeholders in supporting AP participation and expansion?

32. Step Three: Support professional development for teachers, counselors, and administrators. Offer year-round training for AP and Pre-AP teachers and hands-on professional development for school and district leaders. AP One-day workshops AP Summer Institutes Pre-AP/Vertical Teaming

33. Pre-AP/Vertical Teaming-- Pre-AP workshops equip educators with the strategies and tools needed to engage students in active, high-level learning. • Setting the Cornerstones™: a toolkit of concrete applications, including strategies and hands-on activities to build AP Vertical Teams® and to develop district action plan. • Vertical Teaming: instructional strategies and curriculum alignment • Strategies: subject-specific strategies for analyzing student work and enhancing instructional practices. • Interdisciplinary: strategies to integrate different subject areas. • Instructional Leadership (for administrators): strategies to integrate professional development into a system-wide process for improving instructional practices and student learning.

34. Step Four: Align middle and high school curricula. Incorporate state, local and College Board standards to ensure that students have the opportunity to be prepared for success in AP/DE courses through their previous course work. Develop student skills for college knowledge and success. SpringBoard http://springboardprogram.collegeboard.org/ ) ; vertical teaming; curriculum mapping; AVID

35. Step Five: Use data to inform curriculum/instructional decisions and to identify prospective AP/DE students. Administer ReadiStep to all 8th graders and the PSAT/NMSQT® to all 9th-11th graders; use the free AP Potential program to identify those students likely to succeed on AP Exams, based on those scores ( www.collegeboard.com/appotential ).

36. What is AP Potential? A web-based tool Free for schools that administer the PSAT/NMSQT Provided by the maker of the AP Exams Designed to ensure that no student is overlooked Based on proven research

37. The PSAT/NMSQT and AP Connection Research shows a strong relationship between PSAT/NMSQT and AP Studies conducted in 1998 and 2006 Analyzed performance of more than a million students Showed strong correlations between PSAT/NMSQT scores and AP Exam results Download the research reports at www.collegeboard.com/appotential

38. AP Potential Identifies “diamond-in-the-rough” students Promotes equity Helps identify students who initially might have been overlooked for AP courses Is a useful tool for principals, teachers, and counselors to Expand AP programs Increase enrollment in current AP courses

39. Use data to inform curriculum/instructional decisions and to identify prospective AP/DE students. Includes an integrated series of assessments Measures a vertical progression of academic standards and application of an appropriate set of knowledge and skills Provides insight and feedback at critical points in students’ academic careers Offers tools that help educators guide student progress Helps schools and districts meet and exceed their college and career readiness goals for every student

40. What Is the ReadiStep ™ Assessment? Low-stakes assessment for eighth-graders Content based on the College Board Standards for College Success™ Provides early feedback on students’ academic progress Helps students identify and improve the skills they need to be college ready

41. Step Six: Offer a fully aligned and articulated College Readiness System to prepare students for college success and beyond. Offer AP courses in at least the four core areas: Mathematics, Science, English, and Social Studies.

42. AP Mission The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program® (AP®) enables students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Through more than 30 college-level courses, each culminating in a rigorous exam, AP provides willing and academically prepared students with the opportunity to earn college credit and/or advanced placement .

43. Key Benefits of AP AP courses establish a college-level standard in secondary schools that is measured through a national assessment designed and scored by college faculty. AP courses expose college-bound students to the amounts of homework, study skills, and habits of mind essential for success in college courses. AP provides leverage for aligning and strengthening the grades 6-12 curriculum. Students who take AP Exams and score a 3 or higher typically experience greater academic success and college graduation rates than non-AP students. The AP course is typically the most rigorous curriculum offered in secondary schools and is designated on the student transcript. Because AP is widely used for college credit and/or placement, it attracts motivated students eager to double major, or engage in deeper, upper-division courses at college.

44. Time to Degree: AP vs. Dual Enrollment and Non-AP Source: Hargrove, Godin & Dodd (2008) Students who scored a 2 or higher on an AP Exam were more likely than other students to earn a bachelor’s degree within 4 years.

45. Source: Dougherty, Mellor & Jian, 2006 AP Participation and Likelihood of College Graduation College Graduation Rate differences between “matched” AP and non-AP students* * Matched students are those who have similar family backgrounds and standardized test scores Student Demographic AP Exam Grade of 3 or higher African-American 28% higher Hispanic 28% higher White 33% higher Low-Income 26% higher Not Low-Income 34% higher

46. The College Readiness Pathway Source: Admission Trends Survey 2008 , NACAC

47. Guidelines: Access to AP AP courses should be open to all willing and academically prepared students Schools should work to eliminate barriers due to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status Schools should make efforts to ensure that AP classes reflect the diversity of their student population

48. College Completion Agenda http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org A call for action: What is the College Board doing?

49. Commission on Access, Admissions & Success in Higher Education

50. Many countries have increased their percentage of college graduates, while the U.S. has flat lined Source: Measuring Up, 2008, National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education; OECD, 2003 The U.S. and Germany are the only OECD countries that have not increased the percentage of college graduates

51. The Ten Recommendations

52. The Reports 2010 Progress Report The commission’s goal of 55 percent of young adults receiving a postsecondary credential by 2025 can be measured on a regular basis. The 2010 Progress Report identifies measures that give some indication of the current status and future changes that impact the goal and recommendations, and illustrates the degree to which the nation is moving toward – or away from – the necessary steps for ensuring an educated and enlightened citizenry. State Policy Guide The College Board and the National Conference of State Legislatures joined together to produce a practical policy guide to help state legislators to pursue each of the commission’s recommendations. The State Policy Guide offers a road map toward increasing the number of Americans who attain a postsecondary degree, and empowers legislators to be an even more positive and active force in education reform.

53. College Completion Agenda http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org Combines Both reports: Progress Report Policy Agenda Key Features: Data and Report Downloads Interactive Graphs State Comparisons

54. http://youcango.collegeboard.org

55. Did you know?

56. If you’re one in a million in India . . .

57. there are 1,100 people just like you.

58. In China, there are 1,300 people just like you.

59. The 25% of the population in China with the highest IQs . . .

60. is greater than the total population of North America.

61. Translation for America: they have more HONORS kids than we have kids.

62. Stephen McCue College Board Western Regional Office San Jose, CA [email_address]