Common Core Standards and the Impact on Admissions

1. Common Core Standards and the Impact on Admissions January 17, 2012 1:00 - 2:00 PM EST Presenters: Michael Barron Jay Goff Natasha Vasavada

2. Advocacy & Policy Center Mission: To increase the number of students who earn a college degree and who are prepared to succeed in the 21st century. Approach:

3. Areas of Focus • College Admission & Completion • College Completion Agenda • Admissions in the 21st Century • Access & Diversity Collaborative • Community College Transfer & Retention College Preparation & Access • Arts at the Core • The CollegeKeys Compact™ • School Counselor Advocacy • Teacher Advocacy • Minority Male Achievement • Undocumented Students and the DREAM Act • The National Commission on Writing • College Affordability & Financial Aid • Cracking the Student Aid Code • Rethinking Student Aid • Trends in Higher Education • Education Pays • Simplifying State Aid Processes

4. Presenters Michael Barron Assistant Provost for Enrollment Management and Executive Director of Admission, The University of Iowa Jay Goff Vice President, Enrollment and Retention Management, Saint Louis University Bradley Quin Executive Director, Higher Education Advocacy, College Board Natasha Vasavada Executive Director, Standards and Curriculum Alignment Services, Research and Development, College Board

5. Objective This webinar will help enrollment professionals gain an understanding of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), their effect on college and career readinessand the changes to English language arts and math standards.

6. What is the Common Core? • A state-led effort to develop a common set of college and career readiness standards in English language arts and math that: • Align with college and workplace expectations • Represent 21st century skills • Include rigorous content and applications of knowledge • Are evidence-based • Are informed by frameworks from top performing countries Source: www.corestandards.org

7. Common Core = Major Change and Mindset Shift The Common Core State Standards require a mindset shift from high school completion to college and career readiness for all students. There is an important and necessary role for higher education in the implementation of the Common Core. • The Common Core State Standards: • Are for all students, not just students seeking accelerated learning. • Will impact all teachers, not just ELA and math teachers. • Are happening now – 46 states have adopted the standards, and new common assessments (effective 2014-15) are being developed. • Creates important challenges, opportunities, and implications for higher education.

8. Why Common Core State Standards?Issue #1: Inconsistent State Standards Source: U.S. Department of Education

9. Why Common Core State Standards?Issue #2: Low College Completion Rates Too few students are receiving the academic preparation necessary to be successful in college. Source: The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report, The College Board

10. Strengths of the Common Core Source: www.corestandards.org

11. Features of the Common Core State Standards – English Language Arts • Informational text and literature • Comprehending complex texts • Writing in response to texts • Conducting and reporting on research • Language and grammar skills • Speaking and listening • Cross-content literacy

12. Features of the Common Core State Standards – Math • Emphasis on mathematical practices • Attention to focus and coherence • Increased focus on algebra in middle school • Problem solving and reasoning • Mathematical modeling • Standards for STEM readiness

13. Common Core: A Fast Timeline Implementation is NOW! 2014 - 2015 Participating States Administer New CCSS Assessments Dec. 2011 46 states have adopted the CCSS

14. The College Board’s Role • Helped develop standards • Served on advisory committee guiding the initiative • Provided research on college readiness skills • Continues involvement to assist states in implementation

15. Common Assessments Two state consortia are building assessment systems to measure the Common Core State Standards as part of the Race to the Top federal grant program. The assessment systems will: • Provide a common measure of college and career readiness • Be computer-based and include innovative item types • Measure higher order skills and application of knowledge through multiple assessment formats • Include formative assessments and performance tasks • Provide timely data to educators and parents • Ensure comparable expectations regardless of where students live

16. Impact on Higher Education Higher education leaders need to be engaged in the discussions and policy changes that will result. • Admissions officers are critical to the high school-to-college transition: • Understanding how Common Core will affect the transition to college will help students obtain the best experience and success out of college • Being involved in Common Core will ensure there is alignment between K-12 and higher education

17. Why Should the Enrollment Management Community Participate in the CCSS Evolution? • Enrollment professionals believe in facilitating student success • Admissions processes are designed to align a holistic evaluation of student skills and potential with a ‘best fit’ academic experience • Enrollment professional voices can help ensure there is alignment between the admission process and standards at the K-12 and higher ed levels • In order to create alignment, higher education professionals need to know more about CCSS

18. How and When Should Enrollment Professionals Be Involved? • Timing for higher education involvement should allow for pre- and post-admission studies that provide insight into alignment issues such as: • How well does the Common Core align with institutional expectations for preparation? • Do the new standards outperform the current evaluation processes? • How effective are the assessments? • What needs to change in first-year higher education expectations, if anything?

19. Higher Education Involvement: Who Else on the Campus Needs to Participate? • Faculty and Academic Leadership • Placement/Retention Professionals • Admission Committees • Math and English Language Arts Staff • Schools of Education • Others?

20. Establishing the Value of CCSS and New Assessments • Does the Common Core supplement or supplant current enrollment requirements and processes? • What are the plans for implementation scheduling? • How do the new assessments align with other innovative assessments designed to facilitate student fit and success? • Will CCSS assess other things enrollment professionals look for in students and good institutional matches? • What about degree/program requirements beyond the first year? • Will states mandate the use of the Common Core Standards at public institutions?

21. Challenges & Opportunities Questions and Comments

22. Resources • The Common Core State Standards Initiative: http://www.corestandards.org/ • SMARTER Balanced: http://www.k12.wa.us/smarter/ • PARCC: http://www.parcconline.org/ • K-12 Center at ETS Guide to the Assessment Consortia: http://www.k12center.org/publications/assessment_consortia.html

23. For More Information… • To learn more about the work of Admissions in the 21st Century and to download this webinar and presentation, visit http://admissions21.collegeboard.org. • Upcoming Learning to Lead webinars: • Jan. 26: Be an Education Advocate • Feb. 16: School Counselors and College and Career Readiness http://advocacy.collegeboard.org