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SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

Preparing Students for

Success in High School

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Setting Performance Standards:What Percentage of Eighth-graders Are

Below Basic in Mathematics?

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

AR

DE

FL

GA

KY

MS

OK

SC

TN

TX

VA

State NAEP

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

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Strategy One:Get the Mission Right

All groups of students leaving grade eight are prepared for college-preparatory courses in grade nine.

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

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Getting the Mission Right: Where Do We Stand?

Prepare students who: % of teachers

have minimum basic skills;

42

have academic knowledge and skills needed for college-preparatory work; and

38

get along with and understand others.

19 SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

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SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

Strategy Two:Defining What Students Need to Know and Do to Be Ready for High School

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Readiness for High School: Where Do We Stand?

Middle Grades Students:81% plan further study

after high school.37% had intensive literacy

experiences.23% had intensive

numeracy experiences.SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

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SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

Strategy Three:Getting Students Ready for High School with Quality Extra Help and Time

8

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

Strategy Four:

Getting Good Principals

for the Middle Grades

9

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

Strategy Five:Getting Qualified Teachers in the Middle Grades

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Comparing Teacher Quality in Mathematics Classes

Teachers with Less

than a Minor

Teachers with Less

than a Major

All Schools 61% 72%

Low-poverty Schools

56 68

High-poverty Schools

70 77

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

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Actions to Improve the Supply of New Teachers with

a Content Focus

Require at least a content minor for middle grades teaching by a set date.

Develop university programs that focus on the middle grades.

Assign teachers based on content focus.Southern

RegionalEducationBoard

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Conditions for Best Results for Career/Technical

Studies

SouthernRegionalEducationBoard

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Condition One: Combining In-depth Career Studies with a Solid Academic Core

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Percentages of Students Meeting Performance Goals by Whether or Not They Completed the HSTW-Recommended

Academic Core and a Career Concentration

67%77%

27% 29%21%

70%

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

Completed Did not complete

Reading Mathematics Science

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Condition Two: Effective Guidance and Advisement

Encourage students to take challenging mathematics and science courses

Assist students in planning a programof study by the end of grade nine

Involve parents

Provide information on postsecondary education

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Percentages of Students Completing the HSTW-recommended Curriculum in 2000

61%

91%75%

25%

70%

40%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

English Mathematics Science

Received strong guidance Did not receive strong guidance

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Percentages of Students Meeting the HSTW Performance Goals in 2000

67%72%65%

48%53%

35%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Reading Mathematics Science

Received strong guidance Did not receive strong guidance

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Condition Three:Integrating Academic Content into Business and Technical Classes

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Percentages of Students Who Met the HSTW Performance Goals in 2000 by Whether or Not Their Career/Technical

Courses Integrated Academic Content and Skills

31%

69%

45%

57%

38%

63%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Academics were integrated Academics were not integrated

Reading Mathematics Science

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Condition Four: Structured Work-site Learning

Observing veteran workers

Having an assigned mentor

Being evaluated against clear standards

Learning customer relations

Using communication skills

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Percentages of Students Meeting the HSTW Performance Goals by Whether or Not They Had

Quality Work-based Learning Experiences

59%

29%

70% 65%

40%45%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Reading Mathematics Science

Yes

No

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Condition Five:Leadership That Creates a Climate of High Expectations

Teachers indicate the amount and quality of work expected

Students receive extra help

Students complete one or more hours of homework daily

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Percentages of Students Who Met the HSTW Performance Goals by Whether or Not They Experienced a Climate of High Expectations

55% 56%

36%

47%

62%53%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Met ReadingGoal

Met MathematicsGoal

Met Science Goal

Yes No

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Reasons to Rethink the Purpose of High School

Career/Technical Studies

Over half of these students pursue postsecondary studies.

The new economy requires new skills.

The field needs a clear focus.

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The Purpose Should Be to Produce Graduates Who Can:

Read, understand and communicate in the language of a career field

Use mathematics skills, reasoning and understanding

Understand technical concepts, principles and procedures

Use basic technology

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Improving Career/Technical Studies:

Increase access to challenging vocational and technical

studies, with a major emphasis on using high-level

mathematics, science, language arts and problem-

solving skills.

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Vocational Practices andHigher Achievement

At least weekly, students: use mathematics to complete assignments; read and interpret technical books and

materials to complete assignments; spend one hour reading non-school-related

materials; and do math-related homework assigned by C/T

teacher.

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Vocational Practices andHigher Achievement

At least monthly, students:read a career-related article and

demonstrate understanding;use computer skills to do assignments;

andhave challenging assignments.

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Vocational Practices andHigher Achievement

Students: complete four or more credits in a planned

sequence; do projects that require research and written

plans; do a senior project; meet standards on a written exam to pass a

course; and spoke to, interviewed and visited a person in a

career-field to which they aspired.

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Quality Vocational Studies and Higher Achievement

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Quality Career/Technical Studies at Top 50 Schools and at All Schools

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Actions for Increasing Opportunities for Quality Career Studies

Strengthen area vocational centersCreate “choice” technical high schoolsDevelop career academiesUse dual-enrollment coursesLocate high school programs on postsecondary

campuses

Making the Senior Year Count

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Actions for Increasing Opportunities for Quality Career Studies

Create a charter technical high school

Create a virtual technical high school

Strengthen work-based learning

Fund new types of career/technical courses

End the general track

Making the Senior Year Count

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Comparison of Georgia High School with a Delaware Technical High School with

Comparative Demographics

Georgia Average Score

Delaware Average Score

4 years of college-prep English

41% 271 (R) 98% 298 (R)

4 years of Math 19% 304 (M) 61% 316 (M)

3 years of college prep science

49% 295 (S) 100% 311 (S)

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What are shortcomingsof the present system for preparing and

certifying career/technical teachers?

Many career/technical teachers lack an adequate academic foundation.

Some teachers do not have breadth and depth of technical knowledge.

Most teachers are not prepared to integrate career/technical and academic content to advance achievement.

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Improving High Schools:Require Students to Complete the HSTW-Recommended Curriculum

4 credits in college-preparatory/honors English

At least 3 mathematics credits -- Algebra I and

higher – including mathematics the senior year

3 credits in science, including 2 at the

college-prep level

4 credits in a planned sequence of career and

technical studies or an academic concentration

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Percentages of Students Meeting Performance Goals at 45 Schools

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Percentages of Students Meeting Performance Goal by Program of Study at 45 Schools

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Improving High Schools: Require Schools to Increase

Annually the Percent of Students Completing High

School

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Improving High Schools: Develop End-of-Program

Exams That Count in Assessing Student

Learning in Career and Technical Courses

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Improving High Schools:Make the Senior Year Count

Give college placement tests at least by middle of Junior year of high school.

Have students spend one-half time in core academic studies.

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Improving High Schools: Increase Technical Assistance to Low-

Performing HSTW Schools to Become High-Performing

High Schools

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What Actions Can States Take?

Raise graduation requirements. Provide access to quality career/technical instruction. Assess performance in selected core academic courses

and make it count. Use end-of-program exams that count for assessing

student achievement in vocational courses. Develop state policies on guidance and advisement. Provide financial support for extra help. Develop a middle grades/high school transition policy. Provide technical assistance to low-performing

schools.