Graduation Guidelines Development Council

1
Graduation Guidelines Development Council

• Summit County
• February 20, 2008

2
Agenda

• Welcome Evie Hudak - State Board
• The Process Karin Reynolds
• Background Dan Morris
• Dialogue Participants, John Lanning, Karin
  Reynolds
• Closing comments Evie and Council Members

3
GGDC Objective

• Identify and design recommendations to the
• State Board of Education about minimum
• High school graduation guidelines

4
The Process
5
Guideline Council Process

• Review literature
• Consult with experts
• Review experiences of other states
• Public engagement (see handout)
• Online Survey (see handout)
• Presentations
• Meetings sponsored by each State Board Member
• Make recommendations to SBE by May 1, 2008

6
Conversations so far

• Higher Education
• Matt Gianneschi, Governors office
• David Skaggs, CCHE
• Scott Mendelsberg, GEAR UP
• Geri Anderson, CO Community College System
• K-12 Education
• Gerald Keefe, Superintendent, Kit Carson Schools
• Charlotte Ciancio, Superintendent, Mapleton and
  DASSC
• Kyle Morin, Student CU Denver
• Dwight Jones, Commissioner, Dept of Education

7
Conversations so far

• Business and Military
• ACHIEVE, and the American Diploma Project
• Col. Alan Klayton, United State Air Force Academy
• Julie Haeflinger, Pickens Technical College,
  Middle College
• John Sepich, COMSTEC
• Preparations and Pathways
• Joe Garcia (invited), P-20
• Dr. Linda Bowman, Community College of Aurora
• Karen Lewis, AVID
• Reverend Steve Planning, Arrupe Jesuit High
  School
• Kerry Hart, Mountain College
• Linne McNare, Denver School of the Arts
• Roger Sampson, Education Commission of the States

8
Members

• Mr. Art Bogardus, Executive Director, Pickens
  Technical College
• Ms. Kerry Harrell Lord, Principal, Aurora Public
  Schools
• Mr. Mark Hudson, Department Chair, CSU-Pueblo
• Dr. Helayne B. Jones, President, Boulder Valley
  School Board Education Consultant
• Mr. John Lanning, Assistant Vice Chancellor for
  Undergraduate Studies, UCD
• Ms. Nina Lopez, VP Strategy Operations, CO
  Childrens Campaign
• Mr. Shatta Mejia, Assistant Director, Education
  Equity, Jefferson County
• Mr. Dan Morris, Director, Colorado Teaching,
  Learning, Technology, UCD
• Ms. Karin Reynolds, Executive Director, Learning
  Services, Academy 20
• Mr. George Sparks, President CEO, Denver Museum
  of Nature Science
• Ms. Paula Stephenson, Executive Director,
  Colorado Rural Schools Caucus
• Dr. Randall Zila, Superintendent, St.Vrain Valley
  School District

9
Who is here?
10
What BEST describes your role?

• Educator, K-12.
• Educator, higher education.
• Policy Maker.
• Parent (currently have children in K-12).
• Community member.
• Business person.
• Student.
• Other.

11
What best describes your community?

• Rural.
• Suburban.
• Urban.

12
What best describes where your community is
located?

• Front Range (Metro Denver).
• Front Range (non-metro).
• Mountain.
• Northeast.
• Southeast.
• West Slope.

13
Your gender is

• Female.
• Male.

14
What generation are you? When were you born?

• 1901-1924 0 G.I Generation.
• 1925 1942 Silent Generation.
• 1943-1960 Boomer.
• 1961 1981 Gen X.
• 1982 2002 Millennial.

15
Background on the Issue
16
Background

• Colorado has model content standards approved by
  the State Board of Education
• Each of the 178 school districts uses these to
  set its own curriculum and requirements
• State Board of Education is reviewing standards
  currently (and is also holding meetings)
• Council will make recommendations to State Board
  by May 1 and they will make recommendations by
  July 1

17
The Charge

• Each school district shall retain authority to
  develop own unique requirements that meet or
  exceed state guidelines
• SBE shall not identify specific courses or level
  of proficiency within guidelines
• Take into account 2006 Colorado Alignment Council
  report
• Consider recommendations from P-20 Council
• Work with Colorado Commission of Higher Education
  and Postsecondary Academic Admission Standards

18
The Charge - continued

• Recognize multiple and diverse pathways to
  diplomas
• Utilize standards-based education as the
  framework for development of guidelines
• Local boards will seek input, use the state
  guidelines, to establish local graduation
  guidelines applicable to students enrolling as
  9th graders beginning July 1, 2009
• Local board that have revised graduation
  guidelines within last two years are exempt from
  having to make revisions
• Each local boards shall report through the
  accreditation process

19
What questions do you have?
20
Interactive Dialogue
21
What should be the primary outcome of public
education?

• Post-secondary readiness.
• Workforce readiness.
• Minimum competencies.
• Socialization and general education.
• Create thoughtful and responsible citizenry.
• Other.

22
How can the high school experience best be
improved?

• Increase the rigor and expectations.
• Provide relevancy for the subjects taught.
• Integrate more career and technical
  opportunities.
• Increase the chance to apply content learned.
• Provide students with access to programs and
  curriculum so that they can make informed
  decisions about their post-secondary lives.
• Other.

23
How can high schools best motivate students to
excel?

• Offer students an opportunity to demonstrate
  mastery of course content in order to move
  through the system at their own rate.
• Provide internships to apply content learning's
  to real work.
• Create high schools that are career pathways
  thus enabling students to plan their secondary
  careers early.
• Offer opportunities for participation in a
  variety of rigorous academic programming to
  assure students have the skill necessary to make
  post secondary choices.
• Offer more early and Middle College options (dual
  credit opportunities that count toward high
  school graduation and college credit).
• Other.

24
The current high school experience

• Is based on time spent in school.
• Is a coursework-based requirement.
• Is an experience which prepares one for
  post-secondary success.
• Offers a student multiple pathways to access
  curriculum and skills necessary to be successful.
• Is beneficial because it provides opportunities
  for social, emotional, and mental growth.
• Other.

25
What should be the most important skills for
students to be required to have when they
graduate from high school?

• Core academic content and competency.
• Practical workforce experiences.
• Community service experiences.
• Ethical, financial, practical, and health
  knowledge and skills.
• 21st century skills that include problem solving,
  critical thinking, and effective use of
  technological tools.
• Other

26
Minimum high school graduation guidelines should
prepare all for post-secondary education
(community college, technical school)?

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

27
High schools should make available different
types of diplomas to students depending upon what
each student has learned or is prepared to do
after high school.

• Strongly Agree
• Agree
• Neutral
• Disagree
• Strongly Disagree

28
What questions do you have?
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Closing comments and reflections

• To participate in the Councils work and take the
  survey,
• go to http//ggdc.pbwiki.com

30
Thanks for coming