West Hills High School CalPASS Curricular Alignment Project

1
West Hills High School Cal-PASS Curricular
Alignment Project

2
Alignment in Your Discipline Region

• Please discuss the following question with a
  partner,
• What do you see as the major issues of alignment
  between the high school, community college, and
  university in your region and discipline?

3
Building on What Has Come Before

• GUHSD-GCCCD-SDSU Intersegmental English Council

4
Designing and Implementing Assignment Types

• Analyzing a Non-Fiction Text
• Analyzing and Evaluating a Non-Fiction Text
• Analyzing and Evaluating a Non-Fiction Text Using
  Outside Sources
• Investigating a Research Question

5
Assessments, Data, and Alignment
6
Assessments

• California English/Language Arts Content
  Standards
• English Placement Test (EPT), California
  Standards Test (CST), and the Subject A
• Community College Transfer Level English Course
  Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives
• Regional English Intersegmental Council Findings

7
Alignment What common skills do these
assessments and outcomes emphasize?

• Students at each level should
• be asked to read a variety of non-fiction texts
  with a focus on rhetorical analysis.
• be able to demonstrate an understanding of and
  articulate the argument of a text.
• be required to do research.
• examine and use effective structures for writing.
• understand contexts and purposes of texts.

8
Our Data
9
Community College
10
West Hills High School Students to Grossmont
CollegeEnglish Placement Rates by Term
11
Educational Progress
West Hills High School Students to Grossmont
CollegeEducational Progress as of Spring 2004
Leavers are no longer enrolled at Grossmont
College, have not obtained a degree or
certificate, and have not been identified as a
transfer student as of Spring 2004.
12
CSU
13
West Hills High School CSU Data 2005Total
Freshmen 68
14
West Hills High School CSU Data 2004Total
Freshmen 48
15
West Hills High School Cal-PASS Curricular
Alignment Project

• The Projects mission is to achieve a strong
  curricular alignment between Secondary, Community
  College, and University instruction through the
  thoughtful emphasis of the following common
  curricular requirements
• the critical reading of expository texts
• the understanding and articulation of rhetorical
  analysis of argument and text structures
• the comprehension of the purpose and context of
  text
• and the use of these skills in the research
  process.
• We will achieve this alignment in our
  teaching methodologies, curriculum, assessments,
  professional development, and conversations with
  our students.
• Through our chosen focus of these core
  skills, our students will be better prepared for
  college and the workplace.

16
Why I Joined the Project
17
The High School/College DisconnectMichael W.
Kirst

• Students, parents, and K12 educators are not
  receiving clear messages about the skills that
  high school students need to enter and succeed in
  college.

18
The High School/College Disconnect

• 88 of 8th graders say they intend to go to
  college
• Within 2 years of graduation, 70 actually do
• Taking a remedial courses in college lowers
  chance for completing either a two-year or
  four-year degree or a vocational certificate

19
National Center for Education Statistics, 2001

• Between 1980 and 1993, only 34 percent of
  students who took even one remedial reading
  course completed a two-year or four-year degree
• 56 percent of students who took no remedial
  courses at all completed such degrees (Whats
  stopping 44?)

20
Student Attrition-Adelman, 1994

• About one-half of first-year students at
  community colleges do not continue for a second
  year
• At two-year colleges, more than 70 percent of
  students say that they expect to eventually
  obtain a bachelor's degree, but only 23 percent
  actually receive one

• About one-fourth of first-year students at
  four-year colleges do not stay for their second
  year
• More than 40 percent of college students who earn
  more than 10 credits never complete a two-year or
  four-year degree

21
Although Student Finances Are an Important
Concern, the Best Will Go on to Complete a
Bachelor's Degree Is the Intensity Predictor of
Whether a Student and Quality of That Student's
Secondary School Curriculum (Adelman, 1994)
22
Recruitment

• First mention August 2005
• Cece suggests
• Float the job, then mention the stipend.
• Be clear on the expectations.
• Start talks about what will go early.

23
Orientation

• Our first meeting was on September 8, 2005.
• What we did
• Review the mission statement
• Whats Cal-PASS and whats it about?
• Discuss findings of the SDEC Inter-Segmental
  English Council
• Read variety of non-fiction with a focus on
  rhetorical analysis
• Demonstrate and articulate a texts argument
• Do research
• Examine and use effective writing structures
• Understand contexts and purposes of texts

24
Orientation continues

• Start with 11th and 12th grade sequences
• Sequence outlines
• Sample sequences
• Overwhelming amount of paper

25
Year 1
26
Discuss the four phases (semesters) of
projectYear 1

• Phase (semester) one
• Overview and orientation
• Development of 1st sequence for 11th and 12th
  concurrently
• Phase (semester) two
• Implement 1st sequence at each grade level
• Begin second sequence for 11th and 12th

27
Discuss the four phases (semesters) of
projectYear 2

• Phase (semester) three
• Michelle will discuss this in detail next
• Continue implementation of 1st and 2nd sequences
• Begin development of 3rd and 4th sequences at
  11th and 12th
• Phase (semester) four
• Implementation of 3rd and 4th sequences
• Project evaluation and future planning

28
Whats a sequence?

• Into, through, and beyond
• Decide on the assessment

29
How to pick a text

• Cali brought some starters
• Excerpt from the World House selected for 11th
• Brave New Girls selected for 12th
• Parenting as an Industry
• Fighting Tradition
• How We Learn
• The Holocaust which I really liked ?
• How to Give Orders Like a Man
• Divide and conquer
• Next meeting Discuss our reactions

30
When auditioning texts

• Cece says
• Have a variety of texts. Teachers are hard to
  please.
• Dont use someones favorite piece. Brave new
  territory.
• Let your teachers guide you. They know their
  audience.

31
Working through it

• Look at models
• Focus in on the basics vocabulary allusion
  literary techniques structure tone
• Divide the workload
• Online blogs and teaching journals

32
When developing the sequences

• Cece says
• Divide the workload, but double up.
• Expect revisions. Allow time.
• Encourage tweaking.
• Time to blog? Maybe. Time to read them? Not
  likely.

33
Start with the easy stuff

• Ease in your teachers and students
• Rhetorical appeals
• Small units until curriculum can be revised

34
When developing sequences

• Cece says
• Cuts will have to be made. Its better to do it
  on the fly year one.
• Music Mondays for me and PowerPoint for A. J.
• Keep a reasonable pace, and build in time to
  SHARE!

35
Revisions, discussion, revision,
discussionburnout

• Cece says
• Its a long year. Take time off in the summer.
• Encourage intra- and -inter-implementation groups
  discussion. Its therapeutic to suffer together.

36
Year 2
37
2nd Year Impression

• Teachers Perspective

38
How is this year different from last?

• Easier to know when kids arent getting it
• Easier for me to understand what I am supposed to
  be focusing on
• 2nd year is more fun I have confidence with the
  texts!

39
Students Perspective

• Students who have been exposed to expository
  texts junior year are so much more willing to do
  the deeper work with texts this year
• Students are willing to take a stab at authors
  argument or charting the piece. Not so worried
  about doing it wrong

40
Student Responses How is this work different
from studying literature?

• This text takes reading comprehension one-step
  further. It doesnt allow you to cheat.
• Brain is more tired. Fiction books are easier
  because they are stories, and doesnt really
  relate to us.
• When you read stories, fiction books we tend to
  accept them but with this text, you are having to
  question things. This text tries to persuade you
  when fiction doesnt really persuade you. Fiction
  books are entertaining. This text really asks
  things of you.
• 1984 novel is an argument.
• We have to think and its different. We have to
  interpret what he is saying.

41
Student Testimonials

• Everything you talked about -- pre-reading,
  analyzing the text, charting claims and evidence,
  everything you talked about we did the first week
  of class! --Carly S., SDSU RWS100
• I know exactly how to write every papr my
  professor is having us write this semester!!!!
  Everyone was looking around like, What the hell
  is she saying? and I was following right along!
  Alyssa T., Grossmont College Eng120

42
Student Testimonials

• So I get to my Rhetorical Writing Class and what
  is the very first assignment? Hmmm a recis! And
  everyone in the class had NO clude what the heck
  that was! -- Michelle N, DSU, RWS 100
• Thank you so much for everything you taught me!
  Ive used in all my first class at SDSU! --
  Erica C., SDSU RWS 100

43
Student Testimonials

• Thank you so much for teaching us how to analyze
  and chunk nonfiction pieces. Our 1st essay is
  based on two articles and were assigned to mark
  them up . . . If it wasnt for your class I
  would be completely lost . . . My instructor
  talked about using ethos, logos, and pathos in
  our papers and I was one of the few who knew what
  they were. I cant thank you enough for
  integrating these important college concepts into
  you class!-Taylor B. Grossmont College Eng 120

44
Student Testimonials

• My first college paper is due this Friday. Let
  me just say that you were right about
  structuring an essay. This paper isnt supposed
  to contain my opinion, only the authors and boy
  thats hard! What I learned my senior year has
  greatly contributed to my success so far.
  Charting the text exercises were a huge help!
  Your senior classes will thank you when they get
  here! --Brittany D, SDSU RWS 100

45
And Brittanys follow up

• MY FIRST COLLEGE PAPER RECEIVED AN A!!! O.K., AN
  A- BUT STILL!!!

46
Year 3

• Implementation of 2 Assignment Sequences at the
  9th and 10th grade.
• Implementation of 3-4 Assignment Sequences at the
  11th and 12th grade.
• The revision of existing Assignment Sequences
• The writing of new Assignment Sequences.
• The presentation of our work to the English
  teachers of our county.

47
Our Progress so far

• 25 point API increase.
• An increased number of students attending the
  CSU.
• We awaiting the most recent data.
• Student feedback
• Teacher Reflections

48
Please Discuss

• What ideas to address your own alignment issues
  have emerged from the sharing of our process?

49
Questions????