Mississippi State Board of Education Presentation on State

Mississippi State Board of Education Presentation on State Board Examination System Lynn J. House, Ph. D. January 20, 2011 1

Setting the Stage 2

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Profile of Successful U. S. Firms in the Future 5

Profile of Successful Workers • Top academic performance in all five core areas: English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and the Arts • Creative and innovative • Able to learn very quickly 6

Portrait of a Failing System Source: James Hunt, Jr. and Thomas Tierney, American Higher Education: How Does It Measure Up for the 21 st Century? (San Jose, CA. : National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, May 2006). 7

First Principles of “Tough Choices or Tough Times” (TCTT) Recruit teachers from the top third Let students move on when ready Reprogram funds for higher payoff Fewer, much higher quality tests in math, science, language arts, social studies and the arts • Create incentives for schools to perform • Give schools room to innovate • • 8

First Principles of TCTT • Create lean, performance-oriented management systems • Create a fair financing system so all kids have a good shot at success • Reform our nineteenth century governance system for 21 st century results • Create the same opportunities for working adults 9

Secretary’s Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills (SCANS) Report: Skills for the 21 st Century Fundamental Competencies • Effective workers productively use: 1)Resources 4)Interpersonal skills 2)Information 5)Systems 3)Technology Foundation Skills • Competent workers need: 1) Basic Skills 5) Thinking skills 2) Creative Thinking 6) Decision-making 3) Problem-solving 7) Knowing how to learn 4) Reasoning 8) Personal qualities 10

STATE BOARD EXAMINATION SYSTEM 11

Pillars of Board Exam Systems A sound core program of courses defining what it means to be an educated person Thoughtfully constructed course designs captured in a syllabus High quality exams derived from the curriculum using multiple assessment methods Quality teacher training matched to the course syllabi 12

Why Board Exams? • Best global research shows that board exam systems key to success of many of world’s best performing systems for ALL students • Why? Because they provide the support teachers need to teach well and students must have to succeed • Crucially important for low-performing schools and students 13

Standards+Test Systems vs Curriculum-Driven Systems S+T Systems • Assumes standards and tests alone will drive performance up C-D Systems • Assumes that aligned, powerful instructional system is needed to drive high student performance • No direct link to classroom practice • Leaves the disadvantaged behind, with weak curriculum, weak teaching • Direct link to classroom practice • Closes the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged 14

How the State Board Examination System Would Work Educational Pathway Graduate Education Approximate Student Age 22 4 Year Selective Institutions 4 Yr OAI Work 18 Upper Div’n (AP, IB, ACT, CTE, A Levels) 16 14 Add’l time to meet Comps. 2 Yr Open Admissions Institutions (OAI) Lower Division Exam System Core Curriculum, Syllabi, Exams, Teacher Training, All Set to Int’l Standards 15

State Consortium on Board Examination Systems Options q. Public Open Admission 4 -year College q. Selective 4 -year College Public Open Admission Colleges q 2 -year q 4 -year Accredited Career and Technical Programs Upper Division Board Examination System High School Diploma Program q. STEM focused q. CTE focused q. Purely College Prep Focused (exams can be taken/diplomas awarded as early as end of 12 th grade) Age 14 - 17 (approx) Age 16 – 19 (approx) Move Up When Ready Move on When Ready Lower Division Board Examination System High School Diploma Program (exams can be taken/diplomas awarded as early as end of 10 th grade) Workplace Public Open Admission q 2 -year College q 4 -year College Workplace q. Public Open Admission 4 -year College q. Selective 4 -year College Age 17 – 23 (approx) 16

Board Exam Systems: The Best ACT Quality. Core Cambridge International Exams College Board APs International Baccalaureate 17

Lower Division Ready Now • ACT Quality. Core • Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) Exams 18

Lower Division: A Closer Look • Not elite programs • But designed to prepare students for elite programs • Many bright students are dropping out because they are bored • Can get students college-ready by 16 • But give less-prepared students until 18 • Assistance targeted to students’ weak points in grades 11 and 12 can make all the difference 19

Upper Division Ready Now • • ACT Quality. Core Cambridge AICE Exams College Board Advanced Placement International Baccalaureate 20

Key Benefits • Students motivated to take tough courses and study hard • A very strong curriculum and teachers trained to teach it for schools and students with weak instructional resources • A strong system for preparing the most able students for selective colleges • A way to identify students not college-ready by the end of their sophomore year and to provide focused instruction on the things they must do to succeed • Trading a time-in-the-seat system for one that rewards performance • College entrants ready to do college-level work 21

Suggested Implementation • Start with 4 -10 demonstration schools • Make sure they are reasonably representative • Try to set up feeder systems to include higher education institutions • Volunteer schools, volunteer teachers, volunteer students • Set up a specific diploma based on the lower-division exams • Expand as system proves itself 22

Accountability and Assessment • After 2 years of data collection will be able to compare MS with other states • State Board Exams will be utilized in the MS Accountability Model as data become available • State Board Exam systems mesh well with Common Core State Standards and Assessments 23

State Needs To: • Collaborate on data for standard setting • Get higher ed involved • Grant high school diploma to those who meet the lower division board exam standards • Develop a plan for scaling up 24

Program Costs • Exams: $50/student/5 courses • Teacher Training: $850/teacher • Materials: $35/student/5 courses • Totals approximately $32, 000 per cohort per year – Year One: If both Grades 9 and 11 - $64, 000 25

Sample Number of Students Participating Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Yr 4 65 76 87 98 Gr 10 -0 - 65 76 87 Gr 11 (upper div. ) 59 69 74 83 Gr 12 -0 - 59 69 70 Gr 9 (lower div. ) 26

Program Evaluation • Gates Grant to National Center on Education and the Economy to evaluate program success • Ten states are exploring and/or planning the use of State Board Exam System (Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, and Vermont) • States will collaborate on implementation strategies • NCEE will provide guidance and assistance 27

Interest of MS Districts • Seven districts attended initial information session including districts representative of various geographic areas and demographics. • Four of those districts have expressed deep interest in moving forward. • 100+ individuals representing over 50 districts registered for the second information session cancelled due to weather. • Clear interest from districts in being innovative in seeking solutions to dropouts, apathy and lack of preparedness for college and careers. 28

Proposed Next Steps • Request approval to determine appropriate sites for pilot implementation for the State Board Exam System • Hold information session for other interested districts • Arrange assistance to districts from NCEE • Identify which policies need discussion to allow full implementation of the pilots 29

Questions ? ? 30