BES Pilot OverviewAugust 2011

National Center on Education and the Economy

Board Examination Systems

Big Idea: By participating in the Board Examination Systems pilot, students participate in a rigorous, curriculum-driven proven system of aligned instruction and examinations guided by national and international college and career readiness standards designed to ensure they master the knowledge and skills needed to be prepared for and succeed in postsecondary studies without remediation – whether that is at a trade or technical school, community college or four-year baccalaureate degree granting institution.

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Board Examination SystemsBoard Examination Systems are coherent and fully aligned instructional systems currently used in many high performing countries. They include:•A set of courses that constitute a core curriculum and that are aligned to the new Common Core Standards•Thoughtfully constructed course designs captured in a syllabus•High quality exams derived from the curriculum using multiple assessment methods designed to determine whether the students have mastered the curriculum described in the syllabus•Instructional materials of various sorts designed to support the syllabus•Quality teacher training matched to the course syllabi

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Standards & Test Systems vs.Curriculum-Driven Systems

S & T Systems• Assumes standards and

tests alone will drive performance up

• No direct link to classroom practice

• Leaves the disadvantaged behind, with weak curriculum, weak teaching

C-D Systems• Assumes that aligned,

powerful instructional system is needed to drive high student performance

• Direct link to classroom practice

• Closes the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged

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International Results CBEEEs are utilized in many countries Research on the association between

CBEEEs as exit tests and student achievement, through performance comparisons on international assessments between countries with and without high school exit exams, has found favorable results, such as higher student performance in math and science in countries that utilized a CBEE (Bishop, 1998; Fuchs & Woessmann, 2007).

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International Results More than 20 years benchmarking high

performing education systems across the world:• America’s Choice: High Skills or Low Wages?!

• Tough Choices Tough Times

• Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

International research on high school exit examinations, and specifically Curriculum-Based External Exit Exams (CBEEEs), influenced the identification of a Board Examination System as a reform strategy (NCEE, 2010)

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Role of NCEE The National Center on Education and the Economy

(NCEE) is the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that is staffing, managing, piloting, securing outside technical expertise for, and convening a consortium of states to implement board examination systems

States launching lower division board examination systems as part of the pilot’s 21 school launch in 2011 include: Arizona, Connecticut, Kentucky, and Mississippi

We are currently recruiting schools for the cohort starting in 2012 from existing and new states

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Role of NCEE Hired University of Michigan Institute for Social

Research to conduct an independent evaluation of the three-year pilot study to:• Gather implementation information

• Gain understanding of efficacy of the Board Examination Systems pilot

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Role of NCEE Convened a Technical Advisory Committee to:

• Select Board Examination Systems providers, in conjunction with the State of Kentucky Education Department, for the lower and upper division (completed)

• Assure that the BES courses are compatible with the new Common Core State Standards (completed)

• Set the recommended pass points on the English and mathematics examinations to an empirically determined college-ready standard (underway)

• Assess the validity, reliability and fairness of the exams going forward (underway)

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NCEE Board Examination Systems Consortium: Required Core Courses

NCEE LOWER DIVISION PROGRAM REQUIRED COURSES

2 yrs English2 yrs Mathematics2 yrs Science:

Lab-based science, Engineering, or IT2 yrs History

1 yr American History; 1 yr World History

1 yr or 2 semesters from among the artsA course in economics (required by AZ statute)

Note: The lower division program leaves ample room for student electives.

NCEE LOWER DIVISION PROGRAM REQUIRED COURSES

2 yrs English2 yrs Mathematics2 yrs Science:

Lab-based science, Engineering, or IT2 yrs History

1 yr American History; 1 yr World History

1 yr or 2 semesters from among the artsA course in economics (required by AZ statute)

Note: The lower division program leaves ample room for student electives.

Lower D

ivision Exams (D

iploma W

hen Passed)Low

er Division Exam

s (Diplom

a When Passed)

NCEE UPPER DIVISION PROGRAM REQUIRED COURSES

2 yrs English2 yrs Mathematics2 yrs ScienceLab-based science, Engineering, or IT1 yr or 2 semesters of History, Economics, or other social science1 yr or 2 semesters from among the arts

NCEE UPPER DIVISION PROGRAM REQUIRED COURSES

2 yrs English2 yrs Mathematics2 yrs ScienceLab-based science, Engineering, or IT1 yr or 2 semesters of History, Economics, or other social science1 yr or 2 semesters from among the arts

Stay in High School

Stay in High School

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BES Program Pathways

Once students qualify to earn a lower division diploma, multiple options are open to them including:

•Remaining in high school and taking the necessary additional coursework to prepare for university entry

•Graduating and enrolling in full-time community college courses on the students' current high school campus or on a community college campus

•Enrolling in a full-time career and technical education program offered on a community college campus, a high school campus or a joint technical education district campus, or any combination of these campuses

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Lower Division

ACT QualityCore Cambridge IGCSE courses

and exams

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Lower Division: A Closer Look• Not elite programs but designed to prepare students for

elite programs• Prepares students to a minimum college-readiness standard

by 16– Not intended to pack 4 years of high school into 2 years but offers rigorous

curriculum to prepare students for success in postsecondary educational pursuits

– Students become “diploma eligible” – are not required to graduate early– Requires collaboration across P-20 educational pipeline

• Offers options to bright students who are dropping out because of boredom

• Supports less-prepared students to pass end of course exams though middle school coursework, formative assessments, spiral curriculum, and other district specified interventions

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Upper Division

ACT QualityCore Cambridge AS/A Levels/AICE Exams

leads to AICE Diploma

College Board Advanced Placement, including the Advanced Placement International Diploma (APID) option

International Baccalaureate

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Upper Division: 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

• Supports less-prepared students to pass end of course exams though lower division coursework, formative assessments, spiral curriculum, and other district specified interventions

• Trading a time-in-the-seat system for one that rewards performance

• College entrants ready to do college-level work

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Commitment:Role of States• Share data related to setting exam cut scores• Provide data to evaluators• Assist with securing post-secondary education

involvement• Approve NCEE Board Examination Providers for

State Procurement purposes• Grant high school diploma – or waivers to existing

“seat time” diplomas – to those who meet the lower division board exam standards and wish to move on

BES Pilot: Role of Arizona• Provided strong support through former Senator and current State

Superintendent John Huppenthal on Move On When Ready (MOWR) bill sponsorship and on implementation, as well as from Senator Rich Crandall and State Board of Education Member and Amphitheater Superintendent Vicki Balentine

• Developed MOWR legislation to award Grand Canyon Diplomas to those who meet the lower division board exam standards and wish to move on

• Established Center for the Future of Arizona (CFA) as entity responsible for implementation

• Sharing data related to setting exam cut scores• Providing data to evaluators• Assisting with securing post-secondary education involvement• Approved NCEE Board Examination providers for State Procurement

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BES Pilot:Broad Implementation Steps

• Start with demonstration schools that will participate in a 3-year national pilot

• Finalize technical work• Work with external evaluator – University of Michigan

Institute for Social Research• Establish new pathways to include post-secondary

institutions• Recruit volunteer schools, volunteer teachers, volunteer

students• Set up alternative performance based diploma, based on

the lower-division exams• Expand as system proves itself

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Broad Implementation StepsIdeal Target Date Deliverable

November 15 or earlier if possible

Cambridge Registration Form to CIE Board Examination Systems Pilot Commitment Letter Submission to NCEE Center for the Future of Arizona Commitment Letter Submission to CFA

November -January New School Site Visits by CIE Conducted

January Design Teams Established and Implementation Planning Commenced

February – April February/April – July

Implementation Planning Via Design Teams Commenced – with NCEE facilitation and CFA involvement

Implementation Planning Continued – with NCEE facilitation and CFA involvement

March 15 or earlier if possible

Implementation Planning Guide Submission to CFA

January – March Stage One On-Line Teacher and Principal Training

April Face to Face Teacher and Principal Training Conducted

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