DEFINING HIGH SCHOOL READINESS

ACADEMICALLY READY I TASK READY I LIFE READY On the website “Redefining Ready” it states, “America’s high schools have a profound responsibility to ensure that our nation’s 14 million high school students are college ready, career ready and life ready. Standardized test scores – traditionally used as the primary readiness indicator – do not always provide an accurate representation of our students’ potential. Like the global economy, today’s students are driven by ideas and innovations. They should not be reduced down to, or defined by, a single test score.” Redefining Ready! is a national initiative launched by the AASA (The School Superintendents Association) to introduce new research-based metrics to more appropriately assess that students are college ready, career ready and life ready. Hinsdale Township High School District 86 is keenly aware of the academic benchmarks required for our graduates to enter into credit bearing college courses and meet with success once there. Of equal importance are the behavior patterns and skills in the areas of digital media literacy, executive functioning, social emotional, wellness and resiliency that translate into their success and well-being in college, career, and life. These competencies and philosophical frameworks are powerful indicators of future goal attainment and personal satisfaction. This document was created to focus our attention on what the current research tells us to concentrate on as we labor to help our students reach their idealized future. Of the myriad of factors we can attend to and spend resources on, we should be working on what matters most to the future outcomes of students. Linking to Redefining Ready’s College and Career Readiness Indicators, this high school readiness document forms a continuum that aspires to be a useful tool for educators in pre-ninth grade settings to fine tune the approach to their learners. In the spirit of partnership, we present this framework in hopes of collaborating on our universal mission of best serving the learners we share responsibility for.

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Students are Academically Ready if they meet the academic indicators AND standardized testing benchmarks listed below, as well as demonstrate growth.

Academic Indicators Completion of Common Core English Language Arts (A, B or C) Completion of Common Core Algebra I [or a Level 1 Integrated Math Course or equivalent, culminating with Math RIT listed below] (A, B or C) Completion of NGSS Science Course (A, B or C) Completion of NCSS Social Studies Course (A, B or C) Passing grades in all other courses (A, B, or C)

Growth Rate Indicators District 86 believes strongly that student growth is important in assessing student performance. Students and schools that focus on growth are more likely to be successful in the long-run than those who focus on performance at a single point time. Students demonstrating higher rates of growth than is typical may be on target for college readiness standards despite having scores that are just under high school readiness standards. Conversely, students who have scores at or slightly above high school readiness targets but have below average growth, are likely not on target to meet the academic college readiness standard. While there is a lack of data on what levels correlate to career readiness, setting and achieving personal growth goals is a strong indicator of the ability to learn and apply new skills in the workforce.

Standardized Testing Benchmarks (minimum score to be on track for 22 on ACT)* MAP Reading Lexile (1087+) MAP Reading RIT Score (227+) MAP Math RIT Score (243+)

*NOTE: Conversion to the SAT college ready scores may increase these MAP targets. NWEA conversion chart should be released in the fall of 2017.

ACADEMICALLY READY

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Students are Task Ready if they have worked to develop new interests and meet the benchmarks listed below.

TASK READY

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Being LIFE READY means students leave middle school with the social emotional learning competencies, personal wellness habits, and growth mindset that are necessary to persevere through the challenges of high school and life in order to achieve their goals. Students need to be able to apply knowledge and skills to understand and manage their emotions, set goals, build positive relationships, learn collaboratively and make responsible decisions.

Growth Mindset A growth mindset (as opposed to a fixed mindset) is worthy of special note for success in high school and in life. It has been shown to have strong, positive effects on achievement, performance and wellbeing. It also seems to be true that a growth mindset can be developed more easily with more benefits early in life.

Social Emotional Learning (SEL): District 86 encourages the use of the Illinois SEL descriptors. While students who transition successfully into the high school setting are capable in all SEL descriptors, the ones listed below are some we believe to be more important for students beginning their high school experience. Social Emotional Learning Indicators:

1A Identify and manage one's emotions and behavior 2A Recognize the feelings and perspectives of others 2B Recognize individual and group similarities and differences 2C Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others 3A Consider ethical, safety and societal factors in making decisions

LIFE READY

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RESEARCH

STANDARDIZED TESTING BENCHMARKS

Minimum scores were determined with NWEA personnel using the “Comparative Data to Inform Instructional Decisions” document (see this link). Using the target score of 22 on the ACT (lower of the college readiness standards which assume other targets are being met) and typical growth rates, we derived minimum scores needed to be on track. To be on track towards an ACT score of 22, students should have math RIT score of 249 in the spring of 10th grade and 243 in 8th grade. In reading it is a 10th grade score of 232 and 8th grade score of 227. Using an ACT target of 24 would have obviously increased expectations for both 10th grade and 8th grade RIT scores.

ACADEMICALLY READY

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LEXILE CONVERSION

We then used a conversion chart provided by NWEA to extrapolate the spring of 8th grade Lexile level from these RIT scores. This is a Lexile score of 1087, which also happens to be aligned with reading at the end of 8th grade.

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We also examined what 8th grade RIT scores of 227 in reading and 243 in math would approximate for eventual Illinois college entrance using the NWEA College Explorer tool.

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ATTENDANCE

AttendanceWorks defines regular attendance as 95 percent. While 91-95 percent attendance does not reach the definition of chronically truant or chronically absent, research indicates that absence rates in this range put students at-risk of becoming chronically truant or absent. Our data indicate predictable decreases in GPA at this level as well. What Matters for Staying on track and Graduating in Chicago Public High Schools:

A Close Look at Course Grades, Failures, and Attendance in the Freshman Year

➔ Only 11 percent of students entering with low achievement miss less than one week

➔ Just one week of absence per semester indicates problems with students’ grades

➔ Course attendance is eight times more predictive of course failure in the freshman year than

eighth-grade test scores

➔ Freshman absences can be used to predict 63 percent of the variation in course failures among

freshmen.

Course attendance is also highly predictive of getting higher grades, not just avoiding failures. As with course failures, attendance is the strongest predictor of overall grades and of grades other than failures. More than half of the students who miss less than one week of school per semester have a GPA of 3.0 (B average) or higher at the end of their first year, three-fourths have at least a 2.5 GPA, and 90 percent have at least a 2.0 GPA.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Extracurricular Participation and Student Engagement In a study conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics, data indicated that participants in extracurricular activities were more likely than nonparticipants to aspire to higher education: two-thirds of participants expected to complete at least a bachelor's degree while only about half of nonparticipants expected to do so.

TASK READY

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Extracurricular Activities and student Achievement: Everyone Gains, Education

Partnerships

In a study conducted by the National Center for Educational Statistics, data indicated

that extracurricular activities are one of the best investments that a school can make

to help promote achievement, student engagement, and the attitudes and habits that

lead to college aspirations and ultimate success.

DIGITAL SKILLS & INFORMATION LITERACY INDICATORS MEDIA READINESS

Keyboarding Proficiency Bridgette Nicholson’s Custom Typing Custom Solutions document can be viewed here. Digital Media Readiness While there are no Digital Media Readiness standards specific to the middle school/junior high level, Common Sense Media, a non-profit organization focused on digital literacy and citizenship, has made recommendations for age-appropriate use of digital media at various age levels. These recommendations align to the English Language Arts Common Core, American Association of School Librarians, and the International Society of Technology Education standards.

Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum – Standards Alignment Chart for grades 6-8 can be viewed here K-12 Curriculum Standards Alignment can be viewed here

From a series of lessons created by Common Sense, we have made recommendations regarding the five key areas of digital media use in which the middle school/junior high-aged student should be proficient before entering high school. Place of Digital Media in our Lives

❏ Understand appropriate rules of communication in both personal and professional settings.

❏ Learn that everyone has a “digital footprint” and that information from it can be searched; copied and passed on; seen by a large, invisible audience, and can be persistent.

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Strategic Searching

❏ Understand the importance of using a variety of search strategies. ❏ Learn and apply criteria that will help evaluate websites’ trustworthiness and

utility. Scams and Schemes

❏ Understand what identity theft is and why it is important to guard against it. ❏ Learn how to guard against phishing, ransomware, and identity theft.

Cyberbullying

❏ Understand what cyberbullying is and how to recognize it. ❏ Know and practice standards for safe and appropriate online communication.

Creator’s Rights

❏ Identify the key points required for a creative work to fall under fair use. ❏ Understand that copyright is a legal system that protects their rights to creative

work.

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GROWTH MINDSET

Dweck, Carol S. (2008) Mindset: the New Psychology of Success. New York: Ballantine Books

SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING

Illinois State SEL Standards and Performance descriptors can be viewed here. Belfield, Bowden, Klapp, Levin, Shand & Zander (2015) The Economic Value of Social & Emotional Learning.Center for Benefit-Cost Studies in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.

CASEL and the Committee for Children (2016) “Why Social and Emotional Learning and Employability Skills Should Be Prioritized in Education” can be found here.

Durlak, Domitrovich, Weissberg & Gullotta (2015) Handbook of Social Emotional Learning, Research & Practice. New York: Guilford Press.

Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor. & Schellinger (2011). The impact of enhancing students’ social & emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 82(1)

WELLNESS INDICATORS

Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. “American Academy of Pediatrics Supports Childhood Sleep Guidelines” 6/13/2016. https://www.aap.org.

The American Heart Association recommends that children and adolescents participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. “The AHA’s Recommendations for Physical Activity in Children.” 10/18/2016. http://www.heart.org.

Eating a healthy breakfast is associated with improved cognitive function (especially memory), reduced absenteeism, and improved mood. “Childhood Nutrition Facts.” https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/nutrition/facts.htm

LIFE READY