EngageNY.org

Transition Coursesin New York State

November 2013

Increasing College & Career Readiness in High

School• Early college readiness assessments

Administered no later than the 11th grade to measure students’ readiness to succeed in entry-level, credit-bearing postsecondary courses.

• Transition curricula Courses, learning modules, or online tutorials developed jointly by

secondary and postsecondary faculty and offered no later than 12th grade to students at risk of being placed into remedial math or English in postsecondary institutions.

• College Bridge Courses Short , summer courses offered by postsecondary institutions to

incoming students to prepare them for college placement exams and to build the skills they need to succeed in postsecondary coursework.

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Early Assessment Programs

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• EAPs create a more coherent P-20 system with clear, aligned expectations and opportunities to identify and address gaps in readiness in the 12th grade.

• We are collaborating with SUNY and CUNY in the redesign of the Regents exams and development of a 12th grade transition course curriculum.

Domains of College and Career Readiness

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Defines the academic knowledge and skills students need to be successful in college and careers.

Specifies the non-cognitive, socio-emotional knowledge and skills that help students successfully transition from high school to college or careers.

Describes the career- specific opportunities for students to gain the knowledge, skills, and competencies they need to pursue and succeed in their chosen career.

• New York developed alternative measures of student readiness based on research predicting likelihood of success in postsecondary education.

Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation• Earn 22 units of credit, score at or above 65 on 7-9 Regents

examinations, and take advanced course sequences in languages other than English, CTE, or the arts.

ELA/Math APM• Graduate with a Local, Regents, or Regents with Advanced

Designation diploma and earn a 75 or greater on their English Regents examination and earn a 80 or greater on a math Regents examination.

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Aspirational Performance Measures

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Graduating College and Career Ready

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New York's 4-year high school graduation rate is 74% for All Students.However, the percent graduating college and career ready is significantly lower.

June 2012 Graduation RateGraduation under Current Requirements Calculated College and Career Ready*

% Graduating % Graduating

All Students 74.0 All Students 35.3

American Indian 58.5 American Indian 18.8

Asian/Pacific Islander 81.6 Asian/Pacific Islander 56.5

Black 58.1 Black 12.5

Hispanic 57.8 Hispanic 15.7

White 85.7 White 48.5

English Language Learners 34.3 English Language Learners 7.3

Students with Disabilities 44.7 Students with Disabilities 4.9*Students graduating with at least a score of 75 on Regents English and 80 on a Math Regents, which correlates with success in first-year college courses.Source: NYSED Office of Information and Reporting Services

College Remediation in NYS

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Over 50% of students in NYS two-year institutions of higher education take at least one remedial course.

Source: NYSED Administrative Data for all Public, Independent and Proprietary 2- and 4-year institutions of higher education

CUNY Placement Policies

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Exempting Students from Placement at SUNY

Institutions• ACT

Math: 20 - 24 English: 18 – 24

• SAT Math: 420 – 550 (Most around 500) English: 440 – 600 (Most around 500) No consistency based on the type of institution

• AP 3 or higher at most campuses accepting AP scores

• Regents Exams Integrated Algebra: range from 70 - 85 Geometry: range from 75 – 85 Algebra II/Trigonometry: range from 75 - 85 Comprehensive English: range from 70 - 90

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SUNY Placement Indicators

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AT HOME IN COLLEGECollege Transition in NYC

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College Transition in NYC• NYCDOE: 270,000+ HS students/ ~ 55,000 12th grade/older

~500 High Schools

Focus on College & Career Readiness (Accountability, WATN? Reports)

• CUNY: 260,000+ degree students; 270,000+ adult/continuing ed students

8 community colleges, 11 senior colleges, 6 graduate schools

70% of FTF are DOE graduates

189 languages spoken; 210 countries of origin

43% of undergraduates born outside of U.S.

44% of undergraduates first in families to attend college

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CUNY Priorities: Improving Student Outcomes

• Improve academic preparation 82% of first-time-freshmen entering community colleges in fall 2011

needed remediation 74.1% needed remedial math

• Improve retention rates: Class of 2009 3rd semester 84.2% at senior colleges (74.9- 90.7) 77.3% at comprehensive colleges (63.9-83.4) 67.3% at community colleges (60.9-71.5)

• Improve graduation rates: Class of 2004 system-wide 6-year = 48.4% in baccalaureate programs (23.3%-64.9%) 3-year = 13.0% in community colleges (7.7%-21.9%)

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At Home in College• CUNY Collaborative Program funded by Robin Hood Foundation.

• Goal: Reduce the need for remediation and increase college enrollment and third semester retention rates, with the long-term goal being increased college graduation rates.

• Students: NYC public high school and CUNY GED students who are on-track to graduate but who have not met traditional benchmarks of college readiness. AHC currently serves 2,000 students and partners with 55 NYC public high schools and 1 CUNY GED Program.

• To date, 6,000+ students have participated in this program that includes transition English and/or math courses, a College Access and Success Workshop, summer advisement, and a year of advisement for those who enroll in CUNY community colleges.

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Program Components

• At Home offers each participating HS and GED student: Transition math and English courses intended to prepare them for

the CUNY Assessment Test and success in college credit courses

Fee waivers for the CUNY application

College access activities, including help with completing on-line college applications, filing for financial aid, college visits, learning about different careers and programs of study, and enrolling in college.

A Bridge to College summer program to help graduating seniors matriculate

Advisement and other assistance during the first year of college if participating students enroll at a partner CUNY community college

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Core Academic Components

• College Transition English Course: Developed by CUNY content experts, this two-semester course develops

student academic literacy skills through a study of topics in psychology and sociology. The instructional model emphasizes coaching and modeling, and there is a strong focus on metacognition.

The course is offered in lieu of a traditional 12th grade English course.• College Transition Math Course:

Developed by the CUNY Adult Literacy Program and currently implemented by CUNY START, this two-semester curriculum covers a variety of pre-algebraic and algebraic topics. Emphasis is placed on helping students develop basic numeracy skills and number sense.

The course is offered typically as an elective math course.• Placement testing:

Transition courses are aligned to CUNY college readiness standards (as defined by University placement exams). Students take the CUNY Assessment Tests as a cohort at the end of each semester.

• Professional Development: At Home in College Professional Development Coordinators facilitate monthly

meetings with English and math teachers to discuss the curriculum, examine student work, and model lessons.

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Outcomes

• Performance on CUNY Placement Exam:

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Outcomes

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NYS TRANSITION COURSE INITIATIVE

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College Transition in NYS

Developing Transition Courses

• Develop curriculum for 12th grade ELA and math transition courses that parallel NYS’ curriculum modules and build on existing transition courses;

• Ensure high school teachers and higher education faculty collaborate on the content of the transition courses;

• Pilot transition course curriculum; and• Provide teachers access to professional

development for transition courses.

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Contact Information

Jennifer Sattem, Fellow, Regents Research Fund

jsattem@mail.nysed.gov

Mary Hiebert, CUNY Collaborative Programs

mary.hiebert@mail.cuny.edu

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