Effective college-readiness programs
Review the elements of an effective college-readiness program from this week’s introduction and address each of the questions below:
Do you agree with these elements? Why or why not?
How do these elements complement or contradict previous course readings and materials? What is missing?
Are there any lessons within the list of elements for your local school?
RECONSTRUCTING PRACTICE TO INFUSE COLLEGE READINESS
The goal of this course has been to deepen and extend your understanding of college readiness in order to use that learning to improve professional practice and to create college readiness for more students. Now, focus more closely on how to infuse the dimensions of college readiness into your own practice, specifically how to synthesize this knowledge to create an effective college-readiness program—an infrastructure with clear expectations, policies, strategies. In this final week of the course, it is time to start thinking systemically and systematically about how to incorporate learning into a comprehensive program focused on moving all students to college readiness.
As you near the end of the course, it is also time to reflect. How did the review of various definitions of college readiness affect your understanding of the concept overall? Did the four keys and seven principles of college readiness (Conley, 2010) change your view or practice? How did your perceptions about career readiness evolve? With the implementation of Common Core State Standards across the country, will your approach to curriculum and instruction be shaped by what you learned in this course? How will you work to eliminate barriers in order to create a college culture? Have your ideas been validated or changed by this course?
Various authors read throughout the course have given a theoretical framework as well as strategies or examples of effective practices. You can use these components of the course to develop a plan for an effective college-readiness program in order to help students develop valuable skills that they need to become college ready. College Board (Morris, 2012) defines eight aspects of an effective college-readiness program:
Schools focus on success in college, rather than graduation from high school.
Schools have explicit goals for college readiness for all students.
Administrators, teachers, and students believe all students can succeed in college.
All students have access to rigorous curriculum.
College readiness is a focus of staff professional development.
Academic supports are in place to help students develop college-readiness skills.
Parents and community members are part of the college-readiness culture.
Curriculum provides instruction in the four facets of college readiness.
Most of these aspects align with the course teachings. Pervasive college readiness in any school, for example, requires that all students have access to rigorous coursework and to academic programs supporting their success in that coursework. The development of college-readiness goals requires an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses within a school and then expands the strengths and alleviates the weaknesses to create a college-going culture. In addition, an alignment between curriculum and college-readiness goals is essential for ensuring rigorous instruction for all students. One element above that the course did not discuss explicitly, however, is professional development for staff. College readiness must include professional development that supports the school’s goals, enables leaders to manage these goals within the school, and gives teachers the ability to institute and support these goals in the classroom. How do you organize this information into a comprehensive plan that works in your own professional context?
Conley’s (2013) final chapter poses a similar question to ponder: “Where to from here?” The course reflection and the final project should help you craft an answer.
References
Conley, D. T. (2010). College and career ready: Helping all students succeed beyond high school. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Conley, D. T. (2013). Getting ready for college, careers, and the Common Core: What every educator needs to know. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Morris, M. J. (2012, June). Leading for college readiness. Session presented at the meeting of the College Board, Upper Marlboro, MD.
WEEKLY OBJECTIVES
Through participation in the following activities, the candidate will:
Demonstrate ability to recognize college readiness dimensions and principles in practice.
Effective College Readiness Programs
Course Reflection
Final Project
REQUIRED STUDIES
The following materials are required studies for this week. Complete these studies at the beginning of the week and save these weekly materials for future use.
College and Career Ready (Conley, 2010)
Chapter 6: Putting It All Together
Chapter 7: Steps High Schools Are Taking to Make More Students College and Career Ready
Getting Ready for College, Careers, and the Common Core (Conley, 2013)
Chapter 11: Where to From Here?
Use prior course readings and research to justify your position. Cite and reference your sources in APA style.
Click here for information on course rubrics.
Answer preview to effective college-readiness programs
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