Technical College Readiness English and Mathematics
Information from the Hall County School District
In January of 2017, the Hall County School System in Gainesville, Georgia, added two new courses to their high school course offerings: Technical College Readiness English and Technical College Readiness Mathematics. The courses are initially being offered at three of the seven high schools in the district. The logistics behind the creation and offering of these two courses is outlined in the following descriptors.
I. Proposal to the Georgia State Board of Education in October of 2016
The reality in Hall County is that too many students graduate from high school without the skills needed for postsecondary education. In an effort to remedy this situation, Will Schofield, superintendent for Hall County Schools, proposed two new courses for English and Mathematics to the Georgia Board of Education. The courses are based on the content tested on the ACCUPLACER test. The Technical Colleges in Georgia use the ACCUPLACER to assess student preparedness for college English and mathematics; the results of the ACCUPLACER assessment determines whether a student must complete remedial courses before starting college-level classes. The ACCUPLACER test is also a good indicator of how successful a student will be in college.
II. Course Descriptions
The standards and course descriptions of the Technical College Readiness courses are based on current Georgia Standards of Excellence and are designed around the skills needed for admissions to technical colleges. The following two paragraphs are from the state’s course descriptions.
Technical College Readiness English is designed to meet the needs of students who have passed Ninth Grade Literature and Composition, have passed American Literature and Composition or be concurrently enrolled in American Literature and Composition while taking this course. Note: Eligible students must score lower than 55 on the reading comprehension portion of the ACCUPLACER Placement Assessment prior to enrolling in this course. The ACCUPLACER Placement Assessment will serve as the course post-test. The course is aimed at students who have evidence of difficulty passing middle school English Language Arts End of Grade (EOG) assessments and who experienced difficulty in the first two or three core high school English courses Technical College Readiness English will emphasize reading comprehension, identifying main ideas, making inferences, and distinguishing between direct statements and supporting ideas. The course will also emphasize sentence structure skills. This course will provide an opportunity for students to review reading and writing skills needed for success in Technical College.
Technical College Readiness Mathematics is designed to meet the needs of students who have passed Algebra I/Coordinate Algebra, have passed or are concurrently enrolled in Geometry/Analytic Geometry while taking this course, and intend to enroll in a technical college program. The course is aimed at students who have experienced difficulty in passing middle school mathematics End of Grade (EOG) assessments, have struggled significantly in the first two high school core mathematics courses, and have scored less than 34 on the(Arithmetic) ACCUPLACER Placement Assessment. The ACCUPLACER Placement Assessment will serve as the course post-test. Technical College Readiness Mathematics will examine numeracy, algebra, and geometry in a variety of contexts, including number sense, linear and non-linear relationships, functions and their graphs, and measurement and geometry. The course will provide an opportunity for students to review mathematics skills needed for success in Technical College and will extend students’ understanding of mathematical concepts and skills by emphasizing topics from Foundations of Algebra, Coordinate Algebra/Algebra I, Analytic Geometry/Geometry, and Advanced Algebra/Algebra II.
III. Possible Course Sequences
Hall County used their strategic waiver to substitute the Technical College Readiness courses for current state courses. The courses cannot substitute for End of Course classes.
POSSIBLECOURSE SEQUENCE #1 / POSSIBLE
COURSE SEQUENCE #2
Coordinate Algebra/Algebra I / Foundations of Algebra
Analytic Geometry/Geometry / Coordinate Algebra/Algebra 1
Technical College Readiness Mathematics / Analytic Geometry/Geometry
MOWR Math*
or
Carnegie Courses
Advanced Algebra/Algebra II
Fourth Year Math Option / Technical College Readiness Mathematics
*A Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Mathematics course would be the fourth year goal for significant numbers of students.
POSSIBLECOURSE SEQUENCE #1 / POSSIBLE
COURSE SEQUENCE #2
9th Literature/Composition / 9th Literature/Composition
American Literature/Composition / American Literature/Composition
World Literature / Technical College Readiness English
Technical College Readiness English
Or
MOWR English*
Carnegie Courses
Multicultural Literature/Composition
Advanced Composition
British Literature/Composition / MOWR English*
or
Carnegie Courses
Multicultural Literature/Composition
World Literature/Composition
Advanced Composition
British Literature/Composition
*TCSG Freshman English would be the fourth year goal for significant numbers of students.
IV. Student Selection
Before administering the ACCUPLACER, schools recommended students to the district office as possible candidates for the new courses. The district office examined a student’s middle school testing data as well as previous course grades before clearing the students for ACCUPLACER testing. After administering the ACCUPLACER assessment, students who scored below the state’s specified cut scores were placed in either Technical College Readiness English or Technical College Readiness Mathematics. Due to course scheduling only two students were enrolled in both courses. About a dozen students scored above the cut scores and were eligible for enrollment in Technical College. Since Hall County is in constant communication with the Technical College System in regards to the readiness courses, Lanier Technical College in Gainesville arranged for these students to immediately start a Move on When Ready (MOWR) class. After students were selected for the readiness courses, the data showed that about 5% of the students were identified with special needs.
The Governor’s Office of Student Achievement gives the following guidelines:
SBOE should not allow the student eligibility requirements for (Technical College Readiness Courses) to be waived in SWSS and charter contracts since enrollment directly affects student enrollment and performance in Coordinate Algebra/Algebra I and Analytic Geometry/Geometry, as well as American Literature/Composition, which are included in the CCPRI (Accountability). In addition, the courses count toward math or English credits for graduation, which affects the graduation rate. The eligibility requirements are critical to ensuring that the courses accomplish the overall goal of increasing the success of students who lack critical, foundational math and/or English skills prior to entering those courses while not allowing the courses to becoming oversubscribed. Without strict criteria that are enforceable and consistently monitored, the courses run the risk of growing beyond the intent.
V. Course Material
Hall County will provide school districts in Georgia with course lesson plans that use materials and websites available to all districts. A sample lesson plan for both English and Math is included in this document. As a supplement to assist with differentiation, Hall County purchased Pearson’s software package, MyFoundationsLab, which provides an individualized learning plan based upon a student’s diagnostic test results.
Since the course is centered on the ACCUPLACER, Hall County administered the ACCUPLACER to the students. The cost is $2.30 per unit; units tested include Sentence Skills, Reading Comprehension, Arithmetic and Elementary Algebra. According to their secondary pathway, a student’s score must be within set limits for admittance into the Technical College. Communication with the Technical Colleges is important, and a link toLanier Technical College’s ACCUPLACER Placement Test Scores information can be found at
A district person was appointed as the contact person to begin the process of offering the ACCUPLACER. This correspondence took several communications with College Board. After the process was complete, the training session lasted around two hours.
VI. Parent Information
Since the English and Mathematics Technical College Readiness Courses do not meet the requirements for admission to a major university, parent letters were sent home with qualifying students. The letter, sent by Hall County’s Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning, informed parents of both courses and the requirements for each.This communication is includedat the end of this document. At the time this letter was sent home, the courses were only being considered as a pilot for Hall County.
VII. Next Steps
Even though the majority of the lesson plans are complete, the plans are being refined as teachers actually teach the lessons. These plans will be available to all districts by July, 1, 2017. Plans are underway to administer the ACCUPLACER to potential students in late winter in order to establish enrollment for the 2017-2018 Technical College Readiness classes.
For other questions, please contact any of the following Hall County personnel:
- Kevin Bales, Assistant Superintendent for Teaching and Learning,
- Terry Sapp, High Schools School Improvement Specialist,
- Rhonda Samples, Director of Career, Technical, and Agricultural Education,
- Melissa Stewart, Mathematics Specialist,
VIII. Sample Materials
Parent Letter
Dear Parents of ______:
Congratulations! Your high school student has been identified to participate in a pilot course available only in the Hall County School District. The pilot course will be taught during two periods of the student’s second semester schedule and will allow the student to earn one core Mathematics and/or English credit required for the high school diploma.
What are the titles of the courses?
Technical College Readiness in Mathematics
Technical College Readiness in English
What are the advantages of participation in the pilot course?
Your student will use the Mathematics/English course to count as a credit toward high school graduation.
Your student will receive intensive test preparation during the school day in the Mathematics and/or English course.
Instruction for each student will be personalized to focus on particular strengths and weaknesses identified by diagnostic testing. Highly personalized practice and instruction will support the likelihood of your student earning a qualifying score on the ACCUPLACER entrance exam.
A qualifying score on the ACCUPLACER means that your student will become eligible for admission to Lanier Technical Institute or any other Georgia Technical College.
The cost of taking the ACCUPLACER entrance exam will be covered by the school district. In other words, you do not have to pay for the admission exam.
If your student earns a qualifying score and is not graduating this year, he/she may be eligible to enroll in college-level courses next school year and begin working toward a post-secondary certificate, diploma, or degree. All costs associated with the college-level courses will be paid. Costs include tuition, fees, books, and supplies.
The college credits earned by your student will count for both high school graduation and college certificate/diploma/degree programs.
ACCUPLACER scores are valid for five years in the event your student decides to enroll in Technical School after graduation from high school.
Why should I consider attending Technical School?
Business Insider reports that an annual starting salary for Technical School graduates is $42,000. Simply Hired reports that the average annual salary of Technical School graduates is $65,725. Additionally, many of Lanier Technical College’s programs of study consistently have a 100% job placement rate. Lanier Technical College’s job placement program matches community employers with qualified employees from their highly trained pool of students and graduates.
Because of all the obvious advantages, your student will be accepted into the pilot course(s) unless we receive a contact from you by ______. Your contact is ______Assistant Principal.
Reading Sample Lesson Plan
The blue font indicates notes for the teacher.
Lesson: Finding Main Ideas with Inference
StandardELAGSE11-12RL1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Learning Target: I know the difference between what is stated in a reading passage and what is implied.
Opener:
Review thiscapitalization rule and try items 1-5 for a quick language review.
Rule: Capitalize the word I, either alone or in a contraction. Examples: Do I get to go? I said that I am here.
Instructions: Capitalize each word that needs a capital letter.
1. i must ask my mother.
2. you and i get to see the movie.
3. Try it as i’ve done.
4. Yesterday i’d have sent it.
5. i’ll be there soon.
Answers:
1. I
2. You/I
3. I’ve
4. I’d
5. I’ll
Lesson:
Many Reading Comprehension ACCUPLACER test questions ask students to show they understand the main idea. For some items, the main idea is stated in the passage; for others, students must apply inference skills to choose the correct answer.
According to the College Board’s Sample Questions for Students guide from their website, “The reading passages can also be classified according to the kind of information processing required, including explicit statements related to the main idea, explicit statements related to a secondary idea, application, and inference.” Understanding when to search for a literal answer within the passage versus when to construct an implication in one’s mind can save students time and help them more easily define their task.
For this lesson, students will explore the difference between what is stated and what is implied in a text. They will read an article and decide if the details are stated or implied.
Begin by showing students the chart below. Spend a few minutes talking about the definitions of these terms. The teacher may want to ask students to look up some of their definitions online at dictionary.com. If copies of the chart are distributed, students could make notes on their paper during this discussion.
Next, ask students to try to match up terms that contrast, like “implicit and explicit” or “given and assumed.” There will not be many wrong answers in this case; however, the lesson can be differentiating among the subtleties of these terms.
If time permits, ask students to use a few of the words in a sentence (orally).
StatedThe words given in a passage that appear on the printed page or the words a speaker actually says. / Implied
The ideas or concepts a passage or a speaker may suggest without directly saying or writing.
Literal
Primarily about
Cause and effect
Purpose
Is mainly about
Told
Given
Explicit
Clear
Certain
Obvious
Plain
Direct / Inferred
Assumed
Inferential understanding
Conclude
Purpose
Cause and effect
Implicit
Indirect
Suggested
Unspoken
Indicates
Using the article linked below from NewsELA about ultra-processed foods, have students make a chart like the one above labeled “stated” and “implied” on each side. Students should then write 5 statements from the article that seemed certain, clear, and literal on the left side. On the right side, students should write down 5 things they were able to INFER based on the content of the article. Remind them that what they are writing on the right side will NOT be written in the article. These are abstract ideas in their minds.
Article:
This article is set to the maximum Lexile level. Follow the link to choose a lower Lexile level as needed for differentiation in your classroom. To access articles, the teacher must sign up for a free Newsela account.
The instructor may choose how students should work on the charts: independently or in groups. After students have had sufficient time to read and make their chart, make a similar chart on the board and have students come up to the board and write their answers. Alternatively, the teacher may want to use an electronic option like Today’s Meet or any other tool that allows students to text an answer to be projected on the screen. This way, everyone can have input and be involved.
Ticket-out-the-Door:
For review, students are to orally define some of the terms on the chart.
Sources:
Newsela:
Daily Grammar
Mathematics Sample Lesson Plan
Lesson 1.1.3: Order of Operations (Calculators are NOT permitted in this lesson.)
The blue font indicates notes for the teacher.
Standard MTCRMNS2. Students will perform mathematical operations involving all forms of positive, rational numbers, including the use of order of operations.
Learning Target: I can evaluate expressions using order of operations.