Early childhood education, all too often left out of discussions on the P-20 education continuum, has certainly gotten substantial play in 2012 state of the state addresses. Governors' proposals are aimed at a variety of P-3 issues, including prekindergarten and school readiness, funding, state governance of early childhood programs, young children's health and mental health, and more. Because so many 2012 state of the state addresses entered the P-3 arena, the following are just a sampling. More 2012 proposals and accomplishments in a subsequent post.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced in his 2012 state of the state address that the Commonwealth will "continue restructuring ... preschool and day-care programs to ensure every child is mentally and physically prepared for kindergarten". The governor urged the legislature to statutorily establish the Early Childhood Advisory Council he created in 2011 through executive order. And Governor Beshear noted Kentucky will continue searching for funding to expand "access to high-quality early education and care programs". (The governor did not mention his prior commitment to finding external funding for early learning programs, including via the issuance of a 2008 executive order creating the state Commission on Philanthropy to explore foundation funding for state challenges, with an initial focus on early childhood education and child health.)
Touting in his State of the District address that D.C. was the first city in the county to offer universal pre-K, and that the city is "now ranked #1 in the nation in pre-kindergarten enrollment", Mayor Gray proposed that D.C. "expand access to universal, high-quality infant and toddler care." The mayor also stated that the state-of-the-art Educare Center will be an incubator for and testing ground "best practices about early childhood development that" will later undergo broader implementation "in a coordinated, citywide strategy."
In his first state of the state, newly-inaugurated Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant proposed initiatives targeted at improving child care quality, including "monitoring the learning opportunities in licensed child care centers". He also proposed combining the functions of the department of health and department of human services to create a division of early childhood learning under the department of human services, to "streamline services and improve [the state's] ability to identify the quality of programs for early childhood learning." However, the governor made clear that he does not want to reinvent the wheel when determining what quality early childhood programs look like. He declared that over the coming year, the state will "gather additional information from ongoing programs such as Building Blocks, Excel by 5, Allies for Quality Childcare Project, and the Quality Rating System, that will give us the metrics we need to determine the best practices for Early Childhood Learning."
Does the preponderance of P-3 proposals portend that early learning will no longer be the ugly stepchild of the P-20 continuum? Perhaps. ECS called it early on in its 12 for 2012 report released last month--the time is ripe to shift our thinking to P-3.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Friday, February 10, 2012
Governors say: Let's improve opportunities for early college credit
A blog post last month noted that many governors' 2012 state of the state addresses include proposals or cite accomplishments related to areas that play a key role in P-20 alignment. One of these areas, dual enrollment, has gotten play in multiple state of the state addresses this year, and in a departure from how many might conceptualize dual credit, some governors' proposals are focused on CTE dual credit and workforce development.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant included among his numerous education proposals a collaborative effort among the department of education, department of employment security and state community colleges to allow potential high school dropouts the opportunity to enroll in community college workforce training programs.
In his 2012 state of the state address, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon encouraged other postsecondary institutions to follow the University of Central Missouri's new Innovation Campus model, which will permit high school students to enroll in college courses, then "participate in high-impact apprenticeships throughout the college curriculum. Corporate partners will underwrite tuition scholarships, and faculty and employers will partner to guide each student."
Meanwhile, Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell stated he would "propose innovations to promote greater dual enrollment in high school and community college, so motivated students can get a head start on their college educations", and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin vowed to "propose significant investments state investments in higher education and dual enrollment, all aimed at making Vermont students even more competitive and creating opportunities for employers to recruit the employees they are now seeking."
In terms of accomplishments, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear noted that he signed a dual credit agreement last fall to allow students to earn high school and postsecondary credit for approved courses, including career/technical education courses. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber touted 2011 legislation that expanded learning options for students - dual enrollment, two-plus-two, Advanced Placement and IB (see 2011 S.B. 254 and H.B. 3106).
Will legislatures, state departments of education and postsecondary systems/institutions be game? Let's hope so. Let's also hope that states address critical policy barriers, to make sure less advantaged students, which appear to be underrepresented in many states' dual enrollment programs, enjoy the same opportunities as their better-positioned peers.
Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant included among his numerous education proposals a collaborative effort among the department of education, department of employment security and state community colleges to allow potential high school dropouts the opportunity to enroll in community college workforce training programs.
In his 2012 state of the state address, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon encouraged other postsecondary institutions to follow the University of Central Missouri's new Innovation Campus model, which will permit high school students to enroll in college courses, then "participate in high-impact apprenticeships throughout the college curriculum. Corporate partners will underwrite tuition scholarships, and faculty and employers will partner to guide each student."
Meanwhile, Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell stated he would "propose innovations to promote greater dual enrollment in high school and community college, so motivated students can get a head start on their college educations", and Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin vowed to "propose significant investments state investments in higher education and dual enrollment, all aimed at making Vermont students even more competitive and creating opportunities for employers to recruit the employees they are now seeking."
In terms of accomplishments, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear noted that he signed a dual credit agreement last fall to allow students to earn high school and postsecondary credit for approved courses, including career/technical education courses. Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber touted 2011 legislation that expanded learning options for students - dual enrollment, two-plus-two, Advanced Placement and IB (see 2011 S.B. 254 and H.B. 3106).
Will legislatures, state departments of education and postsecondary systems/institutions be game? Let's hope so. Let's also hope that states address critical policy barriers, to make sure less advantaged students, which appear to be underrepresented in many states' dual enrollment programs, enjoy the same opportunities as their better-positioned peers.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Indiana: Amending Core 40 requirements
Indiana, the poster child for state-level efforts to increase high school rigor and improve alignment between high school curricula and postsecondary/workforce expectations, has recently made some changes to high school graduation requirements to further enhance expectations and real-world applications.
Students starting high school this fall who opt out of the "Core 40" curriculum into the "minimum" curriculum will need during their junior or senior year to complete two semesters of either math or "qualitative reasoning" (defined in administrative code as "a high school course that advances a student's ability to apply mathematics in real-world situations and contexts") . Core 40 students, meanwhile, will need to complete 3 years of math after entering high school (credits earned before grade 9 may be applied toward diploma requirements but not toward this 3-credit requirement), and must be enrolled in a math or qualitative reasoning course each year of high school (previous rules called for students to complete either two semesters of math or of physics during the junior or senior year of high school).
Students selecting the Core 40 diploma with academic honors option likewise will be required to be enrolled in a math or qualitative reasoning course each year of high school, and will need to earn 3 of the 4 required math units after entering high school. Students in the Core 40 diploma with academic honors option must already select from one of a handful of additional measures of academic prowess--these additional measures are changing, too. For example, students previously could fulfill this section of the requirements by completing dual credit courses that resulted in 6 transferable college credits. Now students will need to select those dual credit courses from "the priority course list" of liberal arts or "career and technical education courses published by the Indiana commission for higher education"; those courses will need to result in "verifiable transcripted college credits." Students could alternatively previously meet the extra requirement by earning either a composite score of 26 on the ACT or 1200 on the SAT. That won't fly starting with next year's freshmen, either--students taking the ACT will need to earn at least a 26 and complete the written section; students opting for the SAT will now need to achieve a composite score of 1750 and a minimum of 530 on each section.
For the Core 40 diploma with technical honors, students will also need to be enrolled in a math or quantitative reasoning course each year of high school and complete 3 units of math after entering grade 9. Previously students could earn the extra CTE "points" toward the technical honors diploma by earning either a state-recognized certification or a certificate of technical achievement. Effective this coming school year (next year's grads), the certificate of technical achievement is no longer an option. And effective with students entering high school next fall, students will need to show the extra oomph by (1) earning a pathway designated industry-based certification or credential (or pathway designated dual high school and college credit courses from the lists of priority courses resulting in 6 verifiable transcripted college credits), plus (2) achieving specified minimum scores on either Accuplacer, WorkKeys or Compass, or completing one of the "oomph" requirements specified for the academic honors candidates.
I'm assuming that, given Indiana's reputation for high standards, "qualitative reasoning" is not the return of consumer math. And on that point--although states are (I think) trying to increase the real-world applications in rigorous high school math courses as the pool of students required to take these courses becomes broader, this is the first time I've seen "qualitative reasoning" specified as a math option to complete high school graduation requirements. It will also be interesting to see several years from now how the math requirements impact math remediation rates at postsecondary institutions in the state, and if/how the changes to the honors diploma requirements impact the number of students completing these options and their college-readiness. And here's hoping the state will survey employers hiring recent recipients of the new and improved Core 40 diploma with technical honors, to see if the increased expectations make a measurable difference when these diploma holders walk onto a job in their designated field.
Students starting high school this fall who opt out of the "Core 40" curriculum into the "minimum" curriculum will need during their junior or senior year to complete two semesters of either math or "qualitative reasoning" (defined in administrative code as "a high school course that advances a student's ability to apply mathematics in real-world situations and contexts") . Core 40 students, meanwhile, will need to complete 3 years of math after entering high school (credits earned before grade 9 may be applied toward diploma requirements but not toward this 3-credit requirement), and must be enrolled in a math or qualitative reasoning course each year of high school (previous rules called for students to complete either two semesters of math or of physics during the junior or senior year of high school).
Students selecting the Core 40 diploma with academic honors option likewise will be required to be enrolled in a math or qualitative reasoning course each year of high school, and will need to earn 3 of the 4 required math units after entering high school. Students in the Core 40 diploma with academic honors option must already select from one of a handful of additional measures of academic prowess--these additional measures are changing, too. For example, students previously could fulfill this section of the requirements by completing dual credit courses that resulted in 6 transferable college credits. Now students will need to select those dual credit courses from "the priority course list" of liberal arts or "career and technical education courses published by the Indiana commission for higher education"; those courses will need to result in "verifiable transcripted college credits." Students could alternatively previously meet the extra requirement by earning either a composite score of 26 on the ACT or 1200 on the SAT. That won't fly starting with next year's freshmen, either--students taking the ACT will need to earn at least a 26 and complete the written section; students opting for the SAT will now need to achieve a composite score of 1750 and a minimum of 530 on each section.
For the Core 40 diploma with technical honors, students will also need to be enrolled in a math or quantitative reasoning course each year of high school and complete 3 units of math after entering grade 9. Previously students could earn the extra CTE "points" toward the technical honors diploma by earning either a state-recognized certification or a certificate of technical achievement. Effective this coming school year (next year's grads), the certificate of technical achievement is no longer an option. And effective with students entering high school next fall, students will need to show the extra oomph by (1) earning a pathway designated industry-based certification or credential (or pathway designated dual high school and college credit courses from the lists of priority courses resulting in 6 verifiable transcripted college credits), plus (2) achieving specified minimum scores on either Accuplacer, WorkKeys or Compass, or completing one of the "oomph" requirements specified for the academic honors candidates.
I'm assuming that, given Indiana's reputation for high standards, "qualitative reasoning" is not the return of consumer math. And on that point--although states are (I think) trying to increase the real-world applications in rigorous high school math courses as the pool of students required to take these courses becomes broader, this is the first time I've seen "qualitative reasoning" specified as a math option to complete high school graduation requirements. It will also be interesting to see several years from now how the math requirements impact math remediation rates at postsecondary institutions in the state, and if/how the changes to the honors diploma requirements impact the number of students completing these options and their college-readiness. And here's hoping the state will survey employers hiring recent recipients of the new and improved Core 40 diploma with technical honors, to see if the increased expectations make a measurable difference when these diploma holders walk onto a job in their designated field.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Florida: Auditing early learning programs - will more states follow?
This past December, Florida's Auditor General released an audit of "the governance structure of the State's early learning programs, Statewide administration and oversight of the School Readiness and Voluntary Prekindergarten Education (VPK) Programs (the primary early learning programs in the State), and early learning coalition program delivery and operations."
While the audit found that "as a whole, ... the statewide governance structure of the early learning programs ... was adequate for purposes of the School Readiness and VPK Programs", the audit also identified areas in which "efficiency and effectiveness of early learning program administration and accountability could be enhanced." The audit makes 32 findings grouped under the broad areas of "Early Learning Programs Governance and Accountability", "Statewide Early Learning Program Administration and Oversight" and "Early Learning Coalitions", addressing such critical areas as reimbursement processes, curricular review and approval, implementation of the Statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System, parental program eligibility and copayment determinations, and employee background checks.
It is commendable that Florida has audited its early learning offerings. Few states, it would seem, have conducted a similar audit, yet, as the study verified, an area governed and funded by multiple entities and offered by such a diversity of providers is ripe for this type of analysis. Let's hope more states follow Florida's example and audit their early learning programs, to more efficiently spend resources and improve the quality of services and oversight.
While the audit found that "as a whole, ... the statewide governance structure of the early learning programs ... was adequate for purposes of the School Readiness and VPK Programs", the audit also identified areas in which "efficiency and effectiveness of early learning program administration and accountability could be enhanced." The audit makes 32 findings grouped under the broad areas of "Early Learning Programs Governance and Accountability", "Statewide Early Learning Program Administration and Oversight" and "Early Learning Coalitions", addressing such critical areas as reimbursement processes, curricular review and approval, implementation of the Statewide Quality Rating and Improvement System, parental program eligibility and copayment determinations, and employee background checks.
It is commendable that Florida has audited its early learning offerings. Few states, it would seem, have conducted a similar audit, yet, as the study verified, an area governed and funded by multiple entities and offered by such a diversity of providers is ripe for this type of analysis. Let's hope more states follow Florida's example and audit their early learning programs, to more efficiently spend resources and improve the quality of services and oversight.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Maine: Expanding access to dual enrollment
Last month, the dual enrollment task force created last summer by Governor LePage issued an interim report with its findings and recommendations. The report identifies barriers to greater access -- barriers that many states, in fact, might uncover through a similar evaluation -- around the areas of (1) transportation and scheduling, (2) funding, (3) school/district capacity (help for guidance counselors to connect students with available opportunities), (4) access to program information, and (5) policy barriers (at the school/district, institutional or state level).
The task force makes some smart recommendations addressed at dismantling these barriers, which again may be potential solutions in other states as well. These recommendations include:
The task force makes some smart recommendations addressed at dismantling these barriers, which again may be potential solutions in other states as well. These recommendations include:
- Using existing regional CTE centers and center staff to expand access to early college opportunities
- Offering courses outside the regular school day/year (which the report notes would be especially beneficial to those students juggling work and family obligations)
- Expanding online dual enrollment options - particularly important, as the report notes, in a rural state such as Maine.
It will be interesting to watch if and how the numerous recommendations are taken up by stakeholders in the coming year, and whether other states pick up on the suggestions made by Maine's task force.
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