Bridgewater State College Sustaining Growth

Conference

Incentivizing High School Students to Complete the New Certificate of Mastery: How Can Colleges and

Universities Help?

Helping to Define the College Readiness Problem

• MA college going rates (NCHEMS) has dropped from 65.4% in 1994 to 63.4% in 2004. Currently rank 9th.

• MA High School graduates expected to decline from 61,299 in 2008 to 51,242 in 2017 (WICHE). At the same time, the % of minority graduates is expected to increase.

We are Losing Too Many Along the “Educational Pipeline”

10 For every 10 ninth graders …

8 Only 8 graduate from high school… 6 Only 6 enroll in college …

3-4 Only 3-4 earn a degree.

In urban areas the numbers are worse: 10-6-4-2.

By 2010, jobs requiring at least some postsecondary education will make up more than two thirds of new jobs in the United States.

10%

22%

36%

31%

0%

20%

40%

60%

High schooldropout

High schooldiploma

Somepostsecondary

Bachelor's degree

Source: Carnevale, Anthony P. and Donna M. Desrochers, Standards for What? The Economic Roots of K–16 Reform, Educational Testing Service, 2003.

Tomorrow’s jobs require more education than ever before

Competency Determination

Educational Proficiency

Plan

Certificate of

MasteryMassCore

Massachusetts High School Competency Determination (CD)Requirements

Meet local graduation requirements Attain proficiency score of 240 or higher on

grade 10 ELA/Math MCAS tests or fulfill requirements of a Educational Proficiency Plan

Attain a needs improvement score of 220 or higher in an end-of-course science test.

To earn diploma, the class of 2010 and beyond must:

What is MassCore?• A recommended program of study for

Massachusetts high school students

• A program of study to better prepare students for college and careers

• A program of study that maintains flexibility for students, schools and districts

• Allows schools and districts to set additional graduation requirements

Percentage of students from the graduating Class

of 2006 who:

SUBURBAN/RURAL

(53)

URBAN (15)

VOCATIONAL (8)

CHARTER (4)

1. Earned one credit in Algebra II 90.1% 75.1% 68.4% 100.0%

2. Earned at least three credits in laboratory

science 91.4% 72.1% 59.9% 99.2%

3. Earned at least two credits in the same foreign language

88.5% 59.5% 7.7% 99.2%

4. Earned at least three credits in

History/Social Science

98.9% 96.6% 86.0% 100.0%

5. Completed the list courses in the

proposed MassCore

79.6% 46.3% 13.3% 98.5%

Massachusetts High School Survey

In January 2007, the Massachusetts Department of Education conducted a web-based survey of the Commonwealth high schools on student course taking for the Class of 2006.

MassCore

English/Language Arts

4 Units*

4 Units Mathematics Including the completion of Algebra II or completion of the Integrated Math equivalent. All students are recommended to take a math course during their senior year. 3 Units of lab-based science Science Coursework taken in technology/engineering may count for MassCore science credit. Note: The Board of Higher Education admissions standards require three (two lab-based) physical and natural sciences units and does not recognize technology/engineering as a science course. 3 Units History/Social

Science Including US History and World History. 2 Units Foreign

Language** Of the same language. As required by law Physical Education

State law (M.G.L. c. 71,s. 3) states: “Physical education shall be taught as a required subject in all grades for all students.” Health can be integrated into Physical Education, science, or taught as a stand-alone course.

The Arts** 1 Unit Visual or Performing Arts 5 Units Additional Core

Courses Business Education, Career and Technical Education (CTE), Health, Technology (e.g. computer science, desktop publishing, multi-media and web design), or any of the subjects above. Note: Most students majoring in CTE will take more than 4 units.

22 Units - Is a minimum that students should take in high school Additional Learning Opportunities

Complete as many of the following as possible: Advanced Placement (AP); Capstone or Senior Project; Dual Enrollment courses taken for both high school and college credit; Online courses for high school or college credit; Service Learning; and Work-based Learning.

What is the Certificate of Mastery?

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted in October 2006 to redesign the Certificate of Mastery to make the credential more accessible and increase state college and career readiness rates by providing an incentive to students to take a challenging program of study in high school.

What is the Certificate of Mastery?

Criteria to earn the credential:

Earn a Competency Determination with scores of Proficient or Advanced. Option: Alternative tests and equivalent scores

Complete a Board of Education recommended college preparatory curriculum (MassCore)

Complete high school with a GPA equal to or greater than the Board set standard

Pass a state Algebra II test developed by Pearson in concert with Achieve and 13 other states). To be offered in SY 2008-09

Pass state Writing Assessment (to be determined)

Certificate of Mastery

• Implementation Schedule: The Certificate was to have been made available to students beginning with the class of 2009.

• The implementation has been delayed until incentives can be identified.

• What are some possible incentives?• Early admission• Snap admissions • Automatic placement into college-credit bearing courses• Automatic admission into a four-year college/university• Scholarships (Similar to Adams Scholarship)

Students need a real incentive to complete the requirements of the Certificate of Mastery

What incentives do you suggest?

Thank you and have a good summer

Stafford Peat speat@doe.mass.edu