STANDARDS FOR SUCCESS - Bridgewater State …webhost.bridgew.edu/rsylvester/frosh.pdf · Perspectives on Standards for Success Intelligently conceived, comprehensive, meticulously

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Standards for Success

Understanding University SuccessA project of the Association of American Universities

and The Pew Charitable Trusts

Perspectives on Standards for Success

Intelligently conceived, comprehensive, meticulously researched, detailed and effectively organized, Standards forSuccess provides a major step forward in tightening the links between high schools and universities and thusincreasing the chances for both academic achievement and personal satisfaction for our nation's students. Faculties,too, on both sides of the freshman class will profit from these thoughtful definitions of teaching and learningstandards.

M. Gilbert Porter, Ph.D.Associate Vice Provost Undergraduate Studies,University of Missouri

As a parent of two high school boys, I applaud Standards for Success for providing realistic measurements in eacharea of study which will help me guide my sons toward a successful college experience.

Susan FranzellaHigh School Parent, Carlmont High School

I commend Standards for Success for a thoughtful and thought provoking document.Dr. Jared L. Cohon, Ph.D.President, Carnegie Mellon University

At Crescenta Valley High School, we believe our responsibility for a student's success extends beyond high schoolgraduation. We welcome the Knowledge and Skills for University Success. We know that by studying the standardsin English, math, science, social science and second languages—and aligning our curriculum—we will betterprepare our students for the transition to college.

Linda Evans Co-Principal, Crescenta Valley High School

We commend this effort to build bridges for students to cross safely and successfully from high school to college.Virginia Sapiro Associate Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning,University of Wisconsin

I will make sure all school leaders in my district know about Standards for Success. It is important that elementaryas well as secondary principals are aware of this resource. Just as reducing the dropout rate requires the energy andattention of all K-12 educators, so does ensuring the academic success of all our students. I will make sure schoolcounselors, teachers and parents are familiar with this resource as well. Copies should be available at curriculumevenings, parent clubs, college information evenings, counseling centers and Back to School Nights.

Suzanne CusickAssistant Superintendent, Hillsboro School District

With over 90% of the students in our district going on to two- and four-year colleges, we know our primary job ismaking sure students have the knowledge and skills they need to earn college degrees. Unfortunately, we have neverhad the direction from colleges and universities we need to align our work with theirs. Standards for Success is avery welcome resource. I look forward to studying the work carefully with curriculum developers, principals, andteachers and using it extensively to guide our ongoing work. The K-16 movement is about to take a major stepforward thanks to this publication.

Michael RileySuperintendent, Bellevue School District

Understanding University SuccessA report from Standards for Success

A project of the Association of American Universitiesand The Pew Charitable Trusts

David T. Conley, Ph.D.Director

Copyright © 2003, University of Oregon

Published by Center for Educational Policy Research, Eugene, Oregon

Printed in the United States of America

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic ormechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, withoutpermission in writing from the publisher.

Schools may make copies of the Knowledge and Skills for University Success for the sole purpose ofinformation and dissemination to school staff, students and their parents.

For more information or to order additional copies of this book, the S4S CD-ROM or the University WorkSample book, contact:

Center for Educational Policy Research720 E. 13th Ave., Suite 201, Eugene, OR 97401Web: http://www.s4s.orgT: (541) 346-6153 Toll Free: (877) 766-2279 F: (541)346-6154

Cover Photo: Jack Liu

Table of ContentsIntroduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Participants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Mathematics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Natural Sciences. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Social Sciences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Second Languages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

The Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73Foundations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

8 IntroductionA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

This document is designed to answer onequestion: What must students know and beable to do in order to succeed in entry-leveluniversity courses? It is a difficult questionbecause admissions requirements only hintat what is actually expected once studentsreach college. Traditional measures of highschool achievement do not necessarilyaddress this question very well eitherbecause they reflect each individual highschool’s notions of what constitutes collegereadiness. Even the best, brightest and mostdiligent high school students who easilymeet admission requirements may findthemselves struggling in entry-level courses.They may be eligible for admission and stillnot be prepared to succeed.

Knowledge and Skills for UniversitySuccess, developed by Standards for Success(S4S), is the result of a two-year study inwhich more than 400 faculty and staffmembers from twenty research universities,all members of the Association of AmericanUniversities (AAU), participated in extensivemeetings and reviews designed to identifywhat students must do to succeed in entry-level courses at their institutions. Nationalacademic content standards documents wereanalyzed and used for comparison. Multiplepeer reviews were employed to hone thestandards and ensure their validity, whileconsultants with expertise in standardsdevelopment contributed suggestions forimprovement. The resulting statementsrepresent the most comprehensive andthoroughly grounded set of standards forcollege success yet developed.

The standards presented here are designedto create a new way to view college

preparation. The standards, in combinationwith the accompanying CD-ROM and theS4S website, provide a road map of thecontent knowledge and habits of mind thatare valued by leading research universities inthe United States.

The faculty and staff members whoparticipated in the process of developingthese standards represent a wide range ofacademic viewpoints. One of the mostdominant themes raised by participants is theimportance of the habits of mind studentsdevelop in high school and bring with themto university studies. These habits areconsidered by many faculty members to bemore important than specific contentknowledge. The habits of mind includecritical thinking, analytic thinking andproblem solving; an inquisitive nature andinterest in taking advantage of what a researchuniversity has to offer; the willingness toaccept critical feedback and to adjust based onsuch feedback; openness to possible failuresfrom time to time; and the ability and desireto cope with frustrating and ambiguouslearning tasks. Other critical skills includethe ability to express one’s self in writingand orally in a clear and convincingfashion; to discern the relative importanceand credibility of various sources ofinformation; to draw inferences and reachconclusions independently; and to usetechnology as a tool to assist the learningprocess rather than as a crutch.

The specific content knowledge identifiedin this document should be considered inrelation to these overarching attributes andskills. Understanding and mastery of thecontent knowledge specified here is achieved

UnderstandingUniversity Success

Introduction 9A report from Standards for Success

through the exercise of broader cognitiveskills. It is not enough simply to knowsomething; the learner must possess theability to do something with thatknowledge, whether it is to solve a problem,reach a conclusion or present a point ofview. This plexus of content knowledge andcognitive skills is what an education at anAmerican research university (and manyother institutions of higher education)seeks to develop.

“Success” as defined by these standardsmeans the ability to do well enough incollege entry-level core academic courses tomeet general education requirements and tocontinue on to major in a particular area.These two levels of success are denoted hereby identifying separate standards: thoseintended for all students versus thoseintended for students wishing to major inthe particular area of study.

Success in a university is different fromsuccess in high school in another importantway. Universities facilitate greaterspecialization than high schools. Therefore,some students may find that they are ableto succeed in college even though theirmastery in some areas of Knowledge andSkills for University Success is less welldeveloped than in others. Students do notneed to master all standards contained inthis document at the same level. However,the more of the standards that a student hasmastered, the more options the student willhave and the more successful the student islikely to be during the all-important initialyear of college.

This document comprises six sections,each representing an academic content area.English, mathematics and second languagescapture a relatively clear and distinct set ofattributes associated with each respectivediscipline. Natural sciences and socialsciences reflect the complexity of these areas,each of which encompasses a series ofdistinct academic disciplines. The standardsin these two content areas are grouped into

the skills that cut across thedisciplines within the areaalong with accompanyinglistings of the key knowledgeattributes for a number ofdisciplines within the area.

The arts section adopts aunique approach, due to thefact that arts classes do not fitas easily into the model ofentry-level classes. Artscourses may be experiencedfor the first time by studentsat any point in theiracademic careers, making itmore difficult to identifycourses associated with first-year students. Additionally,the arts are uniquely complexin a number of other ways. First, the artscan be divided initially into theperforming arts, where one performs orcreates an artistic product; and artsappreciation, where one learns to enjoy orunderstand the arts. Second, areas withinthe arts require distinctly differenttechnical skills. Music, art, dance andtheatre have more distinct skill sets andknowledge than do biology and chemistry,or geography and history. Therefore, thearts standards are organized by area basedon abilities derived from national artsstandards documents and the expressedvalues of arts faculty.

The knowledge and skills standardsenumerated in this document are generalstatements of expectations. The level ofchallenge required to meet any particularstandard may be somewhat unclear withoutfurther definition. The necessary skill levelcould be interpreted anywhere from anentering student to a college graduate. Tohelp clarify the level of expectation, acompanion document includes examples ofthe work students produce when they meetthe standard. The university work sampledocument is available by order (see page 6

David T. Conley, Ph.D., Director, Standards for Success

10 IntroductionA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

for details). The accompanying CD-ROMalso contains a complete set of work samplesspanning the standards. These illustrationshelp ground the standards’ expectation level.

American research universities arecomplex, diverse environments. Not everyfaculty member will necessarily agree withevery one of the Knowledge and Skills forUniversity Success standards. In fact, spiriteddebate typifies American higher education.Therefore, the standards enumerated hereshould be considered a starting point for acontinuing dialog about what is expected ofentering students. This dialog will help shiftthe focus of discussion from course titles

and grades to knowledge and skills. Whileperfect agreement may never be achieved,the process of seeking agreement will helpclarify for students and teachers alike, atboth the high school and postsecondarylevels, what is expected and needed forsuccess in college. To the degree that thesematerials further such a process, they willhave achieved their goal.

As more and more states adopt academiccontent standards and accompanyingassessment systems, the requirements forpostsecondary success become increasinglyimportant to understand. State high schoolstandards and tests should have somerelationship to university success, given thatclose to two-thirds of American high schoolgraduates go on directly to some form ofpostsecondary education. Most importantly,the skills students develop to do well on stateassessments should bear some relationshipto the knowledge and skills for universitysuccess. The standards contained in thisdocument are designed to help create abetter connection between high school anduniversity expectations.

Whether you are a student, parent,teacher or faculty member, I invite you toexplore these materials in order to gaingreater insight into what is required foruniversity success. The accompanying CD-ROM contains specific recommendationsand activities different audiences canpursue to put these standards into practice.I encourage you to make use of thesematerials in order to help improve thepreparation and success of students as theymove from high school to college.

David T. Conley, Ph.D.DirectorStandards for Success

Participants 11A report from Standards for Success

Founding PartnersAssociation of American

UniversitiesThe Pew Charitable Trusts

SponsoringUniversities

Harvard UniversityIndiana UniversityMassachusetts Institute of

TechnologyNew York University Pennsylvania State UniversityRice UniversityRutgers, The State University

of New JerseyUniversity of California,

BerkeleyUniversity of IllinoisThe University of IowaUniversity of MichiganUniversity of MinnesotaUniversity of MissouriUniversity of NebraskaUniversity of OregonUniversity of Southern

CaliforniaUniversity of Wisconsin

EndorsingUniversities

Carnegie Mellon UniversityCase Western Reserve

UniversityDuke UniversityStanford UniversityUniversity of North CarolinaUniversity of California,

Los AngelesUniversity of MarylandUniversity of VirginiaWashington University in

St. Louis

Project AdvisoryBoard

(Affiliation at time ofparticipation)

Betsy Brand, Co-Director,American Youth Policy Forum

Donald Carstensen, Vice-President, American College Testing

Chris Cross, former president,Council for Basic Education

Mary Sue Coleman, Ph.D.,President, The University of Iowa

Frederic Dietrich, Ph.D., Vice-President, The College Board

Melvin George, Ph.D., President Emeritus, University of Missouri

Gerardo Gonzalez, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education, Indiana University

Michael Kirst, Ph.D., Professor,School of Education, Stanford University

Ronald Latanision, Ph.D.,Chair,Professor, Material Sciencesand Engineering,Massachusetts Institute of Technology

David Loganecker, Ph.D.,Executive Director, Western InterstateCommission for HigherEducation

Wayne Martin, Ph.D., Director, State EducationAssessment Center, Council ofChief State School Officers

Esther Rodriguez, J.D., Director of Development,Education Commission of the States

Dale Vigil, Ph.D.,Area Superintendent, Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District

Tim Waters, Ed.D., C.E.O., Mid-continentResearch for Education andLearning

Robert Weisbuch, Ph.D.,President, The WoodrowWilson National FellowshipFoundation

Duncan Wyse, Ph.D.,President,Oregon Business Council

Admissions OfficersAdvisory Group

(Affiliation at time ofparticipation)

Michael Behnke, Ph.D.,Vice-President, University of Chicago

Jack Blackburn, Dean of Admissions, University of Virginia

Bill Kolb, Director of Admissions, University of Florida

Bob Laird, Ph.D., Chair, former director ofundergraduate admissions,University of California,Berkeley

Gigi Lamens, Vice-President of EnrollmentManagement, HofstraUniversity

Jerry Lucido, Ph.D., Vice Provost for EnrollmentManagement and Director of Admissions, University of North Carolina

Martha Pitts, Director of Admissions,University of Oregon

Wayne Sigler, Ph.D., Director of Admissions,University of Minnesota

Ted Spencer, Ph.D., Director of Admissions,University of Michigan

Ruth Vedvik, Ph.D., Director of Admissions, University of Illinois

Bruce Walker, Ph.D., Director of Admissions,Associate Vice-President for Student Affairs, University of Texas

Standards for Success David T. Conley, Ph.D., Director

Terri Heath, Ph.D., Research Associate and Project Coordinator

Françoise Bodone, Ph.D.,Research Associate andData Analysis Coordinator

Participants

12 ParticipantsA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

Standards for Success Cont’d

R. Sam Larson, Ph.D., Research Associate andAssessment DatabaseCoordinator

Jeff DeFranco, M.S.,Research Assistant andPublic Relations Coordinator

Jen Katz-Buonincontro, M.F.A.,Research Assistant

Eric-Michael MacCionnaith, M.S.,Research Assistant

Laura Bennett, B.A.,Art Director

Susan Primak, B.S.,Administrative Officer

Matt Ashmore, B.A.,Office Assistant

Dylan Vogt,Information Technology

Michael Kirst, Ph.D., Senior Project Associate,Stanford University

Andrea Venezia, Ph.D., Senior Project Associate,Stanford University

Alyssa O'Brien, Ph.D.,Consultant,Stanford University

Paula Razquin, Ph.D.,Research Assistant,Stanford University

Tiffany Smith, Research Assistant,Stanford University

Julie Slama, Facilitator,Stanford University

Autumn Zindel, Financial Coordinator,Stanford University

Project ConsultantsRichard S. Brown, Ph.D.,Assistant ProfessorDirector, Center for Researchin Educational Assessment and Measurement, University of California, Irvine

Bob Laird, Ph.D., former directorof undergraduate admissions, University of California, Berkeley

Wayne Newberger, former associate superintendentfor assessment, Oregon Department of Education

John Kendall, Ph.D., Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning

Special Thanks to:Shauna McKee, AdministrationRyan Bowlby, InformationTechnologyApryl Smith, ResearchChuck Theobald, InformationTechnologyDana Watrud, Project CoordinatorSony Disc Manufacturing

National ConversationParticipantsListed below are participants inthe National Conversation on KeyKnowledge and Skills forUniversity Success conducted atnine AAU universities betweenJanuary, 2001 and June, 2002. Thislist was compiled based on theregistration sheet received fromeach National Conversation hostcampus. Participants include bothteaching and administrativefaculty members with on-campusinvolvement in or responsibilityfor the education of enteringstudents.

*= Additional thanks to thecampus liaisons who gave manyhours of their time organizingmeetings of the NationalConversation at their universities.

Association of AmericanUniversities

Kathy Bailey Mathae

Brown UniversityRobert ShawDavid TarganKatharine Wilson

Harvard UniversityDaniel Goroff

Indiana University,Bloomington

Robert AppelmanScott BaldridgeAlan BenderJ. Jose BonnerMyles BrandCatherine Brown

Jack CummingsPaulette DilworthEnrique GalindoGerardo GonzalezPam HanrattyRuss HansonBill Harwood*Chris HaynesJanet JohnsonDavid KinmanDiana LambdinFrank LesterJoan Pong LintonJames MadisonDan MakiLissa May FlemingSharon O'BryanJennifer RobinsonShelley Sheila McDermott-SipeKumble R. Subbaswamy

Indiana UniversityPurdue University at Indianapolis

Lisa Angermeier-HowardBeth BerghoffCindy BorgmannJudy CarlsonSteve FoxJacob JayanthiBetty JonesMarvin KempleBob OsgoodMary Glenn RinneHerman Saatkamp, Jr.Phil ScarpinoDavid StocumScott WeedenMarianne Wokeck

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jeanne BambergerJohn BelcherLori BreslowGene BrownPhillip L. ClayPeter DourmashkinPeggy EndersMary EnterlineDiana HendersonBetsy HicksJohn HildebidleDavid JerisonMarilee JonesEric KlopferPaul LagaceRon LatanisionJeffrey MeldmanHaynes MillerHeidi NepfJulie Norman

Paul Parravano*Robert RedwineCandace RoyerArthur SteinbergGilbert StrangLeon TrillingKim Vandiver

New York UniversityAndre AdlerLynne Brown*Burton BudickKimberlee CampbellDarlene ForrestFrederick GreenleafJohn HalpinLynne HaneyTrace JordanCyrus PatellVincent RenziMatthew SantiroccoJohn SextonOtto Sonntag*Regina Syquia

Pennsylvania StateUniversity

Martha AynardiSandra BargainnierJames BeierleinDavid BenderIngrid Blood*Helen CaffreyTineke CunningJacqueline EspositoCarol GermanMarianne GoodfellowBillie JonesJoseph LambertJames LevinLisa MorrisJon OlsonHorst Von DorpowskiBarbara WadeAnthony WilliamRonald Zigler

Rutgers, The StateUniversity of New Jersey

Lynne AllenScott CagenelloMary Ann CancioCary ChernissSusan Forman*Pat GroveGregory HerzogLewis HirschAnn JurecicFrances L. LawrenceRichard MillerMargaret Persin

Joseph RosensteinKaren SmithJames SwensonCorinne WebbPiper WilliamsCalvin Yu

The University of IowaDan AndersonKen AtkinsonVictor CamilloMary Sue ColemanLaurie CroftSandra DamicoCarolyn DyerKathleen FarrellGary FischerPatricia FolsomMarsha ForysJohn FryJon GarfinkelJane GayForrest HollyRex Honey Geoffrey HopeBeth IngramDouglas JonesCraig KletzingBrenda LeichtKevin LeichtYi LiCarolyn LiebergJames LindbergJudith Liskin-GasparroLola Lopes*David ManderscheidRoberta MarvinDebra MillerPaul MuhlyAlan NagelBetsy PalmerLynn PringleRoland RacevskisTom RocklinChristopher RoyLeonard SandlerHelen SchartzJames SchmelingNancy SchneiderAlberto SegreCarol SeverinoJonathan SimonJohn SoloskiKeith StroyanDowning ThomasMary TrachselShaun VeceraPaul WindschitlEmil Rinderspacher

University of California,Berkeley

Ani AdhikariGregory AponteRobert M. BerdahlSteven ChinMartin CovingtonMary DubitzkyLynne FrameBarbara Gross-DavisJudith GruberOle HaldJane HammonsBrian HarveyRobert JacobsenCaroline KaneRichard KernLiza KnappRobert KnappClaire KramschMichael MascuchChristina Maslach*Daniel MeliaStuart RussellCynthia SchragerJean SchultzAngelica StacyCara StanleyPhilip StarkSteve TollefsonMark Wilson

University of California,Davis

Henry AlderJoseph KiskisPatricia Turner

University of California,Irvine

Michael DenninPatriciaHartzSusan JarrattDavid Kay

University of California, Los Angeles

Lucy BlackmarGreg KendrickMarc Levis

University of California,Riverside

Albert Stralka

University of California,Santa Barbara

Britt Andreatta


14 ParticipantsA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

National Conversation Cont’d

University of California, Santa Cruz

Lynda Goff

University of MinnesotaRichard BeachAndrea BerlinLillian Bridwell-BowlesPaula BruggeRobert H. BruininksMark BultmannTom ClaytonLaura Coffin KochTerence CollinsArnold CutlerLinda Ellinger*Bert FristedtBill GanzlinJill GidmarkLarry GrayGeorge GreeneTim GustafsonKen HellerRudy HernandezGordon HirschPeter HudlestonAlan HunterNaresh JainKathy JohnsonPatricia Jones WhyteChris KearnsBetsy KerrHarvey KeynesLen KuhiJim LegerKate MapleJudith MartinCharlotte MelinCarolyn NayematsuChris PaolaClaudia ParliamentRobert PepinKathie PetersonSandra PetersonLou PignoletTom PostPaula RabinowitzLuis Ramos-GarciaGerald RinehartShelly RodgersJenise RowekampEd SchiappaEric SheppardDavid ShupeWayne SiglerGeoffrey SircEileen SivertRichard SkaggsCraig SwanArt Walzer

Judith WanhalaJoel WeinsheimerJoyce WeinsheimerSteve Yussen

University of MissouriSandra AbellJohn AdamsErma BallengerLloyd BarrowJohn BeemPam BenoitSteve BorgeltMartin CamargoMeera ChandrasekharMarilyn Coleman Marilyn CumminsSuzanne CurrenceSusan DanielsWilliam DawsonMichael DevaneyMichael FinkeLouanna FurbeeMagdalena Garcia-PintoMel GeorgeTheresa GoedekeRichard HardySuzette HeimanRichard HesslerDaryl HobbsElaine HocksEmily Holt-FoerstDouglas HuntJohn IversonJoe JohnstonSteve KellerMarvin LewisKay LibbusGail LudwigPatrick MarketPeter MarkieJoel MaruniakJill McReynoldsAndrew MelnykNeil MinturnPhyllis MooreJohnetta MorrisonPeter MotavalliMary Jo MuratorePat OkkerStuart PalonskyIra PapickMartha PattonGlenn PierceGil Porter*Michael PorterJill RaittDon RanlyMarcus RautmanClyde RuffinKimberly SalleeDavid Schenker

Benyamin SchwarzDennis SentillesWendy SimsJo StealeyMarty TownsendDavid Trinklein Randy VessellRichard WallaceChris WeisbrookSharon WelchDale WilcoxJeffrey WilliamsWarren ZahlerBonnie ZelenakFlore Zephir

University of OregonJames ArnoldMelinda BeaneJason Bakanoff-EllisJack BennettTricia BevansJim BuchCristina CalhoonBrett ClarkSuzanne ClarkGeorge CusackRonald DaviesRobert DavisMaria De La TorreDianne DugawJames EarlPaula EllisterHilary FisherJames FlorendoDave FrohnmayerMeredith GallCarla GaryRoxanne GerbrandtHilary GerdesNancy GoldschmidtEvelyn GouldJohn HardwickSusan HardwickDiane HawleyCharles HuntInga JohnsonLinda KintzMichel KovcholovskyJon KujawaSusan LesykShlomo LibeskindDean LivelybrooksGlenn MayMargaret McBrideDavid McDonaldMark Dean MerittCandace MontoyaJohn MoseleySayo MurciaJohn NicolsLisa Oberbroeckling


Marilyn OlsonLyllye ParkerBert PoothJohn PostlethwaitMartha RavitsMatt RochaLaurie RodgersMartin SaarJoel SchoeningJames SchombertPaul SimondsJessica SklarMarliss StrangeRon SwisherSasha Tavenner KrugerChristine TellLora VessHolly ZanvilleRobert Zimmerman

University of WisconsinDaniel BarnishSteve BaumanMark BeissingerCal BergmanSally Berray*Alda BlancoMatt BriggsCharles CohenDon CoxJean HeitzKatie HuggettAndrew IrvingBrent McCownSusan NossalJan PlugUli SchamilogluJohn SharplessDan SheaGail SimpsonRobert SklootDenise SolomonPeter TimbieKeith WhiteJohn Wiley

Content ReviewPanelistsThese faculty members reviewedand helped develop the final draftof the Knowledge and Skills forUniversity Success standards.

EnglishTerence Collins, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

George Cusack, M.A.,University of Oregon

Diana Henderson, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dan Melia, Ph.D.,University of California, Berkeley

Cyrus Patell, Ph.D., New York University

Carol Severino, Ph.D.,The University of Iowa

Jill Gidmark, Ph.D.,University of Minnesota

MathematicsRichard Askey, Ph.D.,University of Wisconsin

Trish Bevans, M.S.,University of Oregon

Harvey Keynes, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Michel Kovcholovsky, M.A.,University of Oregon

Paul Muhly, Ph.D.,The University of Iowa

Dennis Sentilles, Ph.D.,University of Missouri

Natural SciencesJohn M. Halpin, Ph.D., New York University

Sasha Tavenner Kruger, M.S.,University of Oregon

Brenda Leicht, Ph.D., The University of Iowa

Mark Kubinec, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Patrick Market, Ph.D.,University of Missouri

Leon Trilling, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute ofTechnology

Social SciencesLindy Beane, M.S.,University of Oregon

John Fry, Ph.D., The University of Iowa

Claudia Parliament, Ph.D.,University of Minnesota

Richard Hessler, Ph.D.,University of Missouri

Second LanguagesLiza Knapp, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Alan Timberlake, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley

Luis Ramos-Garcia, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Andrew Irving, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

Robert Davis, Ph.D., University of Oregon

Carl Falsgraf, Ph.D., University of Oregon

The ArtsVisual Arts

Lynne Allen, Ph.D., Rutgers

Doug Blandy, Ph.D.,University of Oregon

Craig Zabel, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University

Gail Simpson, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin

TheatreClyde Ruffin, Ph.D., University of Missouri

Charles Railsback, Ph.D.,Indiana University

DanceAnna Beatrice Scott, Ph.D.,University of California,Riverside

Gus Solomon, Jr., Ph.D.,New York University

Thomas DeFrantz, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MusicLissa May Fleming, Ph.D.,Indiana University

Jeanne Bamberger, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Art HistoryRick Asher, Ph.D., University of Minnesota

Knowledge & SkillsFoundationsStudents who perform well and derive thegreatest benefit from entry-level universityEnglish courses are students who areprepared for thoughtful study, students whoare engaged in the material and the processof learning, students who are curious,persistent and realistic. The followingdiscussion presents in greater detail the skillsand attributes that help make these studentssuccessful.

Reading, Comprehension &LiteratureSuccessful students connect reading towriting and thinking skills. Reading is anactive process that, if done well, involvesasking questions and noticing patternsalong the way. Active reading includesmaking notes, summarizing and critiquingthe material. Many students read in amechanical manner—just following thewords on the page—instead of using activereading strategies.

Once students understand what it meansto be active readers, their next step is tothink critically about what they have read.Successful students recognize an effectivethesis and how it is constructed. Reading isinteractive and leads to experiential andliterary connections. Successful studentsare prepared to answer questions such as,“How does this text make you feel?” and“What features of the text made you feelthis way?”

It is important, too, to be able to take aposition about the material and defend thatposition in a discussion. Students need torealize that one piece of writing can evoke a

variety of interpretations and that subject-ivity, including personal experience andopinion, influences possible reactions.

The ability to paraphrase reading assign-ments shows whether a studentcomprehends the material. Paraphrasingrequires that students pay close attention toand understand both the literal meaningsand connotations of words. While reading,successful students decide which pieces ofinformation are important and relevant tothe current assignment, noting the specificpoints that support the argument they planto present.

Students who are ready for introductoryliterature courses come to the universityfamiliar with a range of world literature.They are aware of major U.S. and Britishauthors—both men and women—andrepresentative literary works from a varietyof cultural traditions. These students havehad exposure to non-literary sources aswell: documents such as the Magna Cartaor the Declaration of Independence. Withthat exposure, students have a betterunderstanding of the range of writing fromwhich their literature courses will draw.

Awareness of cultural contexts is impor-tant, but students need to be familiar withliterary forms and genres, as well. The abilityto distinguish between different forms andgenres of writing is crucial. Students shouldbe able to recognize forms, such as a novel,poem, play, essay, short story, and be able toidentify what makes a biography differentfrom a novel, or a short story different froman essay. To understand the purposes andpossibilities of various forms, students needto be able to tell the difference betweengenres: comedy, epic, tragedy, romance andothers.

EnglishStudents need to engage texts critically and identify a theme or idea. They must be able to identify these before they can move on to any deeper analysis.

Faculty Viewpoint

18 EnglishA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

Writing & EditingGrammar is the basis for good writing. Goodwriting demands that writers consistently useproper sentence structure. Students in collegeare expected to know how to diagram asentence and recognize how this processhelps them understand words and theirfunctions within a sentence. It is alsoimportant to understand the specific wayscorrect grammar makes writing clearer andhelps communicate more effectively.

Students should know basic grammaticalterminology and the parts of speech. They shoulddistinguish between clauses, phrases andcomplete sentences. The mechanics of writing issimply a subset of writing skills.

Faculty Viewpoint

All students can benefit from moreattention to writing mechanics. A review ofwork samples from students in entry-levelcourses reveals a high level and array ofgrammatical errors. In order to succeed inand benefit from writing and literaturecourses, students must have a good grasp ofwriting conventions.

Good writers use language to expressideas, not simply to describe events.Student writing must be coherent, andstudents need to think rhetorically whenthey write, consider the audience,carefully select the evidence used tosupport ideas, cogently present the

overall argument and understand thepurposes of their writing. To achieve this,successful students write an outline beforethey start the larger piece, then use theoutline as a tool to develop a detailedstructure, as well as a guide while writing.

Successful students also understand howto support an argument well enough that astrong position emerges, while at the sametime understand the consequences of takinga particular position. Defending a positionrequires an attuned knowledge of thematerial—which also tends to improvestudents’ ability to think about what theywrite.

Writing is just the beginning. Editing isthe most important part of the writingprocess. Going through several drafts of aparticular paper is routine for a college-levelassignment. Often, students rely too heavilyon the computer spell-checker in place ofreferences and careful revision. Studentsneed to be able to proofread, check formistakes on their own and appreciate thevalue of the revision and re-writingprocesses. These processes improve writingability; they help students be better writersand improve grades on written assignments.

Information Gathering: Notes & Research Students are expected to take useful notesduring the many lectures they attend duringtheir first year of college. To be useful, a setof notes should be more than just atranscript of what a professor has said. It isall too common for many new collegestudents simply to fill up pages withoutsufficiently evaluating the relative qualityand importance of the informationdelivered by the instructor. Students areexpected to pay close attention and engagewith presented materials, both written andverbal. This requires taking in information,analyzing it and recording that which ismeaningful and useful.

English 19A report from Standards for Success

A huge part of the information gatheringprocess takes place outside of the classroom.Successful students know how to make aresearch plan and carry it out: What questionsneed to be asked, who has the knowledge andauthority to answer them and what sourcescan be used to answer those questions? Also,students should have, or at least be able todevelop quickly, the following skills:

1. The ability to identify a source.Students must understand whatplagiarism is and understand theethics of writing. It is essential toknow what borrowing ideas fromother authors means, how toparaphrase properly and how tocite sources.

2. The ability to distinguish thedegree of quality and reliability ofinformation. Many students oftenaccept unreliable informationfrom the Internet or otherunverified sources.

3. The ability to connect informationfrom sources to support anargument. Students need to knowthe difference between primaryand secondary sources and askthemselves whether the evidencethey have found is weak or strong,and how that evidence helpscreate a cogent argument.

4. The ability to be disciplined indoing research, regardless of whatthe field may be. The humanitiesuse good research, just as thesciences do.

Students should have read English, Americanand world literatures and know many of theimportant authors and key works. They should beable to identify a literature's country of origin.

Faculty Viewpoint

Analysis, Critique & Connections In addition to the ability to engage inreading and to present a solid structure andargument in writing, students need to thinkanalytically about the information theycollect. Students should be able to:

1. Categorize informationthematically. Doing so allowsstudents to see the largerconstructs inherent in theinformation and see therelationships between ideas andattendant concepts and theories.Then, students can identify themain message and avoidbecoming overwhelmed bydetails.

2. Go beyond facts presented inreadings or lectures. Students mustallow questions to emerge from thetext, identify connections withother concepts they have learnedand imagine alternatives to a text’sfinal content message orconclusion.

3. Be aware of the difference(s)between summary and description,and interpretation and analysis.


4. Move between general and specificideas when analyzing information.

5. Think comparatively and makeconnections across texts andpoints of view, enriching andexpanding the understanding ofthe materials.

Once the information is gathered andthe analysis process is underway, the mostimportant skill to employ is criticalreflection. Critical reflection goes beyond“I liked it,” or “I didn’t like it.” Whenasked to evaluate a piece of writing, stu-dents are expected to answer questions

that do not necessarily have right or wronganswers. This requires reflective andcritical think-ing. It is crucial that studentsbe able to discuss questions in depth andeffectively defend a position based on theiranalysis of the material.

At the college level, students must also beable to accept constructive criticism of theirown work without taking it personally. Manystudents are unable or unwilling to argueeffectively, nor can they differentiate betweencriticism and critique. To succeed indiscussion classes and written work, criticalskills are essential.

Students need to be willing to receive acritique of their work without perceiving it asan attack on their integrity, intelligence orcreativity. A good refutation of your argumentis not a personal attack; it does not mean thatyou are talentless or a bad person.

Faculty Viewpoint

Successful students are able to integratepersonal experiences and knowledge withthe material they encounter in theircoursework. Information comes from avariety of sources—whether it is from adifferent class or department, personalobservation or public knowledge, studentsshould be able to connect ideas andconcepts across sources. Making such con-nections helps students understand theinterdisciplinary nature of knowledge.

Successful students have opinions. Theyare able to assert their opinions and askbold questions. By thinking out theiropinions, students develop a consciousnessand a distinct voice. At the same time,students need to understand that “I”statements are rarely acceptable in formalacademic writing. Opinions may be a goodthing, but they need to be substantiated andsupported by empirical evidence.


Orientation Towards LearningTime management is a key part of research,coursework and effective participation.College level study often takes more timethan students are prepared to spend.Incoming students must learn how to setaside enough time for reading and study andto understand that some assignments takemany hours. The ability to start early and tobudget time effectively are essential skills.

Students who participate in publicdiscourse—by reading newspapers, follow-ing the course of world events andconsidering how those events play out in theU.S.—are ready to participate in academicdiscussion. Such discussion requires giveand take, and students should have ideasand questions to add to the conversation. Itis necessary for students to ask questionsand to understand why it is important to doso. To benefit from material presented inclasses, students need to be engaged withtheir instructors and to ask questions that gobeyond what is presented in class.

Young students are often quick to make broadgeneralizations. What they tend not to dealwith are the specifics. They don’t know thatyou’re supposed to support positions withreferences. They can say the world is screwedup, but think they can leave it at that withoutbeing more specific.

Faculty Viewpoint

To be able to discuss a piece of lit-erature, students must have a basicunderstanding of its place in history.Placing text in its historical context canhelp students understand where theythemselves fit and how societal contextsinfluence writing and thinking.

The same applies to geography: Tounderstand fully the impact of a piece ofliterature, students must be able to place it

in a geographical context. Students mustunderstand how that geographic settinginfluences the content of the work.

Students need to be open-minded andwilling to consider a variety of viewpoints,texts and phenomena that may differ fromwhat they may have learned before. Suchopen-mindedness helps students understandthe ways in which knowledge is constructed.It broadens student perspectives and helpsstudents deal with the novelty and ambiguityoften found in new materials.

I wish students had a willingness to go deeper,to get beneath the surface of the text or thesurface of the argument and discover what thesubstance is. I wish they were willing to try todo that more often.

Faculty Viewpoint

As tasks become more challenging, it isoften difficult for new college students tomaintain acceptable levels of attention andapplication. It is essential that studentsapproach their work with an open mind andwillingness to push forward. Students arealmost always capable of following through;more often, they are simply unwilling to tryand keep trying.

Students do well if they appreciate whatcollege is—and what it is not. They mustunderstand academic expectations and therealities of college life, including the need toapply themselves and work hard. College isa process of learning, not a series ofobligatory hurdles towards a degree. Thestudents who appreciate the need topersevere and think independently are inthe best position to succeed.


EnglishStandards*= Items with an asterisk are those expected ofstudents who plan to major in these fields of study(English, comparative literature, writing).

I. Reading & Comprehension

A. Successful students employ readingskills and strategies to understand literature. They:

A.1. engage in an analytic process toenhance comprehension andcreate personal meaning whenreading text. This includes theability to annotate, question,agree or disagree, summarize,critique and formulate apersonal response.

A.2. make supported inferences anddraw conclusions based ontextual features, seeking suchevidence in text, format,language use, expositorystructures and arguments used.

A.3. use reading skills and strategiesto understand a variety of typesof literature, such as epic pieces(for instance, the Iliad) and lyricpoems, as well as narrativenovels and philosophical pieces.

A.4. understand plot and characterdevelopment in literature,including character motive,causes for actions and thecredibility of events.

A.5.* identify basic beliefs,perspectives and philosophicalassumptions underlying anauthor’s work. This includesidentifying points of view,attitudes and the valuesconveyed by specific use oflanguage.

A.6.* exercise a variety of strategies tounderstand the origins andmeanings of new words,including analysis of word rootsand the determination of wordderivations.

A.7.* recognize and comprehendnarrative terminology andtechniques, such as authorversus narrator, stated versusimplied author and historicalversus present-day reader.

B. Successful students use reading skillsand strategies to understand informational texts. They:

B.1. understand instructions forsoftware, job descriptions,college applications, historicaldocuments, governmentpublications, newspapers andtextbooks.

B.2. use monitoring and self-correction, as well as readingaloud, as means to ensurecomprehension.

B.3. understand vocabulary andcontent, including subject-areaterminology; connotative anddenotative meanings; andidiomatic meanings.

B.4. exercise a variety of strategies tounderstand the origins andmeanings of new words,including recognition of cognatesand contextual clues.

C. Successful students are able tounderstand the definingcharacteristics of texts and torecognize a variety of literary formsand genres. They:

C.1. comprehend the salientcharacteristics of major typesand genres of texts, such asnovels, short stories, horrorstories, science fiction,biographies, autobiographies,poems and plays.

C.2. understand the formalconstraints of different types oftexts and can distinguishbetween, for example, aShakespearean sonnet and apoem written in free verse.

C.3. are able to discuss withunderstanding the effects of an


author’s style and use of literarydevices to influence the readerand evoke emotions. Thisincludes devices such asimagery, characterization,choice of narrator, use ofsound, formal and informallanguage, allusions, symbols,irony, voice, flashbacks,foreshadowing, time andsequence and mood.

C.4. are able to identify archetypes,such as universal destruction,journeys and tests andbanishment, which appearacross a variety of types ofliterature, including Americanliterature, world literature,myths, propaganda andreligious texts.

C.5. are able to discuss withunderstanding themes such asinitiation, love and duty,heroism and death and rebirththat appear across a variety ofliterary works and genres.

C.6. use aesthetic qualities of style,such as diction or mood, as abasis to evaluate literature thatcontains ambiguities, subtletiesor contradictions.

D. Successful students are familiar with arange of world literature. They:

D.1. demonstrate familiarity withmajor literary periods ofEnglish and American literatureand their characteristic forms,subjects and authors.

D.2. demonstrate familiarity withauthors from literarytraditions beyond the English-speaking world.

D.3. demonstrate familiarity withmajor works of literatureproduced by American andBritish authors.

E. Successful students are able to discusswith understanding the relationshipsbetween literature and its historicaland social contexts. They:

E.1. know major historical events thatmay be encountered in literature.

E.2. demonstrate familiarity with theconcept that historical, socialand economic contexts influenceform, style and point of view;and that social influences affectan author’s descriptions ofcharacter, plot and setting.

E.3. demonstrate familiarity withthe concept of the relativity ofall historical perspectives,including their own.

E.4. are able to discuss withunderstanding the relationshipsbetween literature and politics,including the politicalassumptions underlying anauthor’s work and the impact ofliterature on politicalmovements and events.


F. Successful students are able to readand interpret visual images, includingcharts and graphs. They:

F.1. identify the primary elementsof the types of charts, graphsand visual media that occurmost commonly in texts.

F.2. interpret accurately the contentof charts, graphs and visualmedia that occur in texts.

II. Writing

A. Successful students apply basicgrammar conventions in an effort towrite clearly. They:

A.1. identify and use correctly andconsistently parts of speech,including nouns, pronouns,verbs, adverbs, conjunctions,prepositions, adjectives andinterjections.

A.2. use subject-verb agreementand verb tense consistentlyand correctly.

A.3. demonstrate consistent, correctand appropriate pronounagreement and the use ofdifferent types of clauses andphrases, including adverbclauses, adjective clauses andadverb phrases.

B. Successful students know conventionsof punctuation and capitalization. They:

B.1. use commas withnonrestrictive clauses andcontrasting expressions.

B.2. use ellipses, colons, hyphens,semi-colons, apostrophes andquotation marks correctly.

B.3. capitalize sentences and propernouns correctly.

B.4. consistently avoid run-onsentences and sentencefragments.


C. Successful students know conventionsof spelling. They:

C.1. use a dictionary and otherresources to spell new,unfamiliar or difficult words.

C.2. differentiate between commonlyconfused terms, such as “its” and“it’s” or “affect” and “effect.”

C.3. know how to use the spell-checker and grammar checkfunction in word processingsoftware while understanding thelimitations of relying upon thesetools.

D. Successful students use writing conventions to write clearly andcoherently. They:

D.1. know and use several pre-writing strategies, includingdeveloping a focus; determiningthe purpose; planning asequence of ideas; usingstructured overviews; andcreating outlines.

D.2. use paragraph structure inwriting as manifested by theability to construct coherentparagraphs and arrangeparagraphs in logical order.

D.3. use a variety of sentencestructures appropriately inwriting, including compound,complex, compound-complex,parallel, repetitive andanalogous sentence structures.

D.4. present ideas to achieve overallcoherence and logical flow inwriting and use appropriatetechniques such as transitionsand repetition to maximizecohesion.

D.5. use words correctly; use wordsthat mean what the writerintends to say; and use a variedvocabulary.

D.6.* demonstrate development ofa controlled yet unique styleand voice in writing whereappropriate.

D.7.* use a style manual, such as theModern Language Association(MLA) or the AmericanPsychological Association (APA)to apply writing conventionsand to create documentationformats in a manner consistentwith the manual.

E. Successful students use writing to communicate ideas, concepts, emotionsand descriptions to the reader. They:

E.1. know the difference between atopic and a thesis.

E.2. articulate a position through athesis statement and advanceit using evidence, examplesand counterarguments that arerelevant to the audience orissue at hand.

E.3. use a variety of methods todevelop arguments, includingcompare-contrast reasoning;logical arguments (inductive-deductive); and alternationbetween general and specific(e.g., connections betweenpublic knowledge and personalobservation and experience).

E.4. write to persuade the reader byanticipating and addressingcounterarguments, by usingrhetorical devices and bydeveloping an accurate andexpressive style ofcommunication that movesbeyond mechanics to add flairand elegance to writing.

E.5. use a variety of strategies toadapt writing for differentaudiences and purposes, suchas including appropriatecontent and using appropriatelanguage, style, tone andstructure.

E.6. distinguish between formal andinformal styles, for example,between academic essays andpersonal memos.


E.7. use appropriate strategies andformats to write personal andbusiness correspondence,including appropriateorganizational patterns, formallanguage and tone.

E.8.* use appropriate strategies towrite expository essays thatemploy supporting evidence; useinformation from primary andsecondary sources; incorporatecharts, graphs, tables andillustrations where appropriate;anticipate and address readers’biases and expectations; andexplain technical terms andnotations.

E.9.* use strategies to write fictional,autobiographical, andbiographical narratives thatinclude a well-developed pointof view and literary elements;present events in logicalsequence; convey a unifyingtheme or tone; use concrete andsensory language; and paceaction.

F. Successful students both use and prioritize a variety of strategies torevise and edit written work toachieve maximum improvement in the time available. They:

F.1. employ basic editing skillsproficiently to identifyobvious mechanical errors,clarify and improve thestructure of the piece andsharpen language andmeaning.

F.2. review ideas and structure insubstantive ways to improvedepth of information and logicof organization.

F.3. reassess appropriateness ofwriting in light of genre,purpose and audience.

F.4. use feedback from others torevise written work.

III. Research Skills

A. Successful students understand anduse research methodologies. They:

A.1. formulate research questions,refine topics, develop a plan forresearch and organize what isknown about the topic.

A.2. use research to support anddevelop their own opinions, asopposed to simply restatingexisting information or opinions.

A.3. identify claims in their writingthat require outside support orverification.

A.4.* identify through research themajor concerns and debates ina given community or field ofinquiry and address these intheir writing.

B. Successful students know how to finda variety of sources and use themproperly. They:

B.1. collect information to develop atopic and support a thesis.

B.2. understand the differencebetween primary and secondarysources.

B.3. use a variety of print orelectronic primary andsecondary sources includingbooks, magazines, newspapers,journals, periodicals and theInternet.

B.4. understand the concept ofplagiarism and how (or why) toavoid it and understand rulesfor paraphrasing, summarizingand quoting, as well asconventions for incorporatinginformation from Internet-based sources in particular.

B.5. evaluate sources of informationlocated on the Internet inparticular to ascertain theircredibility, origin, potentialbias, and overall quality.

B.6. select relevant sources whenwriting research papers andappropriately include


information from such sources;logically introduce andincorporate quotations;synthesize information in alogical sequence; identifydifferent perspectives; identifycomplexities and discrepanciesin information; and offersupport for conclusions.

B.7.* evaluate sources critically,discerning the quality of thematerials and qualifying thestrength of the evidence andarguments, as well asdetermining credibility,identifying bias and perspectiveof the author and using priorknowledge of the source.

IV. Critical Thinking Skills

A. Successful students demonstrate connective intelligence. They:

A.1. are able to discuss withunderstanding how personalexperiences and values affectreading comprehension andinterpretation.

A.2.* demonstrate an ability to makeconnections between thecomponent parts of a text andthe larger theoretical structures,including presupposition,audience, purpose, writer’scredibility or ethos, types ofevidence or material being usedand style.

B. Successful students demonstrate theability to think independently. They:

B.1. are comfortable formulatingand expressing their own ideas.

B.2. support their arguments withlogic and evidence relevant totheir audience and thatexplicates their position as fullyas possible.

B.3. understand fully the scope oftheir arguments and the claimsunderlying them.

B.4. reflect on and assess thestrengths and weaknesses oftheir ideas and the expressionof those ideas.

Knowledge & SkillsFoundationsAs in many other disciplines, incomingstudents in mathematics are expected tobring a combination of hands-on skillsand conceptual understanding. Enteringstudents need to know basic mathematicalconcepts—computation, algebra, trigo-nometry, geometry—so that they have thetools to work with increasingly complexconceptual mathematical and quant-itative procedures and analyses in theircollege courses.

Understanding MathematicsSuccessful students approach math-ematical problems as they would aninvestigation. They ask questions, reflectand revisit their solutions with this idea in mind: It is important how one reaches a solution and why a solution works.Problem solving involves analytical pro-cesses and sets of skills. These skills include,among others, the following:

1. Thinking conceptually, not justprocedurally, about mathematics.Successful students understand therelationships that exist betweenmathematical concepts and thatformulas do not function in avacuum. They perceivemathematics as a way ofunderstanding, a thinking processand not a collection of detachedprocedures to be learned andapplied separately.

2. Using logical reasoning andcommon sense to work on andfind mathematical solutions.Successful students are able toprovide supporting evidence toconstruct compelling argumentsto explain processes andsolutions. They check theirsolutions through visualization,so that they can see whether theirfindings make sense or not.

3. Using experimental thinking,inquisitiveness and a willingness toinvestigate the steps used to reach asolution. Successful studentsunderstand there can be multipleapproaches to solving a problem.

4. Taking risks and accepting failureas part of the learning process.When students do not find thecorrect answer to a problem, it isan opportunity to revisit theprocedures they used, try new onesand ask further questions. Findinga solution may be only vaguelylogical. Verifying a solution shouldbe rigorously logical.

5. The ability to use formulas andalgorithms of computation. Alack of facility with computationand formulas encumbers theanalytical process.

Problem Solving, Technology andCommunicationProblem solving is central to the teachingand learning of mathematics. The step-by-step approach is the best way to solve math

MathematicsI would characterize having a good mathematical background as the ability to extractthe problem from a context, use mathematics to solve the problem and then interpretthe solution back into the context. This is an important skill.

Faculty Viewpoint

30 MathematicsA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

problems and draw parallels andconnections from various problems.Mathematical problem solving involveslogical reasoning; it is important to explorethe reasons why step two follows step one.Successful students understand the processof modifying, adapting and combiningmathematical tools to find new ways toreach a solution. They also need to questionresults until they can explain their answersand defend them. Technology is importantand relevant to the understanding ofmathematics. However, students need to beaware of its limitations and recognize thatcalculators are tools that assist but do notreplace the thinking process. A graphingcalculator can be a tool to deepenunderstanding of functions and as a way torepresent them visually. At the same time,successful students can identify whether thecalculator’s answers are reasonable in lightof their own calculations.

Mathematics is the language of thesciences, and thus fluency in this language isa basic skill. Students prepared for college-level study are comfortable with mathematicterminology and use it appropriately. It iscrucial to understand that formulas andsymbols provide precise statements of oftenvaguely posed problems. Different inter-pretations of a problem may lead to differentmathematical models and analyses. Studentsmust pay attention to the wording ofproblems and move with ease between thesymbolic representation of a problem and itsverbal presentation.

Students need to understand that process is alsoimportant in mathematics. They tend to put toomuch emphasis on the answer.

Faculty Viewpoint

While mathematics is a type of language,the study of math also requires solid verbalskills. In mathematics, students are expectedto write with clarity and cohesiveness. Apoorly written solution is often an indicationof confused thinking. While clarity in writingis the best way to convey information toothers, it is also an important indication thatone understands the problem.

Orientation Towards Learning Relating mathematical abstractions to lifeoutside of mathematics courses is a highlyuseful skill. Students who do well inmathematics classes are prepared totranslate real situations into mathematicalrepresentation and, conversely, extractmeaning from mathematical expression.They understand when mathematicsgeneralizes and when it is specific, andrecognize the importance of abstractionand generalization as they learn and domathematics.

Mathematics 31A report from Standards for Success

Often, college-level mathematics coursesrequire that students work in groups. While itis important to be able to work effectivelywith peers, students must also develop theskills necessary to approach mathematicalproblems on their own; independent ofclasses, group projects and workenvironments. Doing so will help studentsget the most from group activities. Bothsituations are valuable—as are the skills towork within them.

Students often experience anxiety whenconfronted with a mathematical problem,even when encountering mathematicalterminology. Persistence is invaluable in thequest for correct answers to a problem, and itis vital to tolerate ambiguity on the road tosolution. Interestingly enough, some facultyexpressed a concern about students being tooconfident in their perceived knowledge andskills. Students are sometimes naivelyconfident, preventing themselves fromengaging in the mathematical process,finding other solutions and estimating orquestioning the viability of their results.

Mathematical problems rarely haveinstant or quick solutions and oftenrequire long periods of time before asolution can be found. Sustainedinquiry—engaging in the process for morethan a short time—is an important part ofthe process when solving a problem orwriting an exam. Successful studentsunderstand that math is an academicactivity that requires time, sustainedengagement, patience and persistence.

When students practice multiplying and addingby hand for a long time, they get a feel for whatnumbers are. Now, by overusing the calculator,simple operations are gone. Mental calculationshelp develop a feel for math. Going to thecalculator too soon is a problem.

Faculty Viewpoint

MathematicsStandards*= Items with an asterisk are those expected ofstudents who plan to major in these fields of study(mathematics, computer science, statistics).

I. Computation

A. Successful students know basicmathematical operations. They:

A.1. apply arithmetic operations withfractions and integers (e.g., addand subtract by finding acommon denominator, multiplyand divide, reduce and performlong division without acalculator).

A.2. use exponents and scientificnotation.

A.3. use radicals correctly.

A.4. understand relative magnitude.

A.5. calculate using absolute value.

A.6. use the correct order ofarithmetic operations,particularly demonstratingfacility with the Distributive Law.


A.7.* know terminology for complexnumbers, integers, rationalnumbers, irrational numbersand complex numbers.

B. Successful students know and carefullyrecord symbolic manipulations. They:

B.1. understand the uses ofmathematical symbols as well asthe limitations on theirappropriate uses (e.g., equalsigns, parentheses, superscriptsand subscripts).

C. Successful students know anddemonstrate fluency withmathematical notation andcomputation. They:

C.1. correctly perform addition,subtraction, multiplication anddivision that includes variables.

C.2. perform appropriate basicoperations on sets (e.g., union,intersection, elements of,subsets and complement).

C.3. use alternative symbolicexpressions, particularlyalternatives to x (e.g., letters ofthe Greek alphabet that do notalready have specific scientificor mathematical meanings).

II. Algebra

A. Successful students know and applybasic algebraic concepts. They:

A.1. use the distributive property tomultiply polynomials.

A.2. know how to compose anddecompose functions and how tofind inverses of basic functions.

A.3. simplify and perform basicoperations on rationalexpressions, including findingcommon denominators (e.g.,add, subtract, multiply anddivide).

A.4. understand exponents, rootsand their properties [e.g.,(x2)(x3)=x5 and (√x)3 = x3/2)].


A.5. know basic theorems ofexponents and roots.

A.6.* understand logarithms (to bases2, 10 and e) and their properties.

A.7.* divide low degree polynomials(e.g., long division).

A.8.* know basic theorems oflogarithms.

A.9.* factor polynomials (e.g.,difference of squares, perfectsquare trinomials, difference oftwo cubes and trinomials suchas x2 + 3x + 2).

B. Successful students use variousappropriate techniques to solvebasic equations and inequalities.They:

B.1. solve linear equations andabsolute value equations.

B.2. solve linear inequalities andabsolute value inequalities.

B.3. solve systems of linearequations and inequalitiesusing algebraic and graphicalmethods (e.g., substitution,elimination, addition andgraphing).

B.4. solve quadratic equations usingvarious appropriate methodswhile recognizing realsolutions. This includes:

B.4a. factoring.

B.4b. completing the square.

B.4c. the quadratic formula.

C. Successful students distinguish betweenand among expressions, formulas,equations and functions. They:

C.1. know when it is possible tosimplify, solve, substitute orevaluate equations andexpressions and when it is notpossible. For example, expand,but do not solve, the expression(x+3)(x+1); substitute a = 3, b =4 into the formula a2 + b2 = c2;

solve the equation 0 =(x+3)(x+1); or evaluate thefunction f(x) = (x+3)(x+1) at x= -1.

C.2. understand that the concept ofa function has a specificdefinition beyond being a typeof algebraic expression.

C.3. represent functions, patternsand relationships in differentways (e.g., statements, formulasand graphs).

C.4. understand the algebraiclanguage and notation forfunctions (e.g., domain andrange).

C.5. understand a variety of functions(e.g., polynomial, rational,exponential, logarithmic andtrigonometric) and properties ofeach.

D. Successful students understand therelationship between equations andgraphs. They:

D.1. understand basic forms of theequation of a straight line andhow to graph the line withoutthe aid of a calculator.

D.2. understand the basic shape ofa quadratic function and therelationships between the rootsof the quadratic and zeroes ofthe function.

D.3. know the basic shape of thegraph of exponential and logfunctions, includingexponential decay.

E. Successful students understandalgebra well enough to apply itprocedurally and conceptually to arange of common problems. They:

E.1. recognize which type ofexpression best fits the context ofa basic application (e.g., linearequation to solve distance/timeproblems; quadratic equation toexplain the motion of a fallingobject; or compound interest asan exponential function).


F. Successful students demonstrate theability to work with formulas andsymbols algebraically. They:

F.1.* know formal notation (e.g.,sigma notation and factorialnotation).

F.2.* know arithmetic and geometricprogressions and series.

III. Trigonometry

A. Successful students know andunderstand basic trigonometricprinciples. They:

A.1. know the definitions of sine,cosine and tangent using righttriangle geometry andsimilarity relations.

A.2. understand the relationshipbetween a trigonometric functionin standard form and itscorresponding graph (e.g.,domain, range, amplitude,period, phase shift and verticalshift).

A.3. understand periodicity andrecognize graphs of periodicfunctions, especially thetrigonometric functions.

A.4.* know and use identities for sumand difference of angles [e.g.,sin (x ± y), cos (x ± y)] and usedouble and half angle formulas.

IV. Geometry

A. Successful students understand anduse both basic plane and solidgeometry. They:

A.1. know properties of similarity,congruence and parallel linescut by a transversal.

A.2. know how to figure area andperimeter of basic figures.

A.3. understand the ideas behindsimple geometric proofs and areable to develop and write simplegeometric proofs (e.g., thePythagorean theorem; that thereare 180 degrees in a triangle;and that the area of a triangle ishalf the base times the height).

A.4. solve problems involvingproofs through the use ofgeometric constructions.

A.5. use similar triangles to findunknown angle measurementsand lengths of sides.


A.6. visualize solids and surfaces inthree-dimensional space (e.g.,recognize the shape of a boxbased on a two-dimensionalrepresentation of its surfaces; andrecognize the shape of a conebased on a two-dimensionalrepresentation of its surface).

A.7. know basic formulas forvolume and surface area forthree-dimensional objects.

B. Successful students know analytic(i.e., coordinate) geometry. They:

B.1. know geometric properties oflines (e.g., slope and midpointof a line segment).

B.2. know the formula for thedistance between two points.

B.3. solve mathematical and real-world problems (e.g., ladders,shadows and poles) that involvethe properties of special righttriangles with the Pythagoreantheorem and its converse.

B.4.* recognize geometrictranslations andtransformations algebraically.

C. Successful students understand basicrelationships between geometry andalgebra. They:

C.1. know that geometric objects andfigures can also be describedalgebraically (e.g., ax + by = c isthe standard form of a line).

C.2. know the algebra and geometryof circles.

C.3.* know the algebra and geometryof parabolas and ellipses as aprerequisite to the study ofcalculus.

C.4.* use trigonometry for examplesof the algebraic/geometricrelationship, including Law ofSines/Cosines.

V. Mathematical Reasoning

A. Successful students know importantdefinitions, why definitions arenecessary and are able to usemathematical reasoning to solveproblems. They:

A.1. use inductive reasoning in basicarguments.

A.2. use deductive reasoning in basicarguments.

A.3. use geometric and visualreasoning.

A.4. use multiple representations(e.g., analytic, numerical andgeometric) to solve problems.

A.5. learn to solve multi-stepproblems.

A.6. use a variety of strategies torevise solution processes.

A.7. understand the uses of bothproof and counterexample inproblem solutions and are ableto conduct simple proofs.

A.8. are familiar with the process ofabstracting mathematicalmodels from word problems,geometric problems andapplications and are able tointerpret solutions in thecontext of these sourceproblems.

B. Successful students are able to workwith mathematical notation to solveproblems and to communicatesolutions. They:

B.1. translate simple statements intoequations (e.g., “Bill is twice asold as John” is expressed by theequation b=2j).

B.2. understand the role of writtensymbols in representingmathematical ideas and theprecise use of special symbolsof mathematics.

C. Successful students know a select listof mathematical facts and know howto build upon those facts (e.g.,Pythagorean theorem; formulas forperimeter, area, volume; andquadratic formula).

D. Successful students know how toestimate. They:

D.1. are able to convert betweendecimal approximations andfractions.

D.2. know when to use anestimation or approximation inplace of an exact answer.

D.3. recognize the accuracy of anestimation.

D.4. know how to make and useestimations.

E. Successful students understand theappropriate use as well as thelimitation of calculators. They:

E.1. recognize when the resultsproduced are unreasonable orrepresent misinformation.

E.2.* use calculators for systematictrial-and-error problem solving.

E.3.* plot useful graphs.

F. Successful students are able togeneralize and to go from specific toabstract and back again. They:

F.1. determine the mathematicalconcept from the context of anexternal problem, solve theproblem and interpret themathematical solution in thecontext of the problem.

F.2. know how to use specificinstances of general facts, as wellas how to look for general resultsthat extend particular results.

G. Successful students demonstrateactive participation in the process oflearning mathematics. They:

G.1. are willing to experiment withproblems that have multiplesolution methods.

G.2. demonstrate an understandingof the mathematical ideasbehind the steps of a solution,as well as the solution.

G.3. show an understanding of howto modify patterns to obtaindifferent results.

G.4. show an understanding of howto modify solution strategies toobtain different results.

G.5. recognize when a proposedsolution does not work, analyzewhy and use the analysis toseek a valid solution.

H. Successful students recognize thebroad range of applications ofmathematical reasoning. They:

H.1. know that mathematicalapplications are used in otherfields (e.g. carbon dating,exponential growth,amortization tables,predator/prey models, periodicmotion and the interactions ofwaves).


H.2. know that mathematics hasplayed (and continues toplay) an important role in theevolution of disciplines asdiverse as science,engineering, music andphilosophy.

VI. Statistics**

A. Successful students apply concepts ofstatistics and data analysis in thesocial sciences and natural sciences.They:

A.1. represent data in a variety ofways (e.g., scatter plot, linegraph and two-way table) andselect the most appropriate.

A.2. understand and use statisticalsummaries data (e.g., standarddeviation, range and mode).

A.3.* understand curve-fittingtechniques (e.g., median-fit lineand regression line) for variousapplications (e.g., makingpredictions).

** The majority of math participantsindicated that knowledge of statisticsis not necessarily a prerequisite forsuccess in most entry-level universitymathematics courses. However,participants in other disciplinesidentified knowledge of statistics asimportant to success in some entry-level courses in the social sciences(e.g., economics) and sciences (e.g.,biology and ecology). Statistics isbeing included within mathematicsfor organizational convenience, butshould not be interpreted asequivalent to the other five areas ofmathematical knowledge and skill foruniversity success in terms of itsimportance in entry-level collegemathematics courses. Statisticsstandards also appear in the naturalsciences and social sciences.


Knowledge & SkillsFoundationsScience presents both technical andpsychological challenges for incomingstudents. A number of subjects cometogether in this field, including math andstatistics. Students who are prepared tostudy science at the college level are capableof integrating scientific methods andcontextual understanding, critical thinkingand hands-on skills.

Basic KnowledgeIn the fields of physics, chemistry andbiology, successful students are familiar withfundamental scientific concepts, includingthe significance of time; the range of lightwaves; the nature of force, velocity andacceleration; and the principles of evolution.

Entering students who are well-preparedfor science courses have mathematicalskills. They have knowledge of basicmathematical concepts and processes inarithmetic, algebra, trigonometry andgeometry. They can translate and transformfairly simple word problems intomathematical equations and vice-versa. Inthe sciences, as in mathematics, studentsdemonstrate a dependency on calculators.Technology can help students withscientific experiments but does not replacethe thinking processes required to estimate,question and solve problems.

Thinking about ScienceBeyond simple memorization of defin-itions or theories, successful studentsunderstand how scientific processesoperate and how those processes relate to

one another. Science is a process, and itrequires certain skills.

First, students ready to get the most outof science courses have a measure ofscientific common sense; an overallunderstanding of how scientific concepts,definitions and applications fit together.Second, these students are capable ofexperimental thinking. They have anunderstanding that experimentation is aninherent part of the scientific process.Incoming students will benefit greatly froman understanding of the interrelationshipsamong scientific concepts and across thesciences. For instance, a biology studentwould do well to know about physics andchemistry, and the ways that thosedisciplines inform the study of biology.

Successful students use mathematicalreasoning as they work with chemicalformulas and as they try to solve andexplain problems. Once a solution isreached, they can also defend why theychose each math process. Evaluatingscientific issues in daily life andunderstanding the origins of scientificknowledge is important, as well. As theystudy, successful students address questionsalong the way, such as “Do I know forsure?” and “How do I know?”

The relationship between a chemicalformula and its real-world application isworth thinking about, too. There is aformula behind the process ofphotosynthesis, and it is applied in plantlife all around us. This type ofconceptualization helps students to realizethe position of humans within a globalcontext and to gain an appreciation foreveryday existence. Students who succeed in

Natural SciencesThose students who do well in my class aren’t afraid to fail. They are willing to takerisks. If they read a problem and they don’t instantly know how to do it, they don’tquit or feel embarrassed. They understand they’re not failing the course as a result ofa failed experiment. Faculty Viewpoint

40 Natural SciencesA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

the sciences employ critical thinking skillsas they learn scientific concepts. Beyondmere curiosity, they inquire about theirplace in the universe and question theirown scientific knowledge and beliefs.

Science, like any field of study, carrieswith it historical and social contexts.Incoming students need not be historians,but they benefit greatly from knowingabout the central features of historicaltraditions and contemporary events thatrelate to and influence the development ofscientific inquiry.

Solving Problems, AskingQuestionsIncoming students are ready to benefit fromscience courses when they are prepared tosolve scientific problems using the step-by-step approach known as the scientificmethod. Examples of scientific problem-solving skills include:

1. Drawing a picture to represent asituation described in a physicsproblem.

2. Identifying and organizing what isknown and not known in aproblem.

3. Identifying assumptions andrelevant equations.

4. Testing equations for unknowns.

5. Checking units.

6. Checking that the answer isphysically reasonable.

Successful students know how to design atestable scientific question, refine thatquestion and conduct an experiment to findsolutions. They are able to think creativelyas they develop hypotheses and estimatepotential results. They also show awillingness to question existing results, andthen to generate and weigh new optionsand questions as a result of the inquiry theyundertake.

Reading, Writing &CommunicationIn the sciences, as in other disciplines,successful students write with clarity,cohesiveness and meaning. Good sciencewriters have knowledge of scientific writingsand the terminology used in such texts andknow how to translate this knowledge intonon-scientific language. As students writescientific analyses, they need to constructlogical and coherent arguments thatdemonstrate an understanding of causationand of the various levels of abstractioninvolved in science. These are importanttools that enable students to communicateunderstanding of a scientific process,particularly as they present and defendexperiments to teachers and peers.

Basic math skills are, quite possibly, the mostimportant set of skills for students to havemastered coming into a freshman sciencecourse. They need to understand whyequations work and what each equation saysabout the physical world, for example,measuring the velocity of air. Mastery ofalgebraic equations allows students to makecomplicated measurements.

Faculty Viewpoint

Two specific reading skills are particularlynecessary for success. First, successfulstudents comprehend what they read.Second, they are familiar with publicationsthat carry articles on scientific findings (forexample, Discover magazine, and the New York Times) and understand bothscientific terminology and experimentsdescribed in such publications. Thiscomprehension of scientific literature withsome technical language, content orconcepts is useful when students try toexplain processes used to test a scientifichypothesis. Also, as students read scientificliterature they exercise scientific common

Natural Sciences 41A report from Standards for Success

sense, or a healthy skepticism. This helpsthem assess the likely validity of the contentof articles and continue to build indepen-dent judgment about the validity ofscientific reports in general.

Orientation Towards LearningEntry-level students often feel anxiety asthey tackle a scientific experiment or try toexplain a scientific concept. Persistence isvital in the quest for solutions, as isacceptance of failure and ambiguity as partof the experimentation process. Somescientifically well-prepared students havesuch a fear of failure that they are unwillingto approach new things. They often havetrouble investigating alternative solutionsto a problem, offering an estimate ratherthan a precise answer or questioning thecredibility of their results. To develop ascientific knowledge base, successfulstudents act on their curiosity and take risksto understand the intricacies and mysteriesof science.

In addition to the willingness to try,successful students have the ability toconduct honest and sustained inquiry andto engage in the scientific process for longperiods of time as hypotheses are testedover and over. They understand thatscientific learning is ongoing. It is ascholarly activity that requires time,sustained engagement, reflective studyskills, patience and persistence.

Beyond good study skills, successfulentry-level students take responsibility fortheir own education. They structure andmanage time according to courseexpectations. They know how and when toask for help. Study in any field of sciencerequires hard work, a focused curiosity anda willingness to dedicate the time necessaryto follow through on a scientific inquiry.


Natural SciencesStandards*= Items with an asterisk are those expected ofstudents who plan to major in fields of the naturalsciences such as environmental sciences, biology,chemistry and physics.

I. General Foundation Skills

A. Successful students understand thesteps that make up the scientificmethod. These students are able toobserve, hypothesize, test and revise,and they know the difference betweena hypothesis and a theory. They:

A.1. design and conduct scientificinvestigations during whichthey formulate and testhypotheses (formulate andclarify the method; identify thecontrols and variables; collect,

organize, display and analyzedata; make revisions ofhypotheses, methods andexplanations; present theresults; and seek critiques fromothers).

B. Successful students know basicmathematics conventions. They:

B.1. understand the real numbersystem and its properties.

B.2. use exponents and scientificnotation.

B.3. understand ratios, proportionsand percents and how each isrelated to the other.

B.4. use proportional reasoning tosolve problems (e.g., equivalentfractions, equal ratios, constantrate of change, proportions andpercents).

B.5. add, subtract, multiply anddivide with a high, consistentdegree of accuracy.

B.6. simplify rational expressions.

C. Successful students are able torecognize and use basic algebraicforms. They:

C.1. know ways that variables can beused (e.g., as a placeholder foran unknown, such as x + 2 = 9,or to represent a range ofvalues, such as -3m - 8).

C.2. know when it is possible tosimplify, solve, substitute in orevaluate equations andexpressions and when it is not.For example, expand, but notsolve, the expression (x +1)(x +4); substitute a = 2, b = 4 intothe formula a2 + b2 = c2; solvethe equation 0 = (x +3)(x+1);and evaluate the functionf(x)=(x+1)(x+4) at x = -1.

C.3. represent functions, patternsand mathematical relationshipsusing a variety of models (e.g.,statements, formulas, andgraphs).


C.4.* understand various types offunctions (e.g., direct andinverse variation, polynomial,radical, step and sinusoidal),and have a deep understandingof exponential and logarithmicfunctions.

D. Successful students demonstrate theability to work algebraically withformulas and symbols. They:

D.1. are familiar with the concept ofcontinuity.

D.2.* use formal notation todescribe applications ofsequences and series.

E. Successful students know andunderstand basic trigonometricprinciples. They:

E.1. know the definitions of sine,cosine and tangent in relationto right triangle geometry andsimilarity relations.

F. Successful students understand therelationships between geometry andalgebra. They:

F.1. understand that a curve drawnin a certain location is fullyequivalent to a set of algebraicequations.

F.2.* possess the ability to representa geometrical figure (e.g., atriangle or a circle) on a planeusing a set of equations, as indescriptive geometry.

F.3.* understand vectors and howthey can be used (e.g.,representing velocity and force).

F.4.* use operations on vectors (e.g.,vector addition and scalarmultiplication).

G. Successful students demonstrate anability to problem-solve. They:

G.1. use various strategies toapproach problem-solvingsituations and to revise solutionprocesses.

H. Successful students understand thatmathematics is a symbolic language,that fluency requires practice and thatmathematics is the language of allscientific pursuit. They:

H.1. know the definition of amathematical expression (astatement using numbers andsymbols to representmathematical ideas and real-world situations).

H.2. understand the use of writtensymbols and the limitations onappropriate uses of suchsymbols (e.g., equal signs,parentheses and superscript).


I. Successful students understand andapply concepts of probability andstatistics. They:

I.1. understand and use datarepresented in various ways(e.g., charts, tables, plots andgraphs).

I.2. understand descriptive statistics(e.g., mean, median, mode andstandard deviation).

I.3. understand that predictionsbased on sample data areinferential.

J. Successful students understand andapply concepts of measurement. They:

J.1. select and use appropriate unitsto express measurements forreal-world problems.

J.2. know how to make estimatesand approximations and whento use those approaches tosolve problems.

J.3. use unit analysis in problem-solving.

J.4. understand the differencesbetween the metric and thetraditional U.S. measurementsystem and are able to performsimple conversions betweenthe two.

J.5.* know the difference betweenaccuracy and precision, as wellas how to use significant digitsappropriately.

II. Science and Society

A. Successful students understand thescientific enterprise. They:

A.1. understand that science and thetheories of science are notabsolute and should bequestioned and challenged.This includes the ideas that:

• new theories willcontinue to replacecurrent or older ones.

• scientific theories muststand up to the scrutiny

of the entire scientificcommunity.

• acceptable validationincludes reproduction andinternal consistency.

A.2. know ways in which scienceand society influence eachother. For example, that:

• scientific methods and theknowledge they producemay influence howpeople think aboutthemselves and theirworld.

• technology can contributeto the solution of anindividual or communityproblem.

• social and economic forcesstrongly influence whichscience and technologyprograms are pursued,invested in and used.

A.3. understand that scienceinvolves different types of workin many different disciplines.For example:

• different disciplines ofscience approachinvestigations in differentways, such as usingdifferent questions,methods and evidence.

• contributions fromdifferent disciplines areoften required tocomplete an investigation.

• when traditionaldisciplines meet, newbranches of science areoften formed, such asgeophysics and molecularbiology.

A.4. know that scientists throughouthistory have had many difficultiesconvincing their contemporariesto acknowledge what are nowgenerally accepted scientific ideas.

A.5. understand that a host ofperplexing new problems isgenerated by our society’s new


powers (e.g., populationmanagement, environmentalprotection and regulation ofweapons of mass destruction).

A.6. know that technology is thesystematic use of materials,energy, and information todesign, build, maintain andoperate devices, processes andsystems with a goal of servingindividual and societal humanneeds.

A.7. understand that interactionsbetween science and technologyhave led to refined tools (e.g.,precision instruments, measuringtechniques, data processors, etc.),and the means for a safer, morecomfortable life for more people(e.g., electricity, transportation,medical advances, etc.).

A.8.* know that investigations andpublic communication amongscientists must meet certaincriteria in order to result in newunderstanding and methods.For example:

• arguments must be logicaland demonstrateconsistency betweennatural phenomenarevealed by investigationsand the historical body ofscientific evidence.

• the methods andprocedures used to obtainevidence must be clearlyreported and reproducibleto enhance opportunitiesfor further investigation.

III. Environmental Science

A. Successful students understandconcepts related to environmentalscience. They:

A.1. know that the earth is a body inspace whose environmentalsystem (the atmosphere,lithosphere, cryosphere,hydrosphere and biosphere)depends largely on the sun forlight and heat and that thecurrent environment (e.g.,geography and climate) issubject to change.

A.2.* are familiar with environmentalprocesses (e.g., the carbon andnitrogen cycles) and their rolein processing matter crucial forsustaining life.

A.3.* understand that relationshipsexist among the earth (geologyand soil science), the water

(hydrology and oceanography)and the atmosphere(meteorology andatmospherics), and that therelationship is best exemplifiedby the water cycle.

B. Successful students understandconcepts related to geology. They:

B.1. are familiar with the history ofthe Earth.

B.2. are familiar with the history ofthe solar system.

B.3. understand the processes ofvolcanism and erosion.

C. Successful students understand theinteraction of the environment andbiota (including humans) and someof the consequences of thatinteraction. They:

C.1. understand the notion ofhabitats and their role inevolution.

IV. Biology

A. Successful students know the generalstructure and function of cells. They:

A.1. know that all living systems arecomposed of cells, which arethe fundamental units of life,and that organisms may beunicellular or multicellular.

A.2. know the importance of bothwater and the element carbonto cells, and further understandthat cells have four importanttypes of macromolecules(carbohydrates, lipids, proteinsand nucleic acids) that areeach different in chemicalproperties and have specificfunctions in cells.

A.3. understand that both unity anddiversity exist among cells.

A.4. know that while all cells sharebasic features (e.g., a plasmamembrane and genetic materialin the form of DNA), there are


different types of cells(prokaryotic and eukaryotic).

A.5. know that within multicellularorganisms there are differenttypes of cells and that thesecells perform different functionsfor the organism.

A.6. know that different types oforganisms (plants versusanimals) have different cellularspecializations suited for theorganism’s lifestyle.

A.7. understand the processes of celldivision (mitosis and meiosis),particularly as those processesrelate to production of newcells and to passing on geneticinformation betweengenerations.

A.8. know that in eukaryotic cells,the organization of DNA intochromosomes is key to bothduplication and distribution ofthe genetic information to newcells or organisms.

A.9. know that in order to be alive,cells must exchange materialswith their environment or withother cells.

A.10. know that cells transformenergy (ultimately obtainedfrom the sun) from one formto another through theprocesses of photosynthesisand respiration.

A.11.* know that these processes leadto the production of ATP, whichall cells absolutely require forcell work.

A.12.* understand the chemicalreactions involved in cellfunctions (e.g., foodmolecules taken into cells arebroken down to provide theenergy and chemicalconstituents needed tosynthesize other molecules,and that enzymes facilitate thebreakdown and synthesis ofmolecules).

A.13.* know that such exchangesinvolve a variety of mechanismsfor transporting materials acrossa membrane, includingdiffusion, osmosis, andtransport involving specializedmembrane proteins.


B. Successful students understandgenetic principles that guide theinheritance of biological traits. They:

B.1. understand Mendel’s laws ofheredity (e.g., genes and alleles;genotype versus phenotype;segregation and independentassortment; and dominantversus recessive traits).Understand how Mendel’s lawsrelate to the movement ofchromosomes to gametesduring meiosis and understandthe chromosomal basis of sexdetermination.

B.2.* know the chemical andstructural properties of DNA inheredity and protein synthesis(e.g., DNA synthesis,transcription, translation;mRNA and the genetic code;and effects of mutations).

B.3.* understand how recombinantDNA technology allowsscientists to analyze thestructure and function of genes.

C. Successful students understand theorganization and classification ofliving systems. They:

C.1. know that multicellularorganisms have a variety ofspecialized cells, tissues, organs,and organ systems that eachperform specialized functions(e.g., digestion, respiration,circulation, excretion,movement, control andcoordination, protection fromdisease and reproduction).Understand that the differentorgan systems are integrated tomake a functional organism.


C.2. know ways in which livingthings can be classified basedon each organism’s internaland external structure, theirdevelopment, and relatednessof DNA sequence.

D. Successful students understandconcepts of biological change and theevolution of species. They:

D.1. know how DNA and proteinsequences are used to inferevolutionary relationshipsamong organisms.

D.2. understand the concept ofnatural selection (differentialsurvival and reproduction ofchance inherited variants,depending upon environmentalconditions).

D.3. understand the theory ofevolution (e.g., the Earth’spresent-day life forms evolvedfrom earlier, distinctly differentspecies). Know that geneticchange among individuals ofpopulations is the raw materialfor evolution of new forms.

V. Chemistry

A. Successful students understand thenature of the physical andchemical properties of matter (e.g., classifications of matter such ascompounds, mixtures and solutions,as well as composition of matter suchas atoms and molecules). They:

A.1. understand that atoms,molecules and ions have a setof physical and chemicalproperties that control theirbehaviors in a range of states.

A.2. know that states of matterdepend on moleculararrangement and freedom ofmotion. For example:

• in the solid state, moleculesare packed tightly togetherwith their motion restrictedto vibrations.

• in the liquid state,molecules have higherenergy and are moreloosely packed, slidingfreely past each other.

• in the gaseous state,molecules are lessrestricted and move freely.

A.3. understand the structure of thePeriodic Table. For example that:

• elements are arranged insequence by increasingatomic number.

• the similar properties thatarise periodically in thisarrangement motivate thegrouping of elements intocolumns that sharecommon properties.

• this arrangement is usefulfor predicting theproperties of elementsand compounds.


A.4.* understand acid and basechemistry.

A.5.* understand principles of idealgas behavior.

B. Successful students know principlesof atomic structure and bonding.They:

B.1. know the structure of an atom.For example:

• that negative electronsoccupy most of the spacein the atom.

• that neutrons and positiveprotons make up thenucleus of the atom.

• that protons and neutronsare almost two thousandtimes heavier than anelectron.

• that the electric forcebetween the nucleus andelectrons holds the atomtogether.

B.2. understand that molecules arecomposed of atoms in uniqueand consistent arrangements,and that atoms or moleculesmay form solids by building uprepeating patterns (e.g., crystalstructures or polymers).

B.3. understand how the electronicconfiguration of atoms governsthe chemical properties of anelement. For example that:

• elements with similarelectronic configurationshave similar properties.

• elements interact with oneanother on the atomiclevel by transferring orsharing the outermostelectrons to form covalent,ionic or metallic bonds.

C. Successful students understand andapply principles that explain chemicalreactions. They:

C.1. know that substances reactchemically in characteristic

ways with other substances toform new substances(compounds) with differentcharacteristics and properties.

C.2.* understand the meaning anduses of chemical equations andemploy such equations toquantify relationships betweenproducts and reactants. Examplesof the meaning and use of achemical equation include:

• mass balance.

• molar or molecularquantities.

• conservation of mass andatoms.

C.3.* understand the mole conceptand its applications. Forexample:

• moles in chemicalequations and formulas.

• molar mass, relative mass,molar volume andAvagadro’s number.

VI. Physics

A. Successful students understandconcepts of energy. They:

A.1. understand the relationshipbetween heat and temperature,for example:

• that heat energy consists ofthe random motion andvibrations of atoms,molecules and ions.

• the higher thetemperature, the greaterthe atomic or molecularmotion.

A.2. understand the conservation ofenergy and the First Law ofThermodynamics (i.e., energycannot be created or destroyedbut only changed from one formto another) and understand thatenergy must be transferred viawork or heat.

A.3. understand the concept ofentropy and the Second Law of


Thermodynamics (i.e., whyengines and refrigerators arenot 100 percent efficient, aswell as the concept thatdisorder, in general, increases assome energy is always lost intonon-usable forms).

A.4. understand the distinctionbetween kinetic (thermal,translational and vibrational)and potential (gravitational andelectrostatic) energy.

A.5. understand how energy can betransferred from one form toanother.

A.6. understand basic principles ofoptics.

A.7. understand basic principles ofelectricity and magnetism.

A.8. understand series and parallelcircuits.

B. Successful students understandmotion and the principles thatexplain motion. They:

B.1. understand Newton’s laws as aclassical description of motion,for example that:

• a force is required to alteran object’s motion.

• in the absence of force, orwhen forces are balanced,no change in motion isobserved.

• forces are additive and themotion of an object isdetermined by thecumulative effect.

B.2. know the characteristicproperties of sound, andelectromagnetic waves; thatthese waves have energy; thatsuch waves can transfer energywhen they interact with matter;and that characteristic propertiesinclude:

• wavelength, frequency,amplitude, speed,absorption, reflection and refraction.

B.3. know the range of theelectromagnetic spectrum, forexample:

• radio waves, microwaves,infrared radiation, visiblelight, ultraviolet radiation,x-rays and gamma rays.


B.4. know that electromagneticwaves result when a chargedobject is accelerated and thatthe energy of electromagneticwaves is carried in wave packetswhose energy is inverselyproportional to the wavelength.

C. Successful students know the kinds offorces that exist between objects.They:

C.1. understand general conceptsrelated to gravitational force (e.g.,every object exerts gravitationalforce on every other object, andthis force depends on the mass ofthe objects and their distancefrom one another).

C.2. know that materials that containequal amounts of positive andnegative charges are electricallyneutral, but that a very smallexcess or deficit of negativecharges in a material producesnoticeable electrical forces.

C.3.* understand magnetic andelectric fields and therelationship between thosefields, and that these fields canbe thought of as differentaspects of a single electro-magnetic field (moving electriccharges produce magnetic fieldsand moving magnets produceelectric fields).

D. Successful students understandconcepts related to modern physics.They:

D.1. understand the generalconcepts related to the theoryof special relativity. Forexample:

• in contrast to movingobjects, the speed of lightis the same for allobservers, no matter howthey or the light sourcehappen to be moving.

• that nothing can travel fasterthan the speed of light.

D.2. know the constituent particlesthat make up atoms (i.e., protons,neutrons and electrons) and havea general understanding ofphysical locations of each (i.e.,protons and neutrons in the corenucleus and electrons in a cloud“far” away from the nucleus).

E. Successful students understandconcepts related to matter and itsproperties. They:

E.1. know what mass is and how itdiffers from weight and inertia.

E.2. know the meaning of density.

E.3. know that the physicalproperties of matter and wavesare scalar or vector quantities.

E.4.* understand specific heat,thermal and electricalconductivity.

F. Successful students understand basiclaws. They:

F.1 know conservation laws ofenergy (and the conversion ofenergy from one form toanother), mass andmomentum.

F.2 understand the laws governingelectrical and magnetic forces.

F.3 understand the relationshipbetween electrical currents andmagnetic fields.



Students need to be able to translate instructions into actions and translate actions into descriptions. They must describe the workthey have done using simple declarative sentences and paragraphs.

Faculty Viewpoint

Knowledge & SkillsFoundationsIn the social sciences, incoming studentssucceed when they are armed with specificknowledge and skills—but above all, whenthey are ready to embrace the learningprocess.

Basic Knowledge & SkillsStudents who are ready for entry-levelcourses are familiar with the fundamentalconcepts of social sciences such as history,economics, geography, political science,sociology.

In geography, well-prepared studentsknow how to read, interpret and locateplaces on a global map. They are familiarwith worldwide immigration and mi-gration patterns.

In economics courses, successful studentscome prepared with foundational math-ematical skills and an understanding ofbasic concepts such as demand, supply,scarcity, opportunity and tradeoffs.

In political science, a basic civic knowledgeis necessary for success. Such basicknowledge includes a sense of how the U.S.government works; an awareness of thesystem of legislative, executive and judiciarychecks and balances; and how an amend-ment is ratified. In addition, successfulstudents have a basic knowledge of, and candistinguish between, economic and politicalsystems. They can describe the differencesbetween capitalism and socialism andbetween democracy and oligarchy.

In history, students who are ready forcollege-level study know important events

and documents that have shaped the courseof U.S. history; the U.S. Constitution,Federal Indian Policy and the Civil Rightsmovement, to name a few. A clearknowledge of significant periods in westernand non-western world history is crucial,including, for example, the origins ofJudaism, the rise and fall of Ancient Greece,the influence of Christianity and theCrusades on European culture and society,the Aztec civilization, the French andRussian Revolution, and the rise toindependence in the post-colonial periodof countries in South America, Africa andAsia, in particular.

In sociology, successful studentsunderstand and are able to discuss theimplications of changes in U.S. demo-graphics leading to increasing diversity.They understand the major issues ingender equity and are aware ofcontemporary social, political and culturalmovements in U.S. society and around theworld, and the major theories thatunderlie such movements.

Beyond the basic facts, students enteringsocial science courses need certain skills.Just as in the natural sciences, secondlanguages, mathematics and English,successful students know the mechanics ofwriting and basic grammar and comunicatetheir ideas with clarity and coherence.Familiarity with the terminologies anddefinitions that pertain to each discipline isalso important. Basic mathematical andstatistical knowledge (arithmetic andalgebra, means and correlations) helpsstudents read and understand graphs ineconomics and analyze and interpretstatistical data in sociological, historicaland geographical reports.

Social SciencesStudents need to have a curiosity about the questions we raise in the class, and adesire to want to explore the complexity of the social and moral issues we address.Then you can give them the tools. If they are disengaged from education, then itis a lot harder. Faculty Viewpoint

56 Social SciencesA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

General Sense of History &GeographyBeyond the memorization of dates andevents that have marked and shaped theworld in general (and the U.S. in particular)successful students have a sense of history.An understanding of chronological se-quence and causation across time is vital.Students should possess factual knowledge,be accurate when discussing historical datesand understand how historical sequencingand events influence one another. Studentsshould be able to describe how their currentplace in time is influenced by the past andinforms their future.

Students need to have a sense of the fund-amentals of capitalism, how and why it isdifferent from other forms of economic systemsand the types of governments and societiesassociated with it.

Faculty Viewpoint

Successful students are aware of thediversity and relativity of historicalperspectives and interpretations. As theylearn about world events, memorize datesand understand various historical periods,they realize how people in various regionsof the world have experienced similarevents in different ways. Local experienceadds to comprehension of a historicalphenomenon. Students who have theability to make interdisciplinary con-nections have a broader and deeper sense ofhistory. When students see the relevance ofeconomics, culture, geography and politicsin the shaping and unfolding of historicalevents, they gain more from college-levelsocial science courses.

In addition to a sense of history, socialscience students benefit greatly from a senseof place. Successful students know how toread maps. They approach geography fromcultural, economic and political per-spectives. Armed with these skills, studentsbetter realize how geographical contextsoften contribute to the development of asociety. They also recognize how contextsinfluence the ways in which people see theworld; it is more useful, for example, toknow how water use affects society than tomemorize the exact borders of all thecountries in Africa.

Reading, Research & AnalysisReading—and reading well—is a veryimportant part of the learning process.Successful college-level students com-prehend assigned reading material and readclosely, with attention to nuance. Closereading leads students to infer and extendmeaning by identifying main points anddistinguishing supportive statements fromillustrative details. Successful students cangauge their own comprehension of thematerial and know what to do when theyencounter reading that is difficult. Socialsciences are related and are not simply agathering of facts. To understand these

Social Sciences 57A report from Standards for Success

relationships, successful students are familiarwith the scientific method. They askquestions such as, “What do we know?” and“How do we know it?” The scientific methodin the context of the social sciencesencompasses a number of skills and abilities:

1. The capacity to recognizehypotheses within texts andunderstand when evidence isbeing presented. This is a criticalreading skill that helps a studentevaluate the quality and relevanceof materials used to build andsupport an argument.

2. A familiarity with theory building,with what a theory is, how a theoryis developed and how a theory canbe tested, debated and applied.Successful students can differentiatetheory from opinion in a text.

3. The ability to find information—information literacy—from avariety of sources, including thelibrary and Internet. Part of thisskill is the ability to assess thequality and reliability ofinformation, especially if thesource is found online. Successfulstudents ask themselves questionssuch as, “Where does thisinformation come from?”, “Is itwell supported?” and “Is thisinformation relevant or irrelevantto the support of my thesis?”

4. The ability to generalize while atthe same time recognizing theirown biases and identifying fallaciesin materials they read. Facultymembers expect students to voiceopinions, to speculate and to relatepersonal experiences withinassignments, but only if they also generalize to principles discussed in class or connect personalknowledge to the material covered.

5. An awareness of various researchmethodologies, includingquantitative and qualitativetraditions of data analysis.

Students need to understand that a theory is away of organizing information to help enhanceour understanding of behavior.

Faculty Viewpoint

In addition to reading and research, note-taking is an important part of college-levelstudy. Entry-level courses are typically lectureswhere students are expected to take notesdiligently, to identify key components of thelecture and to appreciate how notes areessential to understanding the content of acourse. To make all of this work, studentsneed to know that taking notes is a learningprocess in itself. Successful students decidewhether a piece of information is importantor relevant before they write it down. Theythink about how they will use the notes afterthe lecture is over. They know how to preparean outline with coherent sections andsubsections and understand how thisexercise relates to organizing the infor-mation they collect, either from lectures orother sources.


Orientation Towards LearningIn many ways, learning is about the commu-nication of facts, concepts and ideas.Successful students use a variety of communi-cation skills to show that they understandclass material. Writing is one such medium ofcommunication, but clear oral and visualcommunication is important, as well. Goodcommunication includes engagement withan audience, whether it is one reader orhundreds. When presenting information,good communicators are attentive listeners tothe questions and concerns of others. Goodacademic communication also includesaccepting criticisms by others and answeringquestions with an attentive, positive attitude.

Connections between ideas and facts arevital to the learning process. Successfulstudents make connections regularlybetween public knowledge and personalobservations and experiences. They makeconnections across disciplines. How do theideas in economics classes relate to everydaylife? How do the concepts learned insociology apply to the study of geography?Connective intelligence enables students tointegrate and use knowledge from acrossdifferent disciplines both within socialsciences and in other areas.

Students need to understand that thingshappen in sequence and that something thathappened later can’t cause something thathappened earlier.

Faculty Viewpoint

Just as students are encouraged to makeconnections between disciplines, they areencouraged to anchor historical, geogra-phical or sociological materials to a sense ofself. Successful students are engagedintellectually with the material theyencounter in their studies. Rather thanfocusing entirely on outcomes and grades,they engage in the learning process andaccept a challenge to do something new.They are comfortable with ambiguity.Students often come into classes in a questfor answers alone. Some questions andproblems have no obvious solutions, whileothers have more than one solution. Socialscience faculty members, much like theirpeers in other disciplines, expect students todemonstrate a variety of study skills thatwill help them succeed in college. Theseinclude taking personal responsibility fortheir work, showing up to class, doinghomework and reading assignments,completing written assignments on timeand managing their time well.


Social SciencesStandards*= Items with an asterisk are those expected ofstudents who plan to major in a social science.

I. General Knowledge & Skills

A. Successful students have a basicunderstanding of the social sciences(history, economics, geography,political science, sociology). They:

A.1. know the definingcharacteristics of disciplineswithin the social sciences.

A.2. understand the diversity ofhuman beings and humancultures (e.g., cultural,biological, emotional andintellectual diversity).

A.3. know that each social sciencediscipline is subject to certaincriticisms and limitations, andare aware of the primarycriticisms and limitations of atleast one discipline in thesocial sciences.

A.4. are aware of major currentworld events, issues andproblems and know howconcepts and theories in thesocial sciences can be applied tounderstand them.

A.5. perceive events andcircumstances from the vantagepoint of others, including thosein racial and cultural groupsdifferent than their own; fromthe other gender; from otherages; and from those who liveunder other political andeconomic systems.

A.6.* integrate concepts learned fromat least two different socialscience disciplines.

A.7.* understand the significantgeneralizations, principles andtheories of each discipline.

II. History

A. Successful students know significantperiods and events in United Stateshistory. They:

A.1. understand important events,social movements and politicalprocesses that have shaped U.S.history, and are aware of themajor historical figures thatinfluenced history. Theseinclude but are not limited to:

• European exploration andcolonization, 15th and16th centuries

• interaction of NativeAmericans and Europeansettlers

• development of Americancolonial government

• causes and consequencesof slavery

• The Revolutionary War

• creation of the U.S.Constitution

• The Bill of Rights

• development of politicalparties

• westward expansion

• The Mexican-AmericanWar

• antebellum sectionalismand polarization

• The Civil War

• reconstruction

• industrialization and therise of big business

• Federal Indian Policy ofthe late 19th century

• Spanish-American War

• The ProgressiveMovement

• social and culturalmovements of the 1920s

• The Great Depression

• The New Deal

• U.S. in World War II

• The Cold War

• The Civil RightsMovement

• Vietnam

• immigration andmigration patterns in thecontemporary U.S.

• the influence of religionon U.S. history


B. Successful students know significantperiods and events in world historyand social, religious and politicalmovements, as well as majorhistorical figures who influenced suchmovements. They:

B.1. understand important eventsand social, religious andpolitical movements that haveshaped world history, as well asthe major historical characterswho influenced history.Examples of important topicsand areas include but are notlimited to:

• early civilizations in Indiaand the Middle East

• development of Judaism

• Ancient Greece

• rise and fall of AncientRome

• emergence of Christianity

• development ofBuddhism

• The Byzantine Empire

• emergence of Islam

• Mayan civilization

• feudalism/manorialism inMedieval Europe

• the influence ofChristianity in Europeand the Crusades

• The Aztecs

• the exchange offlora/fauna/pathogensknown as the “ColumbianExchange”

• The Renaissance

• The Scientific Revolution

• The Reformation andCounter (or Catholic)Reformation

• The French Revolution

• The Industrial Revolution

• European nationalistmovements of the 19thcentury

• World War I

• The Russian Revolution

• World War II

• The Cold War

• African and Asian history

C. Successful students understandhistorical perspective and historicalanalysis. They:

C.1. understand their own positionin history and how history hasinfluenced their kinship groupand family ancestors.

C.2. know the effects that specifichuman decisions have had onhistory.

C.3. understand the contingency ofhistory; that is, events dependon human ideas and actionsand that things may have beendifferent in the absence of thoseideas and actions.


C.4. demonstrate the ability toperceive past events withhistorical empathy.

C.5. know the influences thatspecific ideas and beliefs hadon a period of history and howevents may have been differentin the absence of those ideasand beliefs.

C.6.* know how to evaluate thecredibility and authenticity ofhistorical sources.

C.7.* know how to evaluate differenthistorical interpretations.

C.8.* understand the social,economic and political climateof significant periods in historyand how a particular climateshaped those who lived at thattime.

III. Economics

A. Successful students understand basicconcepts of economics. They:

A.1. understand the basic economicconcepts of scarcity,opportunity cost, trade offs,markets and supply anddemand.

A.2. understand the differencebetween a market economy(capitalism) and a centralplanned or command economy.

A.3. understand the role governmentplays in the U.S. economy.

A.4. understand the concepts ofexchange and trade and theimpacts of a global economy,including implications forindividuals, the U.S. and othernations.


A.5. understand the conflict amongthe social goals of an economicsystem (e.g., security, freedom,equity, efficiency, stability andgrowth).

A.6.* understand and know how touse economic analysis tools,including functions and basicstatistics.

IV. Geography

A. Successful students have a basicunderstanding of the tools andconcepts of geography. They:

A.1. use maps and atlases to findlocations and othergeographical information.

A.2. understand the nature,distribution and migrationpatterns of human populationson Earth’s surface.

A.3. understand the role of geographyin explaining processes ofenvironmental and humanchange.

A.4.* realize the advantages anddisadvantages of maps, globesand other geographic tools usedto illustrate data sets.

V. Political Science (Civics)

A. Successful students have a basicunderstanding of types ofgovernments. They:

A.1. understand the nature andsource of various types ofpolitical authority (e.g., thedifferences between democracyand oligarchy).

A.2.* know the various types ofgovernments throughout theworld (e.g., the differencesbetween limited and unlimitedgovernments).

B. Successful students have a basicunderstanding of the U.S. politicalsystem and its history. They:

B.1. know basic facts about the U.S.political system andconstitutional government (e.g.,federalism; checks andbalances; and legislative,executive and judiciarybranches of power).

B.2. understand the content andcontext of documents thatestablished the U.S., especiallythe Declaration ofIndependence and the U.S.Constitution.

B.3. understand the content andcontext of documentsimportant for the protection ofindividual rights in the U.S.,especially the U.S. Constitutionand the Bill of Rights.

B.4. know the methods citizens canuse to participate in thepolitical process at local, stateand national levels, and howpolitical participation caninfluence public policy.

VI. Sociology

A. Successful students have anunderstanding of social problems,social structure, institutions, class,groups and interaction. They:

A.1. understand that social problemsare larger than the individual.

A.2. understand that socialinequalities based on a varietyof factors—including gender,race and age—exist and have arange of effects on society.

A.3. understand the global diversityof various family forms, as wellas kinship in different societies.

A.4. understand that group andcultural influences contribute tohuman development.

A.5. understand that group andcultural influences contribute tohuman identity.


A.6. understand that group andcultural influences contribute tohuman behavior.

A.7.* understand various meanings ofthe social group, the generalimplications of groupmembership and the differentways that groups function.

A.8.* understand the theory andmethods of mediation,cooperation and conflictresolution.

VII. Inquiry, Research & Analysis

A. Successful students understand thescientific method of inquiry andinvestigation. They:

A.1. understand how hypothesesare formulated to examinesocial behavior.

A.2. understand that hypotheses arecontingent—that they can bedisproved by additionalevidence.

A.3. understand that well-testedhypotheses may be integratedinto a theory predicting socialbehavior.

A.4. know how to apply a theory tonew evidence.

A.5. understand how to write andtest a hypothesis usingadditional evidence.

A.6. know the ethics associatedwith data collection andhuman subjects.

A.7. understand the limits ofscientific investigation.

B. Successful students are able to readand interpret data. They:

B.1. know how to interpret datapresented in tables and graphs.

B.2.* know the basics of probabilitytheory and the concept of asample.

B.3.* know the difference betweenstatistical and substantivesignificance.

C. Successful students know how to finda variety of sources of information,and how to analyze, evaluate and usethem properly. They:

C.1. locate information from avariety of sources appropriate tothe task at hand.

C.2. draw inferences then determinemain and supporting ideas.

C.3. critically evaluate informationby discerning the quality of thematerials.

C.4. critically evaluate informationby qualifying the strength of theevidence and arguments.

C.5. critically evaluate informationby determining its credibility.

C.6. critically evaluate informationby identifying any bias and/orperspective of the author(s).

C.7. critically evaluate informationby using prior knowledge.

C.8.* demonstrate familiarity with adata analysis software program.

D. Successful students are able toidentify and analyze problemsappropriate to the social sciencediscipline being studied. They:

D.1. identify and define a problem.

D.2. use deductive and inductiveproblem-solving skills asappropriate to the problembeing studied.

D.3. use multiple perspectives andresources to analyze a problem.

VIII. Communication

A. Successful students are able tocommunicate clearly and coherently.They:

A.1. present a coherent thesis whenmaking an argument.

A.2. support the thesis withappropriate evidence whenmaking an argument.


A.3. anticipate and answer possibleobjections when making anargument.

A.4. present a concise, clear closingwhen making an argument.

A.5. organize ideas to achievecoherence in communication.

A.6. write research papers thatincorporate processesappropriate to the topic beingresearched. These include:

• integrating informationfrom a range ofappropriate sources

• logically introducing andincorporating quotations

• synthesizing informationinto a logical sequence

• identifying differentperspectives

• identifying complexitiesand discrepancies ininformation

• offering support forconclusions

A.7. understand the concept ofplagiarism and how to avoid itthrough the use ofparaphrasing, summarizing,quoting and citing.

A.8. identify and use parts of speechcorrectly and consistently (e.g.,verbs, conjunctions,interjections).

A.9. use a variety of sentencestructures in writing (e.g.,compound-complex,analogous).


Knowledge & SkillsFoundationsThe goal of second language study is tocommunicate effectively with speakers ofanother language in authentic culturalcontexts. Learning another languageinvolves much more than memorizing asystem of grammatical rules. It requireslearners to understand the cultures fromwhich the language arises and in which itresides, use the language to communicateaccurately and use their first language andculture as a model for comparison with thelanguage and culture being learned. Secondlanguage proficiency can improve learningin other disciplines, such as English, historyand art, and expand professional, personaland social opportunities.

The BasicsSuccessful students know the basics ofgrammar and vocabulary of both their firstlanguage and the second language theychoose to study. They are able to recognizeverb tenses and parts of speech,understand the linguistic functions theseelements perform and compare them totheir equivalents in their first language.This formal knowledge will help studentslearn and use a second language whilegiving them a deeper understanding oftheir first language.

Students in entry-level courses shouldhave emerging competence in four areas:communication, culture, comparisons andlearning strategies.

Communication. Successful students areable to read, write and converse at theIntermediate-Low proficiency level asdefined by the American Council on the

Teaching of Foreign Languages ProficiencyGuidelines (see ACTFL at www.actfl.org).Essentially, this means that students canuse the second language to expressthemselves in simple, full sentences.Students who are ready for entry-levelcourses have pronunciation that iscomprehensible, but they are not expectedto approach the quality or accuracy of anative language speaker.

Culture. Language is inseparable fromculture. In order to communicate effectivelyin an authentic cultural context, studentsmust be aware of the practices andperspectives of the culture. This involvesknowledge of geography, holidays, lifestylesand material resources of the countries andpeoples where the second language iscustomarily spoken. A student of Japanesemight be expected to know that Japanesepeople bow when greeting each other andto understand the value of humility inJapanese culture that underlies this routinepractice. The student should also be able toknow what language is appropriate toparticular cultural situations.

Comparisons. The ability to view factsfrom multiple perspectives is an importantcritical thinking skill developed throughsecond language study. A solid knowledgeof a first language and culture is a startingpoint for making comparisons and drawingcontrasts with the second language andculture. For a native English speaker, acomparison of English to another languagewill deepen his or her understanding ofEnglish, of the second language and of thenature of languages in general. Similarly, acomparison of American cultural products,practices and perspectives to those ofanother culture will lead students to a moreprofound understanding of what it means

Second LanguagesStudents should have the ability to recognize cues in language and extrapolatefrom them. They need to learn to be good guessers and to figure out meanings ofwords from context instead of constantly going to a dictionary. Faculty Viewpoint

68 Second LanguagesA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

to be an American, what it means to be partof another culture, and the nature of socialroles, values and customs.

Learning Strategies. Critical thinking isnot only a by-product of second languagelearning, but also a powerful tool forenhancing language acquisition. Meta-cognitive and meta-linguistic knowledge,mnemonic devices, inference, criticalreading, process writing and other strategiesshould be evident by the time a studentbegins an entry level course at a university.

The degree to which a student employsthese strategies will be a critical factor indetermining college success, regardless ofsecond language proficiency level uponentrance. A student who knows how toenhance comprehension by effectivelynegotiating meaning, for example, may bemore successful than a student withsuperior knowledge of the language itselfwho relies solely on studying the textbook.

Orientation Towards LearningIt is important that a student can tolerateboth linguistic and cultural ambiguity.Successful students accept the linguisticallyambiguous aspects of a language, such asgrammatical exceptions or words with noexact translation. In studying culture, theyunderstand that meaning is culturallyconstructed—few absolute rules of behaviorexist in any society, and context determinesboth meaning and appropriate behavior.The particular strategies an individualstudent uses will vary, but common to allsuccessful students are emotionalengagement with the language and cultureand openness to thinking about other waysof acting and communicating.

Judgmental attitudes towards other languagesor cultures impede the acquisition of anotherlanguage.

Faculty Viewpoint

Second LanguagesStandards*= Items with an asterisk are those expected ofstudents who plan to major in a second language.

I. Communication Skills

A. Successful students use a languageother than their first language toexchange information and interactwith others within realistic contexts.This is known as the interpersonalmode. They:

A.1. are able to communicate in anon-demand interview at theIntermediate-Low level forEuropean languages, or Novice-High level for non-Europeanlanguages (see ACTFL).

A.2. are able to use the targetlanguage to participate incommunicative classroomactivities and discussions withpeers and teachers.

B. Successful students are able to expresspersonal meaning in a language otherthan their first language in a varietyof genre and formats. This is knownas the presentational mode. They:

B.1. use writing processes such asbrainstorming, drafting, revisingand proofing to produce shorttexts in the target language.

B.2. use some basic cohesivedevices in discourses in thetarget language.

B.3. demonstrate a developingawareness of audience, contextand genre throughout aprepared composition or speechin the target language.

B.4.* are able to defend an opinion,argument or point of viewregarding other cultures,academic disciplines orinternational topics in aprepared, edited text in thetarget language.

Second Languages 69A report from Standards for Success

C. Successful students construct meaningfrom authentic spoken and writtensources that are in a language otherthan their first language. This isknown as the interpretive mode. They:

C.1. are able to identify the genre ofauthentic texts written in thetarget language, for example,poems, news articles and essays.

C.2. can ascertain meaning fromcontext when they confrontunfamiliar words and phrasesin the target language.

C.3. are able to distinguish mainideas from supporting detailswithin a text written in thetarget language.

C.4.* are able to identify literarydevices such as point of view,narrative voice and others intexts written in the target language.

C.5.* begin to analyze an author's useof language and literary deviceswithin text written in the targetlanguage.

II. Culture

A. Successful students are aware ofproducts, practices and perspectivesof the target culture and are able toapply that knowledge incommunicative contexts. They:

A.1. are able to locate on a map and identify by name countries,continents and geophysicallandmarks relevant to the targetlanguage.

A.2. know basic historical facts andcultural traits of the targetlanguage country or countries,including the range oflanguages spoken.

A.3. show knowledge of currentevents in the target languageculture or cultures.

A.4. are able to identify andarticulate in their first language,if necessary, perspectivesembodied in the culture thatuses the target language.

70 Second LanguagesA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

A.5.* are able to identify majorphysical artifacts and culturalpractices of the target languageculture or cultures expressed inthe form of monuments, iconsand customs, and how culturalpractices influence daily life.

III. Structure

A. Successful students have a basicknowledge of English syntax,semantics and discourse structuresand are able to compare these withanalogous forms in the targetlanguage. They:

A.1. recognize most common partsof speech, including nouns,verbs, adjectives, articles andadverbs in English and thetarget language.

A.2. understand the role of grammarand context in various linguisticfunctions in English and thetarget language.

A.3. understand and compare howsimple clauses are formed inEnglish and the target language.

A.4. are able to identify andcompare the coding of tenseand aspect in English and thetarget language.

A.5. apply writing conventionsaccurately in English and thetarget language.

A.6. know that a second languagecannot be thought of as asimple word-for-wordtranslation of English.

IV. Learning Behaviors

A. Successful students demonstrateawareness of the process of learning asecond language and are able to applya variety of strategies to that learningprocess. They:

A.1. apply personal discipline to thelanguage-learning enterprise.

A.2. work effectively in a group tohelp enhance language learningfor themselves and for groupmembers.

A.3. are willing to speak in the targetlanguage in front of teachers,peers and those who are fluentin the target language.

A.4. are willing to take risks with thetarget language as they practicenew grammatical structures andvocabulary.

A.5. know how to use the dictionaryand other reference materials inEnglish and the target languageas tools to enhanceunderstanding of the targetlanguage.

A.6. have an interest in othercultures, possess curiosity and awillingness to learn about thosecultures.

A.7. use questions and otherstrategies to elicit responses fromclassmates as well as from fluentspeakers of the target language.

A.8. use mnemonic andmemorization strategies toenhance the learning of thetarget language.

A.9. employ knowledge of their firstlanguage to help form and testhypotheses regarding the targetlanguage.

A.10.* recognize and cope withambiguity and accept that more than one answer ispossible, particularly whentrying to understand theperspective of a differentculture.

A.11.* use meta-cognitive and meta-linguistic strategies toadvance language learning andcultural awareness.

Second Languages 71A report from Standards for Success

Students should understand their first language and be aware of its grammar and vocabulary. If students know parts of a sentencein their first language, it speeds up the process of learning a second language. We waste a lot less time if they know the grammar oftheir first language before they come to me to learn another one.

Faculty Viewpoint

Knowledge & SkillsFoundationsThis section discusses the attributes ofstudents who are successful in the range ofcreative endeavors known collectively as thearts. Successful students display a widerange of behaviors, some that can belearned and others that are reflections ofpersonality traits and personal attributes.Successful students in the arts are self-awareindividuals who use their time at theuniversity to continue and to intensify aprocess of skill development and personalgrowth designed to prepare them to be life-long learners and participants in the arts.

Faculty members describe successfulstudents as those who can think indepen-dently, logically and then maturely.Successful students understand themselvesas instruments of communication andexpression who demonstrate mastery ofbasic oral and physical expression throughsound, movement, and visual represen-tations. They embrace a diversity ofacademic interests from world cultures andpolitical history to scientific research,sociology, psychology and the study ofreligion. They view the arts as an instrumentof social and political expression. Theyformulate and present difficult questionsthrough their personal artistic visions. Theyare able to justify their aesthetic decisionswhen creating or performing a piece ofwork and know how to make decisionsregarding the proper venue for performingor exhibiting any creative product.

One of the things that differentiatescollege from high school is the longerperiods of time spent improving, revising

and perfecting work. Successful studentsknow how to practice in a sustained, focusedfashion without external supervision, howto manage their time, and how to disciplinethemselves to remain focused for extendedperiods of time while mastering thetechnical aspects of their area of endeavor.Artists, like athletes, sometimes describe thishard work as flow: a state of mindcharacterized by high concentration andblocking out of distractions, thus achievingadvanced levels of creativity. Time manage-ment and patience are essential. Starting aproject when it is assigned withoutprocrastination, learning to work in stages,and planning so that it can be completed inthe amount of time given are critical skillsfor all arts students. At the same time,successful students do not lose touch withthe larger campus community, and, in fact,participate in a wide range of campusactivities and interact with a cross-section ofthe student body.

Students prepared for study in the artsdemonstrate intellectual curiosity and awillingness to experiment with media.These students strive to develop theircreativity and ingenuity by struggling with aconcept, an object, a space, or a sound.Rather than solely fixating on proper form,they seek to utilize knowledge of form tofacilitate and support personal creativedevelopment. They are aware and curiousabout genres with which they are notfamiliar and are eager to experiment withthem. They are willing to learn about adiverse range of historical eras and practicesrelated to the arts.

Many arts courses at the college levelrequire research skills in part because thecreative process of producing one’s own

The ArtsThe pursuit of individual artistic excellence is a lifelong quest that begins bydeveloping a profound understanding and appreciation of the contributions madeby the most innovative creators in the field. Faculty Viewpoint

74 The ArtsA project of the AAU & The Pew Charitable Trusts

work usually raises questions about issuesthat are external to the piece, particularly aknowledge of what influences the piece.This process requires research that incor-porates cultural criticism. The presentationof the research is often in the form of aclearly written essay. Successful studentsalso know about the moral and legal issuesaround plagiarism and can see thedifference between being influenced byother artists and stealing from them.

It is crucial that students be able to thinkcritically. Students who are ready forcollege-level study in the arts must becapable of making independent judgmentsabout a work of art and not be afraid to askquestions. Curiosity and a willingness toexplore many layers of meaning areimportant to success, as well. Successfulstudents reflect on and assess the strengthsand weaknesses of others’ ideas and ways ofexpressing them. In addition, they arecomfortable formulating and expressingtheir own ideas.

Successful students are able to acceptcriticism about their own artwork orperformance as well as to critique the workof others. One cannot create art or performwithout considering at some point theopinions of others. Students learn throughformal critiques how to distinguishbetween constructive criticism and un-founded criticism and how to useconstructive criticism to become more self-analytic. The underlying point of critiquesand feedback is not just to improve one’swork, but also to foster self-reliance and tobuild a peer network simultaneously.Different methods of critique are used atthe college level. In some, the emphasis ison listening to classmates’ comments; inothers, the student is expected to presentthe class with a rationale for the work orperformance.

Collaboration is an essential aspect of theatricalproduction which is manifested in one’s abilitynot only to effectively communicate a personalcreative idea but to also engage in an exchange ofideas that will result in a shared artistic vision.

Faculty Viewpoint

A character trait that university-level artsclasses develop is helping students learn notto get discouraged when they are asked todo things that are complex or time-consuming. Rising to the substantialchallenges students face in university-levelarts courses is an integral component of thelearning experience. Many students whohave been accustomed to being outstandingfind themselves in a community whereeveryone is similarly gifted. The shock ofnot being the best or the mostaccomplished is often great for students inentry-level courses. The challenge is toembrace this new role and status and learnfrom the diversity of expertise, talent andcreativity that now surrounds the student.

The Arts 75A report from Standards for Success

The Arts StandardsThe Knowledge and Skills for UniversitySuccess standards in the arts are presentedin a somewhat different fashion than theyare in the other disciplines. The arts sectionadopts a unique approach due to the factthat arts classes are not necessarily takenduring the freshman year. Arts courses maybe experienced for the first time by studentsat any point in their academic careers.Thus, it is more difficult to identify artsclasses associated with first-year students,the criterion used to identify knowledgeand skills in the other five academiccontent areas addressed in this document.Additionally, the arts are uniquely complexin a number of other ways. First, the artsinclude both the performing arts and artsappreciation. Second, the arts comprise anumber of distinctly different areas ofemphasis. Music, art, dance and theatrerequire more distinctly different skills andknowledge than do biology and chemistryor geography and history.

Students should be able to consider the socialcontext of the dance performance and askpertinent questions about the conditions ofdance production and the intended audiencefor the dance.

Faculty Viewpoint

The arts standards presented hererepresent a set of general skills and abilitiesderived from national arts standardsdocuments and the expressed values of artsfaculty. This section includes knowledgeand skills for art history, dance, music,theatre and the visual arts. For each of thesesub-areas, knowledge and skills are groupedunder three headings: Technical Knowledgeand Skills, Cultural and Historical

Knowledge and Skills, and Aesthetics andArt Criticism Knowledge and Skills.Although grouped under these headings fororganizational convenience, the knowledgeand skills are understood best when viewedas being integrated within each headingand across headings within a sub-area.

When students take an introductory course inart history, they often discover a talent orinterest that they never imagined—and that’s asignificant part of what college is about:personal discovery.

Faculty Viewpoint

I. Art History

Technical Knowledge and SkillsStudents in introductory art history coursesare successful when they:

1. Know a range of subject matter,symbols and ideas in the visual arts.

2. Know how characteristics of thearts vary within a particularhistorical period or style and howthese characteristics relate to ideas,issues or themes in other artisticdisciplines. For example, paintingsoften were made for specificarchitectural contexts, such as amural made for a dining area or aspecific location in a Hindutemple.

3. Understand the connectionsbetween various artistic genres andmedia, such as the relationshipsbetween music and art during agiven period.

4. Know that characteristics of thearts vary within a particularhistorical period or genre.

5. Connect characteristics of visual artswithin a particular historical periodor style with ideas, issues or themesin the humanities, social sciences ornatural sciences.


Cultural and Historical Knowledge and SkillsStudents in introductory art history coursesdo well when they:

1. Recognize that artworks arecreated in relation to majorcultural, socio-political andhistorical periods.

2. Reflect on how artworks differvisually, spatially, temporally andfunctionally, and according togeographical place.

3. Analyze common characteristics ofvisual arts evident across time andamong cultural/ethnic groups toformulate analyses, evaluationsand interpretations of meaning.

Aesthetics and Art Criticism Knowledge and SkillsStudents in introductory art history coursesdo well when they:

1. Write clearly and cogently,formulate logical arguments anddemonstrate intellectual curiosity.

2. Are skilled in visual literacy; caninterpret artwork as a visual text.

3. Understand the link between theartist and society, and understandthat artists are generallyprofessionals who are successfulin their time because they producewhat their audiences want to see.

II. Dance

Technical Knowledge and SkillsStudents in entry-level dance courses dowell when they:

1. Possess technical skills in properbody-part articulation, strength,flexibility, agility and coordinationin locomotor andnonlocomotor/axial movements.

2. Display an awareness of properbreathing techniques, andunderstand choreographicprinciples, processes andstructures.

3. Use improvisation to generatemovement for choreography.

4. Understand various complex timeelements, such as duple and triplemeters and tempi varied inrelation to a basic pulse.

5. Create and perform combinationsand variations within a broadrange of dance styles.

6. Can memorize and reproduceextended movement sequencesand rhythmic patterns.

7. Understand that dance is a way tocreate and communicate meaning.

8. Use movement choices tocommunicate abstract ideas andsocial themes in dance.

9. Understand and demonstrate howdance interpretation can beinfluenced by personal experience.

Cultural and Historical Key Knowledge and SkillsStudents in entry-level dance courses dowell when they:

1. Understand dance across variouscultures and historical periods.

2. Compare and contrast the roleand significance of dance indifferent social, historical, culturaland political contexts.

3. Place significant dance events ofthe twentieth century in theirproper social, historical, culturaland political contexts.

4. Perform and describe similaritiesand differences between twocontemporary theatrical forms ofdance, and know the traditionsand techniques of classical danceforms.

Aesthetics and Arts Criticism Knowledge and SkillsStudents in entry-level dance courses dowell when they:

1. Discuss the intentions and effectsof dance work in both solo andgroup dance performances.


2. Analyze and describe the tempo,bodily precision, intention,musicality, costumes, lighting,space, rhythm, body position andsynchronicity between elements intheir critiques.

3. Describe how a choreographermanipulated and developed basicmovement content in a dance.

III. Music

Technical Knowledge and SkillsStudents beginning vocal or instrumentalcollege-level music do well when they:

1. Can use their voice as aperforming tool.

2. Can sing a varied repertoire ofvocal literature with expressionand technical accuracy at amoderate level of difficultyincluding some songs performedfrom memory.

3. Pay attention to phrasing andinterpretation, various meters andrhythms in a variety of keys.

4. Can sing music written in fourparts, with and withoutaccompaniment.

5. Know how to play a variedrepertoire of music both aloneand with others.

6. Can perform with expressionusing appropriate dynamics,phrasing, rubato and technicalaccuracy with attention tointerpretation.

7. Perform in various meters andrhythms in a variety of keys.

8. Perform in an ensemble,demonstrating well-developed skillsin creating balance, varyingintonation and maintainingrhythmic unity.

9. Read and notate music thatcontains moderate technicaldemands.

10. Are familiar with music theoryand composition and candemonstrate an ability to use theelements of music for expressiveeffect, including pitch, rhythm,timbre, texture and form.

Cultural and Historical Knowledge and SkillsStudents in music courses do well whenthey:

1. Understand how music is relatedto history and culture.

2. Are able to classify unfamiliar butrepresentative aural examples ofmusic by genre, style, historicalperiod and culture, and to explainthe reasoning behind theiridentification.

3. Can identify and describe musicgenres or styles that show theinfluence of one or more culturaltraditions.

Aesthetic and Arts Criticism Knowledge and SkillsStudents who observe or listen to musicalperformances do well when they:

1. Know and apply appropriatecriteria to music and musicperformances.

2. Understand the technicalvocabulary of music—includingterms in Italian and markings forform, harmony and tempo.


3. Understand compositional devicesand techniques that are used toprovide unity, variety, tension andrelease in a musical work.

4. Can listen to, analyze and describemusic and music performances.

5. Describe the elements of music ina given work that make it unique,interesting and expressive.

6. Evaluate composition,arrangement or improvisation bycomparing it to similar orexemplary models.

7. Compare ways in which musicalcomponents are used in a variety ofworks of the same genre or style.

8. Understand and can describe therelationships between music, theother arts and disciplines outsidethe arts.

IV. Theatre

Technical Knowledge and SkillsStudents in entry-level theatre courses dowell when they:

1. Demonstrate evidence of dramaticexperience including the ability toanalyze the physical, emotionaland social dimensions ofcharacters found in dramatic textsfrom various genres and media.

2. Develop, communicate andsustain characters in rehearsal, ininformal or formal productionsand in an ensemble thatcommunicates with audiences inimprovisations.

3. Understand what goes on behindthe scenes in terms of design,direction and production of atheatrical piece.

4. Possess the technical knowledgeand skills to collaboratively andsafely create functional scenery,properties, lighting, sound,costumes and makeup.

5. Can collaborate with directors todevelop unified productionconcepts that convey the

metaphorical nature of the dramafor informal and formal theatre,film, television or electronicmedia productions.

Cultural and HistoricalKnowledge and SkillsStudents are successful in theatre whenthey:

1. Are familiar with the social,cultural and historical contexts inwhich theatre, film, televisionand electronic media areperformed today and wereperformed in the past.

2. Demonstrate knowledge oftheatrical heritage.

3. Are aware that theatre can revealuniversal concepts across time.

4. Appreciate the ways in whichpersonal and cultural experiencescan affect an artist’s dramatic work.

5. Understand and can describe howtheir own cultural experiencesinfluence their work.

6. Understand and appreciatecultural and historical effectsinfluencing theatre.

7. Compare, analyze and integratetraditional theatre, dance, music,visual arts and emerging art forms.

Aesthetics and Art CriticismKnowlege and SkillsStudents are successful in theatre whenthey:

1. Know how informal and formaltheatre, film, television andelectronic media productionscreate and communicate meaning.

2. Understand how social meanings,represented by aural, oral andvisual symbols are communicated.

3. Can identify how productionsand performances relate tocurrent issues.

4. Understand that the context inwhich a dramatic performance is set can enhance or hinder itseffectiveness.


5. Are able to compare and explainthe roles and interrelatedresponsibilities of people involvedin a production.

6. Can describe the influence ofdrama in film, television, rockconcerts and religious ceremoniesand other kinds of ceremoniesand performances.

7. Have good observational skills.

8. Articulate and justify theirpersonal aesthetic criteria.

9. Use their knowledge of otheraesthetic philosophies such asGreek drama, Shakespeareanforms, Japanese kabuki andothers.

V. Visual Arts

Technical Knowledge and Skills Students in entry-level visual arts courses dowell when they:

1. Know fundamental visual artstechniques and processes in avariety of media, including basicdrawing, color theory and design.

2. Initiate, define and solvechallenging visual arts problemsin order to create cohesiveartworks.

3. Demonstrate awareness of howemotions expressed in art givenew insight and clarity to issues.

4. Differentiate between theapplications of various media andunderstand how media generatedifferent types of expression.

5. Explore ways to integrate andcombine various arts media.

Cultural and HistoricalKnowledge and Skills Students in college-level visual arts coursesdo well when they:

1. View and identify examples ofartworks from a variety of culturalcontexts to understand theirfunction and meaning.

2. Understand how visual, spatial,temporal and functional values ofartworks are tempered by society,culture and history

3. Show an understanding of thework of critics, historians andartists.

4. Investigate the influence ofinternational and nationalcultural institutions and artpolicies on art and art making.

5. Develop an appreciation of art asa social agent that contributes to asense of community in situationssuch as community forums, eventsand festivals.

Aesthetic and Art CriticismKnowledge and SkillsSuccessful students in entry-level visual artscourses:

1. Are willing to learn from theprocess of evaluation by peers andfaculty.

2. Apply intellectual skills such asanalysis, synthesis and evaluationin visual art critiques.

3. Discuss the implications of anartist’s intentions.

4. Demonstrate their owninterpretations and synthesizethose of peers, professors andcritics.

5. Form and defend judgmentsabout artistic characteristics.

6. Compare two or moreperspectives about the use oforganizational principles in anartwork, and defend personalevaluations of these perspectives.

7. Reflect upon and assess howartworks differ visually, spatially,temporally and functionally.

8. Balance between the ability toidentify and trust one’s instinctsand the ability to question one’spreconceived assumptions.

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