Monday, August 28, 2023

AV #263 - Colorado’s new graduation guidelines – early warning signs that they fall short

 

  2023 -  UPDATES - September   


                                                                                                          Part 1

 Was the goal more flexibility? 11 options, mission accomplished. But not if we intended to clarify what it means to earn high school degree in Colorado. It is a hodgepodge. Time for a review.

 

   We have little information on how Colorado districts are implementing the new guidelines. The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) does not require districts to report how they implement the new policies, so data is limited. For now, then, a solid analysis is impossible. The last time the State Board of Education met to look at the new guidelines—astonishing, isn’t it?—was in the fall of 2017. One wonders if state leaders have any idea how this effort is playing out.

   The Board is expected to get an update on implementation this year. I won’t wait for that. My research and several interviews with those in schools gives me sufficient evidence, I believe, to raise concerns now.

From the Colorado Department of Education: “Graduation Guidelines are designed to help students and their families plan for success after high school.

“Students choose from a Menu of Options - embedded in each school district’s graduation requirements - to demonstrate their readiness for career, college and the military, based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing, and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics.” (Emphasis mine. Not or, but and.)

 http://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelines

        A.     An overview. A national look reveals how  exceptional Colorado’s guidelines (if that is even the right word) appear to be. I find no other state that offers such a wide array of options. Here I will touch on the wide gap in expectations among some of our 11 options; next month, more on one option, the District Capstone.  

  B.   Information the state has gathered, so far, from districts. In Colorado, each local school board creates its own guidelines from “a menu of options.”

 




A.               Across the country   

50-State Comparison: High School Graduation Requirements

From the Education Commission of the States (May 2023)[i] 

   This national study provides background for my contention, further developed in Part 2 next month, that Colorado’s guidelines and 11 options are more than “flexible”; they are all over the map. There is no consistency in their expectations. It strikes me that our main goal is to expand options enabling students to graduate. (Many are glad, of course, for this lack of clarity; it’s one way to claim high graduation rates.)

ECS report: “Does the state require students to take specific assessments for graduation?” 

                                                                          May I? You may. 

   34 states – “Yes.” For the other 16 states (including Colorado), we read: “Not specified in state policy.” And yet Colorado is somewhere in between. The report goes on to say:


However, [Colorado] does identify assessments that may be used to satisfy graduation requirements. School districts may use some or all of the assessments in the menu of options developed by the state.”                (Bold mine)

   Among the 34 states that require assessments, we see specifics like this: (6 examples)

Alabama

Indiana

Mass

Missouri

Pennsylvania

Texas

… each student must demonstrate college and career readiness by meeting the cut score one of the following options:
- ACT
- Advanced Placement
- International Baccalaureate
-ACT WorkKeys[ii]

Postsecondary ready competencies must be demonstrated through one of the following assessment options:
- ACT
- SAT
- ASVAB
- AP/IB/Dual Credit/Cambridge Int’l/CLEP[iii]

Students must meet a competency determination requirement as measured by the following statewide assessments:
- Grade 10 Math
- Grade 10 English
- High school science, technology and engineering[iv]

- Civics assessment
-Students must also pass the following end of course exams:
- Algebra I
- English II
- Biology
-Government[v]

 

Students are required to demonstrate proficiency for graduation through the Keystone Exams or locally-developed assessments for these subject areas:
- English Language Arts
- Algebra 1
- Biology[vi]

Students must complete end-of-course assessments in:
- Algebra 1
- Biology
- English 1
- English 2
- United States History[vii]

 

 NOTE:

1) Of those 34 states with requirements, NOT ONE lists Capstones as an option. (More below)

2) Of those 34 states, only ONE other state uses the ASVAB (Indiana-above), the test for entrance to the military, and only ONE allows for the use of ACT WorkKeys (Alabama-above). Colorado is the only state in the country that allows both measures. Worth noting because these measures show readiness for the military or a career, but it is unlikely either calls on students to demonstrate anything close to “readiness for college.” More in the Addendum: Alabama (and Pennsylvania too) set a higher bar (Silver) than does Colorado (Bronze) on the ACT WorkKeys. The Addendum also points to Indiana’s debate about the ASVAB.

 

ECS report: Which assessments are required?

   Colorado is one of 35 states that require certain assessments. The report shows we have the widest variety and the longest list of assessments. Only Tennessee comes close in length. But note the difference in the kind of assessments in our two states. Tennessee’s list is largely based on work in 10 core academic classes.

 

Colorado

Tennessee

School districts may use some or all of the assessments for students to satisfy graduation requirements included in the state menu of options.
- Accuplacer
- ACT
- ACT WorkKeys*
- AP
- Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)*
- Concurrent Enrollment
- District Capstone
- Industry Certificate
- IB
- SAT
- standards-based performance assessment

- ACT/SAT
Additionally, students must complete the following end-of-course exams, which are factored into their final grade:
- English I
- English II
- Algebra I
- Geometry
- Algebra II
- Integrated Math I
- Integrated Math II
- Integrated Math III
- U.S. History
- Biology I



ECS Report - Does the state permit or provide alternatives to assessment requirements?[viii]

   Colorado is one of 10 states that provides alternatives, but we are the only state where a CAPSTONE project is listed as one of the alternatives permitted. (As this pathway is so prevalent, and so little understood, it will be my focus in AV #264, next month.) 

   The ECS Reports shows four other states with options that might have some similarities to Colorado’s District Capstone. However, it does not appear that any of these states gives such alternatives a central role towards meeting graduation requirements.

Alabama

“Yes. Effective with the class of 2027-28, students may also demonstrate college and career readiness through one of the following options:
- Completing an in-school youth apprenticeship program. (Ala. Admin. Code 290-3-1-.02).”

Maryland

“Yes. The following are offered as alternatives to assessment requirements:
- successfully completing the Bridge Plan for Academic Validation.”

(“The Bridge Plan for Academic Validation provides a process that ensures all students have a fair opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge and skills if the student has proven to be unsuccessful on traditional high-stakes assessments. This alternative pathway is particularly useful for students with disabilities, students with 504 Plans, English Language Learners, and students who experience assessment anxiety or who do not perform well on a traditional assessment.”)

Pennsylvania

“Yes. If student does not demonstrate proficiency on a Keystone exam then proficiency may be demonstrated by completing locally established, grade-based requirements for academic content areas associated with each Keystone Exam including:

- Internship, externship or cooperative education program.”

Rhode Island

“Not specified in state policy. However, performance-based diploma assessments are locally designed and districts are provided with significant flexibility in their administration and evaluation.”

 

B.       Across Colorado - choosing from a “Menu of Options” (https://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-menu)

   The Colorado Department of Education gathers what our 185 school districts and BOCES report on their own menu of options. (The data here is what CDE has collected, based on information it received from districts following the 2021-22 school year.) Districts are not required to offer all 11 options. Based on what CDE has sent me, these are the top four options that were reported:

All data is from the 2021-22 school year, but can reflect student work demonstrated over more than one school year.





1.       SAT – 153 districts 

2.    District Capstone – 152                                                                                  

3.      Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) - 131

4.      Concurrent Enrollment – 115

   Besides the SAT, districts reported four other academic assessments among their graduation guidelines. Each of these four is used across the country and has a widely recognized “passing score.”* Two are the College Board’s Accuplacer (87 districts) and Advanced Placement (43 districts). The other two are the ACT (39 districts) and the International Baccalaureate (11 districts). 

*NOTE:

Colorado’s guidelines accept a score of 2 on a range of AP classes, not all of them English or Math courses.

Pennsylvania includes success on AP tests among its options, but requires a minimum score of 3.[ix] 

   The two industry-related assessments were reported in less than half of the districts: Act WorkKeys (62 districts) and Industry Certificate (51 districts). The other option is a Collaboratively Developed, Standards-Based Performance Assessment (17 districts).

 

Summary – Intention versus the reality 

A.     “The Guidelines shall ensure that … each pathway is equally rigorous” – Who are we kidding?

   We set out years ago to define the “local high school graduation requirements to meet or exceed the Colorado Graduation Guidelines.” Recall this, from the original legislation in 2007:

22-2-106. State board - duties. (1) It is the duty of the state board [to]:      

(IV) RECOGNIZE AND ADDRESS THE MULTIPLE AND DIVERSE PATHWAYS TO DIPLOMAS OFFERED BY SCHOOL DISTRICTS IN THE STATE… THE GUIDELINES FOR HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION ADOPTED BY THE STATE BOARD PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH (a.5) SHALL ENSURE, AT A MINIMUM, THAT, WHILE NOT IDENTICAL, EACH PATHWAY IS EQUALLY RIGOROUS.[x]                             (Bold mine)

   It should be obvious that we succeeded with “multiple and diverse,” but not with pathways that are “equally rigorous.” Lower academic expectations are of special concern with ASVAB and ACT WorkKeys (again, more troubling details on both in the Addendum), as well as the District Capstone. A score of 31 on the ASVAB appears to demonstrate readiness for some branches of the military. A Bronze score on ACT WorkKeys might pass muster as readiness for some jobs. Who knows what success on a District Capstone tells anyone, as all that is “district determined.” The so-called benchmark is “Individualized.”

 

B.    CDE’s Guidelines assert that “Students choose from a Menu of Options -…  to demonstrate their readiness for career, college and the military, based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing, and Communicating, and one measure in Mathematics”? 

   It should also be obvious that this claim is untrue. Our options are not all rigorous enough to require that students “demonstrate … readiness … for college.” In fact, it is unclear if several options require that students meet the standards we have established in Reading, Writing, and Mathematics for ninth graders.  

   We sought clarity on what it means to earn a high school degree in Colorado. In reality, our “guidelines” allow every district to take their pick from a mixed bag of options. We can have 185 interpretations of what it means to graduate from a high school in our state. We have no clarity. It is time for a review.

**

 

 Addendum – Lowering the bar 

A.     ACT WorkKeys – CDE’s menu of options lists a score of 3 (Bronze) as the minimum score to pass. 

ACT WorkKeys scores – 6 or better = Platinum.  5 = Gold.  4 = Silver.  3 = Bronze. 

“Bronze Level – Signifies an individual has scored at least a Level 3 on each of the three assessments and has the necessary skills for 16% of the jobs in the WorkKeys Job Pro database.”[xi]

“Applied Maths[xii] - This assessment will take 55 minutes in English and 70 in Spanish, and you will be given 34 questions to answer.

Example Question

You work at a store, and someone gives you a $10 bill to pay for a cake that costs $4.54.

How much change would you give the customer back?

a) $5.45                                                                            

b) $5.46

c) $6.42

d) $3.54

Show Answer”

 

Alabama and Pennsylvania, unlike Colorado, require a SILVER or better score on the ACT WorkKeys

The ECS report shows that Colorado is one of only four states (along with Alabama, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania) where ACT WorkKeys is one of the options available to meet high school graduation requirements. NOTE: At least two of those states appear to expect higher scores than does Colorado.


Alabama - Bronze: Students earning a Bronze certificate are judged to be ready for 16 percent of jobs. In Alabama students earning a Silver certificate or above are considered career ready.”[xiii] 

Pennsylvania: “ATTAINMENT OF AN ESTABLISHED SCORE ON THE ACT WORKKEYS. The student must meet or exceed the established score of Silver Level on the ACT WorkKeys NCRC.”[xiv] 


ACT WorkKeys - on BRONZE versus SILVER scores 

I asked ACT WorkKeys for clarification about the value of a Bronze versus a Silver score. It replied with a two-page pamphlet on College Credit.[xv] Excerpts below. I asked, but did not hear one word about credit for high school students, or credit for scores at the Bronze level. 

Award College Credit

FOR THE ACT® WorkKeys® National Career - Readiness Certificate®

 

“Students MUST possess the workplace skills employers need. Postsecondary institutions can award college credit to students who demonstrate the 21st-century skills needed for success, using a nationally recognized credential that measures foundational, work-ready skills.

 

“In 2022, the American Council on Education (ACE) recommended that colleges and universities in the lower-divisional baccalaureate/associate degree category, award 3 semester hours in Technical Mathematics and Introduction to Information Literacy (6 semester hours total) to students who earn a Platinum NCRC, and 2 semester hours in each (4 semester hours total) to students who earn a Gold NCRC; in the vocational category, award 1 semester hour in Technical Mathematics and Introduction to Information Literacy (2 semester hours total) to students who earn a Silver NCRC  NOTE: Each institution should determine how best to implement technical mathematics and information literacy in their curricular offerings and how to award the credit achieved through a high-level WorkKeys NCRC.”


 

B.     Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

 

CDE’s menu lists a minimum score of 31 to pass the ASVAB. Two questions: 1) Why is it set this low?

2) Although CDE states that all 11 options measure writing, we see no writing portion on the ASVAB tests.[xvi] 

ASVAB Scores and Military Entry Requirements[xvii]

 

Minimum Required ASVAB Scores

Branch

High School

GED

Air Force

36

50

Coast Guard

36

47

Navy

35

50

Marine Corps

31

50

Army

31

50

National Guard

31

50



“There are minimum ASVAB scores set for each military branch. The results of your Mathematics KnowledgeWord KnowledgeParagraph Comprehension and Arithmetic Reasoning subtests determine your Armed Forces Qualification Test (AFQT) score. 



 “The AFQT score is often called the ASVAB score, and it determines which branch(es) of the military you are eligible to join…. For people with a High School Diploma, a minimum qualifying AFQT score of 31 is needed to join the Army or National Guard, whereas you need to get higher than a 35 to join the Navy or Coast Guard.”

 

More on ASVAB:                                                        

1)    With ASVAB Standard scores, the majority of students score between 30 and 70. This means that a standard score of 50 is an average score, and a score of 60 would be an above-average score.” https://www.asvabprogram.com/media-center-article/46

2)    The current AFQT score is the most critical ASVAB score for you. The Armed Services Qualification Test (AFQT) is a percentile score based on the study of 1997, where the Department of Defense conducted the ASVAB test in which 12000 people took part. Your 31 means that you executed worse than 68% and better than other 31% of those 12000 people who did the ASVAB test in 1997.” https://usarmycalculators.com/asvab-score-calculator/is-31-a-good-asvab-score/#:~:text


Indiana debates the use of ASVAB – policymakers ask a critical question


“Is a military exam a loophole in Indiana’s high school graduation rules?”

– by Dyla, Peers McCoy, March 23, 2023                                                                                (Bold mine) 

  “When Indiana policymakers set out to overhaul high school diplomas five years ago, their aim was simple: Ensure graduates are ready for the next step — whether that’s college or a job with decent pay. 

  “High schoolers have a lot of ways to prove they’re prepared. Students can take rigorous classes and get an honors diploma. They can earn scores on admission tests like the SAT that show they are ready for college. Or they can train in fields like welding or health care… 

  “Now, the exam is under fire from critics who say it’s become a loophole in state graduation rules. They say scores on the exam don’t help students go to college or find jobs in other fields. 

  “‘My whole goal is to make sure kids are prepared for life and that we're not using something that is not the appropriate tool for kids just to get them out the door,’ said Rep. Bob Behning (R-Indianapolis), who chairs the House Education Committee…. I want to make sure that these pathways have value,’ said Behning, who is leading a legislative push to discourage students from relying on the test.

https://www.wfyi.org/news/articles/asvab-military-exam-indiana-high-school-graduation-pathways


Endnotes

* From Introduction to AV #263 and 264:  

The State Board of Education last heard from the Assessment Work Group on the new guidelines six years ago, Sept. 14, 2017.

CDE New Release - Graduation guidelines' background, recommendations and policies discussed

The board considered recommendations for updates to Colorado’s graduation guidelines. The recommendations were developed by a work group convened to review and recommend revisions following the board’s September 2015 request to have the guidelines reviewed every two years. The board is expected to vote on the recommendations at a future meeting. https://www.cde.state.co.us/communications/09142017sbemeeting

On December 13, 2017, the Graduation Guidelines Considerations were on the agenda of the State Board of Education meeting. https://go.boarddocs.com/co/cde/Board.nsf/goto?open&id=AT4SSX734A84



[i] Education Commission of the States, “50-State Comparison: High School Graduation Requirements,”  https://www.ecs.org/50-state-comparison-high-school-graduation-requirements-2023/.

[ix] Pennsylvania: “ATTAINMENT OF AN ESTABLISHED SCORE ON AN ADVANCED PLACEMENT PROGRAM EXAM,” https://pdesas.org/Frameworks/DCEToolKit/Act158PathwaysToGraduationToolkit

[x] Legislative declaration, HB 07-1118, https://statebillinfo.com/bills/bills/07/1118_enr.pdf

[xi]  WorkKeys/ACT National Career Readiness Certificates, https://nwtech.edu/alvacc/workkeys/.

[xv]Award College Credit - FOR THE ACT® WorkKeys® National Career - Readiness Certificate®,

https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/unsecured/documents/pdfs/NCRC-Award-College-Credit.pdf.

[xvi] “The ASVAB Tests - The ASVAB tests are designed to measure aptitudes in four domains: Verbal, Math, Science and Technical, and Spatial. The table (at the website, below) describes the content of the ASVAB tests,” excerpt from the ASVAB Fact Sheet, https://agora.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/asvab_fact_sheet.pdf

[xvii] ASVAB Scores and Military Entry Requirements,” https://asvabbootcamp.com/blog/asvab-scores/.

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