2023 - UPDATES – October
State’s Menu of Options: greater
flexibility – and a lower bar
Case in point: District Capstones (where we
have no “guidelines”)
Colorado offers
districts 11 ways to ensure students “demonstrate readiness for college and
career based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing and Communicating, and
one measure in Mathematics” (CDE - Menu of College and Career-Ready
Demonstrations[i]).
As I showed in Part 1, three options: the SAT, Concurrent Enrollment, and
the District Capstone, may be the most widely accepted “pathways” in
place in our 185 school districts and BOCES.
Our graduation guidelines state clear benchmarks
on only one of the three, the SAT. “The purpose of the SAT is to
measure a high school student's readiness for college.”[ii] Most
Colorado students are not college ready, especially in Math; definitely not if
we go by the College Board’s benchmark (530[iii]),
but still well short if we use our guidelines’ less stringent minimum score (500[iv]).
The state average SAT Math score was 484 in 2023. Colorado Public
Radio’s report on SAT results found “just 35 percent [of students] are
college ready in math.” Most alarming, see Addendum A, my list of 30
high schools where the average SAT Math score these past two years was 410.5,
almost 90 points below the SAT minimum score in our guidelines.
Let’s be direct: such schools (and their districts)
want options with lower academic expectations. Concurrent Enrollment and
District Capstones provide that. For both, what is defined as “demonstrating
readiness for college and career” is left to the districts to determine. Addendum
B is my attempt to capture different expectations among 10 districts on
both options. Concurrent Enrollment has one benefit; it is tied to “college
level classes” and to grades, even if “passing” or receiving a “C- or better”
are not always the same thing. (Question: is that C- good enough?)
(Someday some enterprising journalist will
examine the quality–i.e. the academic rigor–of Concurrent Enrollment classes in
Colorado. Something like this recent study in Texas: “The Rise of Dual Credit - More and more students take college
classes while still in high school. That is boosting degree attainment but also
raising doubts about rigor.” See more in Endnote.[v]
In Colorado,
are Concurrent Enrollment classes really asking for “college level” work? My experience makes
me extremely dubious.)
But it is the District Capstones, as Addendum
B makes clear, where we see the greatest variation in what districts
expect students to demonstrate. This is the main reason for the skepticism I hear
on this option, as you will see. I am fully aware of the lack of hard evidence
in what I present, “merely” concerns from several skeptics. Perhaps, though,
they present “canaries in a coal mine.” Telling us to stop. To turn back.
Defining our terms
– the Graduation Guidelines are flexible and expansive, but here is what they SAY
The Colorado Department of Education’s “Menu of Options” states: “Students must demonstrate readiness for college and career based on at least one measure in Reading, Writing, and Communication, and one measure in Mathematics.” It defines a District Capstone as:
… the culminating
exhibition of a student’s project or experience that demonstrates academic and
intellectual learning. Capstone projects are district determined and often
include a portfolio of a student’s best work.
“District determined”
is the key phrase. For most of the other 11 options on the “Menu,” we see a “Minimum
Score Required” for demonstrating Reading, Writing and Communicating, and for
Math. In Math we see a number; for example, SAT Math - 500; ACT
Math - 19; Accuplacer Math – 61. Even the ASVAB
and ACT WorkKeys options give hard numbers as the minimum score needed
to pass.
But for the District Capstone, as CDE’s
Menu of Options shows, there is no Minimum Score. It simply states: Individualized.
Districts determine their own criteria. Thus the problem. We have no clearly
defined minimum expectation for the quality and depth of the “academic and
intellectual” learning in English and in Math that students will be
asked to demonstrate. We allow for 185 ways to “demonstrate competency.”
Hearing from educators
and leaders
If you wish to hear
how a district has been thoughtful and gone all-in with Capstone projects, I
suggest you look to Canon City. A school leader there made a strong case
to me for why it has good reason to be proud of what it has put in place these
past several years. Other than that, I hear doubts about the wisdom of including
Capstone projects as among the state’s 11 Menu of Options.
At least two districts
in Colorado do not provide* this option: District 27J and Roaring
Fork Valley. A school leader in District
27J explained their reluctance: “The Capstones I’ve seen only
required a signature from a department chair, who reviews the classes the
student had taken and passed in high school, and said that was enough to ‘earn’
the student a passing mark.” This long-time educator asked the question for me:
“Are the students prepared for college? No.” And added: “I want some proof.” (*District
27J does allow its charter schools to use this option. In 2022, 119 charter
school students in the district successfully completed a Capstone project.[vi])
Roaring Fork
expects students to produce a Capstone project, and yet, as the district’s
former
Superintendent Rob Stein wrote me, it is “not a measure of graduation readiness.” Instead,
it is a course requirement. He expanded: “Our capstone was a way for students to demonstrate that they
could identify a question or goal of their own choosing, pursue it with some
discipline, and present their learning to an appropriate audience. So it was a
demonstration of the kind of college readiness that schools mostly avoid:
figuring out what you're interested in and going for it.”
Educators in Jefferson County Schools
and Aurora Public Schools raised questions about how objective the
evaluation of a student’s project will be. Can it be sufficient when it comes
down to one teacher’s judgment? Especially by a teacher who has worked with
that student and wants him/her to graduate? “It’s completely subjective,” one
educator told me. “I don’t know how they’re being assessed.” Of the students
who “pass” the Capstone: “Do I think the students have reached graduation requirements? Absolutely no.”
A personal note (maybe a surprise). I am a huge fan of capstone projects. Since 2015 I have served on ten panels “judging” or responding to student presentations at high schools in Adams 12, Denver, and Jeffco. (Such projects were not tied to our new graduation guidelines.) Often 10 minute talks; then a 10-15 minute q and a session. At times, really impressive; at times, not—but I cheered the effort. To present to and hear from a panel can be a powerful learning experience for our juniors and seniors. (Eons ago, I taught at the Emma Willard School in New York. “Signature” projects are now a central feature there.[vii])
But I find it crazy to make this event into
something grandiose, and claim: With this one “culminating exhibition,” a
senior will “demonstrate readiness for college and career.” It puts
more weight on one project than it can bear. This was a flaw in our new
guidelines from day one. It does not belong.
The State Board of
Education – an overdue review
No matter how limited this update, I believe it
shows the need for a substantive review of how the new guidelines are playing
out, in particular with District Capstones. There were high hopes for the
Capstone when we started down this road several years ago. Perhaps it might
become an option students would choose, eager to explore an independent
study senior year. Where do we see this today?
Any review would refer
to the dissertation on District Capstones by Amy Spicer, Vice President of
Implementation Design, Colorado Education Initiative. In 2019, Spicer warned
that “capstones and portfolios could be used as a less rigorous pathway or
pass-through option to ensure students can graduate on time without a real
assurance of college and career readiness” (Education Week, March 4,
2019). Over three years later, her presentation to the
Colorado Association of School Boards was even-handed; the District Capstone,
she noted then, “is being implemented as a rigorous option in limited cases”
(“An Implementation Study of Colorado’s Graduation Guidelines,[viii] Dec. 2, 2022, slide 33). But this past summer
she raised a concern to me that the Capstones might become an option that adults
were choosing for students who are in danger of not getting their degree.
2013 to 2023 – Progress? Clarity?
Eight years ago my opinion piece in The
Denver Post showed little correlation between graduation rates and student
achievement in Colorado’s high schools.
Huidekoper: “High school graduation rates aren’t necessarily
a reason to celebrate,” (July 2, 2015)[ix]
There I noted the
effort which began in 2013, and then under way, that has led to the new Graduation
Guidelines examined in these two newsletters, AV #263 and #264. I asked:
Shouldn’t we insist on clear expectations of what it means to be a high school graduate in Colorado? Most states do a better job of this. A recent report by National Public Radio commended Colorado for moving in a positive direction, thanks to changes approved by our state board in 2013 “spelling out what Colorado students must do to earn a high school diploma.”
But several board members were already raising
concerns. I wrote:
However, the current majority on the state Board of Education seems skeptical of that plan. Many worry the board will renege on expectations agreed to two years ago, leaving us in even worse shape when it comes to giving real meaning to a high school diploma.
Eight years
later, the evidence I have gathered tells me we have not accomplished our goal.
I conclude that our Graduation Guidelines do not provide a clear definition what
it means to be a high school graduate in Colorado.
Along with many others, I am keen to see the State Board, at long last, put our Graduation Guidelines on its agenda and ask: Is this progress? Are we now clear? Is this what we intended?
Addendum A
The SAT’s value declines. In some
schools, the SAT test may feel irrelevant.
(Accountability Task
Force, take notice! When students have no reason to try, is this a good measure?)
Seven years ago I began to draw a contrast
between low test scores and high graduation rates (“High school graduation
rates aren’t necessarily a reason to celebrate,”[x]
July 2, 2015). My newsletters since then updated my findings and concern. I assumed
districts and schools believed their SAT scores actually meant something.
|
“COLLEGE ADMISSION TESTS are becoming a thing of the past. More than 80 percent of US colleges and universities do not require applicants to take standardized tests – like the SAT or the ACT.” (Jan 26, 2023) |
Maybe that is no longer true. With the graduation guidelines in place,
most Colorado high schools probably see the SAT Math “minimum score” as out of
reach. A school leader told me how thoroughly unmotivated students can be. A
high percentage of juniors know how poorly they did on PSAT tests freshmen and
sophomore year. They sense they have no chance to meet that 500 target on the
SAT, and so they hardly try. (One result: the school’s woeful SAT results become
even more unreliable.) Is it any wonder these students, and their schools, will
look, for another option in order to claim be “college and career
ready”?
Moreover, this school leader added, for the college-bound, success on the SAT is less important—to the colleges themselves (see box). In 2023, what percentage of students believe their SAT scores really matter?
|
SAT (Graduation Guideline
Minimum) |
Math 500 |
SAT Math scores at 30 Colorado high
schools On average,
the SAT Math scores at these schools were 62 points or more below the
minimum score on the graduation guidelines, both years. Average score in 2022 - close to
410. Average score in 2023 – close to
411. This is almost 90 points below the
SAT minimum score on our graduation guidelines. As one principal suggested to me,
these 15 districts and these 30 schools know how unlikely it is that they
will see their SAT MATH score rise to 500 in the foreseeable future, if ever.
So if that 500 target looks unrealistic,
is it any wonder schools like these might be inclined to ignore the SAT
option on the new graduation guidelines? And turn their focus, instead, to
options that do not require a reliable measure of academic knowledge and
skills? This is another reason why we need
to examine whether the District Capstone fulfills the goals of our graduation
guidelines. If it does not, if it merely becomes the way low-achieving high
schools are able to avoid any accountability for the academic performance
of their students, then we cannot continue to allow the District Capstone
to be an option. (By the way, aren’t 10 options
enough?) |
|
|
|
2023 |
2022 |
|
|
STATE
AVERAGE |
484 |
483 |
|
|
Denver
Public Schools |
|
|
|
|
Abraham
Lincoln H.S. |
388 |
405.4 |
|
|
Bruce
Randolph H.S. |
424 |
401.9 |
|
|
John F. Kennedy
H.S. |
425 |
420.8 |
|
|
Manual High |
406 |
392.2 |
|
|
Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr. Early College |
406 |
407.1 |
|
|
Aurora
Public Schools |
|
|
|
|
Aurora
Central H.S. |
381 |
382.0* |
|
|
Aurora West
College Prep Academy |
383 |
401.9 |
|
|
Gateway H.S. |
391 |
398.9 |
|
|
Hinkley H.S. |
407 |
385.1 |
|
|
Jeffco |
|
|
|
|
Jefferson
Jr/Sr H. S. |
404 |
389.5 |
|
|
Alameda Intn’t
Jr/Sr H.S. |
409 |
422.9 |
|
|
Arvada H.S. |
408 |
405.5 |
|
|
Pueblo 60 |
|
|
|
|
Central |
427 |
416.1 |
|
|
East |
424 |
413.9 |
|
|
South |
438** |
432.5 |
|
|
Adams 14 |
|
|
|
|
Adams City
H.S. |
394 |
396.9 |
|
|
Mapleton |
|
|
|
|
York International |
428 |
406 |
|
|
Mapleton Expedition. School of the Arts |
406 |
425.1 |
|
|
Sheridan |
|
|
|
|
Sheridan H. S. |
425 |
410.4 |
|
|
Englewood |
|
|
|
|
Englewood H.S. |
426 |
435.3** |
|
|
Westminster |
|
|
|
|
Westminster H.S. |
415 |
417.3 |
|
|
Adams 12 |
|
|
|
|
Thornton H.S. |
415 |
414.5 |
|
|
Harrison |
|
|
|
|
Harrison H.S. |
424 |
421.8 |
|
|
Sierra H.S. |
413 |
407.0 |
|
|
Co. Springs |
|
|
|
|
Mitchell H.S. |
408 |
408.7 |
|
|
Fort Lupton |
|
|
|
|
Fort Lupton High |
415 |
427.6 |
|
|
Greeley 6 |
|
|
|
|
Greeley Central H.S. |
431 |
431.7 |
|
|
Jefferson Junior/Senior H.S. |
375* |
387 |
|
|
District 27J |
|
|
|
|
Prairie View H.S. |
433 |
431.5 |
|
|
Huerfano |
|
|
|
|
John Mall H.S. |
393 |
398 |
|
|
AVERAGE |
411 |
410 |
|
*Lowest score of these 30 high
schools
**Highest scores of these 30 high schools
Addendum B – From the Graduation
Guidelines in 10 districts
A variety of expectations and/or
“benchmarks”
All errors here are mine. I used district websites and links at CDE’s website (http://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/grad-capstone) for data, but I doubt all here is up-to-date. It is sufficiently accurate, though, I believe, to make a point about the variety in expectations.
|
CDE |
Concurrent Enrollment |
District Capstone |
|
STATE Definitions & descriptions here taken from CDE’s
Fact Sheet on Graduation Guidelines.* |
For “students… [who] enroll in postsecondary courses,
earning high school and college credit. School districts & institutions
of higher education each
determine passing grades for credit and concurrent enrollment.” |
A capstone is the culminating exhibition of a
student’s project or experience that demonstrates academic and intellectual
learning. Capstone projects are district determined and often include a portfolio of a
student’s best work. |
|
Canon City Schools |
Grade of a “C-” or higher in one of PCC-F’s approved
English courses.” Ditto … “in one of PCC-F’s approved math courses.” |
“Successful completion of District Approved Capstone”
for English, and for Mathematics. The capstone project is part of the district’s
Pathways Program, a three-year curriculum. The capstone is required of ALL
STUDENTS. |
|
District 27J |
Eng – Passing grade Math – Passing grade |
At present, only available to charter school students
in the district. “Completion of an approved capstone which
demonstrates a student’s grade-level competency in English language arts.” Math - Ditto |
|
Dolores School District RE-4A |
Eng - Grade of at least a C Math – Grade of at least a C |
Eng - “Completion of the district capstone project
and approval by the district-designated team.” Math - Ditto |
|
Douglas County School District |
Eng – Passing grade Math – Passing grade |
Eng – Passing score Math- Passing score |
|
Jeffco Public Schools |
Eng – Passing grade Math – Passing grade |
Eng – Passing Math- Passing |
|
Park County School District Re 2 |
“ … course that demonstrates English readiness – -Grade of at least a “C”. Ditto - Math |
Eng - “Completion of the district capstone project
and approval by a district-designated reviewer.” Math – Ditto |
|
Poudre School District |
Eng - “Passing grade is C or higher” Math- “Passing grade is C or higher” |
Scoring – “individualized” |
|
Pueblo 70 School District |
“Concurrent enrollment course that demonstrates English
readiness, as approved by the district and included in the student’s academic
plan of study or Individualized Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).” -Grade of at least a “C”. Ditto - Math |
“District capstone project that demonstrates academic
and intellectual learning in the subject area of English.” Ditto – Math |
|
Roaring Fork Valley School District |
Grade of at least a C in an approved English concurrent
enrollment course. Ditto - Math |
NOT INCLUDED – Instead, a Capstone Project is a
district course requirement. |
|
Thompson School District |
N.A. |
“Capstone is a culminating exhibition of a student’s
experience while in Thompson School District that demonstrates academic and
intellectual learning in English language arts and/or Mathematics.
Demonstration of learning for Capstone is incorporated in coursework and
assessments in Financial Algebra and English 12 courses.” |
|
More detailed
information/link to websites on Capstone Projects from these 10 districts |
|
|
Canon City |
The Cañon
City Pathways Program is a three-year curriculum, inclusive of a
graduation capstone, that is designed to "inject relevance and
engagement to learning, and prepare students for postsecondary education and
the workforce." “A Capstone project is a multifaceted
graduation requirement for all students that challenges them to think
critically, solve challenging problems, and develop life skills. Projects are
interdisciplinary, requiring students to apply skills across many different
subject areas. These projects encourage students to connect their projects to
community issues and to integrate outside-of-school learning experiences
including activities such as interviews, scientific observations, and
internships.” From The Pathways at Canon City High
School. Pages 2-4. http://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/cchspathwayshandbook See
also https://www.canoncityschools.org/schools/high-school/news/1761207/cchs-capstone-scholarship-winners (March 2023). “Students have been working on
their Capstone projects since the first day they stepped into Canon City High
School. These are culminating projects meant to show the traits and skills
that students have learned over their high school career.” |
|
District 27J |
At
present, this option is available to students in 27J charter schools, not in
the district’s high schools. |
|
Dolores |
https://doloresschools.org/wp-content/uploads/boardpolicies/i/IKF-E-1.pdf |
|
Douglas
County |
The district has
created an AP Capstone Diploma - https://www.dcsdk12.org/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=13912378 https://www.dcsdk12.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=220484&pageId=5769340 |
|
Jeffco |
“The
development and implementation of District Capstones in Jeffco Public Schools
are designed at the school level. Capstone work undertaken by schools and
students will include: ● A portfolio
of work which reflects the student’s self-selected Capstone project ● A public
demonstration of learning ● Intentional
connections to the student’s Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) ●
Authentic mentor experiences ● Clear
connections to Jeffco’s prepared graduate success skills, as identified
below…”[xi] More at
Graduation Capstone Essentials: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r-O00hC9NbeXyblNf5_FmD0ME208_Seisj6Uf4sAB-o/edit#heading=h.qa1qjp2gj54o https://jeffcopublicschools.org/academics/graduation_requirements |
|
Park County |
http://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/parkcountygradrequirements |
|
Poudre |
PSD approved capstone template (not
available to all) “A Capstone Project is
a multifaceted assignment that serves as a culminating academic,
intellectual, and personalized learning experience for students. Capstone
experiences are offered at each high school.” https://www.psdschools.org/academics/academic-standards-graduation-requirements https://www.psdschools.org/academics/academic-standards-graduation-requirements/assessments-measures |
|
Pueblo 70 |
“Examples of
approved capstone projects and CTSO competitive events are in Exhibit
IKF-2-E-2.” “In addition to completion of approved capstone projects, the District will consider above average accomplishments in Career and Technical Student Organization (CTSO) Performance or Objective Competitive Events as demonstrations of Career and College readiness in English or Math.” |
|
Roaring Fork |
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rLKAGCiaEDy4ySuY73EQmAiN4uFN9mEs/view |
|
Thompson
School District |
Math – https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1688122397/thompsonschoolsorg/lsq2ls8pn0ptazcxybrl/IKF.pdf |
[ii]
Princeton Review https://www.princetonreview.com/college/sat-information#:~:text=The%20SAT%20is%20a%20multiple,used%20to%20compare%20all%20applicants.
[iii]
“SAT Suite of Assessments,” College Board, SAT College and Career
Readiness Benchmarks:
- Evidence-Based Reading and Writing: 480
- Math: 530
https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/k12-educators/about/understand-scores-benchmarks/benchmarks.
[iv] “More high school students
are ready for college English, but not in math.” “But math scores are still
3.8-points below where they were before the pandemic. Just 35 percent are
college ready in math.” “Colorado’s
Measures of Academic Success scores are out. Here’s how students did,” by Jenny
Brundin, Colorado Public Radio, https://www.cpr.org/2023/08/17/colorados-measures-of-academic-success-scores-student-results/.
[v] “James Grossman, the
American Historical Association’s executive director, said that with dual
enrollment courses, unlike in International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement
classes, ‘there is no common assessment’ to make sure that what students are
learning is comparable. ‘So you are really at the mercy of the oversight of the
teacher and the teacher’s syllabus.’
“In Texas, where more than 200,000 students
participated in dual credit last fall, Raymund Paredes, the state’s former
commissioner of higher education, has called for slowing the growth of dual
enrollment, warning the state has ‘oversold the potential of dual credit
courses.’
“‘… there’s no way all those students could
be college ready, or even close to college ready,’ he said in an interview.”
--
“…states
and schools will … need to come up with new ways to demonstrate the
quality of their programs, as the debate over the rigor and quality of dual
credit courses rages on, with no end in sight.” “The Rise of Dual Credit,” by Kelly Field, Education
Next, Winter 2021, https://www.educationnext.org/rise-dual-credit-more-students-take-college-classes-high-school-degree-attainment-rigor
[vi], Email to me from Karla Reider, Director of
Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction, District 27J, July 25, 2023.
[vii]
“Signature is Emma Willard School’s capstone program for juniors and seniors
centered around exploring a personal interest.” Emma Willard School, Troy, N.Y.
https://www.emmawillard.org/academics/curriculum/experiential-learning/signature
[viii]
CASB - https://casb.memberclicks.net/assets/2022convention/Breakout_Sessions/GraduationGuidelines.pdf
[ix] “High school graduation rates aren’t necessarily a reason to celebrate,” Huidekoper, The Denver Post, July 2, 2015, https://www.denverpost.com/2015/07/02/huidekoper-high-school-graduation-rates-arent-necessarily-a-reason-to-celebrate/
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