Another View has recently addressed both a lack of clarity about the purpose of a K-12 public education[1] and the tragic number of students in our K-12 system who read and write significantly below grade level.[2]
“Contrary to popular opinion, the proper first response
to a changing world is not to ask, ‘How should we change?’ but rather
to ask, ‘What do we stand for and why do we exist?’” Jim Collins,
author - Built to Last, Good to Great |
When the business
community presumes to tell K-12 education what it should be doing, I want ask, “Do
you forget what this is all about?”
At a time we most need clarity on our purpose and our priorities, how does this help?
Isn’t
it strange to hear “blur,” “blurring,” and “to blur” as a positive? It’s as if
the business community is announcing: Proud to be myopic!
In everyday life,
the term suggests doubt, confusion, ambiguity. Not what we want.
“I’m not seeing too well of late. It’s all a
blur.”
Taking an eye test. “Nope, can’t do that
line. It’s just a blur.”
What educators should understand about the Big Blur’s
plan to “radically restructure grades 11-14” (Jobs for the Future). Addendum A. |
In sports. Can the quarterback see his
receiver amidst the defenders? Can the hitter see the 100 mph fastball? Can the
goalie see the puck streaking towards the net?
When it’s “all a blur,” little chance for
success.
And in our organizations. Do we have a clear
goal? Well-defined priorities? Can we answer the why?
When it’s “all a blur,” what can we expect?
Such a silly term, and yet it is now
celebrated, lifted up as A Good Thing. How odd.
Examine what Gov. Jared Polis and others say about the Big Blur. It will help “students get skills in high school.” What skills? Does it even matter if they can read or write or calculate well? Perhaps academic skills are no longer “relevant.” Gov. Polis emphasizes “training the workforce of tomorrow.” But educating students is not training. The disconnect begins right there.
Bold in text is mine. Train/training: used 5 x. Skills: 5x. Workforce education/readiness: 4 x.
Task Force Final Report: Colorado’s “Big Blur,” released Dec. 1, 2023 “Secondary, Postsecondary and Work-Based Integration Task
Force Report”[i]
Submitted to the Office of the Governor, The Education Leadership
Council, The State Board of Education, The Colorado Commission on Higher
Education, The Education Committees of The Senate and The House of Representatives.
Office of Postsecondary, Workforce Readiness, Student Pathways
Unit. |
Six articles -
from January to June 2024 |
From “Five things to know about how Colorado leaders propose to reshape workforce education,” by Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado, Jan. 16, 2024[ii] “Colorado aims to further the ‘Big Blur’” “Colorado has
acute worker shortages, and most jobs require some
form of college. “The 1215 task
force’s report is meant to help the state do better at carrying out what
policymakers call the ‘Big Blur’ — that is, making the end of high
school and the beginning of college seamless. Colorado is among the first in
the country to take up this work. “Under these programs, students get skills in high school that make it
easier for them to learn a career field in college. And when they
graduate, they could get a job in that field, or what they learned during
high school and college would make them more employable. Ideally, employers
would help with that training.” |
“How Blurring the Lines Between High School, College
and Careers Can Set More Teens Up for Success,” by Jared Polis, Jan.
27, 2024, The 74.[iii]
“In Colorado, we refer to breaking down silos as ‘blurring.’ Advanced degrees and credentials are now table stakes to
participate in the modern economy, but accessing them usually requires
students to persist through four years of high school work that often doesn’t
feel relevant to their futures. Then they proceed to postsecondary
programs where they must take on debt, pay tuition, or forgo work while they
pursue credentials. Blurring can make high school more relevant and
credentials more attainable for all students.” “That’s why we have been laser-focused on blurring the lines between high school, higher education,
and the workforce.
Students and young professionals deserve more opportunities to gain skills.
By increasing those opportunities, we can save people time and money, create
a better-trained workforce, and better support our businesses.” “All of this work creates a more integrated talent pipeline that
serves students, professionals, and businesses alike. Blurring
the lines means creating new opportunities, taking a bold new approach to
training the workforce of tomorrow, and meeting Coloradans where
they are—to help everyone achieve a successful future in a career that they
love.” |
From “Colorado lawmakers hope these nine bills will bolster workforce education,” by Jason Gonzales, Chalkbeat Colorado, March 7, 2024.[iv] “To a certain
extent, the bills follow the recommendations in a report released this
year on improving workforce
education in
Colorado. One overarching theme of the report (which state lawmakers
commissioned in 2023) is the importance of making the
end of high school and the beginning of college seamless enough that students
leave
with skills relevant to careers. This concept is known as the
‘Big Blur.’” “Polis wants
Colorado to be a leader in offering students this type of education, especially
since most Colorado jobs that offer high pay and salary growth require some
sort of training beyond high school.” |
From Whiteboard Advisors – “Boundless Potential,” by Alison Griffin, March 13, 2024. “Colorado
is national leader when it comes to blurring the lines between
secondary, postsecondary education and workforce development. Further, the
state’s commitment to policies that support the transfer of credit, learner
mobility through awarding credit for prior learning, and an emphasis on skills-based
hiring create an environment for further experimentation and partnership.” |
From “Colorado’s
2024 Legislature Wraps-Up,” Colorado BioScience Assoc., May 13,
2024.[v] HB24-1364
Education-Based Workforce Readiness - Passed the General Assembly on May
6. Signed by Gov. Polis on May 10, 2024.
“HB24-1364 seeks to implement recommendations of the ‘1215 task force’
that studied how to blur the lines between K-12, higher education, and
workforce to get more young learners into careers. Among other things,
the bill will create a statewide longitudinal data system that will compare
the rates at which graduates of various programs achieve jobs in sustainably
paying career fields.” |
From “For grads, job search is ‘mind-numbing,’”
by Elizabeth Hernandez, The Denver Post, June 2, 2024.[vi] The power of apprenticeships Katherine Keegan,
director of the Colorado Department of Labor’s Office of the Future of Work,
“envisions a different future of work — one where apprenticeships reign.” “‘In Colorado, we are trying to live out this idea of the big blur between education and work,’ she said.” “In previous generations, Keegan said, kids graduated high school and finished postsecondary training before entering the workforce.” “‘We know that’s
not creating the talent pipeline that businesses
need,’ she said. ‘We’re trying to create more work-based
learning opportunities in high school and postsecondary education.
Apprenticeship is a big part of that and helps people learn skills
while they earn money. It helps employers shape the talent they need.’” |
See Addendum B for more on the
Big Blur from Colorado Succeeds and Jobs for the Future. |
Clear goals mean we draw some lines – as we have done. We say: this is what we expect.
According to Gov. Polis, then, this initiative is keen on “blurring the lines between high
school, higher education, and the workforce.”
However, K-12 education has drawn
some lines. They reflect our goals. The Big Blur appears
to
ignore them.
I see no connection between the Big Blur and what we say are, first,
the academic goals for our students, K-12, and second, come senior year,
the academic expectations for our students to earn a high school degree.
I would not say the
“lines” are as clear as they could be; the Graduation Guidelines look a bit blurry
to me (see AV #263 & 264[vii]).
But they give us our goals. I see no benefit in erasing the
targets we have for the K-12 system and replacing them with a “seamless” and “more
integrated talent pipeline” (whatever that means) for 16-20 year olds.
Speaking more broadly, consider one word and
its two meanings. The Big Blur wishes to make “the end of high school
and the beginning of college seamless” (Chalkbeat Colorado).
What if the end of high
school, and by that I mean the purpose of high school, is for students
to gain essential knowledge and skills that will provide a foundation for the
rest of their lives? Skills like being able to read and write well?
Great expectations – and falling short
First, what we say - in our Colorado Academic Standards
To quote Secretary of Defense Austin again: "We forget what this is all about."
Here, a reminder, is what we say Colorado schools are about, in
our state standards.
The Colorado Academic Standards are the expectations of what students need to know and be able to do at the end of each grade. They also stand as the values and content organizers of what Colorado sees as the future skills and essential knowledge for our next generation to be more successful. (Colorado Department of Education)[viii] (Bold mine.)
My Reading Report focused on the
Reading, Writing, Communicating standard. Colorado students in grades
3-11 take state assessments on reading and writing. By now most everyone knows
the majority of our students do not score at the level of Meets Expectations.
What I highlighted was the staggering number (after the K-3 years) who not only
fall short, Approaching Expectations, but who score in the lowest
performance level, Did Not Yet Meet Expectations.
… 74,461 students
in grades 4-8 (on CMAS-ELA) and grades 9-11 (on the Reading and Writing portion
of the PSAT/SAT) scored Did Not Yet Meet Expectations. (2023 data)[ix]
The Big Blur and Gov. Polis zero
in on grades 11 and 12. Students, we are told, should leave high school “with
skills relevant to careers.” Literacy—I hope
you agree—is one of those skills. My report showed that 15,663 students,
28% of our high school juniors, scored Did Not Yet Meet Expectations in reading
and writing. Nowhere close to grade level. Add another 7,335 (13%) of juniors who Approached Expectations. In total, over
40% below grade level, entering 12th grade.
SAT – Reading &
Writing – 11th grade -2023 |
|
Entire districts where over
50% of juniors scored DID NOT YET MEET EXPECTATIONS on the state’s
literacy test, 2023. |
|
Adams 14 |
64% |
Westminster |
54% |
Sheridan |
54% |
Aurora Public Schools |
51.5% |
In all four, 20% to 40% of juniors are multilanguage
learners. |
|
High schools where over 60%
of juniors scored DID NOT YET MEET EXPECTATIONS on the state’s literacy test,
2023 |
|
Abraham Lincoln H.S. (DPS) |
77.9% |
Aurora Central H.S. (APS) |
73.8% |
Montbello H.S. (DPS) |
68.0% |
Aurora West College Prep (APS) |
62.5% |
Thornton H.S. (Adams 12) |
61.7% |
Adams City H.S. (Adams 14) |
61.2% |
To the business community - please note: most of those juniors, we can assume, graduated from high school this past May 2024. “Career-ready?”
For my purposes, results
on Reading and Writing reflect concerns about all eight standards, academic
expectations central to the work of K-12 teachers.[3]
(Students’
math skills are even more alarming than their reading and writing skills.[4]) These goals speak to a well-rounded education. On this,
too, the Big Blur is silent.
The disconnect is clear.
Is it responsible of the business community to push a new agenda on public education when it fails to speak to the goals Colorado has already set? Educators know we fall short in meeting our goals in reading, writing, math – and yes, in much more.
In “Bringing
Business Leaders Back to School,” James A. Peyser, former chair of the Massachusetts
State Board of Education, recommends this kind of involvement. See Endnotes. Education
Next, Spring 2024[x]
|
Less welcome: efforts that take us away from this work. Or dismiss it as not “relevant.”
Second,
what we say - in our Graduation Guidelines
Does the business
community, in its desire to “blur” the “arbitrary lines” between high school
and college, wish to ignore or eliminate such expectations, such markers? Is it
telling us we are better off without a clear definition of what it means to earn
a high school degree?
We read that Colorado’s Big Blur initiative is “inspired by” the Boston-based Jobs for the Future. JFF’s proposals (Addendum A) suggest America might wish to dispose of high schools.
“We make the case for an entirely new type of institution—neither high school nor college—designed specifically to better meet the needs of young people after 10th grade and help prepare them to succeed in the world of work.”
A less extreme
version of the Big Blur speaks to what a high school juniors and seniors
should be doing, and where. CareerWise Colorado, a local nonprofit, “offers
a multi-year apprenticeship … taking students out of the classrooms and putting them in the workplace in meaningful,
paid positions for 16-24 hours a week…”[xii]
But job training is not the purpose of a K-12 education. As others have said so
well, “These kids will have the rest of their lives to be in the workplace.”
If high school is our last chance to
provide 16-18 year olds with a free public education, we need more time, not
less, to help them learn. Students at high schools like Abraham Lincoln and
Aurora Central (see previous page), deserve our best efforts. We might do
well to send in an army of reading interventionists and math tutors for these
final two years. It’s not too late.
“We forget what this is
all about.”
Business folks quite rightly wonder why public education struggles. They ask: “Why can’t the school system get its act together?” “Why so much dysfunction?” “Where’s the leadership?” Such doubts might explain the Big Blur: business has decided it must step in and take charge.
I can respect
the impatience behind business concerns. I share some of this frustration.
However, all of us in the K-12 schools will
insist: we have a mission. Yes, we lose our way. Yes, we fall victim to what
David Steiner calls “The Great Distractions” (see AV#265[xiii]).
But we do have goals. They are in writing. They give us a much-needed
focus. They call on us to educate.
So when an effort like the Big Blur fails to acknowledge
what we believe to be our central task, we feel compelled to respond: Aren’t
you the folks who preached: “Preserve your core” and “Know your why”? And
now you call for a “radical restructuring of education for grades 11”[xiv]
in order to meet your idea—not ours—of what public education
should offer students? Make up your mind!
It feels presumptuous. We ask our business
leaders to show some respect.
Earlier I quoted from Katherine Keegan, the director of the Colorado Department of Labor’s Office of the Future of Work: “In Colorado, we are trying to live out this idea of the big blur between education and work.”
Educators shake their heads at this. We see the disconnect. The
Department of Labor does not dictate our mission. Nor does the business
community.
Let’s remember what this is all about.
Addendum
A
What educators need to understand about the Big Blur’s plan
to “radically restructure grades
11-14” – according to Jobs for the Future
We read that Colorado’s
1215 Task Force was “inspired
by ‘The Big Blur’ concept of Jobs for the Future.” K-12 public educators in Colorado
need to appreciate the beliefs and goals of Jobs for the Future. Few can argue
with its assessment that “the current system … leaves too many learners behind.”
AV #274 has again highlighted this point for two key subjects, reading and
writing. However, I have also shown the disconnect between the low achievement
we see in tens of thousands of our high school students and the Big Blur’s
goals.
Here are two
statements that reveal more about the Big Blur. Colorado districts and schools will
want to consider if these principles match how they define the purpose of K-12
education. Would they like to see JFF’s
plan, as seen in its seminal
document from 2021, in place in Colorado? I doubt it. Perhaps our business
community, as well as nonprofits like Colorado Succeeds, Whiteboard Advisors,
and CareerWise Colorado, would not endorse such an audacious plan to “radically
restructure grades 11-14” in our state. I do not know enough to say. But it
would be naive to underestimate how much JFF wishes to change the education
system. (To stress this point, bold below
is mine.)
1. In “Building a More Learner Centered System” (2023)
Colorado Succeeds gave this definition:
What
is the Big Blur? The Big Blur
calls for erasing “the arbitrary dividing line between high school and
college and opens the opportunity for all 16-year-olds to start a path toward
a postsecondary credential and career preparation.” Instead of making piecemeal changes
to the current system, which leaves too many learners behind, it calls
for rethinking and restructuring the last two years of high school and the
first two years of college to improve postsecondary and economic outcomes for
all. Source:
Jobs for the Future.[xv] |
2. “The Big Blur Executive Summary - An Argument for Erasing
the Boundaries Between High School, College, and Careers—and Creating One
New System That Works for Everyone”[xvi]
(Authors - JFF, June 20, 2021)
A few highlights:
(Bold mine)
“The biggest structural barrier to increasing college
completion rates and career success in the United States is the enduring and
seemingly intractable disconnect between high school, higher education, and our
workforce systems.”
“It’s time to stop tinkering and radically
restructure grades 11 through 14—the last two years of high school and the
first two years of college. Only by undertaking
such an overhaul can we ensure that all young people will be able to access
the knowledge, skills, credentials, and social capital they need to launch
careers and realize their best possible futures.”
“The Big Blur is an entirely new type of institution—neither
high school nor college—that obliterates the barriers to higher education and
stable, family supporting careers.”
The Solution
·
“Our
solution—which we call ‘The Big Blur’—erases the arbitrary dividing line
between high school and college and creates new structures and systems
that would better serve 16-to-20-year-olds.”
·
“These
new structures would be neither high schools nor community colleges, but
entirely new configurations that open the opportunity for all students to start
on a path toward a postsecondary credential and prepare for a career—free of
charge.”
·
“This
system redesign would create more efficient and transparent processes and
promote more equitable outcomes for all young people, bolstering our nation’s
economic strength and security.”
The Urgency
- “To better understand how to transform our fragmented systems
and improve student educational and economic outcomes, JFF interviewed
more than 50 leaders in the fields of education and workforce development,
including many who are driving innovative initiatives to increase college
completion rates and improve learners’ prospects for career success…. While
many have made meaningful changes in the lives of their participants, none
has achieved impact at scale, and the innovators we interviewed agree: It
is time for a bold new systemic approach.”
- “Fulfilling this vision … will also require seismic
shifts in our existing systems.”
- “Ultimately, however, we need to accelerate the systemic
renewal we need.”
- “This paper concludes with recommendations of ways to
promote the argument for a new grade 11-14 system, catalyze change,
and build public will to move forward.”
- “Our country urgently needs a better education-to-workforce system, and leaders have an obligation to create new models that will ensure that young people can truly prosper.”
Addendum B (Bold in text is mine.)
Note the connections between the Big Blur in
Colorado and Jobs for the Future. |
From Colorado Succeeds “‘Big Blur’ 1215 Task Force Publishes Interim Report,” Jan. 12, 2023.[xvii] “… the task force has identified several
challenges in the current system and potential areas of exploration.” [Among its findings], task force members:
“Set the intention to ‘blur’ the boundaries between high school, college, and the workforce to create a singular,
more flexible, and learner-centered-approach system that every learner may
access.” Full report: “Secondary,
Postsecondary and Work-based Learning Integration Task Force Interim Report: Colorado’s
‘Big Blur.’”[xviii] The Introduction states: “Inspired
by ‘The Big Blur’ concept by Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national
nonprofit dedicated to changing education systems and the workforce, the task
force agrees that there is a disconnect between secondary, higher
education, and business in terms of preparing Colorado learners for future
jobs.” |
From Colorado Succeeds “Building a Learner-Centered Education in Action: A Deep
Dive into Colorado's Path4ward Program,” Sept. 14, 2023.[xix] From introduction: “In its efforts to blur the lines between our secondary
and postsecondary systems, Colorado has
incentivized schools and districts to extend and expand work-based learning,
postsecondary, and career exploration
opportunities to high school students throughout
the state.” [xx] The report itself
references a study by Jobs for the Future (JFF) that celebrates how
Colorado “has pursued numerous policies and
initiatives that provide college and career-connected
learning opportunities during high school and has made important strides
in facilitating better alignment between schools, higher education
institutions, and industry. As JFF points out, these reports make Colorado a national leader in the push to
create a more student-centered system that better prepares students for
postsecondary success and tackles what JFF has coined the ‘Big Blur.’” |
“ACC Sturm Collaboration Campus - The Big Blur” – YouTube,[xxi]
Jan. 23, 2024. Dr. Stephanie Fujii, President,
Arapahoe Community College: “We look forward to talking about the Big Blur. How we
are going to blow up education in all the best possible ways.” Danny
Winsor, Assistant Superintendent, Douglas County School District “We really
need to make sure the Big Blur is about making sure students at a very
early age have the opportunity to experience a variety of pathway-based work
that is tangible for them, and from a Big Blur standpoint we need to
make sure families understand that post-secondary success can look like a
variety of things.” |
Footnotes
[1] AV #265 – Mission,
priorities, goals – Academics, Nov. 2023, and #270 and #271, spring 2024. Another
View.
[2] After the READ Act – Beyond third grade, how well do our students read? February 2024. Another View. (30 pages) https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/
[3] Colorado has academic standards in eight content areas for preschool through 12th grade:
1) Arts; 2) Comprehensive Health and Physical Education; 3) Computer
Science; 4) Mathematics; 5) Reading, Writing, Communicating; 6) Science; 7) Social
Studies; 8) World Languages.
[4] On the state’s math assessment in 2023, over 64% of juniors were
not Meeting Expectations.
[ii]
“Five Things to Know about how Colorado leaders propose to reshape workforce
education,” by Jason Gonzales,
Chalkbeat Colorado (Jan. 16, 2024), https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/01/16/colorado-workforce-1215-report-recommendations/
[iii] Jared Polis, The 74 (Jan. 27, 2024). (“This essay was originally published as part of the Center on
Reinventing Public Education’s 2023 ‘State of the American Student’ report.)
[iv]
“Colorado
lawmakers hope these nine bills will bolster workforce education,”
by
Jason Gonzales,
Chalkbeat Colorado (March 7, 2024), https://www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/2024/03/08/workforce-education-proposals-aim-to-improve-job-training/
[v] “Colorado’s 2024 Legislature Wraps-Up,” Colorado BioScience Association (May 13, 2024) https://cobioscience.com/weekly-policy-blog-colorados-2024-legislative-session-wraps-up/
[vii] AV #263 & 264 (parts 1 and 2)
– Colorado’s new graduation guidelines – early warning
signs that they fall short (Sept. and Oct. 2023).
[viii]
“Colorado Academic Standards Fact Sheets and FAQs,” Colorado Department of
Education, https://www.cde.state.co.us/standardsandinstruction/factsheetsandfaqs
[ix] “After the READ Act: Beyond third grade, how well do our students read?” February 2024. https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/2024/02/
[x]
“Bringing Business
Leaders Back to School,” James A. Peyser, Education Next, Spring 2024
https://www.educationnext.org/bringing-business-leaders-back-to-school/
“Equally
important is expanding the business community’s programmatic focus beyond STEM
and career-oriented education to include a broader set of scalable initiatives
across the K-12 spectrum … such as:
Addressing
the post-Covid student absenteeism…
Improving
early literacy…
Accelerating
learning gains and closing achievement gaps…”
[xi]
Menu of College and Career-Ready Demonstrations,” Graduation Guidelines - Fact
Sheet, Colorado Department of Education, http://www.cde.state.co.us/postsecondary/graduationguidelinesmenuofoptions09-21-22pdf
[xii] “CareerWise
offers a multi-year apprenticeship designed by businesses and offered in
partnership with schools, taking students out of the classroom and and putting them in the workplace in meaningful,
paid positions for 16-24 hours a week while enring high school and college
credit.” https://www.careerwisecolorado.org/en/#:~:text=CareerWise
[xiii] From AV #265 – Mission,
priorities, goals – Academics (Nov. 2023), https://anotherviewphj.blogspot.com/2023/10/
In chapter 2, titled “The Great Distractors,” Steiner looks at
the ‘shiny new things’ in education that can have value, but that pull us away
from our academic focus….
“‘Critical thinking,’ ‘Grit,’ ‘SEL,’
‘growth mindset’—when correctly understood as common sense terms, have all been
taught for a long time… they aren’t new, and the research support for putting
them at the center of schooling is simply not there… At its heart, the new
learning isn’t new and it isn’t about learning. Instead, it is a powerful and
seductive effort to circumvent the tough challenge of providing effective,
discipline-based academic instruction.” (p. 53)
[xiv]
“The Big Blur: An
Argument for Erasing the Boundaries Between High School, College, and Careers
—and Creating One New System That Works for Everyone,” Jobs For the Future
(July 20, 2021), https://www.jff.org/idea/the-big-blur-an-argument-for-erasing-the-boundaries-between-high-school-college-and-careers-and-creating-one-new-system-that-works-for-everyone/
[xv]
“Building a More Learner-Centered System,” https://coloradosucceeds.org/resource/learner-centered-education-in-action-a-deep-dive-into-colorados-path4ward-program/
[xvii]
“Big Blur” 1215 Task Force Publishes Interim Report,” Colorado Succeeds (Jan.
12, 2023) https://coloradosucceeds.org/resource/big-blur-1215-task-force-publishes-interim-report/.
[xviii]
“Secondary, Postsecondary and Work-based Learning Integration Task Force
Interim Report:
Colorado’s ‘Big Blur,’” by Melissa Bloom, Kady Lanoha,
Danielle Ongart, Michelle Romero, Berrick Abramson (Dec. 2022), https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iqWo6dlfriTd-RDwCRGluNgD_hjpPUe8/view.
[xix]
“Building a More Learner-Centered System: Emerging Learnings from Colorado’s
Path4ward Program,” https://coloradosucceeds.org/resource/learner-centered-education-in-action-a-deep-dive-into-colorados-path4ward-program/.
[xx]
“Learner-Centered Education in Action: A Deep Dive into Colorado's Path4ward
Program,” (Sept. 14, 2023) https://coloradosucceeds.org/resource/learner-centered-education-in-action-a-deep-dive-into-colorados-path4ward-program/
[xxi]
Arapahoe Community College, Jan. 23, 2024), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb3H3WN_xZM.
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