Transitional Courses for College and Career Readiness
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) has developed a model college and career readiness agenda composed of six interrelated components (see below). In two instructional modules, SREB reviews the progress in six states to improve readiness; suggest ways to build on existing policy, research and practice; and engage state leaders to develop and implement transitional senior-year courses in mathematics and English/language arts. Key topics include: 1) college and career readiness standards that are universal and statewide; 2) assessments of state-adopted standards with qualifying scores denoting readiness; 3) public school curriculum that aligns with college and career readiness standards; 4) assurance from public higher education that standards will be used for college placement; 5) statewide professional development plans for teachers to implement standards; and 6) state accountability programs that incorporate the college and career readiness standards.
The resource provides useful tools relative to supporting instruction focused on mathematics and ELA Common Core State standards. The tools are free after an initial registration and were funded by the Gates foundation. The quality and communication of the materials were both appealing and easy to navigate, however some ‘links’ (to a blog) did not work and there was no data as of yet regarding evidence of impact. While there was a sample Unit from Math that used a video and an engaging ‘challenge’ to involve students in learning, no samples were found for the ELA course.