Seeking Ways to Align High School Graduation Standards to Common Core Curricula

1. Seeking Ways to Align High School Graduation Standards to Common Core Curricula June 22, 2016

2. Overview of Session • Sunny Becker (HumRRO) will describe brief history of standards and assessments and the motivation behind this session. • Jennifer Dugan will present Minnesota’s story. • Roger Ervin will present Kentucky’s story.

3. A Brief (and Select) History of the World 45 states adopted ELA and Math CCSS Individual state level standards Individual assessments (or not) PARCC & Smarter Balanced Assessments operational. Several states implemented their own “CCSS”-aligned assessments. Tests in every state: ELA & Math Grades 3-8 & HS 26 states withheld (or planned to withhold) diplomas based in part on HS exit exams. 3 states had end-of-course exams that students were required to take, but not necessarily pass, to graduate. 1 state planned an exit exam by 2020. HS exit exams in 18 states. Phasing in HS exit exams but not withholding diplomas in 6 states 2012 1981 2002 2010 2015 2013 Common Core State Standards (CCSS) released Debra P case NCLB passed

4. Competing Tensions • Desire to ensure a high school diploma is meaningful • To potential employers • To higher education • To society as a whole • To students, themselves • Concerns about quantity of testing • Criticisms of CCSS • Concerns about ELA, mathematics, and science elbowing out other content areas. • Need for opportunity to learn (OTL) before withholding diplomas based, in part, on test results

5. Meanwhile, in Civics • The Civics Education Initiative champions civics education. • Graduation requirement to pass the U.S. Citizenship Civics Test • From USCIS.gov site: • The 100 civics (history and government) questions and answers for the naturalization test are listed below. The civics test is an oral test and the USCIS Officer will ask the applicant up to 10 of the 100 civics questions. • An applicant must answer 6 out of 10 questions correctly to pass the civics portion of the naturalization test. • Although USCIS is aware that there may be additional correct answers to the 100 civics questions, applicants are encouraged to respond to the civics questions using the answers provided below.

6. Civics in the News • 2015: Arizona’s American Civics Act (House Bill 2064): students must score 60% or higher to graduate, starting with class of 2017. Items are mostly multiple choice. • 2015: North Dakota passed legislation that was signed into law by Gov. Jack Dalrymple in 2015. Students must score at least 60% on the 100-item test, ratcheting up to at least 70% after 2017, as a condition of graduation. All items are open-ended. • 4/26/2016: Minnesota House approved legislation that “requires all students to take a civics exam before high school graduation and answer at least 30 of 50 questions correctly. The exam would be composed of questions selected yearly from the 100 questions the United States citizenship and immigration officers use to question applicants for naturalization.” • 5/2/2016: Pennsylvania’s House Bill 1858 would require Pennsylvania high school students to demonstrate a basic understanding of American history and civics as a condition of graduation.

7. Some Situations States May Face • If a state has adopted CCSS (or a reasonable facsimile of CCSS) and has an exit examination or end-of-course examinations aligned with pre-CCSS standards, what is the next step? • Adopt a consortium’s CCSS-aligned high school assessments (or an established college entrance examination) as a high school graduation requirement • Evaluate the alignment of the current high school exit examination with CCSS and make adjustments as necessary • Start high school examinations from scratch • Abandon requirement for students to pass common high school assessments • Other?

8. Next • Jennifer Dugan will discuss Minnesota. • Roger Ervin will discuss Kentucky.