Career Readiness Standards Research Articles

A raciolinguistic perspective on career readiness standards in career and technical education: Professionalism and communication skills as white linguistic practices

A raciolinguistic perspective on career readiness standards in career and technical education: Professionalism and communication skills as white linguistic practices

The Perpetrator-Centered Narrative of the Holocaust in Social Studies Standards: A Case Study of South Carolina

In this study, I used a critical analysis approach to identify and examine the perpetrator- and victim-centered perspectives within the Holocaust narrative of the 2019 South Carolina Social Studies College- and Career-Ready Standards. Given the recent revision of the standards, I compared the 2019 standards to the 2011 South Carolina Social Studies Academic Standards to identify shifts in the prescribed Holocaust narrative. Because the 2019 standards are inquiry-based, I explored the role of perpetrator-centered narratives in relation to inquiry goals. Past studies of the Holocaust in state standards and materials focused on accurate content inclusion. However, using Rubin’s (2020) Jewish critical race framework, this study moves the research in a new direction by examining the text of the Holocaust content in standards for culturally inclusive narratives. The findings of this study indicate that the Holocaust narrative in the 2019 standards was predominantly perpetrator-centered, thereby the marginalization of Jewish voices was embedded in the standards. The findings also demonstrate that developing inquiry-based standards does not guarantee the expulsion of oppressive narratives from standards documents.

Analyzing the success of Hispanic boys in meeting college and career readiness standards in rural Texas high schools

Examined in this investigation were the percentages of Hispanic boys who were college ready or not college ready as a function of the district’s rural setting for three consecutive school years (i.e., 2016-2017, 2017-2018, and 2018-2019). Descriptive statistics were calculated for all three rural school district types combined and then separately for the three rural school districts (i.e., Rural Remote, Rural Distant, and Rural Fringe). With respect to this investigation, 41% of Hispanic boys met a College, Career, and Military Readiness indicator in mathematics. All three rural school district types had positive trends or negligent changes over the three consecutive school years for Hispanic boys who met a College, Career, and Military Readiness indicator in mathematics. More than a third, 34.36%, of Hispanic boys from rural distant school districts met a college readiness indicator in mathematics. Similar percentages were present for Hispanic boys in rural remote school districts, 35.74%, and for Hispanic boys in rural fringe school districts, 36.01%. However, approximately two-thirds of Hispanic boys did not meet a college readiness indicator in mathematics in any of the three rural district type settings over three consecutive years. As such, educational leaders are encouraged to expand their efforts in this area, along with evaluating the efficacy of their current strategies.

Validating HiSET® Tests as High School Equivalency Tests That Improve Educational, Vocational, and Quality‐of‐Life Outcomes

Results from two studies provided strong evidence for the validity of the HiSET® tests, thereby demonstrating that HiSET is a well‐developed battery of tests with passing and college and career readiness (CCR) standards that, when met, provide a pathway to postsecondary education, better employment opportunities and wages, and a better quality of life to those who are unable to experience a traditional high school education. Positive relationships exist between HiSET scores and both high school grades and ACT scores, including high levels of agreement between HiSET CCR indicators and ACT CCR indicators. Therefore, evidence supports the claim that HiSET scores are measures of high school equivalency, preparedness for middle skills jobs, and college readiness. Furthermore, there is evidence that passing the HiSET provides value to stakeholders. Passing the HiSET battery is associated with gaining academic and personal skills, college enrollment, employment gains (e.g., obtaining employment, obtaining more full‐time employment, wage increases, and improvement in a job or position), and quality‐of‐life improvements.

Reforming Teacher and Leader Preparation to Improve Instruction and Schooling for Students With Disabilities: The CEEDAR Way

Effective preparation systems are critical for preparing teachers and school leaders who have the knowledge and skills to educate students with disabilities to achieve college and career ready standards. These systems must provide teachers and leaders with effective practice-based opportunities to learn about evidence-based and high-leverage practices in their initial preparation and throughout their careers. Creating such systems, however, depends on comprehensive systems change in which aligned research-based policy and preparation/induction practices are implemented in higher education and k-12 schools. This article describes the ingredients of effective systems change, and how the CEEDAR Center Technical Assistance approach is informed by implementation drivers, as articulated by the U.S. National Implementation Research Network. The outcomes achieved by the center thus far are also articulated as are challenges encountered.

Building on ELA Vocabulary Instruction to Develop Language Resources

AbstractThis article provides a “snapshot” of fourth grade English Language Arts (ELA) vocabulary instruction before and after implementation of college and career readiness standards. Our exploratory study's findings demonstrate the instructional shifts for teaching deep vocabulary knowledge as required by college and career readiness standards, including a greater frequency of oral discussions. Many emergent bilinguals are placed in classrooms where English‐medium instruction is the norm, preventing them from using their home language to make meaning and actively participate in the classroom; this stymies language learning and limits opportunities for developing deep vocabulary knowledge. Instructional strategies that build on the ELA vocabulary directives are suggested using a translanguaging perspective to develop emergent bilinguals’ language and vocabulary knowledge. These instructional suggestions can be implemented by all teachers serving bilingual learners, including those who are not bilingual in Englishmedium settings.

What We Know and Where To Go: A Systematic Review of the Rural Student College and Career Readiness Literature and Future Directions for the Field

College and career readiness has become a national education policy priority. With more than 9.3 million rural students in the United States, the college and career readiness of rural students is a warranted priority for rural education researchers. Using a combination of Conley’s (2012) college and career readiness model, Perna’s (2006) nested model of college choice, and Social Cognitive Career Theory (Lent et al., 2014), we systematically reviewed and analyzed the extant literature on rural students’ college and career readiness. In addition to providing a comprehensive discussion of the prominent themes in the literature, we provide recommendations for future research on rural students’ college and career readiness as well as changes to college and career readiness standards and practices that would better align with the strengths and needs of rural students, schools, and communities.

Examining the Effect of an Interdisciplinary Literacy Program on Student Learning

The literacy design collaborative (LDC) was created to support teachers in implementing college and career readiness standards. Teachers work collaboratively with coaches to further develop their expertise and design standards-driven, literacy-rich writing assignments within their existing curriculum across content areas. The current paper reports on early student academic outcome results from a multi-year mixed methods study of the implementation and effect of LDC using a quasi-experimental design, as implemented in one large urban school district. We found LDC had statistically significant effects on Cohort 2 middle school students’ English language arts (ELA) performance, an effect size of (d = 0.15) for students receiving LDC instruction in the three core content areas LDC focuses on: ELA, science, and social studies/history.

The Convergence of Emotionally Supportive Learning Environments and College and Career Ready Mathematical Engagement in Upper Elementary Classrooms

Research focused on emotionally supportive teaching has typically run in parallel to the study of rigorous, standards-aligned mathematics teaching. However, recent work theorizes that positive and warm classroom environments may be necessary to help students meet the ambitious goals outlined in newer mathematics standards. We analyze the relationship between facets of classroom environments and the prevalence of standards-aligned mathematics instruction across more than 400 mathematics lessons in Washington, D.C., classrooms. We find no evidence of consistent standards-aligned mathematical engagement absent an engaging, emotionally supportive learning environment. These findings suggest that efforts to help teachers make the instructional shifts outlined in college and career ready standards might also need to support the provision of productive, warm, and nurturing learning environments.

Vocabulary Interventions for Students Identified with Emotional Disturbance: A Literature Review and a Call to Action

Students identified with emotional disturbance (ED) increasingly find themselves in inclusive classroom environments where a well-developed vocabulary is essential to success and where instruction is based on college and career readiness standards. The purpose of this comprehensive literature review was to identify and review the available intervention research targeting the vocabulary knowledge of students with ED. Results indicated only five such studies have ever been conducted and the quality of this research is variable. Two strategies—morphology and concept mapping—are suggested for teachers serving students with ED and five recommendations for future research are included in this review. Practitioners are also urged to embed behavioral supports (e.g., self-monitoring, praise, corrective feedback) in their academic interventions to maximize students’ educational outcomes.

New Standards and Old Divides: Policy Attitudes About College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Students with Disabilities

Background/Context The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) requires that all students with disabilities (SWD) receive a free, appropriate public education designed to meet their unique needs to prepare them for post-school education and employment (American Psychological Association, 2018). In the past two decades, momentum has grown for a supplementary idea: that schools be held accountable for SWD achieving grade-level standards. Thus standards-based reform for SWD is often caught between ideals of standardization and principles of differentiation. Purpose and Research Questions The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which district administrators, principals, general educators, and special educators differ in their policy perceptions of the newest college- and career-readiness standards (CCRS) for SWD versus other learners. Our research questions were: To what extent do teachers of SWD report delivering similar or different instructional content compared to general education teachers? What types of instructional supports do teachers provide, what types of professional development do teachers receive, and how do these differ by teacher type? How do policy perceptions differ between teachers of SWD and general education teachers? How do district administrators, principals, and teachers differ in their policy perceptions of the CCRS as they relate to SWD? Research Design In three states (Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky), we surveyed a stratified sample of teachers, principals, and district administrators on the implementation of their state's standards and directed them to respond for SWD who participate in the regular accountability system. Conclusions/Recommendations Results indicate an environment where SWD continue to receive less grade-level content and, in Texas and Ohio, are served by personnel who do not believe that the standards are appropriate. Kentucky demonstrated greater consistencies between general education and SWD instruction and policy environments. Findings raise questions about whether CCRS are being implemented for all students.

Erratum to “Successes and Challenges of the ‘New’ College- and Career-Ready Standards: Seven Implementation Trends”

Erratum to “Successes and Challenges of the ‘New’ College- and Career-Ready Standards: Seven Implementation Trends”

Successes and Challenges of the “New” College- and Career-Ready Standards: Seven Implementation Trends

This study identifies seven major trends in how states and districts are implementing college- and career-ready standards for general education students and for two special populations often the target of education policy—English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities (SWDs). We draw on state-representative teacher, principal, and district surveys in three states—Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas—and case studies in nine districts. We ground our study in the policy attributes framework, which suggests implementation is stronger the more specific, authoritative, powerful, consistent, and stable a policy is. We find states are being less prescriptive in their policies surrounding the standards and are including fewer or less forceful rewards and sanctions (power). Local districts are providing more detailed, standards-aligned professional development (specificity) and supporting materials to guide teachers’ standards implementation (consistency). Districts are using “softer” power mechanisms instead of the “strong” rewards and sanctions of earlier waves of reform. This results in higher buy-in (authority) but creates challenges for districts in providing the necessary supports for teachers. In ELL policy, two national organizations are providing much of the specificity and consistency for standards implementation, and they do this through mechanisms of authority rather than through power mechanisms. For SWDs, implementation support is focused on compliance, and the enduring tension between standardization and individuality persists. Creative district approaches and moderate to high levels of authority hold promise for this wave of college- and career-ready standards.

Career and College Readiness: A Summary of Two Sessions at the AFB Leadership Conference on Orientation and Mobility and Transition Services for Students with Visual Impairments

Editor’s Note: This commentary is based on the conference sessions, “Orientation and Mobility Career, College and Community Readiness Standards,” by Kathryn Botsford and Mary Tellefson, and “Engaging Students, Families and Teams for Success After High School,” by Sheila Koenig, which took place on Thursday, February 28, 2019, and Friday, March 1, 2019, respectively, at the American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference in Arlington, VA.

The role that mathematics plays in college- and career-readiness: evidence from PISA

ABSTRACT Many studies have found a strong relationship between the mathematics students study in school and their performance on an academic or school mathematics assessment but not on an assessment of mathematics literacy (ML). With many countries, like the USA, placing emphasis on finishing secondary education being mathematically literate and prepared for college or career, this raises the question about the relationship between the mathematics studied in school and any ML students may have. The Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) ML assessment is embedded in real-world contexts that provide an important window on how ready students are to tackle the situations and problems that await them whether they intend to pursue further education beyond high school or intend to go directly into the labour force. In this paper, we draw upon the PISA 2012 data to investigate the extent to which the cumulative exposure to rigorous mathematics content, such as that embedded in college- and career-ready standards, is associated with ML as assessed in PISA. Results reveal that both exposure to rigorous school mathematics and experiencing the instruction of this mathematics through real-world applications are significantly related to all the real-world contextualized PISA ML scores.

Teacher Implementation of College- and Career-Readiness Standards: Links Among Policy, Instruction, Challenges, and Resources

Using state-representative teacher surveys in three states—Texas, Ohio, and Kentucky—we examine teachers’ implementation of college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards. What do teachers report about the specificity, authority, consistency, power, and stability of their standards environment? How does their policy environment predict standards-emphasized instruction? Do these relationships differ for those who teach different subjects (math and English Language Arts [ELA]), different grades (elementary or high school), different populations (English Language Learners [ELLs], students with disabilities [SWDs]), and in different areas (rural, urban, or suburban)? We found elementary math teachers taught significantly more standards-emphasized content than elementary ELA teachers, whereas secondary ELA teachers taught significantly more standards-emphasized content than secondary math teachers. Teachers of SWDs and rural teachers taught significantly less of the emphasized content. In all three states, we found greater buy-in (authority) predicted increased emphasized content coverage among ELA teachers but not among math teachers.

How Do States Implement College- and Career-Readiness Standards? A Distributed Leadership Analysis of Standards-Based Reform

Purpose: Our primary purpose is to examine the implementation of college- and- career- readiness content standards in Kentucky, Ohio, and Texas through the lens of distributed leadership theory, and to determine the affordances and challenges of this distributed leadership through the lens of policy attribute theory. Research Methods/Approach: We analyze data from 66 hour-long interviews of state and district administrators across the three states collected from Spring 2016 to Spring 2017. Using a deductive coding approach, we developed themes around distributed leadership as they pertain to the five attributes of policy implementation: specificity, consistency, authority, power, and stability. Findings: Using the distributed leadership and policy attribute theories, we find similar trends in state leaders distributing instructional leadership to regional, district, and organizational leaders to add specificity to the college and career readiness standards at the expense of compromising the consistency and power of the reform. This distribution of leadership is thought to contribute to the authority of the reform, though this authority is made tenuous by the instability of educational policies at the national and state levels. Implications: We highlight the need to examine the implementation of education policy using leadership frameworks and to understand leadership relationships between the state their regional and district partners. We extend the use of the distributed leadership theory beyond the K-16 level and the use of policy attribute theory to showcase where state actors can strengthen their reform initiatives.

A Reflective Rubric-Creating Activity that Enhances Teachers’ Mathematical Habits of Mind

As schools and teachers in the U.S. fine-tune their implementation of mathematics standards promoting college and career readiness, the number of support resources continues to expand. One resource focus experiencing significant growth involves sample items and tasks asserting alignment with the college and career ready mathematical content and practice standards. Such samples regularly identify both the content standards addressed and the mathematical habits of mind that students have the potential to engage in. Consistently absent are evaluation criteria articulating how engagement and demonstration of associated mathematical practices can be assessed, concurrent with content. The authors discuss the development of rubrics that attempt to faithfully assess the integration of mathematical content and practice standards and highlight the benefits to mathematics teachers, coaches, professional developers, and mathematics teacher educators of engaging in such reflective rubric-creating activities.

Unique Contributors to the Curriculum: From Research to Practice for Speech-Language Pathologists in Schools.

This lead article of the Clinical Forum focuses on the research that supports why speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are an integral part of the overarching curriculum for all students in schools. Focus on education has shifted to student performance in our global world, specifically in college and career readiness standards. This article reviews recommendations on best practice from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association on SLPs' roles in schools, as well as data on school-based services. Implementation of these practices as it is applicable to school initiatives will be explored. Methods of interventions available in schools, from general education to special education, will be discussed based on national guidelines for a Response to Intervention and Multi-Tiered System of Support. Research regarding teacher knowledge of the linguistic principles of reading instruction will be explored, as well as correlation between teacher knowledge and student performance. The implications for how SLPs as the linguistic experts offer unique roles in curriculum and the evidence available to support this role will be explored. Implications for future research needs will be discussed. The demands of a highly rigorous curriculum allow SLPs a unique opportunity to apply their knowledge in linguistic principles to increase student performance and achievement. With the increased focus on student achievement, growth outcome measures, and value-added incentives, it is critical that SLPs become contributors to the curriculum for all students and that data to support this role are gathered through focused research initiatives.

Modifications and accommodations: a preliminary investigation into changes in classroom artifact quality

ABSTRACTTeachers are ultimately responsible for implementing school policy changes, including those driven by current United States (US) mandates that emphasize rigorous career and college readiness standards requiring high expectations for all students. In order to create multiple entryways to instruction for students with disabilities, teachers are faced with an amalgam of possible accommodations and modifications, while simultaneously being expected to assure high standards. This study seeks to provide insight into how teachers in the US are adapting instruction for students who have federally legislated supports and services including modifications or accommodations and are instructed within general education classrooms. Thirty-five unique classroom artifacts (i.e. assignments and assessments) were analyzed for the type of accommodation/modification and alignment to the Next Generation Science Standards, a movement to increase the quality of science instruction. Results indicate that this group of students was assigned tasks that were substantially different from their peers, were afforded fewer opportunities to access challenging, rigorous work, and that teachers may require further support to differentiate instruction. This preliminary investigation within a specific US context raises questions about equitable access to quality instruction that merit further exploration.