Transitions and Collaborations: High School and College English Kathy

Transitions and Collaborations: High School and College English Kathy Barbour, Juliet Smith, Marc Steinberg, Eleanor Welsh (Chesapeake College, Wye Mills, Maryland)

HS Composition “I would call high school writing formulaic.” “High school-level writing is usually very predictable.” “High school students typically write mainly to conform.” --Milka Mustenikova, “The Truth about High School English”

HS Composition “Having taught high school English for thirty- one years, the one thing that I have learned is that there is no guarantee that students who do well in high school composition will automatically do well in college composition.” --Merrill J. Davis, “Whistling in the Dark”

College Composition (Patrick Sullivan, “An Essential Question: What is ‘College-Level’ Writing?”) What makes a piece of writing college level? What differentiates college-level writing from high school-level writing? Shouldn’t a roomful of college English teachers be able to come to some kind of consensus about what college-level writing is? How can we best reach unprepared students to do college-level work? How do college students define college-level writing?

Responses to Student Survey “College level is more criticized than in high school. The length, grammar, and thought are more analyzed.” “College level writing can be defined as deep level of thought that you have to come up with on your own.” “Research, major supporting details, only legit sources.”

Composition Expectations-Reading Reading at a college level so that they can understand the articles and stories we give them. Basic critical reading skills, including summarizing, drawing inferences, identifying purpose and audience, tone, recognizing point of view, and “reading against the grain.” Able to identify topic sentences, thesis statements, and supporting details. Some awareness of basic literary terms (plot, theme, setting, and character).

Composition Expectations-Writing Basic understanding of thesis and support. Functional understanding of rhetorical modes. Awareness of paragraph structure. Limited mechanical errors. Grammar errors should not interfere with meaning. Awareness of the writing process. Some research experience (awareness of using and giving credit to outside sources, awareness of plagiarism). Awareness of appropriate diction for a variety of audiences and purposes.

Transition Conversations “College faculty assume high school teachers aren’t doing their jobs; high school teachers complain that middle schools don’t prepare students adequately; middle schools wish elementary schools did a better job; elementary schools decry the family situations that provide too many students with a literacy-poor start to life.” --Peter Kittle, “It’s Not the High School Teachers’ Fault: An Alternative to the Blame Game”

Transition Agenda AGENDA—High School/College English Transition Discussion May 7 12:30-2:30 p.m. North Caroline High School, Room TBA Meet and Greet Introductions English 101 Expectations Document Standards for C Papers MD State Curriculum Discussion (with focus on grammar and research instruction) Testing Pilot Results Core Standards Document Sample Assignments/Sample Essays Q & A

Lack of Preparation K–12 texts have become less demanding. Expository reading in high school involves skimming and scanning for particular, discrete pieces of information a 350L (Lexile) gap between the difficulty of end-of-high school and college texts

PARCC Group of 19 states working together to develop a common set of computer-based K– 12 assessments in English language arts/literacy and math linked to Common Core State Standards (CCSS).

Common Core By Grade 12: 70% of reading assignments should be informational and 80% of student writing should be informative or persuasive. Questions should be text-dependent, not personal or based on background knowledge

CC tasks Determine the role played by individual paragraphs, sentences, phrases, or words Examine how shifts in direction of an argument or explanation are achieved Question why authors choose to begin and end when they do Consider what the text leaves uncertain or unstated

Sample PAARC Assessment (Grade 10) Which of the following sentences best states an important theme about human behavior as described in Ovid’s “Daedalus and Icarus”? a. Striving to achieve one’s dreams is a worthwhile endeavor. b. The thoughtlessness of youth can have tragic results. c. Imagination and creativity bring their own rewards d. Everyone should learn from his or her mistakes.

Sample PAARC Assessment (Grade 10) Use what you have learned from reading “Daedalus and Icarus ” by Ovid and “ To a Friend Whose Work Has Come to Triumph ” by Anne Sexton to write an essay that analyzes how Icarus’s experience of flying is portrayed differently in the two texts. Develop your essay by providing textual evidence from both texts.

College Readiness and Completion Act of 2013 2014 -2015 school year, all students shall be assessed no later than 11th grade “using acceptable college placement cut scores” to determine whether student is ready for college. 2015-2016 school year, transition courses will be delivered in 12th grade to students who have not achieved college readiness by end of 11th grade.

Works Cited http://www.parcconline.org/ http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/2013RS/bills/sb/s b0740F.pdf Williamson, G. L. (2008). A Text Readability Continuum for Postsecondary Readiness. Journal of Advanced Academics, vol. 19 (4), 602-632.

SREB The Southern Regional Education Board developed a series of “ready” curricula which could address the transition course needs. Ready for Reading has modules for: Reading in the sciences Reading in history Reading literature Check it out at http://www.sreb.org/page/1508/sreb readiness courses.html

Transition Course Committee A collaborative effort between college staff / faculty and public school systems to define essential skills. Meetings held over the summer and through the fall Recommendations are being shared.

Model from the math side Collaboration with one school system & Chesapeake Agreement is being re-negotiated after five years Faculty shared curriculum and final exam for highest level developmental course

What is the Common Core Going to mean for my college? 45 states adopted Common Core high school curricular changes as of 2014 Includes 11th grade college readiness assessment 96% of two-year colleges already have partnerships with local high schools Will common core enhance or reduce market share?

Chesapeake College is already feeling the impact Deep involvement with standard-setting and validation of testing instruments Significant involvement with the design of transition courses Incoming students should be more prepared to write across the disciplines We expect to see an increase in the number of college-ready students, especially in reading and writing 58% increase in dual-enrollment in the last two years

Questions remain How much will the Common core reduce the need for remediation? What impact will the arrival of students familiar with high standards have on our introductory-level classes? Will the assessments “match up” to our current standards? Will they exceed them? As more students become college ready, will they migrate to four-year schools, reducing our market share?