2008 Woodie Awards
College-ready standards released for public comment
By Jonathan Munson
Issue date: 10/26/07 Section: News
Originally published: 10/25/07 at 4:21 PM CSTLast update: 10/30/07 at 1:10 PM CST
- Page 1 of 1
In an attempt to better prepare students for college, four teams of high school teachers and college professors have been meeting every other month since February to decide what it takes for graduating high school students to succeed in entry-level college courses.
The endeavor fulfills the requirement under Article 5, Section 1 of HB 1 in the Texas Legislature, which uses the vertical teams' input and amends the Texas Education Code.
The teams' recommendations were heard yesterday by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin, and will be released to the public today for a period of public comment.
The goal is to open up a line of communication between colleges and K-12 schools.
"No state has attempted to do something like this before," said Jonathan Lee, history professor at this college and co-chair of the social studies vertical team for the state, "although, from what I hear, other states are lining up to do it. That's why it's so exciting to be involved in something like this. It's a big attempt to change the culture of public education in Texas."
The vertical chairs are made up of 10 members from around the state, six of them college professors and four high school teachers.
Coming up with recommendations is no easy feat, Lee explained. While math and English courses in college and high school require similar knowledge and skills to pass, social studies cover a broad range of information, from dates of wars to political processes.
Determining how to identify which standards are of a greater priority is difficult because of the differences in material covered in courses like geography and political science, or world history and economics.
Not only will the recommendations of the vertical teams affect the goals of high school and college curriculum, but they will also be considered when redesigning the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.
"I was very nervous about doing it," Lee said. "But I've really enjoyed it."
To see the standards that were recommended to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, go to www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/TCRS.cfm.
The endeavor fulfills the requirement under Article 5, Section 1 of HB 1 in the Texas Legislature, which uses the vertical teams' input and amends the Texas Education Code.
The teams' recommendations were heard yesterday by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin, and will be released to the public today for a period of public comment.
The goal is to open up a line of communication between colleges and K-12 schools.
"No state has attempted to do something like this before," said Jonathan Lee, history professor at this college and co-chair of the social studies vertical team for the state, "although, from what I hear, other states are lining up to do it. That's why it's so exciting to be involved in something like this. It's a big attempt to change the culture of public education in Texas."
The vertical chairs are made up of 10 members from around the state, six of them college professors and four high school teachers.
Coming up with recommendations is no easy feat, Lee explained. While math and English courses in college and high school require similar knowledge and skills to pass, social studies cover a broad range of information, from dates of wars to political processes.
Determining how to identify which standards are of a greater priority is difficult because of the differences in material covered in courses like geography and political science, or world history and economics.
Not only will the recommendations of the vertical teams affect the goals of high school and college curriculum, but they will also be considered when redesigning the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) standards.
"I was very nervous about doing it," Lee said. "But I've really enjoyed it."
To see the standards that were recommended to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, go to www.thecb.state.tx.us/collegereadiness/TCRS.cfm.
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