Arizona students have new options to help them achieve their postsecondary goals including:
HELPING ARIZONA K-12 STUDENTS
TO BE COLLEGE READY
Move On When Ready Initiative & the Grand Canyon High School Diploma
The objective of this legislation is to increase the proportion of high school graduates who graduate ready for career and college by allowing students to move through high school and into various postsecondary options as they are ready. After their second year of high school students may take a performance-based examination and upon passing, earn a Grand Canyon High School Diploma. Students who qualify for the Grand Canyon Diploma have choices including early graduation, enrolling in career/technical education programs, moving on to community college, or staying at their high school and participating in programs available.
Fifteen schools in 2011 will implement this initiative and institute a system of "board examinations" with assistance from the Center for the Future of Arizona. Learn more at www.arizonafuture.org/mowr.
Arizona Education and Career Action Plan (ECAP) & Career Information System (AzCIS)
Beginning with the high school graduating class of 2013, all Arizona public high school students (district and charter) will have a personalized plan that includes the curriculum and courses they will take to meet their career goals.
Parents, students along with school counselors, teachers, or other professionals will work together to develop the plan in middle school and it will be updated each year of high school for that student. Learn more at www.ade.az.gov/ecap.
Arizona Career Information Systsem (AzCIS)
A resource for building a student plan or ECAP is the Arizona Career Information System (AzCIS). This system provides educational, career, and occupational information to help students make career and curriculum choices. The address for the system is http://azcis.intocareers.org; a log-in password is required. Generally the password can be obtained at the students' school.
Common Core Standards
Arizona, along with 44 other states, has adopted a common core of standards in English-language Arts and mathematics for grades K-12. The goal of these standards is to improve teaching and learning and ensure Arizona students reach evidence-based standards which are nationally and internationally benchmarked. Learn more about Arizona's process of developing these standards and timeline for implementation at http://www.azed.gov/standards/CommonCoreStandards.
Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
PARCC is a state-led partnership among 25 states, including Arizona, with a goal of building a pathway to college and career readiness for all students by creating high quality assessments or board examinations which will measure student learning. PARCC is funded by the US Department of Education "Race to the Top" funds and is designed to provide the assessment portion aligned to the common core standards. The work centers on building a series of tests or examinations that will measure student learning in English and mathematics and determine if student learning meets the achievement levels necessary for career and college success. The assessments will be used to improve teaching and learning throughout the school year. The goals include supporting classroom educators, advancing accountability, and increasing student achievement. Parents will benefit because they will know where their child's learning is in comparison to national and international standards, allowing them to compete in a global society.
Arizona is a "governing board" state in PARCC. See Arizona's progress at www.parcconline.org/arizona. The full administration of PARCC examinations is scheduled to begin in September of 2014. Field testing will precede implementation in 2012-13. Read more about PARCC at www.parcconline.org.
WHERE DOES ARIZONA EDUCATION RANK???
Achieve is a non-profit education reform organization in Washington, D.C. created by governors and corporate leaders. Achieve provides a profile of Arizona K-12 education at www.achieve.org/arizona.
Solutions Through Higher Education is a public education effort aimed at raising awareness of the critical role higher education plays in ensuring economic prosperity for the country and citizens. The mission is to raise the educational level of all Arizonans and help residents understand the importance of investment in education. Learn more at: http://highereducationsolution.com/.
COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY DEGREES & CERTIFICATES - less time & fewer $$$
Getting AHEAD Arizona
A Lumina grant is driving new partnerships among Arizona's three public universities and community colleges with the goal of increasing completion of degrees by making them more affordable. Examples of their work can be seen in the MAPS and TAGS programs which allow students to start at a community college and transfer with no loss of credit into a public university. Other partnerships are putting university courses on community college campuses. Some programs even offer reduced tuition! Go to http://gettingaheadaz.org/students to see what is offered where you live.
Also, the initiative is working to make transfers work better through www.aztransfer.com.
GOVERNOR'S COLLEGE ACCESS CHALLENGE GRANT & P-20 INITIATIVES
AzCAN, the Arizona College Access Network, is an energetic and focused group of Arizona college access programs, professionals, and supporters who are working together toward Arizona's goal of doubling the number of degrees and certificates earned by Arizonans by 2020. AzCAN works toward this goal by creating a learning community of professionals committed to increasing the capacity of college access programs and ensuring the quality of services provided to low income, first generation students as they prepare for, transition into, and succeed in postsecondary education. All college access programs & professionals, as well as supporters, are welcomed to join at www.AzCAN.gov.
The EXPLORE Initiative is providing this early college readinesstest to thousands of Title I, 8th grade students across Arizona opening the options for their future. EXPLORE provides an opportunity for parents and students to understand what steps they need to take to complete high school ready to succeed in a job or in postsecondary education. NAU's GEAR UP program is in charge of this initiative. Learn more at https://sites.google.com/site/exploreazproject/home.
Eleven exemplary non-profit college access programs, as well as mentee programs, were selected to receive $450,000 in grant funds to build capacity and continue to improve services that serve low-income students as part of the College Access Challenge Grant. These programs will serve as mentors to other programs and also serve to guide the development of the Arizona College Access Network.
The Arizona Education Reform Plan is the blueprint for Arizona to achieve a future where all Arizona students are prepared to succeed in college and careers and lead Arizona in the next 100 years and beyond. This plan is the implementation strategy for Arizona's Race to the Top application and forms the basis of the Governor's Education Reform Policy Agenda. Read the plan at http://azgovernor.gov/dms/upload/PR_011811_ArizonaEduReformPlan.pdf.
Expect More Arizona is a public-private partnership dedicated to creating a movement of Arizonans who value education as our state's top priority and are actively engaged in strengthening the entire education continuum – from birth to career. Expect More Arizona is the result of the work of the Governor's P-20 Council, created by Executive Order in 2005. Learn more at: http://www.expectmorearizona.org/.