The University Lab Schools, in conjunction with Illinois State University and Heartland Community College, have been identifying essential Common Core standards needed in high school math to successfully complete entry-level, credit-bearing courses in the freshman year of college.
Illinois State instructor Janet Moore and Heartland instructor Jeremy McClure were instrumental in engaging other faculty in the analysis of topics in freshman-level courses and aligning those topics with the Common Core standards being implemented throughout the state and country. The primary goal of this work is to decrease the number of students who need remedial math courses when they enter college by developing strategies which help secondary education students master standards prior to entering college.
The work of “Success Beyond the Test” was supported through the Educational Policy Center at Illinois State University with a grant from the Illinois Board of Higher Education. Additional steps still need to be taken to create greater alignment including discussions between Heartland and Illinois State regarding current placement test procedures to determine alignment to the essential Common Core standards.
New funding from the Illinois Board of Higher Education through Illinois State’s Education Policy Center has been secured for the next phase of this project.
