About the CCRS Program
The College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) program is identifying, defining and implementing college and career readiness educational standards in partnership with Texas secondary schools. The program is a collaboration between the Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The initiative was formed by the 79th Texas Legislature (3rd Called Session) through House Bill 1, now Section 28.008 of the Texas Education Code.
The purpose of the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) program is to identify and define the competencies and skills graduating high school students must possess in order to be successful in higher education and beyond.
The college and career readiness project is developing readiness standards and working with educators and policymakers to weave these standards into the existing knowledge standards for secondary (high school) curricula in four subjects: English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.
Teams of K-12 educators and higher education faculty members provide the core element of collaboration necessary to make the project successful by forging consensus about what students must know to be truly college and career ready.
More than just standards, the CCRS program is also creating a college and career readiness culture in Texas education. This culture has its nexus in a series of three important policy relationships:
- Creating – The Texas Legislature inspired and continues to provide direction to the College and Career Readiness program
- College & Career – The Texas Education Agency and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board are working collaboratively to create and implement educational standards that will enable students to be college and career ready
- Culture – The increased academic rigor and higher academic expectations derived from the standards sets an expectation for educators and students alike that will lead to increased opportunities for the students of Texas
The College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) initiative is taking a systemic but collaborative approach toward defining, implementing and training to college and career readiness standards.
This scope of the CCRS initiative spans both K-12 and higher education institutions in Texas. Initiative work is being sequenced in three main phases:
- Phase 1: The design of the college and career readiness standards
- Phase 2: The analysis of the current secondary curriculum against the standards
- Phase 3: The development of the student support and teacher training materials required for the successful implementation of the standards
During each of these phases, vertical teams of educators from K-12 and higher education institutions work in concert to define expectations and reach consensus on standards. There are vertical teams in each of the subject areas for which standards are being developed and implemented (English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies). These teams also help identify supporting resources appropriate for use by educators and students.
Simultaneously, the Texas Education Agency and its professional development partners are developing training for K-12 educators that explain the new standards and how they link to existing curriculum standards. Similarly, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is working with its university partners to develop awareness and implementation materials for teacher preparation programs.
The College and Career Readiness (CCRS) program is a significant policy undertaking that has already accomplished several key tasks, including identifying, defining and beginning the implementation of college and career readiness standards across K-12 and higher education.
Done: Develop College and Career Readiness Standards
Phase 1 involving the design of the college and career readiness standards themselves is complete. During this phase, K-12 secondary and higher education institution faculty collaborated to develop college and career readiness standards in four areas: English language art, mathematics, science, and social studies. A set of cross-disciplinary skills standards was also developed. Both the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Commissioner of Education approved the standards for incorporation into the curriculum by the State Board of Education.
Done: Analyze Existing Curriculum Against Readiness Standards
Phase 2 work involving the analysis of the existing secondary curriculum against the new readiness standards developed in Phase 1 is also complete. Vertical teams of K-12 and higher education institution faculty have reviewed the degree of alignment between the new readiness standards and the current secondary school curriculum, noting any gaps between these two sets of standards in a series of gap analyses reports. These gap analyses reports serve as the basis for the refinements to the existing K-12 standards (called TEKS) now taking place.
In Progress: Implementing Readiness Standards and Training Educators
Phase 3 work is now underway. This phase of work involves establishing instructional strategies, creating professional development and producing support materials that will aid in the incorporation of standards into classroom instruction. Educator professional development for English language arts college and career readiness standards is now being delivered to the field. Proclamations requesting textbooks for English language arts and reading now also include the college and career readiness standards. Mathematics, science and social studies proclamations will also include college and career readiness standards.
Visit the Timeline page for a full schedule of the efforts underway in the initiative.
Progress Reports
Jan. 2008 Standards Development Progress Report. Presentation describing process and outcome of Phase 1 (standards development) work by the College and Career Readiness vertical teams.
Oct. 2007 Standards Development Progress Report. Presentation describing process and outcome of Phase 1 (standards development) work.
The College and Career Readiness initiative extends over a multiyear timeline. While considerable work has been devoted to identifying and developing the standards themselves, much more work is necessary for their effective utilization and to ensure the success of the systemic changes they will bring.
2011 |
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| Summer 2011 | Social Studies professional development delivered |
| Fall 2011 | Science College and Career Readiness Online Student Materials available |
| Fall 2011 | Implementation of Social Studies TEKS |
| Fall 2011 | Social Studies College and Career Readiness Online Student Materials available |
2010 |
|
| Spring 2010 | SBOE adoption of revised Social Studies TEKS |
| Summer 2010 | Science TEKS professional development delivered |
| Fall 2010 | Implementation of Science TEKS |
| Fall 2010 | Math College and Career Readiness Online Student Materials available |
2009 |
|
| January | SBOE adoption of revised Math TEKS |
| January | Social Studies TEKS writing process starts – provided instructions from SBOE to include CCRS |
| March | SBOE adoption of revised Science TEKS |
| April – Aug. | ELAR, SLAR, ESOL, CCRS and ELPS TEKS professional development delivered |
| June | CCRS Vertical Team Gap Analysis of Social Studies TEKS and CCRS |
| July | Social Studies writing team met – identified changes to strengthen alignment with CCRS |
| Fall 2009 | Implementation of ELAR TEKS, SLAR TEKS, and ELPS |
| Fall 2009 | ELA College and Career Readiness Online Student Materials available |
2008 |
|
| January | College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) Approved |
| January - December | Science writing teams met – provided with instructions from SBOE to include CCRS |
| March | Validation of English Language Arts and Reading (ELAR) CCRS |
| March - May | ELAR writing teams met - provided instructions from SBOE to include CCRS |
| March - December | CTE writing teams met – provided instructions from SBOE to include CCRS |
| May | SBOE adopted revised ELAR Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) |
| July | Validation of Math CCRS |
| July | SBOE established writing team for Limited Scope Review of secondary Math TEKS |
| July | CCRS Vertical Team Gap Analysis of Math TEKS and CCRS (Math writing team attended to gain understanding of gaps) |
| August | Validation of Science CCRS |
| August/September | Math writing team revisited secondary Math TEKS – identified changes to strengthen alignment with CCRS |
| September | CCRS Vertical Team Gap Analysis of ELAR TEKS and CCRS |
| October | Math Gap Analysis by Achieve – provided to Math writing team Science Gap Analysis by Achieve – provided to Science writing teams CCRS Vertical Team Gap Analysis of Science draft TEKS and CCRS – provided to Science writing teams |
| October | University of Texas System contracted to create and deliver professional development on ELAR TEKS, SLAR TEKS, English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), and CCRS |
| December | CCRS Vertical Team Analysis and Review of CRS ELAR online student materials |
