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High School Curriculum and Instruction
Defining Rigorous High School Curriculum | High School Curriculum Standards | Technical Assistance Responses
As the U.S. workplace continues to change, the skills and knowledge required of high school and college graduates change as well. Global economic forces and rapidly changing technology are placing an increased demand on students to graduate ready to perform at jobs that demand strong academic skills such as critical thinking, analytic capabilities, and literacy, as well as increased math and science proficiency. The National High School Center is dedicated to offering information, guidance, and support regarding instructional approaches and curricula that are proven to work.
High School Curriculum Standards
Closing the Aspirations-Attainment Gap: Implications for High School Reform: A Commentary from Chicago
This paper, produced for an MDRC High School Reform Conference, discusses the need to focus high school reform efforts around preparing high school students for college, as the majority of secondary students do aspire to go to college but do not always receive adequate skills in high school to succeed at the post-secondary level. This disparity is, in essence, an “aspirations-attainment gap.” The paper presents compelling reasons for ensuring that high schools develop content knowledge, “precollegiate academic skills” (writing and problem solving), and “noncognitive skills” (performance norms, study skills, and learning strategies) in order to be adequately prepared for post secondary endeavors. Finally, the paper urges policymakers to adopt more comprehensive measures besides test-based accountability to indicate student achievement.
Closing the Expectations Gap: Fifth Annual 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of High School Policies with the Demands of College and Careers
This resource is Achieve’s fifth annual progress report on the alignment of high school policies with the demands of college and careers.
Common Standards: The Time is Now
This issue brief from the Alliance for Excellent Education discusses the need for rigorous common content standards that will prepare all students for college and careers. It describes how common standards and heightened expectations can lead to improved student achievement.
Common Core Standards
These draft common core standards for K – 12 English language arts and mathematics were produced through a joint effort among the National Governors Association (NGA), the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), Achieve, ACT, and the College Board. The standards are rigorous, research-based, internationally benchmarked, and aligned with college and workforce readiness expectations.
Deshler, D.D., & Tollefson, J.M. (2006). Strategic interventions: A research-validated instructional model that makes adolescent literacy a schoolwide priority. The School Administrator 63(4), 24-29. To access this article please click here.
Communities of Color: A Critical Perspective in the Common Standards Movement
This issue brief from the Campaign for High School Equity (CHSE) discusses how setting common academic standards creates potential for reducing the achievement gap for minority students.
EPAS State of the Nation Report 2007: Mathematics
According to a report by ACT, Inc., slightly more of the Class of 2007 was found to be college ready in math than the Class of 2003; however, the majority still fell short of the ACT College Readiness Benchmark.
Foundations for Success: The Final Report of the National Mathematics Advisory Panel
This report, the final by the National Mathematics Advisory Panel, describes the importance of mathematics education to the United States’ security and financial stability. It points out that high school education in particular is in need of repair and makes six core recommendations to strategically improve mathematics education.
High School Coursework: Policy Trends and Implications for Higher Education
This brief from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities suggests that the current trends of strengthening the high school curriculum and changing state policies could positively benefit from the involvement of the postsecondary community. For example, as noted in the brief, there has been discussion of aligning high school graduation requirements with college admissions requirements, but alignment efforts must continue to be strengthened.
Mixed Messages: What State High School Tests Communicate about Student Readiness for College
This 2003 study analyzed 66 state-administered standardized tests from 20 states to determine whether they adequately gauge whether students are prepared for introductory level college courses. The report concludes that state exams are largely not aligned with the standards generally thought to lead to college readiness and success.
The New Educational Imperative: Improving High School Computer Science Education
This report draws attention to the need for an increased presence and standardization of a computer science curriculum within high schools. The report’s author, the Computer Science Teachers Association, compares and contrasts the ways in which computer science is taught in the United States to how the subject is taught internationally. It concludes by making suggestions to stakeholders of all levels on how to adopt a standardized and effective national computer science curriculum.
Raising Rigor, Getting Results: Lessons Learned from AP Expansion
This report from the National Governor’s Association shows that its pilot program to boost Advanced Placement in six states successfully increased enrollment by 65% overall and by 106% for minority students, and lists the strategies and approaches states used to boost participation in the program.
Results that Matter: 21st Century Skills and High School Reform
Authored by the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, this report outlines a framework for redefining high schools in the 21st century by incorporating traditional high school core academic subjects with 21st century skills and content.
Rethinking High School: Supporting All Students to be College-Ready in Math
This report by WestEd for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation examines ways in which high schools can support students in becoming college-ready in math. More specifically, the report focuses on the following program elements which have been identified by the research: offering high-level math courses and supports; continually improving teachers’ skills and math content knowledge; and using student information to drive instruction. Profiles of three high schools that address these elements are included.
