States Receive NGA Grants to Work with ACT and Improve Quality of High School Courses

November 17, 2005

IOWA CITY, Iowa—The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) has awarded grants to three states—Oklahoma, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania—to work with the NGA Center and ACT on a pilot project designed to improve the quality of high school courses. The grants, $140,000 for each state, were announced this week by the NGA.

The pilot project builds on lessons learned from two recent ACT research projects, Crisis at the Core and On Course for Success. Both research projects showed the critical need for more rigorous college-preparatory curriculum for all high school students. On Course for Success also examined course syllabi and the teaching practices in high-achieving classrooms where students meet or exceed national college readiness standards.

Four districts in each state will take part in the pilot project. Activities will include:

An evaluation of the alignment between state high school standards, ACT's College Readiness Standards, and ACT's Model Course Syllabi in English, math, and science.
A series of curriculum workshops for teachers that will certify course quality and improve instruction. An instructional resource bank will also be developed to provide teachers with classroom activities to help improve student academic achievement.
Quarterly statewide meetings involving representatives of K-12, higher education, and staff from the governor's office and the legislature to discuss state policy implications and deliver a report with recommendations to the governor and legislature at the end of the grant period.

Expected outcomes of each pilot project include:

More teachers will be able to use student test data and professional development offered by ACT and the NGA Center to ensure that courses are rigorous and consistent across the schools involved in the pilot project.
More students will be enrolled in and successfully completing a college-preparatory curriculum in the participating schools.
The state will demonstrate a commitment to expand college-preparatory course-taking among students statewide.
Sophomores enrolled in the courses in participating schools will show academic improvement after taking mid-course tests.
The proficiency gap between white and non-white students will decrease.

"Our research has shown us what students need to learn in high-achieving classrooms," said Cynthia Schmeiser, ACT's senior vice president for research and development. "The NGA Center's grant program will enable participating high schools in three states to put the lessons learned through research into action in their classrooms. We believe the results will show a greater number of students graduating from high school with the knowledge and skills they need in their first year of college."

Schmeiser believes that, as a result of the project, more states, districts and schools will adopt policies, standards, and instructional activities that will improve the quality and rigor of college-preparatory courses in high schools throughout the nation.

This grant is part of the second phase of the NGA Center's Honor States Grant Program. The second phase gives governors the opportunity to develop and implement state strategies to improve high school graduation and college readiness rates. According to the NGA Center, the program builds on the momentum created by the 2005 National Education Summit on High School and two related state resources: The Action Agenda for Improving America's High Schools and Getting it Done: Ten Steps to a State Action Agenda. More information on these resources is available online at www.nga.org.