Alignment Techniques in brief

Discrepancy Analysis

A discrepancy analysis is designed to identify key issues of policy and practice in an area of interest so that action can be taken. The goal is to provide a starting point for contrasting "what is" with "what ought to be."

College Readiness Evaluation for Schools and Teachers (CREST)

The CREST analytic protocol assesses how effectively high schools prepare their students for college success. Based on data gathered from 38 highly successful schools and an extensive research base, the protocol identifies the key cognitive strategies, academic knowledge, behaviors, and contextual skills students need to succeed in college. CREST generates a school profile to help determine strengths and areas for improvement, and recommends specific programs, policies, and practices to more effectively prepare students for enrollment and success in college.

College-readiness Performance Assessment System (C-PAS)

C-PAS gauges student development in five Key Cognitive Strategies found necessary for college readiness and success: problem solving, research, interpretation, reasoning, and precision. This formative assessment system embeds rich performance tasks in classrooms and enables teachers to use a common scoring system to longitudinally track development.

SyllabusMaker

Quality syllabi are building blocks to quality instructional programs. Inclusion of certain syllabi elements serve to inform students of course expectations, facilitate standards comparisons, identify overlaps and gaps in skills development, and assist high school and post-secondary faculty in improving vertical alignment.

High School/College Partnerships & Senior Seminars

Many examples exist of models for high school-college partnerships. One key approach is the senior seminar model. Senior seminars are exit level courses designed to prepare seniors for the challenges of college-level work. Senior seminars encourage improved alignment by facilitating collaborative course development between higher education and secondary faculty.

Exemplar Development

Carefully chosen and annotated course syllabi, assignments, exams, and student work are useful tools to clarify and align school and teacher expectations.