Improving Alignment, Facilitating Partnerships
The South Carolina Course Alignment Project (SC CAP) is the first statewide collaborative effort to bring together high school and college faculty (two- and four-year) to examine the sequence and scope of high school exit courses in English, mathematics, and science in relation to the entry-level college courses in the same disciplines.
The goal of the project is to determine the degree of alignment between high school courses and entry-level college courses in order to improve alignment so students may have a seamless transition from secondary to postsecondary education. Aligning secondary and postsecondary courses will:
- Provide explicit information on the content and skills necessary for postsecondary success in order to improve student preparation for college coursework.
- Create clear pathways between high school and college coursework and reduce curriculum redundancy between high school and college.
- Improve high school graduation rates, reduce the need for remedial instruction, and improve college retention and graduation rates.
The South Carolina Course Alignment Project will be conducted in three phases.
The goals of Phase One (2007-2008 Academic Year) are to analyze alignment issues between secondary and postsecondary institutions in South Carolina, and develop systems and processes for statewide support of the project.
For Phase Two (2008-2009), vertically aligned paired courses in English/language arts, mathematics, and science will be developed and piloted in secondary and postsecondary institutions.
Phase Three (2009- 2010) includes strategic outreach and ongoing support for adopting paired courses statewide.
- A Key Stakeholders Meeting was held December 11, 2007, drawing 138 attendees representing 75 organizations. Participants generated a comprehensive list of current issues, challenges, activities, and opportunities related to college readiness in South Carolina.
- An environmental scan, highlighting the current state of student transition from high school to postsecondary education in South Carolina, was completed December 2007.
- An interactive website is available and actively managing project information and materials.
- A video presentation by Dr. David Conley providing a project overview was recorded and made available to South Carolina faculty.
- An alignment study between the South Carolina Academic Standards for high school English/language arts, mathematics, and science and the Knowledge and Skills for University Success was completed. The result of the alignment study was a list of recommended college readiness standards to use for reference during the paired course design.
- A steering committee was formed and includes representatives from secondary and postsecondary institutions statewide. The steering committee will provide oversight and strategic direction over the course of the project.
- The technological system for conducting the course alignment study will be available and provides faculty the option to submit course syllabi and identify college readiness standards taught in their course.