PHASE I - Report of Wisconsin Alignment Project

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FOREWORD

This document describes work completed by Wisconsin educators during 1999. The immediate impetus for this work was the release of the Wisconsin K-12 Model Academic Standards in 1998. These standards, which have been adopted statewide, were designed to guide the development of a rigorous and challenging curriculum for all students. They also represented a different way to judge student achievement, evaluating students against an objective standard rather than in comparison to one another.

The adoption of the Model Academic Standards presented a unique opportunity for Wisconsin educators to learn from one another. For the first time in the state of Wisconsin, a common framework guided the curriculum in all high schools, and the education outcomes for all students were specifically stated. Recognizing the importance of examining these K-12 outcomes in relation to expectations for students entering post-secondary institutions, staff from the University of Wisconsin System initiated the Alignment Project.

Faculty from K-12 and post-secondary worked together for several months to examine a variety of admission and placement documents and to compare them to the Model Academic Standards. Areas of similarity were documented, as were areas of difference. Descriptions of the process and the findings are included in this report. The results can be useful to students and parents in planning a high school program. They also can guide curriculum planning in both high school and post-secondary institutions.

This Alignment Project represents the first phase in a continuing dialogue. Collaboration continues in the state to explore models of curriculum articulation. It is important that students complete a rigorous high school program so that they enter post-secondary institutions prepared to succeed. It is equally important that post-secondary curricula are prepared to receive students at the appropriate level without areas of disconnect or areas of redundancy. Much work remains to be done.

The University of Wisconsin System Office of Academic Affairs and the Department of Public Instruction provided support for this project. Staff from these agencies as well as the Wisconsin Technical College System assisted the faculty working groups. Dr. Fran Garb, University of Wisconsin System Senior Academic Planner, prepared the report.
 
 

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This document was created by U W S A Academic and Student Services.
If you have questions or comments, direct them to Academic and Student Services, Phone: (608) 262-8778, Email: acss@uwsa.edu

This document was last revised on October 14, 1999. ©January 1999 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, All Rights Reserved.