Academic & Student Services

WISCONSIN ALIGNMENT PROJECT: Phase I

PHASE I - Report of Wisconsin Alignment Project

REPORT

Table of Contents

  • Executive Summary
  • Overview
  • Background
  • Need
  • Process
  • Findings
  • Next Steps
  • Appendix 1: Participants
  • Appendix 2: Document Descriptions
  • Appendix 3: Matrices

    • EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    The Wisconsin Alignment Project was undertaken to address issues of continuity between what students are expected to learn in high school and what they must know to be prepared to succeed in college, and to strengthen articulation between K-12 and higher education. This report describes the process and outcomes of Phase I, which took place between September 1998 and June 1999. Participants examined the alignment between the recently approved and issued (January 1998) Wisconsin Model Academic Standards (WMAS) in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and foreign language; University of Wisconsin (UW) and Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) admission documents; and UW placement tests in English, mathematics and foreign language.

    Seven working groups were formed in the following areas: English Language Arts Content; English Language Arts Placement; Mathematics Content; Mathematics Placement; Science Content; Social Studies Content; and Foreign Language Content/Placement. Each group included K-12, UWS and WTCS faculty. Curriculum consultants from the Department of Public Instructions (DPI) and WTCS and professional staff from University of Wisconsin Center for Placement Testing also participated. A significant and very positive outcome of this project was the process itself. The faculty participants were unanimous in their expression of appreciation for the opportunity to work on curriculum issues across institutions and across educational systems.

    The findings indicate:

  • There is considerable congruence among the documents in English and social studies. A curriculum based on the WMAS would prepare a student to meet admission requirements for UWS institutions and to enter WTCS institutions without remediation. It would also prepare students for the content of the English Placement Test.

    •  
  • There are some areas of congruence in mathematics and science. A curriculum based on the WMAS would prepare a student to enter WTCS institutions without remediation. However, additional preparation would be required beyond that described by the WMAS for students applying to UWS institutions. Additional preparation would also be required to prepare students for the Mathematics Placement Test.

    •  
  • The WMAS for foreign language and the CBA competencies are very different in scope and vision. Placement tests in French, German or Spanish focus on grammar and reading comprehension. A student completing two years of a curriculum based on the WMAS would be prepared for the content of these placement tests. However, the preparation would not be the result of direct emphasis.
    • It is anticipated that the results of this study will guide planning for further articulation initiatives and inform policy deliberations at all levels. Knowledge of similarities and differences in content standards raises issues about curriculum. These issues will be the focus of Phase 2 of the Wisconsin Alignment Project, a 2-year initiative that will begin fall 1999. The primary objective of this phase is to facilitate comparison of high school curriculum, revised to reflect the WMAS, and content in entry-level courses in Wisconsin post-secondary institutions in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and foreign language. The Phase 2 working groups may develop model pilot projects in which K-12 and post-secondary faculty redesign courses to bring them into closer alignment. The English language arts, foreign language and/or mathematics group also may recommend modifications in the content of the UW System placement tests.

    DPI and UW System, Office of Academic Affairs, provided support for this project.
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    OVERVIEW

    The Wisconsin K-12 public education system, along with school systems in many other states, is working to ensure that high school graduates have the requisite knowledge and skills to succeed in post-secondary institutions and in today's workplace. This implies moving toward higher levels of achievement, expecting more of students and more of educators. A part of this effort is a shift toward supplementing, or moving away from, the traditional 'input' measures required of students for graduation, such as number of credits and hours of instruction.

    Throughout the state, educators are addressing very complex issues including content standards, performance standards, opportunity-to-learn standards, and high-stakes assessments. A critical question in every state is how to establish continuity between what students are expected to learn in high school and what they must know to be well prepared to succeed in college. Post-secondary institutions must forge partnerships with K-12 educators to understand and support reforms that include clear and rigorous academic standards so that the need for remediation, with all the attendant costs, is reduced.

    As the K-12 curriculum is revised, content that had traditionally been included may be omitted. It is important for higher education faculty to know this in order to adjust their course content. Equally important is the need for higher education faculty to know the level of preparation of incoming students in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of content. Responding to these questions requires careful study and analysis in a climate of trust and shared purpose.

    The Wisconsin Alignment Project was undertaken to address these issues and to strengthen articulation between K-12 and higher education. This report describes the process and outcomes of Phase I, which took place between September 1998 and June 1999. This phase involved over 100 faculty from Wisconsin high schools, University of Wisconsin (UW) institutions and Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) institutions. These participants examined the alignment between the recently approved and issued (January 1998) Wisconsin Model Academic Standards (WMAS) in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and foreign language; UW and WTCS admission documents; and UW placement tests in English language arts, mathematics and foreign language. All related documents are available from Office of Academic Affairs, University of Wisconsin System and at /acss/align/.

    Phase 2 of the Wisconsin Alignment Project, a 2-year initiative, will begin fall 1999. The primary objective of this phase is to facilitate comparison of high school curriculum, revised to reflect the WMAS, and course content in entry-level courses in Wisconsin post-secondary institutions in English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and foreign language.
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    BACKGROUND

    The alignment project builds on a history of collaboration among education institutions and an extensive array of existing documents and prior work. The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is led by an elected Superintendent of Public Instruction. The agency supervises and coordinates the activities of 426 local school districts that serve nearly 1 million students. In 1998, after extensive public engagement, DPI released Wisconsin's Model Academic Standards (WMAS) in several areas including English language arts, mathematics, science, social studies and foreign language. In each of the documents there are content standards and performance standards for grades four, eight and twelve. In addition to guiding curriculum development, these standards will serve as the basis for statewide assessments. As of August 1998 the WMAS in English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies were adopted by essentially all of the 426 local school districts in the state.

    The UW System (UWS) includes two doctoral-granting universities, 11 comprehensive universities, and 13 freshman-sophomore colleges. Admission into all UW institutions requires the completion of 17 Carnegie units of high school coursework, including 4 units of English language arts, 3 units each of mathematics, science, and social studies, and four units of 'academic electives.' (A 'unit' or 'credit' is defined as "a school term of study in one course that meets daily for a normal class period.. for approximately 45-55 minutes per day for up to 180 school days.") Two institutions also require 2 units of foreign language.

    In November 1997 the UWS Board of Regents adopted a Competency-based Admission (CBA) process to supplement the traditional admission route. The CBA process is based on students demonstrating appropriate levels of performance on a set of defined academic competencies. UWS faculty in consultation with K-12 faculty and WTCS faculty developed the CBA competencies. They cover the same academic discipline areas that are required in the traditional process. This alternative admission process was undertaken by the UWS to support K-12 school reform initiatives and to keep the traditional university admission process from becoming a potential barrier to those efforts.

    Following admission, most entering UWS students take placement tests in English language arts, mathematics and, if applicable, French, German or Spanish. UWS faculty and staff develop these tests with the assistance of personnel in the University of Wisconsin Center for Placement Testing (http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/exams/CENTER1.htm). They provide information that is used by faculty at all UW institutions for placing students into the most appropriate course within a given sequence of instruction.

    WTCS has 16 technical colleges that offer career education programs in business and marketing, health, trades and industry, agriculture and agribusiness, service occupations, technical fields, and wage-earning home economics. Admission to their post-secondary programs is open to all students who have graduated high school or who have passed high school equivalency tests. The WTCS faculty has developed a series of competency documents called "Knowledge, Skills and Processes for Lifework" (KSP). These documents 

    provide information to students concerning foundation requisites needed to enter WTCS without remediation.
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    NEED

    The impetus for the Alignment Project was the development and promulgation of the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards. The nearly universal adoption of these content and performance standards represents a statewide uniformity that had not been in place previously. In addition, these standards represent a 'raising of the bar': the assumption is that curriculum and assessment based on these standards will lead to better-prepared graduates and, therefore, better prepared post-secondary students. If this is the case, it is important that admission and placement practices are reviewed to reflect this level of preparation and that curriculum in entry-level courses is examined to avoid unnecessary duplication. Education providers agreed that the first step toward improving articulation between K-12 and post-secondary institutions would be a determination of the degree of alignment between these new standards, the UW System admission competencies, the UW System placement test objectives and WTCS "Knowledge, Skills and Processes." These data will used to guide planning for future articulation initiatives and inform policy deliberations at all levels.
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    PROCESS

    The Alignment Project was administered through the UWS Office of Academic Affairs. Coordination was provided by a 9-member steering committee including university and high school faculty and representatives from DPI, UWS Administration and WTCS. DPI and UWS provided funding. Seven working groups were formed in the following areas: English Content; English Placement; Mathematics Content; Mathematics Placement; Science Content; Social Studies Content; and Foreign Language Content/Placement. Each group included K-12, UWS and WTCS faculty. Curriculum consultants from DPI and WTCS and professional staff from UW Center for Placement Testing also participated. Participant lists are included in Appendix 1. All participants were familiar with one or more of the alignment documents and in many cases had served as members of the writing groups.

    Following a general organization meeting in February for all participants, each working group met from one to three times. The participants compared the various documents and determined what content they had in common. Tables 1 and 2, Appendix 2, describe the specific documents used by each working group. A matrix was prepared for each content and placement area indicating the areas of congruence. A listing of all the matrices and a sample of each is included in Appendix 3. The complete collection of matrices is available at the project website. Each working group also submitted a brief, informal narrative report. Information from these reports is discussed below. The complete reports are available at the website. The steering committee received and reviewed the working group matrices and reports in June.
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    FINDINGS

    General Observations: A significant and very positive outcome of this project was the process itself. The faculty participants were unanimous in their expression of appreciation for the opportunity to work on curriculum issues across institutions and across educational systems. The committees structured their tasks differently, but in all cases members commented on the professional commitment of their colleagues and the sense of shared purpose. In addition to completing the document review, the participants educated one another. This cadre will be a valuable component of the education infrastructure in the state.

    It is important to note that the conclusions reported here represent the consensus of each working group. A different group of educators might have come to somewhat different conclusions. One of the groups referred to its conclusions as "preliminary dialogue - not irrefutable fact." The alignment matrices include the text of all documents considered, with the exception of the foreign language placement tests. This will enable the reader to reach an independent conclusion.

    WMAS and Admission Documents: The various documents examined were developed for different purposes, as indicated above, and differ in semantics and format (Appendix 2, Table 1). The task was not a simple text match, but a content alignment. The working groups were guided by this question: "Would a student, whose high school curriculum was consistent with the Model Academic Standards, have covered the content described in the UWS and WTCS admission documents?" In other words, "would the student be academically prepared to apply for admission to UWS or WTCS?" This was found to be the case for English language arts and social studies. In mathematics and science, students will need additional preparation for UWS admission. The working groups also noted WMAS content that is not described in the UWS and WTCS admission documents. This will be important information for post-secondary faculty to have as students, prepared under the revised high school curriculum, enter their institutions.

    English Language Arts: Both high school graduation and UW admission requirements specify 4 credits in English language arts. The English language arts working group only examined grade 12 WMAS. There is generally very good alignment among the documents. The exception is in the areas of Media and Technology, which is included in the WMAS but not in the UWS or WTCS competency documents. Particularly with regard to the UWS competencies, this probably is related to the time at which the document was prepared and will likely be addressed in the upcoming revision of the competencies. No areas that UWS and WTCS faculty identified as important for post-secondary preparation are absent from the WMAS.

    Mathematics: All documents are similar in their emphasis on students' developing problem solving skills. There are no major requisites listed in the WTCS document that are not in the WMAS. The CBA competencies, however, reflect a level of preparation beyond that described in the WMAS. The high school graduation requirement in mathematics is 2 credits; the admission requirement for the UWS is 3 credits. Further, all UW institutions specify that these three units must include "algebra, geometry and higher." Specifically, there are three UW admission competencies that are not addressed in the WMAS:

  • Solve algebraic equations and inequalities in one variable, including those which can be factored into linear and quadratic expressions or which contain fractional expressions, absolute values, radicals or fractional exponents.

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  • Manipulate and simplify expressions involving exponential or logarithms. Solve equations and inequalities involving exponential and logarithmic expressions. Solve problems such as those involving growth and decay.

    •  
  • Use the language, notation and properties of exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric (sine, cosine, tangent) functions and their graphs.
    • To complete the preparation required for admission to UWS institutions, therefore, students will need coursework in mathematics beyond the knowledge and skills defined by the WMAS.

    There were additional observations concerning the differences between documents. The members of the working group in mathematics were very concerned about the difference between the WMAS and CBA competencies in the importance and the philosophy behind the use of technology. Throughout the WMAS, there is an emphasis on using the calculator as a learning tool. With one exception, the UWS document does not assume that calculators are integral to learning mathematics.

    Also, the working group members pointed out that the WMAS highlight statistics and probability as one of the six major content categories. There is no mention of these topics in the CBA competencies. Students accepted for admission to UWS with more preparation in statistics and probability than the UWS faculty expects or requires certainly will not be disadvantaged. The implications of these observations will be explored during Phase 2 of the Alignment Project.

    Science: There is considerable alignment in this content area. All of the documents examined include attention to the relationship between science and society and to analysis and problem solving. The WMAS and CBA documents also have in common attention to the nature of scientific inquiry and systems thinking. The WMAS and CBA address physical, life, earth and space science knowledge base. Earth and space science are absent from the KSP.

    The high school graduation requirement in science is 2 credits: the UWS admission requirement is 3 credits. The UWS admission competencies that are not addressed by the WMAS relate to gathering and using data in analysis and problem solving:

  • Gather, organize and use information to provide qualitative and/or quantitative solutions to problems;
  • Use data to construct graphs to describe relationships;
  • Make informed decisions by examining options and anticipating the consequences of actions;
  • Relate laboratory data to theory in order to render a clear, comprehensive, and concise presentation in written or oral reports supported, where appropriate, with various models of data presentation (e.g., tables, diagrams, graphs, models, etc).
    • As is the case in mathematics, to compete the preparation required for admission to UWS institutions students will need coursework in science beyond the knowledge and skills defined by the WMAS.

    Social Studies: In social studies, the high school graduation requirement and UWS admission requirement are the same: 3 credits. In the topic areas of geography, history and political science there is essentially complete alignment between the WMAS and CBA. Alignment between the WTCS documents and WMAS was less complete, particularly in the area of history. An interesting difference between the WMAS and the post-secondary documents is in economics. This is one of 5 major content areas in the WMAS. There is much less focus in both CBA and KSP. The WMAS also have a greater emphasis on behavioral sciences than either of the post-secondary documents. No areas that UWS and WTCS faculty identified as important preparation for applicants to post-secondary institutions are absent from the WMAS.

    Foreign Language: There is no high school graduation requirement in foreign language. Only two UW institutions require foreign language for admission. Each of these requires two years of a single foreign language. All institutions accept foreign language as an 'academic elective.' There are no WTCS documents indicating foundation requisites in foreign languages. However, foreign languages are taught at some WTCS campuses and WTCS faculty participated in the working group.

    The foreign language working group completed the most complex task. Essentially, they compared existing UWS admission competencies and placement practice to WMAS that describe a vision for language learning. School districts vary in the alignment of the local curriculum with the standards. The WMAS reflect an instructional program beginning in kindergarten and continuing through 12th grade, but adaptable for beginning in later grades. The DPI standards publication states "these standards are not meant to reflect the status quo of language learning in Wisconsin, but are a bold statement of what parents and community members continue to request: a strong foreign language program beginning in the elementary grades. The standards do not neglect the teaching of basic language structures, but rather encourage the student to go beyond this knowledge to develop real-life uses of foreign languages."

    There is very little congruence between the visionary WMAS and CBA competencies in foreign language. The CBA competencies, because of the nature of the admission requirement, are based on expected competency levels for students who have completed two years of high school study and are ready for third semester foreign language instruction at UW institutions. Both documents address speaking, listening, reading and writing. There are broad areas in the WMAS related to target country culture, connections to other disciplines' content and language and culture comparisons that are absent from CBA. It will be important for UWS foreign language faculty to stay informed as the changes envisioned by the WMAS are implemented.

    WMAS and UWS Placement Documents: Development of what has become the UW System Placement Testing Program began in 1972. Placement tests are available in English language arts, mathematics, French, German and Spanish. These tests are prepared by systemwide faculty committees and are specifically related to the curriculum in entry-level UWS courses. The single purpose of the questions on the tests is to assist advisors in placing students. Their content, therefore, is very focused. The tests are constructed according to specifications that identify the objective and skills to be tested and the relative weight on the test given to each, i.e., a blueprint. Because of constraints imposed by the need for fast, relatively inexpensive and reliable scoring of large numbers of tests, the test items are currently all multiple-choice or true-false formats.

    The working groups that examined the placement material were addressing these questions: "Would a high school curriculum based on the WMAS prepare a student for the content of the placement tests?" and "Is the content of the placement tests congruent with the CBA competencies?"

    English: The English placement test is very narrow in focus. The language skills common to WMAS, CBA and placement objectives are confined to reading comprehension, grammar and language usage. A curriculum based on WMAS will prepare students in these areas. The working group members agreed that development of a placement test that measured how well a student can write or how effectively a student is able to communicate ideas would be "a task rife with difficulties." They also indicated how valuable such an instrument would be.

    Mathematics: As indicated above, the UWS admission requirement in mathematics is 3 high school credits. Entering students may have preparation beyond this minimum. The purpose of the placement test is to measure skills necessary to begin at any of several entry-level mathematics courses within the UW System. The Placement Test consists of three tests labeled A, B and C. Each test analyzes a student's ability in a specific set of objectives. Test A measures Prealgebra and Elementary Algebra; Test B measures Geometry and Advanced Algebra; and Test C measures Precalculus including Trigonometry. Each student takes two tests, either A and B or B and C, depending on her/his high school preparation.

    If all a student completes is a course of study based on the WMAS, the student will not be prepared for Placement Test B, which is required of all entering students. As indicated in the mathematics content alignment section, additional preparation, particularly in algebra skills, will be required. Examples of placement test objectives that are not included in the WMAS include:

  • Add subtract, multiply and divide radical expressions
  • Recognize the graph of y = {x}
  • Recognize the relationships between coefficients of perfect-square trinomials
  • Solve triangles (acute, right and obtuse)
    • There is a high degree of congruence between the CBA competencies and the placement objectives.

    Foreign Language: Three modules are available in the foreign language placements tests: language mechanics, reading comprehension and listening comprehension. The listening comprehension module is used rarely and was not included in this project. As indicated above, all institutions offer foreign language courses, so placement is an important issue on all UW campuses. There are considerations beyond a student's performance on the foreign language placement test that determine subsequent enrollment into a foreign language course. If a student earns an appropriate grade in the first university course taken, then that student is awarded degree credit for all courses lower in the sequence. A student may earn up to 16 of these "retro-credits" at no cost. There is considerable incentive for students to enroll in the course in which they can earn the required grade, usually 'B', and also earn the greatest number of retro-credits. As a consequence, it is not unusual for significant numbers of students to enroll in foreign language courses at a different level than that suggested based on the placement test results.

    The placement test is focused on discrete grammar points and reading comprehension. The high school curriculum based on the foreign language WMAS would prepare a student for this test. The working group members commented, however, that this preparation would not be the result of direct emphasis, but would come about through a more integrated performance-based method of instruction. They also expressed concern that the focus of the placement tests may discourage the kind of instructional program envisioned by the WMAS.

    Interested readers will find that the alignment matrix for foreign language WMAS and placement test is somewhat different from the other matrices. Because the placement tests are written entirely in the target language, working group members fluent in each language reviewed the tests and noted areas of congruence. The congruent text is not included.
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    NEXT STEPS

    The working groups established to determine the degree of alignment among the Wisconsin Model Academic Standards, the UW System Competency-Based Admission competencies, UW System Placement Test Objectives and the Wisconsin Technical College System "Knowledge, Skills and Processes for Lifework" determined the following:

  • There is considerable congruence among the documents in English language arts and social studies. A curriculum based on the WMAS would prepare a student to meet admission requirements for UWS institutions and to enter WTCS institutions without remediation. It would also prepare students for the content of the English Placement Test.

    •  
  • There are some areas of congruence in mathematics and science. A curriculum based on the WMAS would prepare a student to enter WTCS institutions without remediation. However, additional preparation would be required beyond that described by the WMAS for students applying to UWS institutions. Additional preparation would also be required to prepare students for the Mathematics Placement Test.

    •  
  • There is some congruence between the WMAS for foreign language and the CBA competencies. A curriculum based on the WMAS would prepare a student for the content of the French, German or Spanish placement tests, but the focus would be different
    • Phase II planning is underway, as indicated above. Collaborative working groups, consisting of educators from K-12 and post-secondary, will be established at 10 sites to look at the continuum of high school performance, graduation requirements, placement practices and post-secondary expectations. Each group will focus exclusively on one of five academic areas: English language arts, foreign language, mathematics, science and social studies. Where possible, the groups will be organized around existing collaborations. In some cases this work may lead to a decision to revise a course: a post-secondary course to reflect the revised curriculum in K-12 or the high school course in response to increased understanding of post-secondary faculty expectations. The English language arts, foreign language and/or mathematics groups also may suggest modifications in the content of the UW System placement tests.

    It is assumed that the work done by these collaborative groups will serve as models for other faculty. A statewide meeting to disseminate these finding is planned at the conclusion of the initiative. Information concerning the status of Phase II can be obtained at the website identified above.


    To Wisconsin Alignment Index Page

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    If you have questions or comments, direct them to Academic and Student Services, Phone: (608) 262-8778, Email: acss@uwsa.edu

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