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High School Curriculum and Instruction
Defining Rigorous High School Curriculum | High School Curriculum Standards
As the U.S. workplace continues to change, the skills and knowledge required of high school and college graduates change as well. Global economic forces and rapidly changing technology are placing an increased demand on students to graduate ready to perform at jobs that demand strong academic skills such as critical thinking, analytic capabilities, and literacy, as well as increased math and science proficiency.
The good news is that every State and the District of Columbia has established standards in core subjects.
Many States are adopting policies and standards to increase math and science course-taking as well as to ensure that reading is taught at the secondary school level, and they are making graduation requirements reflect these changes.
National data indicate that many schools are offering Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual enrollment as strategies to promote higher-level course-taking, including math and science, which helps ensure that more students enter college or the workforce ready to succeed.
The National High School Center is dedicated to offering information, guidance, and support regarding what instructional approaches and curriculum are proven to work.
Defining Rigorous High School Curriculum
The A-G Curriculum: College-Prep? Work-Prep? Life Prep.
The A-G Curriculum is a sequence of 15 required and 3 recommended high school courses that any student wishing to study at a four-year college in California must complete. This guide from The Education Trust-West explains how the curriculum contributes to student achievement, presents success stories of the curriculum in action, and provides tools for educators to assist students in acquiring necessary academic and life skills.
Courses Count: Preparing Students for Postsecondary Success
This ACT policy report discusses and investigates the inconsistencies between a typical high school curriculum and what a student needs to know in order to be prepared for the workforce or postsecondary education. The report also stresses that the lack of academic rigor found in many high schools plays a part in the ensuing disconnect.
Crisis At the Core: Preparing All Students for College and Work
Even with a high school diploma, many students leave high school without the necessary skills that will assist them in college or the workforce. ACT’s report recommends that schools strengthen their core curriculum to better prepare students for post-secondary success, as research demonstrates that students at all levels of achievement benefit from taking rigorous courses.
Expanding Learning Time in High Schools
This paper from Hilary Pennington and the Center for American Progress examines high schools that implement an extended learning day as part of a required educational program for all students, explores issues related to implementing such a program, presents examples of how schools accomplish this, and analyzes the implications for school design, capacity, and financing.
Increasing Academic Rigor in High Schools: Stakeholder Perspectives
This National High School Alliance report summarizes literature on rigor from national and research organizations, examines major policy trends, and describes how six organizations define, structure, and engage their stakeholders on the issue of increasing academic rigor in high schools.
Learning for the 21st Century: A Report and MILE Guide for 21st Century Skills
This Partnership for 21st Century Skills report identifies and examines 6 key elements and skills of 21st century learning.
On Course for Success: A Close Look at Selected High School Courses that Prepare All Students for College
This report from ACT, Inc., and The Education Trust examines the components of high school courses that prepare students for successful entry into postsecondary education. The report includes model course syllabi and descriptions of key courses in English, mathematics, and science drawn from the materials submitted by the teachers, interview transcripts, and classroom observations.
Raising Academic Achievement: A Study of 20 Successful Programs
This study from the American Youth Policy Forum identifies and evaluates 20 models for raising high school academic achievement. Each evaluation includes an overview of the program, evidence of effectiveness, key components, and factors that contribute to the success of the program.
