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Resources
These resources were collected by graduation guidelines work groups, 2013-2015.
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Graduation Guidelines Menu Of Options:

ACT
Advanced Placement (AP)
- Bulletin for AP Students and Parents (PDF)
- Bulletin for AP Students and Parents (Spanish) (PDF)
- Additional resources
Course and exam descriptions, sample free-response questions and scoring guidelines, study skills, and test-taking tips
ASVAB
The cut score listed on the Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options refers to the AFQT score. A score of “31” indicates readiness in English and math.
- ASVAB Official Site
- ASVAB Career Exploration Program
- Information for schools, students and families:
- Schools can request to become a testing site
- Students can learn more about the ASVAB Free career exploration program that links personal interests with demonstrated aptitudes from the 9 ASVAB subtests.
Capstone Projects
This information was collected by Asia Society – Partnership for Global Learning, for the Graduation Guidelines Capstone Work Group January 2015.
Advisory
- Book: How to Design an Advisory System for a Secondary School by Mark F. Goldberg. Available at ASCD.
- Changing Systems to Personalize Learning: The Power of Advisories
Performance Outcomes
Asia Society has developed a series of tools to clarify global competency goals, and help students and teachers document the contribution toward achieving those goals. For each subject area and for global leadership, they provide a rationale and series of tools to show what students need to know and be able to do.
The “I Can Statements” are aimed at students, describing in first-person voice what the student will be able to do in the benchmarked 5th, 8th, 10th, and 12th grade years.
A rubric lists specific evidence students demonstrate as they progress towards global competency. This is a tool for students and teachers alike. Download these tools for free.
Rubrics
- On Rubrics and Models, Part 2: A Dialogue | Grant Wiggins
- Designing Rubrics (Video)
- Assessment for learning as background knowledge to inform rubric design
- Tame the Beast: Tips for designing and using rubrics, Andrew Miller
Portfolio Defense
Service Learning
Concurrent Enrollment
Industry Certificates
Collected by the Graduation Guidelines Industry Certificates Work Group, January 2015.
Links To Programs Listed In The Guidebook
- Career Clusters
- Career Pathways
- Colorado CTE standards cross-walked to Colorado academic standards
- Colorado Workforce Development Council (CWDC)
- Concurrent Enrollment
- CTE (Career and Technical Education)
- Plans of Study
- Stackable Credentials:
- Sector Partnerships:
State Level Examples
Several Schools, Districts And Organizations Have Developed Tools And resources to support the effective implementation of industry certifications.
- Florida
- Georgia
- Maine
- Maryland (click on Divisions and then Career and College Readiness)
- Mississippi
- Pennsylvania
- Texas
- Utah
- Virginia
District And School Initiatives
Research And Related Resources
Blansett, S. P., & Gershwin, M. C. (2005). Developing a statewide work readiness credential in Colorado: A preliminary assessment. Report to the Colorado Workforce Development Council. https://e-colorado.coworkforce.com/File.aspx?ID=27532
Castellano, M., Stone, J. R., & Stringfield, S. (2005). Earning industry-recognized credentials in high school: Exploring research and policy issues. Journal of Career and Technical Education, 21(2), 7-34. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JCTE/
Lohman, E. M., & Dingerson, M. R. (2005). The effectiveness of occupational-technical certificate programs: Assessing student career goals. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 29(5), 339-355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10668920590911850
Muller, R. D., & Beatty, A. (2008). Work readiness certification and industry credentials: What do state high school policy makers need to know? Measures that Matter. http://www.achieve.org/work-readiness-certification-and-industry-credentials-what-do-state-high-school-policy
Packard, B. W., Leach, M., Ruiz, Y., Nelson, C., & DiCocco, H. (2012). School-to-work transition of career and technical education graduates. The Career Development Quarterly, 60(2), 134-144. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/j.2161-0045.2012.00011.x/abstract
Zinser, R., & Lawrenz, F. (2004). New roles to meet industry needs: A look at the Advanced Technological Education program. Journal of Vocational Education Research, 29(2), 85-99. http://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ720021
International Baccalaureate (IB)
SAT
English Learners
Guidebook on Designing, Delivering, and Evaluating Services for English Learners
Alternative Opportunities To Gain Knowledge
- Mean What You Say (PDF)
Defining and integrating personalized, blended and competency education. International Association for k-12 Online Learning (iNACOL) - A K-12 Federal Policy Framework for Competency Education (PDF)
Building Capacity for Systems Change. Competency Works, Issue Brief
Additional Resources
Credit Recovery And Competency-based Programs
- Clearing the Path (PDF)
Creating innovation Space for Serving Over-Age, Under-Credited Students in Competency-Based Pathway
Gifted Students
Office of Gifted and Talented Education, CDE
Resources, Tools, And Practices
Intended to help teachers, counselors and specialists recognize and support gifted behaviors and characteristics:
- Talent Search Programs: The Talent Search as an Identification Model
- Interest and strength-based inventories “Motivation and Learning”
- Cognitive Abilities Test
- Peer and self-referrals: NAGC White paper: National Association for Gifted Children : Identifying and Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Gifted Students (PDF)
Web Resources
- Academic Acceleration:
- Breaking Ranks in the Middle
- College in Colorado
- Early Decision and Early Action
- Grade Skipping: Less School Can Mean More Learning
- High School Reform and Gifted Students
- John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
- Lost in Space, the Information Gap
- “Major Area of Interest” (MAI)
- The Middle School to College Connection
- Northwestern Center for Talent Development
- Multipotentiality: Issues and Considerations for Career Planning
- Smooth Transitions
- Talent on the Sidelines
- A Voice From the Middle:
- What About Students Who Drop Out?
Teaching Strategies
- Talent Search Programs: The Talent Search as an Identification Model
- Interest and strength-based inventories “Motivation and Learning”
- Cognitive Abilities Test
- Non-verbal Abilities Tests - NNAT
- Peer and self-referrals - NAGC White paper
National Association for Gifted Children: Identifying and Serving Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Gifted Students - Teachers or mentor/outside mentor referrals
- College in Colorado (CIC)
- Iowa Acceleration Scale
- ICAP development (exploration of career pathways)
- Alignement with ALP goals and priorities
- Autonomous Learner Profile (ALM) “Profiles of the Gifted and Talented”
Tools
- Performance Based Diploma
- Move on when Ready
- Credit by examination:
- Career Pathways Programs
- Competency-Based Pathways:
- Capstone Projects
Virginia’s College and Career Ready Initiative, Grade 12 English Capstone Course Content and Performance Expectations - Major Area of Interest (PDF)
- Dual credit/concurrent enrollment:
- Advanced Placement (AP)
- International Baccalaureate (IB)
- Starting and Maintaining a Quality Internship Program
- Internships and Mentorships
- Governor’s Schools: Governor's Schools give gifted students academic and visual and performing arts opportunities beyond those normally available in the students' home schools. Each program stresses non-traditional teaching and learning techniques.
- Design-Thinking Process: Problem-based Learning Projects
- Academic Competitions
- Virginia, Secondary GT Challenge Handbook:
- Acceleration and/or Radical Acceleration
- Differentiated Teaching Strategies
- Career Planning for Gifted and Talented Youth
- Stress and Anxiety, Helping Gifted Kids Cope
Students With Disabilities
Office of Special Education, CDE
Resources
Fact Sheets, Presentations, and Toolkits
Fact Sheets
- Graduation Guidelines Menu of Options (PDF)
Toolkits
- PWR Playbook, and implementation guide for ICAP and other Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) initiatives (October 2020)
- PWR Tools, Resources and Promising Practices (October 2020)
- Graduation Guidelines Engagement Toolkit (September 2015) (PDF)
- ICAP Implementation Toolkit (December 2014) (PDF)
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