STEM College and Career Readiness

The Illinois Community College Board’s STEM College and Career Readiness (CCR) project utilized targeted interventions which include instruction, academic and student support services, and curriculum alignment to advance the development and implementation of Programs of Study in key STEM application areas. Funded through the Illinois Race to the Top project, its goal was to better prepare students as they transition from high school to college and to ultimately reduce the need for remediation, particularly in math.

The Illinois Community College Board funded the Office of Community College Research and Leadership to evaluate the project to assess the quality and effectiveness of the STEM CCR interventions. The ICCB also partnered with the Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support to organize and facilitate trainings on the core elements of the project, including, curriculum alignment practices and tools and innovative instructional delivery. Seven community colleges partnered with high schools to participate in the STEM CCR project.

Lending Voice and Bridging Gaps: Understanding STEM CCR Students Perspectives
Scaling Up Pathways to Results 2015, Wednesday, March 11, 2015, Normal, Illinois

The focus of the Scaling Up Pathways to Results 2015 conference was on the many ways that emerging “pathways” and “pathway thinking” can help to frame the way leaders and partners in P-20 education construct, evaluate, and improve programs of study and student experiences to promote equitable outcomes. 

Scaling Illinois STEM CCR Statewide
Scaling Up Pathways to Results, Tuesday, March 10, 2015, Normal, Illinois

Presentation and panel discussion at the Scaling Up Pathways to Results 2015 conference in Normal, Illinois. The focus of the Scaling Up Pathways to Results 2015 conference was on the many ways that emerging “pathways” and “pathway thinking” can help to frame the way leaders and partners in P-20 education construct, evaluate, and improve programs of study and student experiences to promote equitable outcomes. 

Examining College and Career Readiness: Definitions, Policies, and Implications for Underrepresented Students
Annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, November 16, 2013

This symposium examined how the college and career readiness (CCR) agenda has shaped the educational experiences of low-income students of color across the K-16 system. The presentations examined CCR interventions and outcomes at the secondary and postsecondary level, with particular attention to institutions that typically serve large proportions of underrepresented student populations—urban high schools, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions. The session offered insight into the nature of CCR reforms as they pertain to the educational trajectories of marginalized youth.

College and Career Readiness Models: The National Perspective and Illinois’ STEM CCR Models
Illinois’ College and Career Readiness Institute, September 12, 2013

College and career readiness is among the most pressing public policy issues in the 21^st Century. States and educational institutions are working collaboratively to address inadequate levels of college and career readiness by implementing various reform efforts. In many states, including Illinois, the focus of such efforts is on reducing high school students’ need for remediation upon matriculation to college. The presentation primarily focused on the models implemented by seven community college and high school partnerships as part of Illinois’ STEM CCR program, an initiative funded by Race to the Top and an extension of Illinois’ CCR Pilot Program.