Alignment of Curricula Progresses in Region

WARREN, Ohio -- High schools in Trumbull, Mahoning, Ashtabula and Columbiana counties, along with Kent State University Ashtabula, Eastern Gateway Community College, Youngstown State University, Eastern Ohio P-16 and the Trumbull County Educational Service Center, are completing the first year of a three-year grant designed to provide alignment of curriculum for students transitioning from high school to post-secondary education. The Alignment Team is focusing on aligning English and mathematics.

“We find that far too many of our brightest students, students with a 3.2 GPA or higher, enter college and need remedial help,” said Stephanie Shaw, executive director of the Eastern Ohio P-16 Partnership for Education and project co-leader. “The High School to Higher Education Alignment Team is focused on looking at why this is happening and developing solutions.

"We recently launched ALEKS, at no charge, to United Local High School in Columbiana County," Shaw continued.

ALEKS, she explained, is an online mathematics assessment and learning tool being used to in a support fourth-year math students who traditionally would not be calculus or trigonometry class. By implementing ALEKS, the teacher can gauge students' achievement and help them progress at their own levels. The tool also provides a look at the type of assessment tools they will use in college. Kent State University and other colleges and universities throughout the country use ALEKS.

The team also is planning a summit for fall 2013 on sustainability, Shaw said.

“The summit will provide a forum for the Alignment Team to reach a broader audience, and to continue the conversation, so we can help eliminate remediation in Eastern Ohio,” she explained.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.