Postsecondary+and+Workforce+Readiness

=Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness= [|Adopted draft 6/30/09]

Colorado Board of Education statement of what is required for being ready after high school (currently being drafted -- see latest version above) Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness ** “Postsecondary and workforce readiness” describes the knowledge, skills, and behaviors essential for high school graduates to be prepared to enter college and the workforce and to compete in the global economy. The description assumes students have developed consistent intellectual growth throughout their high school career as a result of academic work that is increasingly challenging, engaging, and coherent.
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Postsecondary education and workforce readiness assumes that students are ready and able to demonstrate the following without the need for remediation. I. Content Knowledge

Literacy  Mathematical Sciences  Science  Social Sciences  The Arts and Humanities  II. Learning and Life Skills
 * Read fiction and non-fiction, understanding conclusions reached and points of view expressed
 * Write clearly and coherently for a variety of purposes and audiences
 * Use logic and rhetoric to analyze and critique ideas
 * Access and use primary and secondary sources to explain questions being researched
 * Use standard language properly: correct grammar, usage and spelling
 * Think critically, analyze evidence, read graphs, understand logical arguments, detect logical fallacies, test conjectures, evaluate risks, and appreciate the role mathematics plays in the modern world, i.e., be quantitatively literate
 * Understand and apply algebraic and geometric concepts and techniques
 * Use concepts and techniques of probability and statistics
 * Apply knowledge of mathematics to problem-solve, analyze issues, and make critical decisions that arise in everyday life
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Think scientifically and apply the scientific method to complex systems and phenomena
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Use empirical evidence to draw conclusions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Recognize conclusions are subject to interpretation and can be challenged
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Understand the core scientific concepts, principles, laws, and vocabulary, and how scientific knowledge is extended, refined, and revised over time
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Identify and describe historical, social, cultural, political, geographical, and economic concepts
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Interpret sources, and evaluate evidence and competing ideas
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Build conceptual frameworks based on understanding themes and the overall flow of events
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Understand civic responsibility, including how governments work in the United States and in other countries
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Interpret new information from a global and multicultural perspective
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Understand and appreciate how the arts and humanities (expressions of culture and identity through language, movement, sound, and visual representation) contribute to and shape culture and our understanding of culture
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Understand how the arts are used as an instrument of social and political thought
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Identify leading innovators in the arts and humanities and the contributions they have made to their respective genres
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Communicate and interact effectively with communicators of different languages
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Understand how communicating in another language can improve learning in other disciplines and expand professional, personal, and social opportunities

Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Find and Use Information/Information Technology <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Creativity and Innovation <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Global and Cultural Awareness <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Civic Responsibility <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Work Ethic <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Personal Responsibility <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Communication <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';"> Collaboration
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Apply logical reasoning and analytical skills
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Evaluate the credibility and merit of information, ideas, and arguments
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Discern bias, pose questions, marshal evidence, and present solutions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">See [|Edutopia Article on Critical Thinking] (6 steps to critical thinking mentioned), [|Decision Education Foundation,]
 * See also [|ehow]articles on critical thinking. Go to site and type in critical thinking.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Assess the credibility and relevance of information
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Conduct research using acceptable research methods
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Apply different research paradigms, including the collection and analysis of both quantitative and qualitative data and research
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Select, integrate, and apply appropriate technology to expand information and knowledge
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Demonstrate intellectual curiosity
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Generate new ideas and novel approaches
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Develop new connections where none previously existed
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Appreciate the arts, culture, and humanities
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Interact effectively with and respect the diversity of different individuals, groups, and cultures
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Recognize the interdependent nature of our world
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Practice civic responsibility and citizenship
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Balance personal freedom with the interests of a community
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Set priorities and manage time
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Take initiative, and follow through
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Learn from instruction and criticism
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Take responsibility for actions and work
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Act with maturity, civility, and politeness
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Act assertively
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Be a self-advocate
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Possess financial literacy and awareness of consumer economics
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Behave honestly and ethically
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Read, write, listen and speak effectively
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Construct clear, coherent, and persuasive arguments
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Be a team player
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Acknowledge authority and take direction
 * <span style="font-family: 'Verdana','sans-serif';">Cooperate for a common purpose