English Course Development

Completing HB5 College Preparatory Course

In addition to meeting college readiness requirements on the TSI Assessment, students may earn a two-‐year exemption to TSI by successfully completing this course. “Successful completion” is achieved by:

1. Earning a 70% or higher on the required paper based on the writing prompt provided by Austin Community College

2. Earning a 70% for the final course grade which will be determined using the grading guidelines established by the independent school district (ISD).

Meeting both requirements for successful completion will grant the student an exemption to TSI requirements in reading and writing for a period of (2) two years after graduation. This two-‐year exemption is only guaranteed to apply at Austin Community College. Students earning the TSI waiver are encouraged to take an English course during their first semester at ACC. Students who do not meet both requirements of this course will not earn an exemption to TSI.

Assessment

ACC End-of-Course Assessment

1. Assessment Instructions:

Walk your students through the instructions so they have an opportunity to ask about anything that is unclear. It might be helpful to show them the rubric at that time, so they will be clear about what aspects of the essay will be emphasized during the evaluation.

2. Recommended Schedule/ Template for Outline:

This assessment is intended to be given over a number of weeks to simulate the atmosphere of an ACC writing course. It is recommended that students should be given the opportunity to read and discuss the required sources (this can be whole class, small group discussions), create a draft of their essay, and receive feedback (peer feedback, teacher feedback or both). Faculty should feel free to weave this into their curriculum in a way that makes sense for their course. If you have other objectives that conflict with the exam, feel free to scale down the in-class time commitment or require certain components to be completed as homework.

3. Required Sources:

This is a list of readings to help prepare students for the assessment topic. Feel free to add to this list of sources and/or require advanced students to complete outside research for additional sources. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, rather it is a starting point. Round Rock, and possibly other districts, may be focusing on literature, poetry and film during this final evaluation period. We have provided lists of resources in those genres to help bridge the gap between the exam and the class curriculum. Upon completion of this training you will be granted access to a Google folder that contains all the support documentation.

4. Assessment Rubric:

It is important for students to understand the basic structure and organization of an essay. The students should have clear thesis statements, topic sentences and related support for their points. The rubric is heavily weighted on these features of the essay to emphasize the knowledge that students will rely on in their first college courses. If they are weak in these most basic concepts, our experience has shown us that they will struggle to keep up with the demands and the pace of those courses. 70% is the passing score for this essay.

Optional resources for Hs teachers

Variety of Rubrics (not specific to the ACC Final Essay)

Optional Assignments

Preparing a Lesson Plan

A good lesson plan that is simple yet powerful is based on behavioral research that characterize well-structured lessons. Start lessons by reviewing prerequisite learning. This can include a type of formative assessment. Present new material in small steps, with student practice after each step.

Key steps in creating a lesson plan.

Choose realistic learning goals.
Pick exciting topics or learning contexts.
Know your students' needs and talents.
Use a range of teaching approaches and methods.
Select appealing resources.
Fair assessment.
Evaluation.

Lesson Plan Template

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Lesson Plan Example

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Step 4 - Student AChievement Reporting

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