UT and THECB Release the College Readiness Assignments

September 2013 | Houston, Texas
BY: Amy Williams

College Readiness Assignments from Texas (CRAfT), a project guided by The University of Texas in Austin (UT) and financially supported by the THECB, has now released the College Readiness Assignments!

College Readiness Assignments (CRAs) are Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) and College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS) aligned and are available for science, mathematics, English/language arts, cross-disciplinary and social studies content area. CRAs also provide a college and career readiness structured instructional plan to guide teachers in presenting, facilitating and engaging high school students.

Dr. Cassandre Alvarado, assistant dean at UT, has led a team of high school and college-level educators over the past two years in designing and refining the CRAs. In the 2012–2013 school year, the team conducted a statewide field test in Texas high schools, community colleges and four-year institutions to determine the usability and effectiveness of CRAs. In summer 2013, data gathered during the 2012–2013 field test was used to review, refine and conclude the development of CRAs.

CRAs are broken down into teacher and student sections. The teacher's section provides an overview of the assignment, which contains objectives, preparation and prior knowledge information to allow for easy implementation. It also contains an instructional plan that parallels the student's portion of the CRA, allowing for effective facilitation.

Students are engaged in three ways while using a CRA: instructionally by the teacher, individually through reflection and collaboratively through peer communication and dissection of ideas. The student work for CRAs is hands-on, inquiry-based and relevant to students' future experiences in both college and career.

CRAs are now available for classroom use via the CRAfT website, CRAFTx.org. The website is equipped with how-to instructions for CRA usage, member networking opportunities, which already has more than 250 members listed, blogs and resources on transforming the classroom into one that is college and career ready.

For more information about CRAs, please contact Emily Johnson or visit the CRAft website directly!