Delaware

College and Career Ready Definitions

“Each Delaware student will graduate college- and career-ready. Students will be prepared to successfully plan and pursue an education and career path aligned to their personal goals, with the ability to adapt to innovate as job demands change. Students will graduate with strong academic knowledge, the behaviors and skills with which to apply their knowledge, and the ability to collaborate and communicate effectively. Each student should be an independent learner, and have respect for a diverse society and a commitment to responsible citizenship.”

Source:

Center on Education Policy. (2013). How do states define career readiness? Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.cep-dc.org/cfcontent_file.cfm?Attachment=CareerReadiness_RelatedReport1-HowDoStatesDefineCareerReadiness_10.30.13.pdf

Accountability Metrics
  • Student achievement status on state tests
  • Student growth on state tests
  • Attendance rate
  • Student on tract to graduate
  • Four-year graduation rate
  • Additional graduation rates (five or more years)
  • Performance in advanced course work, including AP or IB exams and dual enrollment course grades
  • Performance on college entry exams such as SAT, ACT, ACCUPLACER, or COMPASS
  • Career preparedness performance, including earning credentials or certificates, performance on WorkKeys, and grades in career and technical education courses

Source: Center for American Progress. (2016). Explore the Data for ‘Making the Grade’. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/education/news/2016/05/19/137455...

College and Career Ready Reporting Metrics
State School Report Card1
Early Warning Systems2
 
SAT scores and participation rate1
AP exam scores, enrollment rate, and tests taken1
NAEP1
Mathematics2
English Language Arts
Students enrolled in vocational technical school districts1
Dropout rate1
Promotion rate by grade1
Suspensions1
Expulsions1
Total disciplinary offenses1
Retained (repeated grades or course failing)2
Four-year graduation rate1
Public school graduates attending institutions of higher education (in-state, out-of-state)1
 
Source:
1. State of Delaware. (2016). School profiles. Retrieved from http://profiles.doe.k12.de.us/SchoolProfiles/State/Default.aspx
2. Delaware Department of Education. (2017). The Delaware P-20 Council. Dover, DE: Author. Retrieved from  http://www.doe.k12.de.us/domain/91  
Dual Enrollment and Early College High School

Dual Enrollment and Articulation
Delaware allows students to earn dual credit in academic and/or CTE courses through dual credit taken at their high school, postsecondary institution, or online. Public postsecondary institutions are not required to accept these credits; however, they have agreed to do so for courses in which the student earned a “C” or higher (Education Commission of the States, 2015).

Early College High School

Delaware is not participating in the Early College High School Initiative (ECHSI). For more information about schools participating in ECHSI, visit the ECHSI website (Jobs for the Future, n.d.).

Citations:

Jobs for the Future. (n.d.). Schools. Retrieved from http://www.jff.org/initiatives/early-college-designs/schools

Education Commission of the States. (2015). Dual enrollment – all state profiles. Retrieved from http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbprofallRT?Rep=DE14A

Career Pathways

Delaware organizes its secondary CTE programs into six areas:

  • Agriscience
  • Business, Finance and Marketing
  • Family and Consumer Sciences
  • Skilled and Technical Sciences
  • Technology Education
  • Special Programs.

Within these areas, Delaware is developing, but not yet implementing, programs of study aligned with each of the 16 Career Clusters.

Citations:

Delaware Department of Education. (n.d.). Career & Technical Education and STEM initiatives. Retrieved from http://www.doe.k12.de.us/domain/176

National Association of State Directors of Career Technical Education Consortium. (n.d.). Delaware [Interactive map of state CTE profiles]. Retrieved from http://www.careertech.org/delaware#sthash.BCvDE6ms.dpuf

Career Exploration and Career Plans

In 2007, Delaware mandated that all students in Grades 8–12 have a Student Success Plan (SSP) (U.S. Department of Labor, 2013). The SSP should include academic courses, electives, and extracurricular opportunities needed in preparation for immediate entry into the workforce and postsecondary education. The plan encompasses at least five years, including one year beyond high school. The student, advisor, and student’s parent and/or guardian work together to develop the SSP; ongoing monitoring and an annual review process are required (State of Delaware, n.d.).

Citations:

U.S. Department of Labor. (2013). Individualized learning plans across the U.S. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/odep/ilp/map/

State of Delaware (n.d.). Delaware General Assembly, Delaware Regulations, Administrative Code Title 14:500. Retrieved from http://regulations.delaware.gov/AdminCode/title14/500/505.shtml

Alignment Between High School Graduation and State College Admission Requirements

High School and College Alignment

Subject

High School Graduation Requirements

College Admission Requirements

English Credits:

4.0

4.0

Mathematics Credits:

4.0 (including Algebra I, Algebra II, and geometry)

3.0

Social Studies Credits:

3.0

4.0 (including world history and one other history course; an additional year of mathematics or science may be substituted for a fourth year of social studies)

Science Credits:

3.0

3.0 (2 must include lab)

Foreign Language Credits:

2.0

2.0 of the same language

Arts Credits:

None specified (N/S)

N/S

Additional Credits:

8.0 (physical education [1.0], health [0.5], career pathway [3.0], and electives [3.5])

2.0

Total Credits:

24.0

18.0

Tests:

N/S

Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) or ACT®

Source:

Delaware General Assembly

University of Delaware

Notes:

 

Students intending to major in certain fields are encouraged to take additional years of mathematics, science, and other subjects, depending upon the major.

 

Early Warning Systems

Delaware’s state-specific Early Warning System is called the Dropout Early Warning System (DEWS). Early Warning System data are reported at the student level to teachers. 

Citations:

Uekawa, K., Merola, S., Fernandez, F., & Porowski, A. (2010). Creating an early warning system: Predictors of dropout in Delaware. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, REL Mid-Atlantic. Retrieved from http://www.doe.k12.de.us/cms/lib09/DE01922744/Centricity/Domain/91/MA1275TAFINAL508.pdf

Delaware Department of Education. (2015). Performance management. Retrieved from  http://www.doe.k12.de.us/domain/314