Move On When Ready

Background

Move On When Ready is a new model for high school education designed to prepare all students for college and career success through personalized learning. 

In a personalized learning system, students progress as they demonstrate mastery of clearly defined, rigorous standards, determined through meaningful assessments. Students are able to move at their own pace, and receive timely, differentiated support based on their individual learning needs. 

In the Move On When Ready initiative, students take a series of curriculum-based exams in core subjects typically during the first two to three years of high school. The exams allow students to demonstrate in-depth learning in a variety of ways by demonstrating their skills in writing, analysis, and problem-solving. 

The exams assess the extent to which students have mastered the core subjects they have studied, signaling where they may need additional work in order to prepare them for success in college and the workplace. 

Move On When Ready provides a pathway for students to receive a high school diploma when they prove college and career readiness on academic exams, rather than just accumulating “seat time” and high school credits. Students who don’t demonstrate readiness at first will receive additional targeted support and have the opportunity to re-take the exams. 

Arizona is the first state to pass Move On When Ready legislation, signed into law in 2010. Students who demonstrate college readiness through aligned instructional systems can earn a performance-based diploma – called the Grand Canyon High School Diploma. 

Qualifying for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma will signify that a student has the English and mathematics skills and knowledge to succeed in initial credit bearing courses at the college level that count toward a degree. 

Once they qualify for their diploma, students may choose from many options, such as staying in high school and participating in an advanced diploma program of study, enrolling in full-time career and technical education, or enrolling in community college. 

Move On When Ready schools are required to implement aligned instructional systems -- ACT QualityCore or Cambridge International Examinations. 

Cambridge and ACT QualityCore are in alignment with Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards, which provide a clear understanding of what students are expected to learn for success in college and careers. 

The state requires that schools implementing Move On When Ready work directly with the Center for the Future of Arizona. The organization was selected by the Arizona State Board of Education to provide technical support and general supervision over the Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative. 

The Arizona Move On When Ready Initiative is part of the National Center for Education and the Economy's Excellence For All program. 

Grand Canyon High School Diploma 

The Grand Canyon High School Diploma is a performance-based diploma available to students on a voluntary basis.  Qualification for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma signifies to students that they are ready to do college-level work without remediation and opens up a variety of education and career pathways within and beyond high school.   

In order to qualify for a Grand Canyon High School Diploma, students must meet college and career qualification scores in all core content areas on a series of end-of-course exams.  These exams are typically taken during the first 2-3 years of high school.  The exams measure student progress towards college and career readiness and allow students to prove in-depth learning in a variety of ways – by demonstrating their skills in writing, analysis, and problem-solving.  The exams assess whether or not students have sufficiently mastered the core subjects they have studied and tells students early in high school where they stand relative to college and career readiness.  Students who don’t yet demonstrate readiness will receive personalized additional support from their school and will have an opportunity to re-take the exams and qualify for the Grand Canyon High School Diploma.

Dysart Move On When Ready Pathways

1.  Advanced Diploma Program of Study - With this option students remain in a Dysart School District high school and take an “upper division” program of demanding academic courses and exams, such as Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge International Examinations, that will prepare them for some of the most selective colleges in the world. 

2.  Rio Salado Pathway - The Rio Salado Pathway allows students to remain affiliated with their high school through their junior and senior years while earning an associate degree through a specially designed program of online and hybrid accelerated college-level classes.  Students receive personalized attention and have access to both high school and college services including tutoring, financial aid, library services, and counseling.  Students can also remain involved in high school extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs. 

3.  Career and Technical Education Pathway - With this pathway students enroll in a full-time career and technical education program offered through West-MEC or a community college. 

4.  Community College - Students can graduate from a Dysart School District high school with the Grand Canyon High School Diploma and go to community college.  Students who choose this pathway are then no longer affiliated with the Dysart Unified School District and do not have access to resources, nor can they be involved in any high school activities.