Daily Learning Contract
- Topic: Postsecondary Routes and Credit
- Objective: Students will compare AP and dual credit, investigate three postsecondary preparation routes with fixed current evidence, and explain which route they would investigate first while keeping alternatives open.
- TEKS: d(3)(B), d(3)(D)
- Demonstration of Learning: Completed Postsecondary Route Trail and College Credit Check.
Lesson Overview
| Time | 50 minutes |
| Objectives | Compare AP and dual credit, investigate three postsecondary preparation routes with fixed current evidence, and explain which route to investigate first while keeping alternatives open |
| TEKS | d(3)(B), d(3)(D) |
| 5E Phases | Engage: Warm-Up · Explain: AP and dual-credit comparison · Explore: Fixed-evidence route trail · Extend: Flexible route plan · Evaluate: Exit Ticket |
| Deliverable | Completed two-page Postsecondary Route Trail and College Credit Check |
| Materials | One two-page Route Trail and College Credit Check per student, six fixed route cards from the Student Guide, current TEA AP and Dual Credit pages, current Irving coursebook, projector |
Warm-Up (5 min)
WARM-UP: What is one question you would ask before choosing a course that says it may earn college credit?
Collect questions about eligibility, cost, transfer, grades, workload, transportation, and the receiving college. Do not imply that one option is best for every student.
Activity 1: AP and Dual Credit Are Different Routes (8 min)
Sources: TEA Advanced Placement and TEA Dual Credit
Students complete Part A on page 1 of the two-page check.
- An AP course prepares students for an AP exam. A receiving college decides which score earns credit or placement and what that credit counts for.
- Dual credit enrolls an eligible high school student in a college course paired with high school credit. Successful completion produces both high school and college credit.
- AP and dual credit may have fees, eligibility rules, workload, transfer questions, and local availability. Do not promise that either route is free, automatic, or accepted everywhere.
Think-Pair-Share: Give students 30 seconds to choose one important difference. Partner A explains the AP side and Partner B explains the dual-credit side. Listen for the misconception that enrollment in an AP course automatically creates college credit. If it appears, return to the receiving-college policy row.
Activity 2: Follow the Route Trail (20 min)
Students use six fixed cards from the Student Guide. Each card names a route, one bounded fact, and the operational questions that still require a current program, counselor, institution, employer, sponsor, official branch source, or occupational profile.
- bachelor's degree;
- associate degree or transfer;
- certificate or technical training;
- Registered Apprenticeship;
- military service and training; and
- direct work with on-the-job training.
Students complete any three cards. For each, they record one fact and one tradeoff or question. The route cards do not rank the options, promise an outcome, or ask students to screen their own military eligibility.
Use one of two equal routes:
- Movement trail: Post or project the numbered cards. Groups rotate, and every member contributes two notes before the group marks repeated ideas.
- Seated/private trail: Students read the same cards in order, record the same evidence, and mark repeated ideas independently. Movement, partner talk, and public preference are not required.
This retains the teacher-crafted read, compare-and-contrast, mark-overlap, and summarize sequence from Jenna Hainlen's AVID 2 work. The dated AVID articles, local announcements, student names, military eligibility packet, and college-worth debate are not used as evidence.
Activity 3: Compare, Summarize, and Keep Three Routes Open (12 min)
Students use page 2 to identify two repeated ideas and one important difference across their three cards. They then use a fictional career goal or their current private direction to list three possible routes.
Students name:
- one route to investigate first, not choose forever;
- one middle-school action;
- one high-school action;
- one fact to verify later; and
- one current AP, dual-credit, or technical dual-credit option that may support the plan.
The college-credit entry keeps its exact current Irving source and access date. Industry certifications are not labeled as college credit unless a current articulation or college agreement says so.
DOK 3: How could two different preparation routes protect the same career goal, and what evidence would make you investigate one before the other?
Exit Ticket (5 min)
EXIT TICKET (Comparison Matrix) · Printable PDF:
Add one accurate fact to each row.
| Evidence job | AP | Dual credit |
|---|---|---|
| How college credit may be earned | ||
| Where the student checks the policy or requirement | ||
| One limitation or question |
Bottom line: Name one postsecondary route you would investigate first and one fact you would verify before using it in your plan.
Students place the completed two-page check in the CCR Week 2 folder for Day 5.
(d(3)(B), d(3)(D))
Differentiation
- Support: Complete the AP/dual-credit row and one route card with a fictional student. Keep one card visible at a time and use the word bank: credential, education or training, entry requirement, time, cost, commitment, backup.
- Extension: Add a fourth route and identify the current source that would answer its most important unanswered question.
- ELL: Students may point to the route label, rehearse with "Both routes..." and "Unlike...," then record a short phrase. Movement, seated comparison, private card order, text-to-speech, and teacher read-aloud collect the same evidence.