Transitional English

Transitional English was established in 2016 by the Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness (PWR) Act. This act was developed because development course work extended students’ education and could deter or otherwise delay successful college completion. Students enrolled in developmental courses typically completed fewer courses compared to college-ready peers, and had substantially lower outcomes related to graduation rates, advancement rates, and credit accumulation according to nationwide research. In fact, over 20% of Illinois high school graduates entering the State’s community college system require developmental courses in reading and communications. Transitional English was developed to increase the number of students able to enter college-level English courses.

“Transitional English instruction builds on students’ experiential and academic knowledge to develop skills in reading, critical thinking and analysis, and writing that will enhance their success in college-level courses across majors and career pathways while aligning with the Illinois Learning Standards. When school districts and postsecondary institutions choose to partner to develop Transitional English courses, the courses are offered to students during their senior year of high school, with the goal of providing students the requisite skills for “day one” success in college-level courses. The course can be used as a fourth-year Language Arts class to meet State and local high school graduation requirements, either as a new course offering or through the transformation of an existing English 4 course. While Transitional English must be submitted for State portability and recorded on transcripts as a single course, it is encouraged for districts to integrate competencies and performance indicators across disciplines and grade levels to further support student achievement. Transitional English is structured as a year-long course, although a district utilizing competency-based approaches may accelerate individual students based on demonstrated attainment of the Transitional English competencies. The use of Transitional English courses on a voluntary basis by school districts will reduce remediation rates by preparing and bridging the gap for high school seniors who need more instruction and practice to strengthen their reading, writing, critical thinking, metacognitive, and essential skills for college success.”
Source - Northern Illinois University

Students who pass their Transitional English course with a C or better will bypass the English placement test at any community college in Illinois and can be directly placed into an appropriate credit-level English course. (Note: students must enroll in the college course within 18 months of completion of the Transitional English course for guaranteed placement.)

Successfully completing Transitional English while in high school can save time and money! Though Triton College has affordable tuition of under $150 dollars per credit hour, students should consider steps to minimize cost. Completing a developmental English course at Triton College can cost over $700 dollars. However, students pay no tuition when taking Transitional English at their local high school. This immediate savings is also accompanied by a time savings as students will not have to complete a three-month course to improve their reading and writing skills.

Overall, Transitional English in high school eases the journey to college completion. Through completing Transitional English, students will safeguard their time, financial resources and education trajectory.

Transitional English: A high school junior is eligible to take the Transitional English course their senior (4th year) of high school if they are college-bound, successfully completed all prior English classes, and meet two or more of the following criteria:

• GPA 2.20 - 2.99
• Standardized Assessment (counts as one criteria):
• Reading ACT below 20
• Writing ACT below 20
• Reading SAT below 500 and/or Writing SAT below 500
• College Entrance exam score indicates writing remediation is needed
• Teacher and/or advisor recommendation of Transitional English in the senior year

College-ready students are not eligible. A high school junior is projected to be college-ready in English when arriving at a postsecondary institution in Illinois following graduation if they meet two or more of the following criteria:

• GPA ≥ 3.0
• Standardized Assessment: Reading/Writing SAT above 500, respectively and Reading/Writing ACT above 20 respectively.
• Placement test score (such as ALEKS, Accuplacer, Compass, local placement instrument, etc.) into college-level English at the partner community college after taking their placement exam
• Teacher and/or advisor recommendation of college-level English in the senior year

This determination is conditional, based on enrollment in a senior year of English.

To successfully complete a Transitional English course and have access to guaranteed placement into a credit-bearing English course at Triton College, students must:

• Earn a C or higher in Transitional English
• Register and begin the credit-bearing college course within three years of high school graduation

Placement will be guaranteed at Triton College.

Postsecondary & Workforce Readiness act
Transitional English Course Parameters, Competencies, and Policies