Transitional English
In conjunction with the State of Illinois and in-district high schools, Triton College is proud to offer Transitional English. Faculty from local high schools and Triton collaborated to develop and offer Transitional English in pursuit of increasing the number of college-ready students. Transitional English courses will take place at area high schools where they can be used as a fourth-year Language Arts class to meet State and local high school graduation requirements. Qualified students at select high schools are able to enroll in Transitional English where they can bolster their reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Upon successfully completing this course, learners will be able to bypass Triton’s English placement test and developmental coursework. Incoming students will be placed into a credit level English course at Triton College, which saves both time and money. This website is meant as a reference for teachers, students, parents, and counselors wishing to learn more about Transitional English. Interested students or parents should contact English faculty, a counselor, or an administrator at their local high school to learn more. High school faculty, administrators, and counselors with questions or looking to partner with Triton College can contact jeanettebartley@triton.edu for more information.
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.