texas college bridge essay assignment

Texas College Bridge

Writing Assignment

Write a multi-paragraph narrative essay about  The Moment that Changed Everything . Your narrative essay should clearly explain: your moment and how you changed as a result of it. The first paragraph will introduce the topic by grabbing the reader’s attention in an interesting way. Remember that your goal is to  show  your moment with vivid details rather than just  telling  the reader what happened. This means the first paragraph could set the scene for your moment, or it could introduce the ideas behind the change you experienced. There are several ways to introduce a personal narrative. Remember, the end result is an exploration of an important moment and its effects on you. The first paragraph then becomes a tool to open the story and hook your reader.

You will need a thesis statement for your narrative. The thesis should clearly state what you have learned or how you have changed as a result of your moment, which is the focus of your narrative. Because this will be an  implied  thesis statement, it will not be included in the final essay. It is important, however, that you write it down now to ensure this central thought guides your narrative writing throughout the process.

The two body paragraphs that follow the introduction need to include main points that develop your moment and response to it. Make sure each paragraph advances the story you are telling, or rather showing. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence that introduces your ideas for that paragraph and offers details to support/prove this point. Each of your paragraphs should offer a separate point and be independent of each other but work together coherently.

As you wrap up your narrative with a concluding paragraph, you should include a sentence at the end of your last paragraph that gives a final, interesting thought on your topic.

The grading rubric below will help you further develop your paper. ** If required, your instructor will provide you with the specific style guide formatting for your essay ( eg. MLA, APA, etc.).

Your narrative essay will be graded using five separate categories: Narrative Element, Implied Thesis Statement, Supporting Ideas, Paragraph Development, and Grammar & Punctuation. Each of these five items will be rated as Proficient, Developing, or Needs Improvement.

Proficient means that you have met the standards of an effective response. Developing means you have partially met the standards of a response, but it needs some revision. Needs Improvement means you did not meet the standards of a response.

You must earn a grade of C or better on this essay, combined with a score of 90 on both Stages in your EdReady study path, to be eligible for an exemption from developmental education courses in accordance with Texas Education Code §51.338(e)(f) for freshman-level reading/writing courses at Texas Institutions of Higher Education that partnered with the school district or an Institution of Higher Education that signed the Texas College Bridge memorandum of understanding.

NARRATIVE ESSAY

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Frequently Asked Questions

Will students meet in person during the texas college bridge summer academy.

Students will not meet in person. They will complete all assignments on-line through the EdReady platform. The Texas College Bridge Summer Academy is a virtual experience designed to guide students on a personalized college readiness path and Texas Success

Where do students log in?

Texas College Bridge users* will all log in through the GreenLight portal:  https://greenlightlocker.com/login

Additional details can be found in this help center article:  Student and Teacher Account Creation

What is the EdReady platform used in Texas College Bridge?

EdReady is a college readiness system to help students avoid the time and cost of remedial courses in colleges. EdReady platform helps students:

• Determine their readiness to take college-level courses.
• ​Follow a personalized study path to master specific concepts in math.
• Help manage and achieve academic and employment goals.

EdReady is based around the concept of “goals” - what students want to achieve. Within those goals, students take an assessment or two to understand where they stand in relation to their goal and then pursue a personalized study path based on their diagnostic results – enabling students to study and develop the necessary skills and knowledge to achieve their goals.

EdReady is pre-loaded with study resources to help students learn the concepts on their study paths: students can view the material for any Topic by clicking the corresponding  Learn  button. 

EdReady is not a Learning Management System but is a personalized college readiness platform.

What are the Texas College Bridge Completion Requirements?

In order to earn the certificate of completion, students must earn:

Texas College Bridge English

• TX English Bridge - Stage 1: score of at least 90     and
• TX English Bridge - Stage 2: score of at least 90     and
• Essay Grade = Pass

Texas College Bridge Math

• TX Math Bridge - Stage 1: score of at least 90     and
• TX Math Bridge - Stage 2: score of at least 90

How is scoring calculated in EdReady?

EdReady scores on a sliding scale from 0 to 100. You can think of that score as a percentage of the learning objectives that your student has mastered. As they work through their learning path, the students EdReady score will increase or decrease based on their test results. 

How do students submit writing?

The only writing exercise required as part of the Texas College Bridge program is a single Essay assignment. The assignment itself will be completed outside of the EdReady platform: GPISD teachers will need determine how students will complete and submit their work (with guidance from their school and/or district). 

The assignment itself is never uploaded or submitted to EdRead. The instructor does need to ensure that the student grade ("Pass" or "Fail") is input into EdReady upon completion of the assignment.

My student reached their target score, can they still do work?

Yes! After reaching their target score students can continue to work within  EdReady to reach a score of 100. After reaching their target score and a score of 100, they will always be able to go back and view the resources they have covered.

How quickly are certificates available in Greenlight?

The student data is pulled from EdReady immediately whenever a student logs into Greenlight, so the student should see their certificate immediately if they have met the course requirements.

If a student has recently met their course requirements, they may need to log into Greenlight again or refresh their browser to see the certificate in their Greenlight Locker.

Hear From Our Students

“The Texas Bridge Program was an experience, glad I can say I’ve earned my math certificate, not just that but at my own pace. I would definitely recommend the program to my peers.” – Zara Class of 2021

“It was a great program and would definitely recommend to others who are interested in getting that last preparation for college” – Nina Class of 2021

“I was very excited and very informed while completing this program. I wish I knew about it sooner but I'm grateful to have a chance to participate in this program.” – Larez, Class of 2021

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Intro to Texas College Bridge

New to Texas College Bridge?  Start with this video.  

Contact your Regional Counselor for assistance with setting up and coordinating this program for your campus.

Student Course Registration 

Texas College Bridge is free to our students and campuses.

PHS Students Register here:

Student Registration (Premier High School)

TCPA Students Register here:

Student Registration (iSVA, iSchool High, Founders, Quest)

Preview what Texas College Bridge looks like for Students!

TEACHER TRAINING

Need to request a teacher user account for texas college bridge  click here.

Instructor Training: 

Student Registration, Student Experience + Demo Student Access

Understanding Categories, Supporting Students & Support Resources

Teacher registration, Scope & Sequence + Essay Assignment

IMPORTANT RESOURCES

TCB Teacher website

Checklist for Teachers

Essay Assignment Details

Responsibilities of Texas College Bridge instructors

Attend/watch district instructor training sessions and become familiar with the EdReady instructor training videos.

Read and act on all emails sent from EdReady program staff

Check the EdReady dashboard daily and follow up with individual students about their progress

Connect with each student weekly to provide encouragement and interventions

Provide classroom time to work on study plans

Review, grade, and provide feedback to students on written assignments (NOTE: English requires the instructor to grade a four-paragraph written essay.)

Ensure students are aware of which colleges recognize Texas College Bridge and will accept credit for the College Preparatory Courses

Foster a positive coaching relationship with each participating student

Getting students registered

How to register students into the course in EdReady

Student Dashboard Walkthrough

Students may enroll in Texas College Bridge English and/or Math courses through the district registration links provided.

Please make sure students do the following to avoid any future issues:

Use their legal first and last name at registration.  No nicknames or abbreviated names.

Provide their personal e-mail (if they have one).  If they provide their student email address, they must make sure it is in the correct format: [email protected]

Ensure they have the correct high school and course selected.

When possible, it would be best if school staff assist the students through their registration to make sure it is completed correctly.

Grading Students/HS Credit

Students who register for Texas College Bridge courses in English and/or Math must be placed in the appropriate shell course in Skyward:

COLLEGE PREP ELA (for students taking Texas College Bridge English)

COLLEGE PREP MATH (for students taking Texas College Bridge Math)

Completion of Texas College Bridge courses serves as an alternative to the College and Career Transitions (CCT) course requirement.  Students who have completed one, or both of these courses, would be exempt from completing the College and Career Transitions course requirement.

Certificate of Completion & Skyward Upload

A certificate of completion will be provided to the student upon the completion of both stages of the course (and the Essay assignment for English).  Campus staff will need to ensure that they receive a screenshot or a copy of the certificate awarded so that they can upload it to Skyward as evidence of completion.

For more information on retrieving a certificate of completion, click here .

Are high schools required to offer a college prep course? 

Under Section 28.014 of the Texas Education Code, each school district is required to partner with at least one institution of higher education to develop and provide college preparatory courses in English language arts and mathematics. However, each high school within the school district is not required to offer these courses. 

Are certain students required to enroll in college prep courses? 

No. School districts are required to provide notice to each student who meets eligibility criteria for a college preparatory course and the student’s parent or guardian regarding the benefits of enrolling in the course. However, students are not required to enroll in college preparatory courses that are required in statute. 

Is a student required to take the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) to determine college readiness and placement in a college prep course? 

No. A district may use performance on coursework, a college entrance examination, or the TSI to determine that the student is not ready to perform entry-level college coursework.

Can high schools offer college prep courses to students who are not in the 12th grade? 

There is not a specific requirement that a student must be in 12th grade to take a college preparatory course. However, a student may not earn credit for the college preparatory math course until after the student has completed the three mathematics credit requirements for the Foundation High School Program. 

Can a student who remains on the current Recommended High School Program (RHSP) or the Distinguished Achievement Program (DAP) earn credit for a college preparatory course? 

No. Administrative rules do not allow for these courses to satisfy credit requirements for students on the RHSP or DAP. However, a student on the Foundation High School Program who successfully completes a college preparatory course may use the credit earned to satisfy an advanced mathematics credit or an advanced English credit. 

For further questions or assistance:

Please contact your regional counselor or the district CCMR Manager, Jared Olivarez at [email protected]

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Texas College Bridge Overview

Texas College Bridge is an online college preparatory course intended to help prepare students for college success.

For students who have not yet met the college and career standard score on the SAT, ACT, or TSIA2, Texas College Bridge provides support in obtaining the college readiness standard. Students that successfully complete Texas College Bridge will be granted a certificate indicating they have successfully met college ready standards for a specific subject area (English or Math), which can be utilized at 78 post-secondary schools.

The Texas English Bridge online course is embedded into the coursework for qualifying students enrolled in English IV. The Texas Math Bridge is embedded into the coursework for students enrolled in College Prep Math.   

For a complete list of universities, community colleges, and technical schools that accept Texas College Bridge as a TSIA2 exemption, click here .

Criteria for TSIA2 Exemption

Obtaining your texas college bridge certificate of completion.

It is the responsibility of the student to follow the instructions they receive from Texas College Bridge to submit their certificates to colleges. CTHS does not have access to certificates to provide to students or colleges.

Certificates of Completion: How to Access and Share

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2. Once logged into your Greenlight Locker, click the "Help" link in the header.

3. Call 972-348-1234 and select option 5 for Greenlight Locker.

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Next session starts Data Training July 8 or 9

Help students prepare for college

Texas College Bridge is a personalized, adaptive learning platform that helps prepare 11th and 12th graders for college. The easy to use, fully online platform guides students through individualized college preparation courses in math and English, at their own pace and with a teacher facilitator to help them meet their goals.

Teacher Facilitator

Texas College Bridge includes customized teacher training and a data-rich dashboard that allows teachers to monitor a student’s progress on each skill, identify areas that need intervention and provide the support students need. Texas College Bridge gives you access to guide students to success, improve retention, and lay a solid foundation for college completion.

NROC/EdReady Training

View our video tutorials for teachers and access other EdReady training resources in the Help Center.

Teacher Training and PLC Opportunities

Leverage EdReady Student Data and Reports

Newsletters for Teachers

January 2024

October 2023

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College & Career Support

Find advising resources and training materials for district and campus staff, so you have the information you need to successfully advise students.

Go to College & Career Support Resources

Key Resources for Teacher Facilitators

Get Started

• Checklist for Teachers
• Student Quickstart Guide

Get Familiar

• Scope & Sequence and completion requirements for English and math
• Learn what’s required for the English essay assignment
• See what students see at the Student Demo
• Access training resources

View the reporting video tutorials to get up-to-speed quickly on EdReady’s capabilities: each video is < 5 minutes!

Live Help Office Hours

Join us for implementation or technical help.

Every Thursday from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m., CT

Click here to check the schedule.

Access the Help Center

Expectations for Teacher Facilitators

NROC/EdReady Platform

Watch the video tutorials for teachers and access other EdReady training resources

Participate in PLC sessions for teachers to share best practices and implementation guidance with peers

Read all emails sent from NROC/EdReady

Student Interactions

Check the NROC/EdReady dashboard daily, monitor progress and follow up with individual students

Contact each student weekly to provide encouragement and interventions: foster a positive coaching relationship

Using your district platform, provide weekly face-to-face/virtual opportunities to meet with students for synchronous instruction, Q&A, and guidance

Ensure students are aware which colleges accept the Texas College Bridge TSI exemption

Create a platform to communicate with students via announcements and emails

For English course students, provide reminders about the Essay assignment , which is required for completion

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From teachers and facilitators.

“With the dashboard, it allowed us to see how far along the student was, whether or not they were about to meet their goal. We got automatic email once they did reach a goal. Basically, being able to see that information, if I didn’t hear from a student, I could send an email and say 'you’re at 56 percent. Let’s keep moving.' And again, if they were close to meeting that goal, I could send a text and say ‘you’re so close, let’s get there.’ The best part was getting the email to know they reached the goal.”

Texas College Bridge is part of TEA's Texas Home Learning program. For more information or questions, contact us .

Texas College Bridge is a part of Texas COVID Learning Acceleration Supports (TCLAS) grant