College Connection

Blinn College November 6, 2007

Presenter Luanne Preston, Ph.D.

Executive Director, Early College Start and

College Connection

[email protected]

512-223-7354

Agenda

 Closing the Gaps Overview 

College Connection

Overview 

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How It Works  Program Results  Program Recognition  State and National Interest in Expansion 

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How To Start  Guiding Principles  Common Challenges  Questions and Answers

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Strategic Plan

“Closing the Gaps” Overview

Closing the Gaps in Participation



Closing the Gaps

warns that if more Texans do not receive college degrees by 2030, the State could lose up to $40 billion in annual household income.

 The goal is to increase student enrollment in higher education by 630,000 by 2015.

 Most students will elect to start at a community college.

 Blinn College expects over 3,400 more students by 2015.

Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/ClosingtheGaps/ctgtargets_pdf.cfm?Goal=1

College Connection

Overview

Education Beyond High School

Increases earning potential and employment opportunities U.S. Department of Education

Improving High School to College Transitions

 Provide admission and pre-enrollment services to seniors on their school campuses  Create an expectation that “College is in everyone’s future.”  Increase percentage of high school seniors who enter college after high school graduation.

Blinn College Service Area College Transition Rates Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006 Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006

School District

Anderson-Shiro Bellville Brazos Brenham Bryan Burton Caldwell College Station

Total High School Graduates

35 155 46 322 668 38 120 561

Students Enrolled in Texas Universities

11 31% 56 5 73 128 5 22 181 36% 11% 23% 19% 13% 18% 32%

Students Enrolled in Texas 2-year Colleges

13 38% 42 18 126 161 18 38 169 27% 39% 39% 24% 47% 32% 30%

Students Not Located in Texas Higher Education *

11

31%

57 23 123 379 15 60 211

37% 50% 38% 57% 40% 50% 38%

*Includes students who were not enrolled in Texas colleges or universities in the year immediately following graduation, as well as students who were enrolled out-of-state.

**Districts with less than 25 graduates are not included in this report.

Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1324.PDF

Blinn College Service Area College Transition Rates Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006 Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006

School District

Flatonia Franklin Giddings Hearne Hempstead Iola La Grange Lexington

Total High School Graduates

34 69 121 53 74 31 104 61

Students Enrolled in Texas Universities

8 23% 11 21 9 19 5 24 16 16% 17% 17% 26% 16% 23% 26%

Students Enrolled in Texas 2-year Colleges

6 18% 25 31 11 9 8 34 14 36% 26% 21% 12% 26% 33% 23%

Students Not Located in Texas Higher Education *

20

59%

33 69 33 46 18 46 31

48% 57% 62% 62% 58% 44% 51%

*Includes students who were not enrolled in Texas colleges or universities in the year immediately following graduation, as well as students who were enrolled out-of-state.

**Districts with less than 25 graduates are not included in this report.

Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1324.PDF

School District

Madisonville Milano Navasota Royal Schulenburg Sealy Snook Somerville Waller

Total

Blinn College Service Area College Transition Rates Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006 Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006

Total High School Graduates

127 44 161 84 47 155 31 52 291

3,484 Students Enrolled in Texas Universities

23 4 18% 9% 27 11 12 35 17% 13% 25% 23% 7 12 64

789

23% 23% 22%

23% Students Enrolled in Texas 2-year Colleges

19 15 15% 34% 31 15 15 45 19% 18% 32% 29% 4 12 56

935

13% 23% 19%

27% Students Not Located in Texas Higher Education *

85 25

67% 57%

103 58 20 75

64% 69% 43% 48%

20 28 171

1,760 64% 54% 59% 50%

*Includes students who were not enrolled in Texas colleges or universities in the year immediately following graduation, as well as students who were enrolled out-of-state.

**Districts with less than 25 graduates are not included in this report.

Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1324.PDF

College Connection

How It Works

College Connection Program

 Many high school students find the college enrollment process intimidating.

 Blinn College provides hands-on,

one-on one support

to assist every student through

each step

of the college admissions process.

 During graduation ceremonies, high school graduating seniors receive acceptance letters to Blinn College.

Students Receive Services at the High School: Required

• Admission application • ASSET or COMPASS • Pre-advising • Academic advising • Graduation letter

Recommended

• Senior presentation • Financial aid application

Optional

• Student life info • Teleconference • Campus tours • Registration • Other

College Connection: Activity Sequence

College School District 1a. Senior Roster 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Senior Presentation Admission application Financial aid application ASSET assessment Tour of Austin Community College campus(es) Pre-Advising Advising Acceptance letter to Austin Community College at graduation Registration for Austin Community College classes 3a. Test Score Roster Red=Required Blue=Recommended Black=Optional

College Connection Activity Grid Sample

ISD District Lead: Del Valle HS Lead: Sandra Dowdy, Assistant Superintendent, 512-386-3040, [email protected]

Jean MacInnis, Principal, 512-386-3210, [email protected]

Admin. Assistant: Nadene Norwood, 512-386-3211, [email protected] ACC District Lead: Mary Hensley, 223-7618, [email protected]

Exec. Assistant: Esther Buzard, 223-7618, [email protected]

College Connection Lead: Luanne Preston, 223-7354, [email protected]

Admin. Assistant: Laurie Clark, 223-7354, [email protected]

Senior Count:400 Activity High School Planning Committee Meeting

College Connection

Agreement Senior Presentation Kickoff Activity Admissions Application Make-Up Day Date August 9, 2007 Prior to beginning Fall semester September 13, 2007 October 10, 2007 Time 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location Equipment Del Valle Admin 5301 Ross Road Del Valle, TX Auditorium Rooms A205, C216, D130, D208 Communication • E-mail • Announcement SHADE/BOLD – Required

College Connection

Activities Del Valle HS Contact (*Lead Contact) name@del valle.k12.tx.us

*Jean MacInnis Jmacinnis *Sandra Dowdy Sdowdy • Notice in parent newsletter • Notice on high school website *Sarah Mabry Sarah.mabry

• Non-citizen students must obtain alternate ID before completing application *Sarah Mabry Sarah.mabry

ACC District Contact (*Lead Contact) [email protected]

*Luanne Preston luanne *Luanne Preston luanne *Ashley Williams awillia4 *Pat Colunga pcolunga

Lifetime Acceptance “at ACC”

 Application never discarded  Provide a permanent college home  Students come to ACC: ◦ Full-time ◦ Part-time ◦ In Summer for transfer ◦ After military service ◦ ◦ After career changes Co-enroll while attending 4-year institution

Lifetime Acceptance “at ACC”

 Cohorts can be tracked by semester of entry  Longitudinal data collected for ◦ Retention ◦ ◦ Completion Success

Program Results

College Connection Program Growth

Over 4 years:  1 school district to 27 school districts  2 high schools to 58 high schools  400 students to 17,000+ students

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Diversity of Participants 2006-07

Traditionally Underrepresented in Higher Education - Students Enroll at ACC

 More than 55% of

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enrollees are minorities  Higher percentage entering ACC through

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than in the general ACC student population

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Positively Impacts Other College Programs  ◦ ◦ ACC Fall Enrollments 38% increase first year 59% increase over two years  ◦ ◦ ◦ Early College Start (Dual Credit) Enrollments 26% increase in enrollment from ‘04 to ’05 45% increase in enrollment from ’04 to ’06 3,209 students enrolled Summer 2007 (record breaking ECS enrollment)  ◦ Tech Prep Enrollments 4,336% increase in enrollment from ‘03 to ‘06  36 students in 2003-04  48 students in 2004-05   293 students in 2005-06 1,597 students in 2006-07

Program Recognition

College Connection Program National Acclaim & Recognition

• THECB Star Award Award Recipient November 2006

Awards Received

• Excelencia in Education Award Semi-Finalist October 2006 • Bellwether Award Award Recipient January 2007

State and National Interest in Expansion

National Interest:

Florida Department of Education

 Launched state-wide campaign in April 2007 called “Go Higher-Get Accepted” modeled after

College Connection

Maine Interest in College Connection

 Proposed law requiring graduating high school seniors to complete at least one college application before getting diploma.

“Attaining advanced levels of education for disadvantaged students cannot be done without developing a college-going culture in every middle school and high school in the state of Texas...then suddenly, (going to college) changes from being a possibility to an expectation.” --Raymund Paredes Commissioner, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board January 6, 2005

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion 2007-2009

•

Ten Colleges Receive Implementation Grants

• • • • • • • • • • Alamo Community College District

Blinn College

Del Mar College Houston Community College System Lee College Odessa College Richland College South Texas College Tarrant County College District Weatherford College

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion 2007-2009

•

Five Colleges Receive Planning Grants

• • • • • Cedar Valley College Cisco Junior College Northeast Texas Community College Paris Junior College Victoria College

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion

•

Colleges Already Adopting College Connection

• • • • • • • • Alamo Community College District Central Texas College Coastal Bend Community College Del Mar Community College Houston Community College District Temple Community College Vernon College Victoria Community College

College Connection: How To Start

Formal Agreement

 Between college and school district  Signed by chancellor and/or president and superintendent  Establishes transfer of student data from high school to college  Details responsibilities and expectations

Advance Briefing

 District/Central Office Staff  High School Principal

Planning Meeting

 One meeting held annually in Summer or Fall  Schedule one hour (slightly longer for new schools or multiple schools)  Complete activity grid  Focus on scheduling  Leave activity details for * contacts

Communications between School District and College

 Electronic via list serv  Updated activity grid sent via e-mail when changes occur 

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website links  iCal ◦ Combined calendar for internal use

Data Collection

 Very Important  Collect electronically (Excel spreadsheet)  Collect from high school ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Name Address DOB HS Student ID (for later record matching) Test Scores (HS Exit Exam, SAT, ACT)  Mark records as

College Connection

cohort in student database

Data Follow-Up

 Track by school, how many students complete each activity  May need multiple visits to get 100% participation  Give high school principal participation rates for use at graduation announcement ceremony  Report Fall enrollment from pilot schools (compare to benchmark), Spring persistence

Austin Community College College Connection Website

www.austincc.edu/isd

 Access to scheduled activities for students, parents, and school officials  Calendars  Links to pertinent ACC school district sites

Website

 Participating schools  Links to school pages  Link to college pages of interest  Press coverage/special events

College Connection Logo High School—College Partnership

College Connection: Guiding Principles

Guiding Principles: Scheduling

 The planning meeting for each school should occur before Fall semester, or as soon after school starts as possible  All events should be completed by Mid-April with rare exceptions ◦ The month of May through end of school is extremely busy on high school campuses  A student should be able to complete an individual activity (exception assessment testing) with one bell period

Guiding Principles: Scheduling– How Much Time?

 Senior Presentation – 20 minutes  Admissions Application – 25 minutes ◦ ◦ Residency Form Missing Credentials  Assessment – 5 hours ◦ Partial testing takes less time   Math only – 1 hour Reading/writing – 2.25 hours  Pre-Advising – 25 minutes  Advising – 15 minutes average

Planning Meeting Recommended Participants

College High School  District lead person  Principal  Implementation lead person  Team leader for services ◦ Admissions representative ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ ◦ Financial Aid representative Assessment representative Recruitment representative Advising representative Recorder  Grade level principal or AP  Lead or senior counselor  Person in charge of testing/scheduling  Tech person (use of computer labs)  Other staff who works with the “senior class”

Planning Meeting Recommended Things to Bring

College High School  College Calendar  Bell schedule  Admissions Team Calendar  Financial Aid Team Calendar  Assessment Team Calendar  Student Recruitment Team Calendar  Advising Team Calendar  School calendar  A/B Block scheduling  Testing calendar

Guiding Principles: Sequencing Activities

 When to schedule activities?

◦ Senior Presentation   Prior to first activity, as soon as possible after school starts Usually admissions follows ◦    Admissions Application Fall Semester After receipt of data roster In time, where possible, for seniors to prepare for Spring dual credit registration

Guiding Principles: Sequencing Activities

 When to schedule activities?

◦ Assessment   End of January through early March After receipt of test score roster – timed to allow maximum number of SAT/ACT test scores to be included  Allows students to receive the most instructional content prior to testing ◦     Financial Aid Mid-January through Mid-March Presentations timed to coincide with W-2 arrival, tax preparation, and meet college priority filing deadlines Night presentations and workshops for parents and students Financial Aid Saturdays

Guiding Principles: Sequencing Activities

 When to schedule activities?

◦ New Student Orientation  ACC calls this step “pre-advising”  Completed online as ACC 101  Live program replaced by online module per school request  School manages where and when students complete  Student prints checklist as proof of completion  Many schools schedule during advisory  Schedule window of time prior to academic advising  Recommend 1-3 weeks prior to advising session

Guiding Principles: Sequencing Activities

 When to schedule activities?

◦ Academic Advising   Mid-February through Mid-April Allow time, if needed, for test scores to be entered or processed and available to advisors  ACC requires three weeks is using ASSET ◦ Complete all

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activities by Mid April

Common Challenges

Challenge #1 – Faculty Resistance  Why does this occur?

◦ Faculty not well-informed about the program ◦ Some have traditional bias against community colleges  Concerns about quality of programs/instruction and transferability of classes

Strategy – Counter Faculty Resistance  Feature a

College Connection

presentation at general faculty meeting  Provide general information about Blinn College programs, costs, state-wide transfer of classes between public institutions  Provide dates of pullouts well in advance, to allow for faculty planning  Emphasize benefits to students ◦ Students will be “ready-to-register” at Blinn College at the end of the year

Challenge #2 – Student Resistance  Why does this occur?

◦ Students not exposed to the program in advance ◦ Some are convinced they are going to college elsewhere or convinced they won’t need to go at all ◦ A “cool” student has refused to participate

Strategy – Lessen Student Resistance  Schedule a

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senior presentation before activities begin  Encourage participation and explain program benefits to any student refusing to participate  Recruit school opinion leaders and role models to influence their peers

Challenge #3 –Parent Concerns/Low FAFSA Completion  Why does this occur?

◦ Parents don’t want to give sensitive family income information to students, school or college staff ◦ No computer access at home ◦ Parents’ work schedule prevents easy completion

Strategy – Counter Parent Resistance on FAFSA  Time school FAFSA activities to coincide with arrival of W-2 and filing of taxes  Provide evening FAFSA workshops – invite Blinn College to participate or lead  Coordinate with volunteer programs that assist families with preparing/filing taxes  Provide information about necessary documents/information in advance to parents

Questions and Answers

For copies:

PowerPoint Presentation

: www.austincc.edu/isd/blinn/110607Presentation.ppt