Early College Start, Dual Credit, and College Connection

1. Early College Start,Dual Credit, andCollege Connection Northeast Texas Community College April 11, 2008

2. Presenter Luanne Preston, Ph.D. Executive Director Early College Start and College Connection Austin Community College Phone: 512-223-7354 E-mail: luanne@austincc.edu

3. Agenda • Austin Community College • Overview: Closing the Gaps • Early College Start (ECS) • How it works • Benefits • Results • College Connection and ECS • Best Practices

4. Agenda • ACC’s Early College Model Development • Working Models • Lockhart High School • Crockett College Academy • How to Build the Model • Questions/Answers

5. Austin Community College • “One College” with 7 campuses • 34,000 students in credit programs • Strong commitment to high school outreach programs

6. Closing the Gaps Overview • 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. • Austin Community College District expects over 15,000 more students by 2015. Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/ClosingtheGaps/ctgtargets_pdf.cfm?Goal=1

7. Early College Start • Umbrella concept for ways students can obtain free/low-cost college credit while in high school • Dual credit • Co-enrollment • Tech Prep/Credit-in-escrow • Pre-enrollment services delivered at high school campus • ACC outreach program for rising juniors and seniors

8. College Connection • Response to “Closing the Gaps” • Pre-enrollment services delivered at high school campus • ACC outreach program for 100% of senior class

9. How ECS WorksDual Credit/Co-enrollment Students: • Demonstrate college-readiness via state-approved tests • Meet all academic skills and college course prerequisites • Follow the college process for enrollment – services brought to high school campuses • Register for ACC courses

10. How ECS WorksDual Credit/Co-enrollment • ACC waives tuition and fees • for in-district students • classes taught on high school campuses; • $40 per-course fee for out-of-district • Students transfer credit • back to high school • use at ACC toward degree/certificate • forward to 4-year institution

11. How ECS WorksCredit-in-Escrow Students: • Enroll for high school classes articulated to college courses • Complete with a “B” or better • Upon graduation, apply at ACC • CATEMA system indicates to student that they have credit to claim • ACC applies credit-in-escrow to student’s college transcript

12. How College Connection Works Seniors • Complete pre-enrollment process on high school campus during senior year • Application • Assessment testing • Orientation • Academic advising

13. How College Connection Works • Are ready-to-register by graduation • May enroll at ACC as early as the summer following graduation

14. Benefits of ECS • Makes college accessible and affordable • Supports “Closing the Gaps” state goal • Creates a college-going culture in high school • Increases college-going rate • Creates enrollments for college programs • Creates familiarity with merits and value of community college

15. Student Benefits • Provides free/low-cost college experience • Fulfills advanced measures for Texas’ Distinguished Achievement Plan • Enhances seamless transition to college • Satisfies high school graduation requirement and earns college credit (dual credit)

16. Student Benefits • Allows completion of college/core curriculum/general education transfer courses • Allows CATEMA* statewide registration of Tech Prep credits • Provides access to courses not available in high school (e.g. Japanese, Russian, photography) *Career and Technology Education Management application (system to enter, display, update, report data)

17. ECS and College Connection • Many student benefits are the same • Both programs reduce barriers to college attendance • Both programs are FREE

18. ECS Results • 2,500 plus enrollments every semester in ACC’s eight-county service area • Participants from each of 57 service-area high schools • College classes offered on 37 high school campuses • ECS students enter after high school at twice the annual rate for traditional students

19. Post-High School Entry to ACC (In-district)2002-2004 In-District High Schools 19%

20. Dual vs. TraditionalACC Grade Distribution by Enrollment Status (Dual vs. Traditional) and Delivery Method (Distance Learning vs. Classroom)Fall 2006

21. ECS Student Success • ECS students have better success indicators than traditional students: • Higher mean GPA • Higher rate of retention

22. School District Benefits • Offers large range of college-level opportunities • Offers increased “menu” options of ECS college credit and AP • Offers college-level programs that students not considering AP can access • Offers classes not available in high school curriculum

23. School District Benefits • Provides alternative to “wasted” senior year perception/criticism • Reduces high school personnel units as more students take college classes • Offers potential to satisfy 4x4 needs • Is convenient—ACC will offer classes during school day on high school campus

24. Advantages of ECS • Students gain a true college experience • college academic content, • typical college semester format (rather than over an entire academic year) • exposed to college professors who meet SACS standards • Students establish a college transcript • credit in-hand upon successfully completing the college course • no additional testing needed

25. Advantages of ECS • Ease of transfer of college credit • transfers seamlessly to public institutions in Texas • transfers easily to Texas private institutions and out-of-state public and private institutions • Maturing experience for students • follow college enrollment process • attend new student orientation • learn the mechanics of going to college and college survival skills

26. Advantages of ECS • Student success in focus at ACC • access to community college support services (libraries, tutoring labs, computer labs)

27. High School Partnerships • College policies and procedures • Office to implement/staffing to support • Formal agreements

28. College Connection Results • Increased college-going rate in every participating school • Increased enrollments at ACC • More students traditionally underrepresented in higher education, particularly African-American and Hispanic, than in the general ACC student population

29. How ECS and College Connection Work Together • A strong dual-credit program reduces the need for College Connection services • Dual credit students don’t need to apply, may require no assessment testing, have already been through orientation, and have college experience

30. How ECS and College Connection Work Together • College Connection and ECS services can be delivered at the same time • Takes a little more planning • College Connection is one more opportunity to help dual credit students with college awareness and college planning

33. Why Do Austin Community College (ACC) and School Districts Need to Partner? • Our constituencies overlap (parents, students, business communities) • We have a common interest in raising educational achievement levels • Closing the Gaps applies to all of us • Economic development depends on educated trained workforce • We have similar challenges • Funding • Accountability • We are stronger when we work together

34. Early College High Schools/Middle Colleges • Goal • Blend high school and college • small school concept • secondary and postsecondary partners take joint responsibility for students • Curriculum is carefully designed so that students can earn a high school diploma while earning college credit

35. Early College High Schools/Middle Colleges • Key Characteristics • Engages students in college-level course work • Ensures that students graduate with a high school diploma and an associate degree or 2 years of transferable college credit

36. Early College High Schools/Middle Colleges • Provides access to college, important to economically disadvantaged students • Assumes that all students will complete a postsecondary credential • Often targets students who are underrepresented in higher education

37. Early College High Schools • Academically rigorous classes • College classes as early as Grade 10 • Program completed in 4-5 years • Grade 9 and 10 classes are taught by school district teachers • Provides guidance and coaching from high school advisors through the first 2 years of college

38. Middle Colleges • Close links with Tech Prep programs • Flexible schedule allows students to work • High school diploma comes with college degree • Provides alternative to traditional high school programs

39. Early College High Schools/Middle Colleges • Gates Foundation Support • Requirements for dedicated space on college campus • Dedicated faculty • At-risk students, dropout recovery • Funding mechanism, usually ADA (grant funding is for planning) • Challenges for ACC

40. ACC’s Model Development • How does ACC’s model differ? • Works with available college resources • Focuses on completion of core curriculum • Works within the tuition waiver allowed by ACC policy

41. ACC’s Model Development • Academic year planning • Can be started by any school in summer or fall with sufficient enrollment • Timing and sequence of courses to make sense for rising juniors and seniors • Hybrid faculty and facility use • Transportation

42. ACC’s Model Development • Flexibility • Cohort approach • Application process • Parent involvement • Multiple points of entry • Juniors and/or seniors • During school year only • Students can earn up to a year of college credit

43. ACC’s Model Development • Flexibility • Adding summer courses allows students to complete the core curriculum the summer following graduation

44. Working Models • Lockhart High School • Crockett College Academy • Austin ISD

45. Working Models • Lockhart High School • Smaller, rural school • Academic year only (students take summer classes on their own) • Multiple entry points • Classes offered in face-to-face format at LHS • ACC faculty travel to LHS • Some LHS faculty are also ACC adjunct faculty

46. Working Models • Lockhart High School • Students routinely graduate with 24 core college credits • Savings example: $9,064 (approximate) for 24 hours tuition/ fees, plus room and board for two semesters at Texas A&M

47. Lockhart High School

48. Crockett College Academy • Cohort approach • Application process • Selective for a combination of attitude, ability, and college-readiness • School year and summer classes

49. Crockett College Academy • Across the street from ACC’s newest South Austin Campus • Proximity allows classes taught at both locations • College and high school-based faculty

50. Crockett College Academy • Students: • are largely Hispanic, economically disadvantaged • complete almost all of the core curriculum while in high school • have many course choices based on eventual AA/AS and BA/BS degree sought