Andrea Venezia, WestEd avenezi@wested 415.615.3248

1. UConn Early College Experience The Transition to College ConferenceStrengthening High School-Postsecondary Partnerships and Understanding Student Success Andrea Venezia, WestEd avenezi@wested.org 415.615.3248

2. Premise of this talk Preparing high school students to succeed in postsecondary education—and particularly traditionally underserved students—takes a level of partnership between high schools and colleges that requires overcoming governance, curricular, assessment, and other long-standing historical divides.

3. Structure of this talk • What are the main areas of dialogue that can strengthen partnerships, • What kind of supports appear to help traditionally underserved students succeed in concurrent enrollment, and • What are some signs that students will likely succeed in college?

4. What are the main areas of dialogue that can strengthen partnerships • Governance and academic plan • College-going culture • Student supports

5. What are the main areas of dialogue that can strengthen partnerships Governance and academic plan: • Curriculum • Assessment • Instruction • Data collection and use • Professional development

6. What are the main areas of dialogue that can strengthen partnerships Developing a college-going culture: • College talk • Clear expectations • Information and resources • Comprehensive counseling • Testing and curriculum • Faculty involvement • Family involvement • College partnerships • Articulation Source: Patricia McDonough, UCLA.

7. What are the main areas of dialogue that can strengthen partnerships Student supports: • Academic, • Socioemotional/behavioral, • College prep/guidance/transitions, • Enrichment, • Parents, • Career, and • Community.

8. Drilling Down: findings from ECHS student supports project • Importance of personal connections with students, developing deep relationships, and providing clear expectations about academic success and behavior. • Variation regarding theory of action or philosophy of supports. • Most common supports were academic, behavioral, then college readiness. • Many schools varied supports by grade level. • Connections with community orgs varied and depended on funding streams. • Variation in role of postsecondary partner. Few had deep connections. High school took primary or only role. • Approximately half limited supports to a select group of students. • Most do not evaluate supports.

9. Drilling Down: ECHS Advice to Other Schools Regarding Supports • Identify student needs first • Be explicit about expectations • Full service model • Start early with feeder schools • Include K-12 and postsec leadership early on • Retain key staff • Develop partnerships with nonprofits • Evaluate

10. What Are Some Signs That Students Will Likely Succeed in College? The more credits earned, the bigger the impact on graduation. For traditional-age students who completed 20 credits, their chances of graduating increased by 7 times as compared with a similar traditional-age student who had not reached that milestone (Calcagno et al., 2006). Passing certain gatekeeper classes—such as college math and first-year writing—is positively related to student success (Adelman, 2005). Most evidence appears to indicate that remediation is negatively related to degree completion (Adelman, 2006). Nondelayed entry, continuous enrollment, and full-time enrollment are each positively related to postsecondary success (Terenzini at al., 2001; Adelman, 2006). Withdrawing and repeating courses have serious, negative, ramifications for postsecondary success (Adelman, 2006). The strongest predictor of BA completion is the intensity and quality of the high school curriculum. Finishing math in high school beyond Algebra II more than doubles the odds of completing a BA (Adelman, 1999). Students who complete a student success course can significantly increase their success in college (Florida Department of Education, 2006).