College Connection

1. College Connection Lee College District October 15, 2007

2. Presenter Luanne Preston, Ph.D.Executive Director, Early College Start and College Connectionluanne@austincc.edu512-223-7354

3. Agenda • Closing the Gaps Overview • College Connection Overview • College Connection How It Works • Program Results • Program Recognition • State and National Interest in Expansion • College Connection How To Start • College Connection Guiding Principles • Common Challenges • Questions and Answers

4. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Strategic Plan“Closing the Gaps”Overview

5. 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. • Lee College District expects over 22,481 more students by 2015. Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/ClosingtheGaps/ctgtargets_pdf.cfm?Goal=1

6. College ConnectionOverview

7. Education Beyond High School Increases earning potential and employment opportunities U.S. Department of Education

8. Learn to Earn Source: Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY

9. Excuses For Not ContinuingYour Education No one in my family has ever gone to college. I’ve been in school for 12 years. That’s enough! I just want a good job. I can’t afford it. I don’t know what I want to do with my life. I won’t fit in. College is too hard. I don’t know how to apply or where I want to go. Source: Adapted from The College Board’s “Seven Excuses Not to Go to College and Why They’re Lame”

10. 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.

11. Lee College District Service Area College Transition Rates Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006 *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

12. College ConnectionHow It Works

13. College Connection Program • Many high school students find the college enrollment process intimidating. • Lee College provides hands-on, one-on-onesupportto assist every student through each step of the college admissions process. • During graduation ceremonies, high school graduating seniors receive acceptance letters to Lee College.

14. Students Receive Services at the High School:

15. College Connection Activity Grid Sample ISD District Lead: Sandra Dowdy, Assistant Superintendent, 512-386-3040, sdowdy@del-valle.k12.tx.us Del Valle HS Lead: Jean MacInnis, Principal, 512-386-3210, jmacinnis@del-valle.k12.tx.us Admin. Assistant: Nadene Norwood, 512-386-3211, nadene.norwood@del-valle.k12.tx.us ACC District Lead: Mary Hensley, 223-7618, mhensley@austincc.edu Exec. Assistant: Esther Buzard, 223-7618, ebuzard@austincc.edu College Connection Lead: Luanne Preston, 223-7354, luanne@austincc.edu Admin. Assistant: Laurie Clark, 223-7354, lclark2@austincc.edu Senior Count: 400 SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities

16. 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

17. Lifetime Acceptance “at ACC” • Cohorts can be tracked by semester of entry • Longitudinal data collected for • Retention • Completion • Success

18. Program Results

19. College Connection School Districts 2006-07Year 4 Austin Bastrop Blanco Del Valle Elgin Fredericksburg Harper Hays Jarrell Johnson City Lago Vista Leander Liberty Hill Lockhart Luling Manor Nixon-Smiley Pflugerville Prairie Lea Round Rock San Marcos Smithville 2007-08Year 5 Austin Bastrop Blanco Del Valle Dripping Springs Eanes Elgin Fredericksburg Georgetown Harper Hays Jarrell Johnson City Lago Vista 2003-04 Year 1 San Marcos 2004-05Year 2 Austin Bastrop Del Valle Leander San Marcos 2005-06Year 3 Austin Bastrop Del Valle Hays Leander Manor Pflugerville San Marcos Lake Travis Leander Liberty Hill Lockhart Luling Manor Nixon-Smiley Pflugerville Prairie Lea Round Rock San Marcos Smithville Wimberley

20. School Districts Participating in the College Connection Program 2007-2008

21. School Districts Participating in the College Connection Program 2007-2008

22. 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

23. The College Connection Program Works! Blue=Year College Connection started Red=Year Seniors attend ACC after College Connection 1-Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Reports/PDF/0961.pdf 2-Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Reports/PDF/0963.pdf 3-Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF

24. College ConnectionDiversity of Participants 2006-07

25. Traditionally Underrepresented in Higher Education - Students Enroll at ACC • More than 55% of College Connectionenrollees are minorities • Higher percentage entering ACC through College Connection than in the general ACC student population

26. College Connection Results for ACC, 2004-2007 • Positive effect on Fall enrollments • Immediate great results: 37.6% increase first year • 59% increase over two years • Positive effect on Early College Start enrollments • 25.6% 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) • Positive effect on Tech Prep enrollments • 4,336% increase in number of students receiving Tech Prep credit • 36 students in 2003-04 • 48 students in 2004-05 • 293 students in 2005-06 • 1,597 students in 2006-07

27. Program Recognition

28. College Connection Program National Acclaim & Recognition

29. Awards Received

30. State and National Interest in Expansion

31. 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. • Support from “Compact for Higher Education”

32. “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

33. THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion2007-2009 • Ten Schools 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

34. THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion2007-2009 • Five Schools Receive Planning Grants • Cedar Valley College • Cisco Junior College • Northeast Texas Community College • Paris Junior College • Victoria College

35. 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

36. External Support for ACC • Funding to expand College Connection • Funding for Mobile Go Center • Funding for statewide College Connection Regional Forums

37. Mobile Go Center

38. Related Initiatives Mini-College Connectionfor Adult Education College Connection Scholarships

39. College Connection:Guiding Principles

40. Guiding Principles: College Connection • Deliver services on high school campus • “If they’re really interested, they should come to us” • “Getting them to the college campus really gets them excited; they need to see the college campus” • Traditional recruitment has not produced desired results • What if the school wants to bring students to the college campus for activities other than campus tours? • Ascertain the school’s purpose – this approach can be useful in some circumstances, but it is generally more efficient to serve students at the high school

41. Guiding Principles: College Connection • Deliver services during the school day • Design activities within one bell period • Exception is assessment testing • Be respectful of instructional time • Work with every category of high school student • Gifted and talented • Advanced Placement/Honors • Bilingual/ESL • Section 504 • Special Education

42. Guiding Principles: College Connection • Students do not need to repeat steps • Dual-credit students do not have to re-apply • Exempt students do not have to re-test • Track participation data • Provide electronic communications • Customize service delivery to meet high school needs, honor school preferences • Look for ways to incorporate suggestions of school personnel

43. College Connection:How To Start

44. 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

45. Advance Briefing • District/Central Office Staff • High School Principal

46. Planning Meeting • One meeting held annually in the Summer • Schedule one hour (slightly longer for new schools or multiple schools) • Complete activity grid • Focus on scheduling • Leave activity details for * contacts

47. Communications between School District and College • Electronic via list serv • Updated activity grid sent via e-mail when changes occur • College Connection website links • iCal • Combined calendar for internal use

48. Data Collection • 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

49. 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

50. Austin Community CollegeCollege Connection Website • Access to scheduled activities for students, parents, and school officials • Calendars • Links to pertinent ACC school district sites