The Machinery of Middle College Success

a little bit of history Before Oct. 2015, college counseling and advising was done only at the Norco College counseling department. No college counselor/advisor dedicated to JFK Low rates of comprehensive SEPs Low rates of certificate/degree completers Enter in the new key players Ed. Advisor: Daniel Landin (Norco College) – Fall 2015 Student Advisor: Erin Cole (JFK) – Fall 2015 College Counselor: Maria Jurado (Oct. 2015 – Summer 2016), Erin Spurbeck (Fall 2016 and beyond) These positions began their work in earnest in October 2015.

Evolution: the beginning Create a presence: What did we do to create our initial presence? College Knowledge Hour Began October 26th, 2015 Number of contacts during the 2015-2016 school year: 355 Fall: 83 / Winter: 114 / Spring: 161 Takes place at least three times a week during Excel period and Lunch Provides a place where students can book appointments for/ meet with the college counselor onsite, meet with an educational advisor, pick up some information on degrees, transfer requirements, etc.; address any college issues.

Evolution: the beginning (cont.) Beyond creating a presence on campus, we also identified those students who were near to completing an associate’s degree, or on their way to completing an AS/AA degree and/or certificate. How did we go about doing this? The now defunct MCS Information Sessions Focus was put on students in the junior/ senior classes What did we learn? : Many students were taking classes without direction We realize we need to change the college culture at JFK. AD/Cert 101 presentation (Associate degree and Certificate info) All sophomores (January 2016) College 101 presentation Incoming JFK students and their parents (April 2016)

Evolution: the beginning (cont.) Degree Completion: Class of 2016: 8 Class of 2017: 15+ (Projection) Class of 2018: 30 (Projection) The majority of students who are on track to complete an associate’s degree are also completing the IGETC transfer pattern.

Evolution: Next Phase Maintain work with degree/certificate completers Help more students complete 30 college units Beyond 30 unit completion, have more students completing IGETC or CSUGE Take measures to increase/ maintain student success, especially with regular underperformers Tutor Connection Bringing college tutors onsite to JFK Regular meetings with those JFK students on academic/progress probation

Evolution: Next Phase (cont.) Take measures to improve enrollment Application Workshops For winter, spring, and summer terms Registration Lab Increase the number of students who receive comprehensive educational plans, the goal being that eventually all students receive a comprehensive sep

It’s Who you know Who makes this all possible? Centralized fieldworkers Educational Advisor (Norco) and Student Advisor (JFK) Primary people who conduct, prepare, and deal with the minutiae of presentations, workshops, advising, etc. Admissions & Records operations assistants, as well as counseling staff and administrators from both institutions

Fieldwork/Teamwork: This is what helps us foster a good working relationship: (Nothing new here, but we’ll mention these points for review) Open communication, (Lay it out all on the table…the good, the bad, the ugly, and any ideas you may have to make things better!) Recognize that team effort is the only way to get the thing off the ground Doing what you can with what you have at the time that you can do it. Remain flexible!!! Both key players understanding procedures and inner workings of their respective areas. Pie in the sky v. real world Change isn’t always welcome Sometimes things have to come in phases

Questions?