Dual Credit Recruitment & Student Selection to Ensure Program Fidelity Dana Ramsay, Program Coordinator Simcoe County District School Board daramsay@scdsb.on.ca

Workshop Goals Highlight best practices we use for dual credit student recruitment, with a focus on the primary target audience (at-risk, disengaged/underachieving) and recruitment practices for Level 1 programs, both with the aim of maintaining “program fidelity” To share the challenges we face with student recruitment Overview of student selection process, guided by program fidelity

Bruce Grey Catholic DSB Simcoe Muskoka Catholic DSB Simcoe County DSB A partnership between Georgian College (and six of their regional campuses) and 5 school boards: Bluewater DSB Bruce Grey Catholic DSB Simcoe Muskoka Catholic DSB Simcoe County DSB Trillium Lakelands DSB We focus on delivering dual credit programs to the primary target audience with the addition of level 1 programs for OYAP students

What is “Program Fidelity” What is program fidelity? We do what we say we will do. We place the right students in dual credit and maximize the use of funds for those who need it the most. Who is the program for? Dual credit programs are aimed at students who fall into one of these three groups: students who face significant challenges in completing the requirements for graduation students in SHSM programs students in OYAP How do we recruit and select students to maintain program fidelity? Focus on the policy document selection criteria (2013 policy, Appendix, pages 24 - 26) for disengaged and underachieving students: student has completed most or all of compulsory credits student can potentially graduate within one year (22+ credits and 17+ years old) ONSIS shows some anomalies: in 2017-18 over 1000 students who took dual credit already had their OSSD Level 1 programs selection criteria includes: strong interest in specific trade related work or volunteer experience success in coop program

Program Fidelity and Recruitment Dual credit programs Level 1 programs Focussing recruitment efforts on our primary target audience by working with guidance and student success teams at our high schools Focussing recruitment efforts on students in OYAP who are in a trade- related coop that lines up with the Level 1 program and by working with OYAP coordinators and coop teachers

Recruitment Practices Key Factor: Building Relationships Student success PD Dual credit champions at schools Guidance/SST breakfast Dual credit testimonials Promotion on staff website School visits RPT activities and events teacher forums (elementary, coop, SERTS) “Grizzly Cubs” for Grade 8s “Explore College” for high school students “Making Connections” for high school students Level 1 program marketing and employer committees

Building Relationships with Schools

Professional Development for Student Success Bring student success teams together to present dual credit as a pathway option (we have done this as a stand-alone or combined with SHSM/OYAP professional development sessions) Explain what a dual credit is and how it works for teachers who are new to the program Review application/referral process Provide pathways scenarios as an activity incorporating dual credit as one of the options

Dual Credit Lead At Each School: Dual Credit “Champions” Ideally there is a dual credit lead or “champion” at each secondary school, learning centre or alternative education site Building relationships with the lead is key; you may have to cultivate a relationship with someone who hasn’t necessarily been assigned the role of dual credit lead and/or who has many other programs to balance Connecting regularly with leads through face-to-face meetings, email and phone calls helps maintain the important connection between dual credit programs and secondary schools

Guidance/SST Breakfast Forum Guidance/SST breakfast forums are held on 3 campuses of Georgian College: Barrie, Muskoka, Owen Sound Based on feedback provided at this meeting we make some programming changes We also learned what teachers don’t know about dual credit You Are Invited To A Breakfast of Dual Credit Champions! Hear program success stories Learn about semester 2 courses Get your dual credit questions answered Tour the college campus Share your ideas for the future

Recruitment Ideas from Guidance/SST Breakfast Use past successful students, video testimonials to market dual credits Guidance counsellors keep an ongoing Google document tracking students that would fit the dual credit primary target audience; easy to refer to at recruitment times Conduct dual credit presentations for the high school teachers - many pockets of teachers are not being seen by guidance and student success teachers Need to have teachers, student success teachers to “buy in” (dual credit champion) Using PowerSchool to track students who are failing a course at midterm Using PowerSchool student success tab to track students who might benefit from dual credit

Dual Credit Student Testimonials Brendon Rooney Testimonial Emma Palmer Testimonial Our regional planning team provides a student success story template and consent form for our dual credit support teachers and we ask for a cell phone photo or video to go along with it. We send out reminders a couple of times per semester to encourage dual credit support teachers to capture student success stories. Very impactful for schools to see students from their schools in dual credit success stories.

Dual Credit Area on Staff Website Viewable only to school board staff Updated each semester Includes course descriptions, registration & withdrawal forms, info on the withdrawal process, course status (full, waitlisted, still open) One stop shopping for all relevant dual credit information by semester

Course descriptions - DC Champions are able to speak to the students about the expectations and items covered in the course (describe some of the exciting and relevant pieces that may help to market a course….or move the student in a better suited pathway)

School Visits Dual credit teacher or board lead present to college level classes, student groups identified through the student success teams, at staff meetings Whenever possible, bring a former dual credit student or use video testimonial Central Lakes Regional Planning Team website - “one stop shop” for schools to access central information

RPT Activities: Explore the College Pathway (funding is requested through RFP process) Making Connections and Explore College activities for high school students Grizzly Cubs - hands-on activities for Grade 8s at the college, learn about dual credits and college as a pathway Annually invite in teacher groups to explore college as a pathway and dual credits as a programming option: Grade 8 teachers Guidance/Student Success Co-op teachers SERTs

Recruiting for Level 1 Programs: Cook & General Machinist Level 1 Cook Program - Georgian College - Owen Sound campus Level 1 General Machinist Program - Georgian College - Barrie campus Flyers for students, guidance, student success, and co-op teachers OYAP-themed bulletin boards in schools Commercials for school announcements Info sessions in schools and at the college Employer committee to interview Follow up with co-op teachers, guidance, student success, food teachers, manufacturing teachers Word of mouth

Recruitment Challenges Changing staff/changing roles with no succession planning: starting new every September Time constraints (fall dual credits start the second week of the high school semester) Competing programs that offer ways to get additional credits (for example, e-Learning and night school) Primary target audience can be challenging to track down to provide information to Readiness of students to enter Level 1 training

What challenges do you face when recruiting students for dual credits? Time to share What challenges do you face when recruiting students for dual credits?

Guided by Program Fidelity Student Selection: Guided by Program Fidelity

Student Selection: Dual Credit Application Process The dual credit application process consists of the following parts: Online application form Student referral sheet to capture selection criteria Vetting process: central team to review application and status sheet Student Selection: Dual Credit Application Process

Referral sheet Accompanies application, status sheet and college registration Additional details can be provided Criteria are from the 2013 Dual Credit Policy Document Google doc registration form

Vetting Process Once applications are received, referrals are vetted through: Application answers Status sheet Referral form Conversations with referring educator if more information is needed Students are admitted, based on best fit and need, this information is communicated to the school, and some students may be placed on a waiting list Additional information about student is crucial to helping us understanding the student and why dual credit is a good opportunity for them, otherwise the application is one dimensional. We also capture “referring educator” and “supporting educator” info so we know who will actually be supporting the student at the school during dual credit.

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