April 21, 2008

Mary Hensley, Ed.D. Vice President, College Support Systems and ISD Relations Presenters Gary Madsen P-16 Initiatives Director, College Support Systems and ISD Relations

Luanne Preston, Ph.D Executive Director, Early College Start and College Connection Presenters Sharyl Kincaid Executive Director, Tech Prep Consortium

Agenda Mary Hensley (9:20-9:25)  Closing the Gaps  HB I Gary Madsen (9:25-9:35) P-16 and Texas College Readiness Standards and College References Courses Mary Hensley (9:35-9:50) College Connection Mobile Go Centers Luanne Preston (9:50-10:10) Early College Start Early College High School Models Sharyl Kincaid (10:10-10:20) Tech Prep Mary Hensley (10:20-10:25) ACC Summer Programs for Students Group (10:25-10:30) Questions and Answers

Closing the Gaps 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 Most students will elect to start at a community college. Austin Community College District expects 15,000 additional students by Source:

House Bill 1 (HB1) Passed by 79 th Texas Legislature Addresses public school finance, property tax relief, accountability, etc. Focuses on “Closing the Gap” goals Aligns public education systems (P-16)

College Readiness Standards THECB approved January 2008 Approved standards can be viewed at: TEA Commissioner approved, January SBOE Approves TEKS; Texas K-12 curriculum Does not approve CRS P-16 Standards and Courses Phase I

College Reference Courses Colleges submit reference course syllabi/materials Finalized May 2008 P-16 Standards and Courses Phase 2

Representing 89 Texas institutions Nominated a total of 1205 courses Taught by 968 faculty members Texas College Reference Courses Course SubjectCourse NumbersCompleted EnglishENGL 1301, 1302, HistoryHIST 1301, GovernmentGOVT 2301, 2302 or 2305, BiologyBIL 1406, 1408, ChemistryCHEM 1405, PhysicsPHYS 1401, MathMATH 1314, 1324, PsychologyPSYC

ACC THECB P-16 Special Advisors Mary Hensley, Ed.D Gary Madsen Provide assistance in obtaining information about entry-level courses. Stay informed about statewide efforts to implement the college- readiness standards and other P-16 initiatives. Keep faculty informed. Provide information to the THECB for two-way communication. THECB P-16 Special Advisors

College Connection Program Many high school students find the college enrollment process intimidating. Austin Community College District provides hands- on, one-on-one support to assist every senior through each step of the college admissions process.

College Connection Program Program is free to the school districts. During graduation ceremonies, high school graduating seniors receive acceptance letters to Austin Community College District.

College Connection Growth Over 4 years: 1 school district to 24 school districts 2 high schools to 55 high schools 400 students to 16,466+ students

Florida Launched state-wide campaign in April 2007, “Go Higher-Get Accepted” Modeled after College Connection GoHigher/go_high.htm GoHigher/go_high.htm National Interest

Maine Passed 2007 law requiring graduating high school seniors to complete at least one college application before getting diploma. Modeled after College Connection LD LD-1040 National Interest

College Connection Program Replicated In: Arkansas California Connecticut Florida Hawaii Maine New Hampshire Virginia National Interest

“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 State Interest

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion Ten Colleges Receive $100,000 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

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion Five Colleges Receive $5,000 Planning Grants Cedar Valley College Cisco Junior College Northeast Texas Community College Paris Junior College Victoria College

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion Texas 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

Awards Received THECB Star Award Award Recipient November 2006 Excelencia in Education Award Semi-Finalist October 2006 Bellwether Award Award Recipient January 2007

Related Initiatives Mini-College Connection for Adult Education College Connection Scholarships

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

ACC’s Two Mobile Go Centers MGC #1  Length, 34 Feet  Air-Conditioned  14 Computer Stations MGC #2  Length, 42 Feet  Air-Conditioned  16 Computer Stations Equipped with:  Printers  Scanner  Copier  Satellite Internet

ACC’s Mobile Go Centers Virtual one-stop, college-information facility  College catalog  Schedule information  College applications  FAFSA  Other Staffed by ACC personnel

ACC’s Mobile Go Centers Support College Connection program activities Enable ACC to reach individuals where they live, work, and/or attend school  Festivals  Sports Events  Supermarkets  Shopping Malls  Schools  Other

Dual Credit Concurrent Enrollment

Dual Credit and Concurrent Enrollment Primarily academic transfer courses ACC offers 149 courses in 45 high schools in 27 school districts 7,833 students in 27 school districts 1,700 plus enrollments every semester in ACC’s eight-county service area Record-Breaking Enrollments Summer ’073,218 students (17% increase) Fall ’072,633 students(14% increase) Spring ’082,874 students(24% increase)

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

How ECS Works Dual 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 via phone or web for ACC courses

How ECS Works Dual Credit/Co-enrollment ACC waives tuition and fees for in-district students; charges $40 per-course fee for out-of-district Students complete classes; order college transcript to send to high school (NEW – grade release as part of approval)

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)

School District Benefits ECS Offers: Large range of college-level opportunities College-level programs students not considering AP can access Classes not available in high school curriculum Alternative to “wasted” senior year perception/criticism Reduction in high school personnel units as more students take college classes

Community Benefits 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

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

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

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

Early College High Schools/ Middle Colleges Goal Blend high school and college using small school concept 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

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

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

Early College High School ACC developing models Crockett High School Model 25 students Lockhart ISD Model School year, flexible entry 120 students Students earn a year or more of college credit during high school

What Is Tech Prep? College Prep for Technical Careers Based on the Recommended Graduation Plan Begins a course of study in high school and continues in a community or technical college Combines the academic courses needed for success in college AND technical courses that begin career preparation

Key Components of Tech Prep Federally funded by Carl Perkins Act through THECB grant since 1991 Capital Area Consortium consists of ACC and 31 school districts in 9 counties College courses taught at the high school level by high school teachers using the college curriculum College credit held “in-escrow” until students enroll in college and complete one college credit course

Articulation Process High school teachers meet with college faculty to get college course information College faculty provide syllabi, projects and textbook info to high school teachers If courses match, school district and ACC administrators sign an articulation agreement College faculty offer summer professional development workshops for the high school teachers

Articulation Process Students must complete an articulated class with at least an 80 Teacher recommends (or not) students for credit Student must enroll in ACC and complete at least one college credit course to establish an ACC transcript Articulated credit is awarded on ACC transcript.

CATEMA Career and Technology Education Management Application (CATEMA) Online registration of Tech Prep students as they take articulated classes in high school Teachers recommend eligible students for college credit

CATEMA uploads into Datatel Once per semester Tech Prep staff upload students from CATEMA into college Datatel system Credit eligibility is verified and awarded on ACC transcript

Capital Area College Tech Prep Consortium Data School Year 9,351 high school students, grades 9-12 were enrolled in 10,634 articulated classes 1,597 students enrolled in ACC and collected 6,504 hours of college credit

Summer 2008 Pre-Collegiate Programs Summer Bridge Programs Writing Reading Mathematics

Summer 2008 Pre-Collegiate Programs Career exploration Riverside and Eastview Campuses 4-7 th graders Automotive Technology Science and Math Building and Carpentry Health Sciences Forensic Science Creative and Analytical Writing Robotics and Nano-Technologies Sports Peer Mediation

Summer 2008 Pre-Collegiate Programs Youth Camps 100+ Camps Ages 5 and above Theater Ballroom Dancing Computer Game Development Web Design Medical Terminology Photoshop SAT Test Prep