Elgin Community College’s Alliance for College Readiness Building Effective Partnerships & Transition Strategies Julie Schaid, Ph.D., Assoc. Dean College Readinss & School Partnerships

Alliance Structure Advisory Council Math Team STEM Team DATA Team Writing/ Reading Team Student Services Team ELL Team Kindergarten Team

Transition Strategies: O Summer Bridge Program O Transition Academy O New 4 th Year HS Math Course O First Lecture O Senior PLANS

Summer Bridge Program Three-week refresher course to help students who “just missed” placing into college-level coursework in writing, reading, or math. Results: Six Years = 190 Students and 72% Success

Transition Academy O Start earlier – 9 th - 12 th grade O Team taught (HS & College faculty) O School year – Once a month – Saturdays O Summer program O Mentors O Parent outreach ( s & workshop) O Business partners O Curriculum – based on in part on Academy for College Excellence (ACE), applied math, financial literacy, real world problems

New 4 th Year High School Math Course O Developed by 12 Faculty (8 HS, 3 ECC, 1 University) O Target: Students who don’t normally take senior math O Aligned to the Common Core State Standards O Real-world Applications O 3 Districts have Adopted O First year = 300+ students enrolled!

New Project – “The First Lecture” O English & History Faculty O High School & College O Design Assignment O College Lecture O Jointly graded

Senior PLANS O Student Services & Counseling Team O Late Feb./Early March event O 11 High Schools – 20 seniors each – still unsure O Partner with ISAC O Topics: O Importance of Placement Testing O Planning for College O Paying for College

District 509 – ECC Trend Data College and Career Ready College Ready By Subject Math29%42% Writing57%65% Reading73%78% College Ready All Subjects 24%37% Totally Developmental 21%17%

Partnership Principles O Focus Areas agreed upon by Advisory Council but align to district & college priorities O Faculty/staff design & lead projects collaboratively O Engage those doing the work O Focus on building relationships across districts & education levels O Feed them O One size does not fit all O Recreate don’t duplicate O Institutional commitments matter O Share and celebrate results O Fostering space for dialog very important