College Connection Weatherford College November 15, 2007.

College Connection Weatherford College November 15, 2007

Presenter Luanne Preston, Ph.D. Executive Director, Early College Start and College Connection

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

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

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. Weatherford College expects over 7,440 more students by 2015. Source: 5

College Connection Overview

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

Learn to Earn Source: Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY

Excuses For Not Continuing Your 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”

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. 10

Weatherford College Service Area College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006 Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006 School District Total High School Graduates Students Enrolled in Texas Universities Students Enrolled in Texas 2-year Colleges Students Not Located in Texas Higher Education * Aledo 269 103 38% 90 34% 76 28% Alvord 40 6 15% 10 25% 24 60% Boyd 65 14 22% 41 63% Bridgeport 131 32 24% 67 52% Brock 57 17 30% 21 37% 19 33% Bryson** Chico 61 16 26% 29 48% Decatur 225 47 21% 77 101 45% *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:

Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006 Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006 School District Total High School Graduates Students Enrolled in Texas Universities Students Enrolled in Texas 2-year Colleges Students Not Located in Texas Higher Education * Gordon** Granbury 380 111 29% 87 23% 182 48% Jacksboro 64 27 42% 13 20% 24 38% Lipan ** Millsap 65 9 14% 20 31% 36 55% Mineral Wells 190 19% 54 28% 100 53% Paradise 63 15 24% 21 33% 43% Peaster 59 22% 16 27% 30 51% remove *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:

Texas High School Graduates from FY 2006 Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006 School District Total High School Graduates Students Enrolled in Texas Universities Students Enrolled in Texas 2-year Colleges Students Not Located in Texas Higher Education * Perin-Whitt** Poolville 31 1 3% 17 55% 13 42% Santo 32 10 32% 11 34% Slidell ** Springtown 230 34 15% 73 123 53% Strawn ** Tolar 38 18 47% 7 19% Weatherford 415 82 20% 165 40% 168 Total 2,415 587 24% 744 31% 1,084 45% remove *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:

College Connection How It Works

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

Students Receive Services at the High School:
Required Admission application ASSET or COMPASS Pre-advising Academic advising Graduation letter Optional Student life info Teleconference Campus tours Registration Other Recommended Senior presentation Financial aid application Test 2 16 16

College Connection Activity Grid Sample
ISD District Lead: Sandra Dowdy, Assistant Superintendent, , Del Valle HS Lead: Jean MacInnis, Principal, , Admin. Assistant: Nadene Norwood, , ACC District Lead: Mary Hensley, , Exec. Assistant: Esther Buzard, , College Connection Lead: Luanne Preston, , Admin. Assistant: Laurie Clark, , Senior Count: 400 Activity Date Time Location Equipment Communication Del Valle HS Contact (*Lead Contact) ACC District Contact High School Planning Committee Meeting August 9, 2007 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Del Valle Admin 5301 Ross Road Del Valle, TX Announcement *Jean MacInnis Jmacinnis *Luanne Preston luanne College Connection Agreement Prior to beginning Fall semester *Sandra Dowdy Sdowdy Senior Presentation Kickoff Activity September 13, 2007 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Auditorium Notice in parent newsletter Notice on high school website *Sarah Mabry Sarah.mabry *Ashley Williams awillia4 Admissions Application Make-Up Day October 10, 2007 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Rooms A205, C216, D130, D208 Non-citizen students must obtain alternate ID before completing application *Pat Colunga pcolunga SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities

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

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

Program Results

College Connection School Districts
Year 1 San Marcos Year 2 Austin Bastrop Del Valle Leander San Marcos Year 3 Austin Bastrop Del Valle Hays Leander Manor Pflugerville San Marcos Year 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 Year 5 Austin Bastrop Blanco Del Valle Dripping Springs Eanes Elgin Fredericksburg Georgetown Harper Hays Jarrell Johnson City Lago Vista Lake Travis Leander Liberty Hill Lockhart Luling Manor Nixon-Smiley Pflugerville Prairie Lea Round Rock San Marcos Smithville Wimberley k

School Districts Participating in the College Connection Program 2007-2008
Number of High Schools Number of Seniors Year Started Austin ISD 12 5,189 2004 Bastrop ISD 2 609 Blanco ISD 1 72 2006 Del Valle ISD 544 Dripping Springs ISD 265 2007 Eanes ISD 650 Elgin ISD 264 Fredericksburg ISD 247 Georgetown ISD 791 Harper ISD 62 Hays CISD 3 723 2005 Jarrell ISD 48 Johnson City ISD 52 Lago Vista ISD 89 Split into two

School Districts Participating in the College Connection Program 2007-2008
Number of High Schools Number of Seniors Year Started Lake Travis ISD 2 415 2007 Leander ISD 4 1,518 2004 Liberty Hill ISD 1 180 2006 Lockhart ISD 387 Luling ISD 131 Manor ISD 255 2005 Nixon-Smiley CISD 57 Pflugerville ISD 1,385 Prairie Lea ISD 17 Round Rock ISD 5 2,790 San Marcos CISD 483 2003 Smithville ISD 140 Wimberley ISD 169 Total (27) 58 17,532

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

The College Connection Program Works!
ISD Students NOT located in Texas Higher Education Fall 2003 Students NOT located in Texas Higher Education Fall 2004 Students NOT located in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005 Students NOT located in Texas Higher Education Fall 2006 2006 Increase of Students in Higher Ed Since Implementation Number Percent San Marcos 273 66% 219 55% 234 59% 294 0 % Austin 2,155 56% 2,066 2,005 54% 2,014 52% 4 % Bastrop 286 69% 57% 239 282 61% -4 % Del Valle 293 77% 312 80% 236 229 71% 9 % Leander 444 48% 459 422 42% 418 40% 8 % Hays 281 309 290 51% 5 % Manor 51 74 87 62% 89 68% -6 % Pflugerville 194 47% 201 204 156 46% 2 % Blue=Year College Connection started Red=Year Seniors attend ACC after College Connection 1-Source: 2-Source: 3-Source:

College Connection Diversity of Participants 2006-07

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

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 48 students in 293 students in 1,597 students in

Program Recognition

College Connection Program National Acclaim & Recognition

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

State and National Interest in Expansion

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”

“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

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion 2007-2009
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

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion 2007-2009
Five Schools Receive Planning Grants Cedar Valley College Cisco Junior College Northeast Texas Community College Paris Junior College Victoria College

THECB Statewide College Connection Expansion
Schools Already Adopting College Connection Alamo Community College District Coastal Bend Community College Del Mar Community College Houston Community College District Temple Community College Victoria College

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

Mobile Go Center

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

College Connection: How To Start

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

Advance Briefing District/Central Office Staff High School Principal

Planning Meeting One meeting held annually usually 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

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

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

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

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

Website Participating schools Links to school pages
Link to college pages of interest Press coverage/special events

College Connection Logo

College Connection: Guiding Principles

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

Work with every category of high school student Gifted and talented Advanced Placement/Honors Bilingual/ESL Section 504 Special Education

Students do not need to repeat steps Dual-credit students do not have to re-apply Exempt students do not have to re-test Design activities within one bell period Exception is assessment testing Be respectful of instructional time Deliver services during school day Customize service delivery to meet high school needs, honor school preferences Look for ways to incorporate suggestions of school personnel

Guiding Principles: Personnel
Team structure has worked for ACC Sharing personnel across departments Cross-train and re-deploy Recruiter/advisers Use trained college volunteers outside their regular duties Tutors proctor tests

Have personnel assigned to specific schools Builds relationships and trust Early warning about problems One “expert” available on-site Example: One admissions coordinator to address complex matters; other team members may be generalists

Have college personnel responsible for results Level of participation in each activity How many completed the activity? Do the preliminary results approach the projected numbers? Did most students apply? Did about 50% test? Interim results Have checkpoints Contact responsible school or district personnel in time to provide make-up dates before end of year, if numbers are low

Guiding Principles: Sequencing Activities
Required Activities What does a student have to complete, at a minimum, to enroll at your institution? Application How much time is needed for an application to be available in the student information system? TSI compliance (Assessment) What tests do you offer students? How much time is needed for scoring?

College Connection: Activity Sequence
College School District Senior Presentation 1a. Senior Roster Admission application Financial aid application 3a. Test Score Roster ASSET assessment Tour of Austin Community College campus(es) Pre-Advising Advising Acceptance letter to Austin Community College at graduation Registration for Austin Community College classes Red=Required Blue=Recommended Black=Optional

Required Activities What does a student have to complete, at a minimum, to enroll at your institution? Orientation Is orientation mandatory? Do you enforce its completion before students can register? Before they can be advised? Advising Is advising required prior to registration? What action allows a student to register?

Recommended Activities FAFSA Completion Senior Presentation Optional Activities Career Information Campus Tours College Days

When to schedule activities? Planning Meeting After graduation, before fall semester Before spring, if all activities to be completed in spring Senior Presentation Prior to first activity, as soon as possible after school starts Usually admissions follows Admissions Application End of September, October, or November through Thanksgiving After receipt of data roster In time, where possible, for seniors to prepare for Spring dual- credit registration

When to schedule activities? Assessment End of January through early March After receipt of test score roster – timed to allow maximum number of SAT/ACT test scores to be included Allows students to receive the most instructional content prior to testing Financial Aid Mid-January through Mid-March Presentations timed to coincide with W-2 arrival, tax preparation, and meet college priority filing deadlines Night presentations and workshops for parents and students Financial Aid Saturdays

When to schedule activities? New Student Orientation ACC calls this step “pre-advising” Completed online as ACC 101 Live program replaced by online module per school request School manages where and when students complete Student prints checklist as proof of completion Many schools schedule during advisory Schedule window of time prior to academic advising Recommend 1-3 weeks prior to advising session

When to schedule activities? Academic Advising Mid-February through Mid-April Allow time, if needed, for test scores to be entered or processed and available to advisors ACC requires three weeks is using ASSET Complete all College Connection activities by mid- April Deliver graduation packets three weeks prior to ceremony

Senior Presentation DVD

See, it didn’t hurt! Recruiter’s name

Guiding Principles: Scheduling
The planning meeting for each school should occur before Fall semester, or as soon after school starts All events should be completed by mid-April with rare exceptions The month of May through end of school is extremely busy on high school campuses A student should be able to complete an individual activity (exception assessment testing) with one bell period

Provide capacity to staff activities at more than one school on the same day Decide what dates are ineligible for college personnel First day of registration Two weeks leading up to start of semester First week of classes

Plan on the following high school availability constraints: End of six-week grading period/testing TAKS testing dates A/B Block scheduling (must provide activities on both A and B days) Sports conflicts Example: Tuesdays and Fridays are varsity basketball game days Mondays and Fridays are the worst attendance days Beginning/end of semester Spring Break date differential (HB1)

Guiding Principles: Scheduling Efficiency
Schools are deeply concerned about loss of instructional time All College Connection required activities can be completed in the equivalent of one school day

Size of school may allow for combined activities Example: Senior Presentation followed by Application Advantages – Immediacy A/B Block bell periods are 90 minutes long

Length of bell period may allow for combined activities Example: Application, FAFSA Pin Number, online pre-advising Advantages Uses entire bell period Already disrupted for application Eliminates need for a second pullout Disadvantages Students usually complete pre-advising well before advising Increases chance they will not retain important information High school staff must retain printed checklist for students to avoid loss

ACC 101 Demonstration

Scheduling Efficiency – How Much Time?
Senior Presentation – 20 minutes Admissions Application – 25 minutes Residency Form Missing Credentials Assessment – 5 hours Partial testing takes less time Math only – 1 hour Reading/writing – 2.25 hours Pre-Advising – 25 minutes Advising – 15 minutes average

Planning Meeting Recommended Participants
College High School District lead person Implementation lead person Team leader for services Admissions representative Financial Aid representative Assessment representative Recruitment representative Advising representative Recorder Principal Grade level principal or AP Lead or senior counselor Person in charge of testing/scheduling Tech person (use of computer labs) Other staff who works with the “senior class”

Planning Meeting Recommended Things to Bring
College High School College Calendar Admissions Team Calendar Financial Aid Team Calendar Assessment Team Calendar Student Recruitment Team Calendar Advising Team Calendar Bell schedule School calendar A/B Block scheduling Testing calendar

College Connection Planning Meeting Demonstration

Best Practices—Getting Started
Small and successful=Others will come Get internal support from: Information Technology Public Relations Dual Credit Tech Prep Foundation Student Recruitment Student Services Do away with thinking that students “have to come to the college” to meet college processes Focus on what works for the school district

Best Practices—After You’ve Started
Use publicity and press conferences at every opportunity Get Foundation involved in raising scholarships Make a presentation to each school district Board Keep College Board of Trustees involved

Continually thank and recognize participants Involve staff in recognitions Keep College Connection process simple Name a single point-of-contact for problem solving Utilize technology for communication including web, listserv, and online calendars (I-Cal) Build a superintendents’ list

Increased enrollments will build programs and support staff Many good “off shoots” develop: Chamber of Commerce events/support Grants and Contracts Annexation Scholarships Continuing education Training Teacher certification Instructional Aide Training Dual Credit Tech Prep Other

Have joint College and School District Board meetings Form College/ISD Executive Team Provide immediate response/service Pace for success

Common Challenges

Challenge #1 – Faculty Resistance
Why does this occur? Faculty not well-informed about the program Some have traditional bias against community colleges Concerns about quality of programs/instruction and transferability of classes

Strategy – Counter Faculty Resistance
Feature a College Connection presentation at general faculty meeting Provide general information about TCCD programs, costs, state-wide transfer of classes between public institutions Provide dates of pullouts well in advance, to allow for faculty planning Emphasize benefits to students Students will be “ready-to-register” at TCCD at the end of the year

Challenge #2 – Student Resistance
Why does this occur? Students not exposed to the program in advance Some are convinced they are going to college elsewhere or convinced they won’t need to go at all A “cool” student has refused to participate

Strategy – Lessen Student Resistance
Schedule a College Connection senior presentation before activities begin Encourage participation and explain program benefits to any student refusing to participate Recruit school opinion leaders and role models to influence their peers

Challenge #3 – Alleviate Parent Concerns
Why does this occur? Parents don’t want to give sensitive family income information to students, school or college staff No computer access at home Parents’ work schedule prevents easy completion

Strategy – Counter Parent Resistance on FAFSA
Time school FAFSA activities to coincide with arrival of W-2 and filing of taxes Provide evening FAFSA workshops – invite TCCD to participate or lead Coordinate with volunteer programs that assist families with preparing/filing taxes Provide information about necessary documents/information in advance to parents

Questions and Answers

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