1. Best Practices for Guiding Student Success in College & Beyond
Presenters: Larissa Hunt, College Coordinator Gloria Jurado-Long, Mentor
Best Practices for Guiding Student Success
in College & Beyond

2. Session Overview Session Goals: Session Content:
Our program design
Postsecondary Partnerships
Prep-College Preparation
Mentoring Program
Final Portfolio Project
Q & A
Share what we’ve found works
Give you ideas & examples of strategies we employ
Help answer any questions so you can implement anything you find helpful

3. Van Buren Middle College – Program Specifics
CTE based Middle College in Van Buren County
Serve 11 partner districts
Cohorts of 22 incoming Juniors each year
Student Schedule - 11th year CTE program, 12th year & 13th year full time college campus
Staffing: 1 Coordinator, 2 Mentors
Statistics:
Average college GPA of completers: 3.41
Total number of credits earned: 3,467 MC+EC (1,251 MC)
At-risk population: 56% of students

4. Postsecondary Partners
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Lake Michigan College
Southwestern Michigan College
Strong partnerships = strong foundation
Example Support Services from Primary Partner, KVCC:
First Fridays
Dedicated Staff – Counselor, Pathway Advisor
Recognition Night
Faculty Office space
Bi-monthly Meetings between Coordinator & College Dean

5. Pre-College Prep Districts support early exploration
Application process & assessment testing
Remediation for probationary students
Plato, Khan Academy, etc.
Pre-Program Student-Parent Orientation
Student Handbook
College Success Class
Prior to 11th grade
Strengths based
Day on college campus
Team building/leadership/branding/college knowledge
College Campus Orientation

6. Mentoring Program Logistics Goals of Mentoring program
1-on-1 and small groups
11th year – Van Buren Tech
12th & 13th – College Campus
Goals of Mentoring program
Fostering self advocacy
Academic & career exploration
Encouraging self accountability
Conversation Points
Career & college planning
Communication
Study Skills
Sample Tactics
Clifton Strengths Quick Reference List
Strengths Mapping Grid
How I Represent Myself (Self & Instructor Eval)
Habits of a Successful Student Questionnaire
Mid-Semester Formative Questionnaire
Comprehensive College Comparison Worksheet

7. Final Portfolio Project
Project Overview
Requirements
Minimum 10 career related hours
Minimum 35 service based project hours
Minimum 70 hours total
Checklist items
Timeline for completion
Final presentation
Format
Topics
Audience

8. Q & A! Larissa Hunt lhunt@vbisd.org
Gloria Jurado-Long