1 / 52

Charter Schools and Early College High Schools – A Perfect Match!

Charter Schools and Early College High Schools – A Perfect Match!. Pineywoods Community Academy PARAMUS Early College High School December 11, 2013. Not that long ago, in a place not too far from here, something really unexpected happened….

ordell
Download Presentation

Charter Schools and Early College High Schools – A Perfect Match!

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Charter Schools and Early College High Schools – A Perfect Match! Pineywoods Community Academy PARAMUS Early College High School December 11, 2013

  2. Not that long ago, in a place not too far from here, something really unexpected happened… A PCA Timberwolf came knocking on the Angelina College Roadrunner’s door!

  3. How we got started … Began application process in 2009-2010 school year Obtained letters of support from Angelina College Board of Regents and Pineywoods Board of Directors Provisionally designated as an ECHS for the 2010-2011 school year Started with 44 students Currently 143 students participate in the ECHS program

  4. Purpose of Early College High Schools in Texas To target at-risk students and provide them with an opportunity to earn 60 college credit hours or an Associates degree at an institute of higher education (IHE)

  5. Early College High Schools in Texas • 59/1200 HS in Texas currently have an ECHS Designation • The instructional design is developed using the research-based Common Instructional Framework for College Readiness • Program design elements are based on TEC §29.908

  6. Objectives of the ECHS Program Create a means to higher education, focusing on • First-generation, college-going students • English Language Learners • Potential drop-out students • Economically disadvantaged students

  7. Objectives of the ECHS Program Classes are taught at the junior college or university Students are provided with academic counseling and support to help them to be successful Students are taught study and organizational skills essential for post secondary readiness

  8. Objectives of the ECHS Program All in order to provide dual credit at no cost to all students!

  9. ECHS Design Elements • Targeted populations, including • students at risk of dropping out • English language learners • economically disadvantaged students • traditionally underrepresented populations • first generation college students Are served using high-stakes strategies such as

  10. ECHS Design Elements Smaller class sizes Personalized attention Lasting peer and teacher relationships Shadow classes Providing a “college-going” culture A blended high school and college curriculum Exposure to all educational disciplines

  11. ECHS Design Elements Strong partnership with a solid MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the IHE Opportunities (spelled out in the MOU) for the ECHS and IHE to collaborate through planning, teaching, and professional development

  12. ECHS Design Elements • College curriculum and rigorous coursework • TSI – ready students • Course selection that allows students to • Earn an Associates degree • Be Core Complete (complete 60 hours of coursework ) • Earn certifications including LVN, RN, Welding, Diesel Mechanics, Child Care, and Cosmetology

  13. ECHS Design Elements • Unique School Design • Stand alone campus • Full day program • All services provided at the ECHS campus

  14. ECHS Design Elements • Traditional Support Structures, including • Mandatory tutorials • Summer bridge program • WOLF Camp • Participation in college clubs and activities • College visits • ROAR program to support study skills • Job shadowing

  15. ECHS Design Elements • Non-traditional Support Structures, including • Certified instructor serving as facilitator for online courses • 1:1 laptop initiative for ECHS students to assist in completing coursework • Innovative course structures, including mini-courses, specialized tutorials, and E2020 courses

  16. Program Evaluation is Essential Comprehensive evaluation is conducted each semester to examine student performance Performance is evaluated by student, by course, and by instructional arrangement Instructional arrangements include traditional (face to face) courses, online courses, and hybrid courses (online course with a weekly seminar)

  17. PARAMUS Course Articulation HB 5 has added some flexibility to the course articulation, especially in regards to the 4th English class as well as 4th science and math classes

  18. By the way – what does all of this cost? Fall 2013 Semester Charges - $100,089 for 124 students taking an average of 9 semester hours = $807 per student 9 semester hours is equivalent to 3 high school classes; 3 classes x 104 students = 3.5 teachers (approximate load of 20 students per high school class) 3.5 teachers @ $47,000 annually = $164,500 or $82,250 per semester

  19. By the way – what does all of this cost? For PCA, four additional classrooms would need to be leased x $500/month = $24,000 annually/$12,000 per semester Per semester cost $82,250+$12,000 = $94,250,000/124 = $760 per student Compared to ECHS cost of $807 per student, ECHS costs PCA $47 more per student than traditional HS program – it’s worth it!

  20. By the way – what does all of this cost? Cost per student doesn’t include sub costs and any other facility overhead expenses. Program is paid out of 420 (Charter School General Revenue Fund) Staff Development is paid out of 255 (Title IIA) funds

  21. You’ll probably need a bus (we now have two)

  22. 1:1 Technology Initiative Spending part of the day at Angelina College, we realized that our students had to have access to technology to complete assignments We leased 105 laptops from Lenovo for $1300 per month for a 36 month lease using REAP funds (equates to $445 per laptop total cost) $1 buyout per machine at the end of the lease

  23. Challenges • Age • Grades • Communication and Feedback—Early Alerts for failing grades • Safety • Attendance

  24. Challenge 1 – Age Some AC instructors think high school students don’t belong in college ECHS must provide social and emotional support

  25. Challenge 2 – Grade Monitoring Blackboard system not used by all teachers ECHS has limited access to grade reports FERPAs are signed and maintained for all students

  26. Challenge 3 – Communication Communication and feedback—early alerts for failing grades are essential Avoiding failing grades and course drops is the goal of early alerts

  27. Challenge 4 – Safety Academic, social, and emotional safety is the key Bullying happens – even at the college level

  28. Challenge 4 - Safety To be treated like college students, you have to act like college students. Juniors and seniors can wear regular dress; freshman and sophomores must wear uniform dress to be identified as PCA students

  29. Challenge 5 - Attendance There are lots of ways to take attendance – and we have tried them all. It’s challenging to know where your students are all the time.

  30. Ensuring Success • It’s helpful to have • Principal dedicated to ECHS (required) • IHE Liaison dedicated to ECHS • Advisory Board dedicated to ECHS • Instructors dedicated to ECHS

More Related