1. Early College Start,Dual Credit, andCollege Connection Northeast Texas Community College April 11, 2008

2. Presenter Luanne Preston, Ph.D. Executive Director Early College Start and College Connection Austin Community College Phone: 512-223-7354 E-mail: luanne@austincc.edu

3. Agenda • Austin Community College • Overview: Closing the Gaps • Early College Start (ECS) • How it works • Benefits • Results • College Connection and ECS • Best Practices

4. Agenda • ACC’s Early College Model Development • Working Models • Lockhart High School • Crockett College Academy • How to Build the Model • Questions/Answers

5. Austin Community College • “One College” with 7 campuses • 34,000 students in credit programs • Strong commitment to high school outreach programs

6. Closing the Gaps Overview • 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. • Austin Community College District expects over 15,000 more students by 2015. Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/ClosingtheGaps/ctgtargets_pdf.cfm?Goal=1

7. 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 for rising juniors and seniors

8. College Connection • Response to “Closing the Gaps” • Pre-enrollment services delivered at high school campus • ACC outreach program for 100% of senior class

9. How ECS WorksDual 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 for ACC courses

10. How ECS WorksDual Credit/Co-enrollment • ACC waives tuition and fees • for in-district students • classes taught on high school campuses; • $40 per-course fee for out-of-district • Students transfer credit • back to high school • use at ACC toward degree/certificate • forward to 4-year institution

11. How ECS WorksCredit-in-Escrow Students: • Enroll for high school classes articulated to college courses • Complete with a “B” or better • Upon graduation, apply at ACC • CATEMA system indicates to student that they have credit to claim • ACC applies credit-in-escrow to student’s college transcript

12. How College Connection Works Seniors • Complete pre-enrollment process on high school campus during senior year • Application • Assessment testing • Orientation • Academic advising

13. How College Connection Works • Are ready-to-register by graduation • May enroll at ACC as early as the summer following graduation

14. Benefits of ECS • 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

15. 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)

16. Student Benefits • Allows completion of college/core curriculum/general education transfer courses • Allows CATEMA* statewide registration of Tech Prep credits • Provides access to courses not available in high school (e.g. Japanese, Russian, photography) *Career and Technology Education Management application (system to enter, display, update, report data)

17. ECS and College Connection • Many student benefits are the same • Both programs reduce barriers to college attendance • Both programs are FREE

18. ECS Results • 2,500 plus enrollments every semester in ACC’s eight-county service area • Participants from each of 57 service-area high schools • College classes offered on 37 high school campuses • ECS students enter after high school at twice the annual rate for traditional students

19. Post-High School Entry to ACC (In-district)2002-2004 In-District High Schools 19%

20. Dual vs. TraditionalACC Grade Distribution by Enrollment Status (Dual vs. Traditional) and Delivery Method (Distance Learning vs. Classroom)Fall 2006

21. ECS Student Success • ECS students have better success indicators than traditional students: • Higher mean GPA • Higher rate of retention

22. School District Benefits • Offers large range of college-level opportunities • Offers increased “menu” options of ECS college credit and AP • Offers college-level programs that students not considering AP can access • Offers classes not available in high school curriculum

23. School District Benefits • Provides alternative to “wasted” senior year perception/criticism • Reduces high school personnel units as more students take college classes • Offers potential to satisfy 4x4 needs • Is convenient—ACC will offer classes during school day on high school campus

24. 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

25. 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

26. Advantages of ECS • Student success in focus at ACC • access to community college support services (libraries, tutoring labs, computer labs)

27. High School Partnerships • College policies and procedures • Office to implement/staffing to support • Formal agreements

28. College Connection Results • Increased college-going rate in every participating school • Increased enrollments at ACC • More students traditionally underrepresented in higher education, particularly African-American and Hispanic, than in the general ACC student population

29. How ECS and College Connection Work Together • A strong dual-credit program reduces the need for College Connection services • Dual credit students don’t need to apply, may require no assessment testing, have already been through orientation, and have college experience

30. How ECS and College Connection Work Together • College Connection and ECS services can be delivered at the same time • Takes a little more planning • College Connection is one more opportunity to help dual credit students with college awareness and college planning

33. 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

34. Early College High Schools/Middle Colleges • Goal • Blend high school and college • 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

35. 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

36. 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

37. Early College High Schools • Academically rigorous classes • College classes as early as Grade 10 • Program completed in 4-5 years • Grade 9 and 10 classes are taught by school district teachers • Provides guidance and coaching from high school advisors through the first 2 years of college

38. Middle Colleges • Close links with Tech Prep programs • Flexible schedule allows students to work • High school diploma comes with college degree • Provides alternative to traditional high school programs

39. Early College High Schools/Middle Colleges • Gates Foundation Support • Requirements for dedicated space on college campus • Dedicated faculty • At-risk students, dropout recovery • Funding mechanism, usually ADA (grant funding is for planning) • Challenges for ACC

40. ACC’s Model Development • How does ACC’s model differ? • Works with available college resources • Focuses on completion of core curriculum • Works within the tuition waiver allowed by ACC policy

41. ACC’s Model Development • Academic year planning • Can be started by any school in summer or fall with sufficient enrollment • Timing and sequence of courses to make sense for rising juniors and seniors • Hybrid faculty and facility use • Transportation

42. ACC’s Model Development • Flexibility • Cohort approach • Application process • Parent involvement • Multiple points of entry • Juniors and/or seniors • During school year only • Students can earn up to a year of college credit

43. ACC’s Model Development • Flexibility • Adding summer courses allows students to complete the core curriculum the summer following graduation

44. Working Models • Lockhart High School • Crockett College Academy • Austin ISD

45. Working Models • Lockhart High School • Smaller, rural school • Academic year only (students take summer classes on their own) • Multiple entry points • Classes offered in face-to-face format at LHS • ACC faculty travel to LHS • Some LHS faculty are also ACC adjunct faculty

46. Working Models • Lockhart High School • Students routinely graduate with 24 core college credits • Savings example: $9,064 (approximate) for 24 hours tuition/ fees, plus room and board for two semesters at Texas A&M

47. Lockhart High School

48. Crockett College Academy • Cohort approach • Application process • Selective for a combination of attitude, ability, and college-readiness • School year and summer classes

49. Crockett College Academy • Across the street from ACC’s newest South Austin Campus • Proximity allows classes taught at both locations • College and high school-based faculty

50. Crockett College Academy • Students: • are largely Hispanic, economically disadvantaged • complete almost all of the core curriculum while in high school • have many course choices based on eventual AA/AS and BA/BS degree sought