Early College 101

October 29, 2013

Early College High School Core Beliefs

• Early College Schools have high expectations for all students

• Every student is capable of college-level work or college and career readiness.

• Students need acceleration, not remediation.• Students learn more when challenged and

engaged by instruction and rigorous academic work.

WHAT IS EARLY COLLEGE?• Early college is an educational transformation

model, that was developed and implemented by Jobs for the Future and our national partners, with funding from the Gates Foundation, over the last 10 years.

• Early colleges are high schools and feeder middle schools that bring college into high school to provide underserved youth with a path to and through postsecondary education.

• Features include: –Students earn a high school diploma and up to

two years of transferrable college credit—tuition free

–A rigorous instructional framework aligned to college-ready standards

–A strong college-going culture throughout the school

–Student-centered learning and student support–Location on or near college campuses to build

students’ identity as college goers

WHAT IS EARLY COLLEGE?

Early College Overview• Early college schools expose all students to college

coursework, preparing them for college and careers, reducing time and cost toward postsecondary degrees, and building a college-going culture for all students in the school.

• Early college schools are committed to serving students underrepresented in higher education, including low-income youth, students of color, first-generation college goers, and English language learners.

EARLY COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOLS

• Small, autonomous schools, operated in close connection with postsecondary institutions

• Students can earn an Associate’s degree or up to 2 years of transferable college credit

• Schools enroll about 100 students per grade and can start in grades 6, 7, or 9

• Can be a STEM or CTE-focused school

BACK ON TRACK THOUGH COLLEGE

• Small, autonomous schools and programs targeted toward older youth who are off track from graduation or out of school altogether

• Adapts Early College Design to graduate students college and career ready

• Provides supported transition to and through the first year of postsecondary, in collaboration with a postsecondary partner

EARLY COLLEGE PATHWAYS

• Accelerated pathways for all starting in ninth grade, with course sequences aligned to college-ready standards

• Designed so that as many students as possible complete a minimum of 12 college credits, including gatekeeper courses in math and English composition: grade 7-13, 9-13, 7-14, and 9-14 designs

• Dual enrollment options may also include STEM and CTE options

• Aligned with postsecondary programs of study

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THE RANGE OF EARLY COLLEGE DESIGNS

Concurrent / Dual Enrollment• Programs in which the high school student

travels to the college campus or college faculty travel to the high school

• Programs where the student takes a course from a college instructor via distance education

• Articulation agreements where student receives high school and college credits for the same course.

Early College Models

Models• Courses are held on college campus• Courses are held on high school campus and taught by college staff or

teachers who have adjunct faculty status• Online / distance learning courses• Hybrid Models: combinations of the above

REMEDIATION IS A DEAD END

Bridge to Nowhere / Time is the Enemy

Ensuring that All Students Are on Target for College and Career Readiness before High School

Middle School Success

A Strong StartEighth-grade students’ academic achievement has a larger impact on their readiness for college by the end of high school than anything that happens academically in today’s high schools.

The Forgotten Middle, ACT

Of Every 100 9th Graders

• 68 graduated from high school on time• 40 immediately enrolled in college• 18 graduated from college on time

• 7,000 Students dropout every day• 41% Of 18 – 24 years old were

enrolled in college

Six Graders - Indicators

10 – 20 %Chance of

Graduating

Failed Math English/Readi

ng

Attended School Less Than 80%

Unsatisfactory

Behavior Grade

Middle School Students on the Graduation Path

• Attendance–Measure attendance in informative and actionable

manners–Take measures to increase the number of

students with very good attendance and decrease the number who are chronically absent.

–Recognize and reward good attendance regularly (Whale Done)

–Separate attendance from course performance–Be and be perceived as safe and engaging places

• Belief, Behavior and Effort–High engagement electives that provide

avenues for short-term success and positively recognized asymmetrical skill levels

–Activities that honor and use middle grades students’ desire for adventure and camaraderie

–Recognition at both the individual and group level for positive behavior

–Teaching organizational and self-management skills

Middle School Students on the Graduation Path

• Course Performance–Encouraging quality coursework may require

new forms of assessment–Accept and acknowledge the implications of

course grades being more predictive of eventual success than test scores

–Create developmentally appropriate high school/college readiness indicators that are meaningful and engaging to middle grades students and understood by parents

–Get extra help right.

Middle School Students on the Graduation Path

Early Warning and Intervention Systems

• Focus on effective intervention, not just identification

• Recognize and build on student strengths• Provide time, training, and support and

intervention systems• Match resources to student needs but practice

intervention discipline• Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions• Teachers and administrators can get started with

just data currently available in their schools

Challenges

• Getting the ratio of skilled adults to students in need right

• Getting teacher buy-in and support for the mission of keeping middle grades students on the graduation path

• Strengthening the family-student-teacher support triangle

Back on Track Through College

Back on Track Through College

Phase One: Enriched Preparation

• College-Going and Career-Ready Culture

• College- and Career-Ready Curriculum & Instruction

• Intentional Use of Time to Customize Instruction & Accelerate Learning

• Personalized Guidance and Support

Phase Two: Postsecondary Bridging

• Supported Dual Enrollment

• A Focus on College Knowledge and Success Strategies

• Personalized Guidance and Connection to Best Bets

Phase Three: First-year Supports

• Support for Students to Earn Credits Predictive of Completion

• Just-in-Time Support to Ensure Persistence

• Building Attachment to Postsecondary Education

JFF’S EDUCATION AGENDAENSURING UNDERPREPARED YOUTH & ADULTS EARN POSTSECONDARY CREDENTIALS WITH LABOR MARKET VALUE

LEAKS IN THE PIPELINE: EDUCATION LOSS POINTS

Enter High School

30% of low income young people drop out of high school

77% of low income high school grads are

not college ready

38% of low income high school grads do

not enter college

Only 3% of ABE students obtain a post secondary credential

86% of adults needing remediation

drop out

57% of traditional aged students drop

out of PS

Only 21% of low income young

people and 14% of low skilled adults attain a postsecondary credential or

degree

Acceleration Through 9-14 Alignment & Integration

JFF SOLUTIONS Acceleration Through Postsecondary & Labor Market Alignment

COLLEGE&CAREER READY: • Incent early college/back-on-track designs• Expand early assessment/HS reach back• Increase low-income student momentum

to college/career readiness• Support all students to meet Common

Core standards, aligned with college first year/gatekeeper courses

POST-SECONDARY SUCCESS : • Create career pathways to accelerate learning• Integrate basic skills curriculum into credit-bearing

programs of study• Develop articulated programs of study that offer

stackable credentials through AS/BA• Build system capacity to support innovative

learning strategies

CAREER ADVANCEMENT: • Develop industry-based career pathways and

workforce partnerships that align supply with employer demand in regions and states

• Use of career counseling and labor market outcome data for planning, choice, accountability

Achieve College Readiness

Pass or By-Pass Developmental Ed /

Remediation

Enter Postsecondary Attain Credentials or Degree with Value in the

Labor Market

THE EDUCATION TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY PIPELINE

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ALL REALLY DOES MEAN ALL!

What Does it Mean to Prepare All Students to be Career and College Ready?

All Really Does Mean All!

Student Success

Professional Development

System for Non-

Traditional Students

Postsecondary and Career

Pathways

Community, Business and Postsecondary Partnerships

Curricular Alignment

Academic and Social

Interventions

All Really Does Mean All!

• Developing a system of postsecondary and career pathways that lead to:– Associate’s or Higher Degrees– Significant College Credits– Career Certifications

• Developing Community, Business and Postsecondary Partnerships– Business partnerships related to pathways– Develop system of internships and mentoring

• Curricular Alignment– Common Core / College Readiness Standards– Middle and high school focus

All Really Does Mean All!

• Develop Academic and Social Interventions– Middle school indicators– Restructure high school schedule

• For example – doubling up on math and English in 9th grades– Afterschool and in-class academic supports

• Intensive and Robust Professional Development– Leadership development system

• Developing leadership teams– Teacher development system

• Content• Instructional strategies• Externships (business, community, postsecondary)

– Paraprofessional development system

All Really Does Mean All!

• Develop a System for Non-Traditional an Out of School Youth– Synchronous and asynchronous E-Learning– Develop work-based experiences– Postsecondary and career pathways

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Gerlach, J. (2012). STEM: Defying a simple definition. NSTA Reports, 4/11/12. http://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=59305.

Herschbach, D. (2011). The STEM Initiative: constraints and challenges. Journal of STEM Education, 48(1), 96-122. http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JSTE/v48n1/pdf/herschbach.pdf.

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CAESAR MICKENS JR., DIRECTORcmickens@jff.org617.728.4446 x225

TEL 617.728.4446 FAX 617.728.4857 earlycolleges@jff.org88 Broad Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110122 C Street, NW, Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001WWW.JFF.ORG