College Connection

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College Connection
Regional Texas Essential Skills Consortium West
Central Texas Workforce Development Board July
14, 2006
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Closing the GapsOverview
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Closing the Gaps

• 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
• Most students (over 50) will elect to start at a
  community college
• Austin Community College expects 15,000 more
  students by 2015.

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Closing the Gaps

• State must increase minority participation rates
• Goal to increase enrollment in higher education
  by 630,000 by 2015
• College-going rate lags among minority
  populations
• Participation rates of minorities need to be
  proportional to population figures for the State
  to improve quality of life and to maintain State
  economic advantage

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Why College Connection?

• Education beyond high school increases
• earning potential and employment opportunities.
• U.S. Department of Education

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Learn to Earn
Source Postsecondary Education OPPORTUNITY
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Excuses For Not Continuing Your Education

• No one in my family has ever gone to college.

Ive been in school for 12 years. Thats enough!
I just want a good job.
I cant afford it.
I dont know what I want to do with my life.
I wont fit in.
College is too hard.
I dont know how to apply or where I want to go.
Source Adapted from The College Boards Seven
Excuses Not to Go to College and Why Theyre Lame
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College ConnectionOverview
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Improving High School to College Transitions -
Goals

• Create a culture/expectation that College is in
  everyones future
• Improve/increase percentage of high school
  graduates who enter college after high school
  graduation
• Improve/increase number of high school students
  who earn college credit while in high school

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Texas High School Graduates from FY 2005Enrolled
in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005
Austin Community College Service Area College
Transition Rates
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 http//www.thecb.state.tx.us/Repor
ts/PDF/1161.PDF
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Texas High School Graduates from FY 2005Enrolled
in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005
Austin Community College Service Area College
Transition Rates
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 http//www.thecb.state.tx.us/Repor
ts/PDF/1161.PDF
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Texas High School Graduates from FY 2005Enrolled
in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005
Austin Community College Service Area College
Transition Rates
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 http//www.thecb.state.tx.us/Rep
orts/PDF/1161.PDF
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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.

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College Connection Students Receive On-Campus
Activities

• Access to college and help getting started
• Student life information
• Admission application
• ACC Video TeleconferenceCampus Tour
• Financial aid application
• ASSET assessment
• Tour of Austin Community College campus(es)
• Pre-Advising (ACC 101)
• Advising
• Acceptance letter to ACC at graduation
• Registration for ACC classes
• RedRequired BlueRecommended BlackOptional

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College Connection Activity Grid Sample
San Marcos Lead Chad Kelly, 512-393-6800,
chad.kelly_at_smcisd.net Senior
Count 424 (SMHS) Cecily Moore, 512-393-6800,
cecily.moore_at_smcisd.net
16 (Pride HS) ACC Lead
Mary Hensley, 223-7618, mhensley_at_austincc.edu/Luan
ne Preston, 223-7355, luanne_at_austincc.edu Admin.
Assistant Esther Buzard, 223-7618,
ebuzard_at_austincc.edu/Charlene Washington,
223-7353, cwash_at_austincc.edu
SHADE/BOLD Required College Connection
Activities
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School Districts Participating in the Austin
Community College College Connection Program
2003-2006
2003-2004 (Year 1) San Marcos CISD
2004-2005 (Year 2) Austin ISD Bastrop ISD Del
Valle ISD Leander ISD San Marcos CISD
2005-2006 (Year 3) Austin ISD Bastrop ISD Del
Valle ISD Hays CISD Leander ISD Manor
ISD Pflugerville ISD San Marcos CISD
2006-2007 (Year 4) Austin ISD Bastrop ISD Del
Valle ISD Elgin ISD Hays CISD Jarrell ISD Leander
ISD Lockhart ISD Luling ISD Manor
ISD Pflugerville ISD Prairie Lea ISD Round Rock
ISD-SPHS San Marcos CISD
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School Districts Participating in the College
Connection Program 2006-2007
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Other Community Colleges Adopting College
Connection Program

• Coastal Bend Community College
• Del Mar Community College
• Houston Community College
• Temple Community College
• Victoria Community College

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Closing the Gaps Background
The community colleges role in the goal of
participation is absolutely vital. We talk about
students who come directly from high school into
higher education, and while the numbers are going
up, we are not attracting a significant increase
in the pool. Thats one of the areas that were
going to have to spend some real effort in
encouraging students who complete high school to
continue on with higher education and the
Connections Program that has been talked about
already today is absolutely the way that it needs
to happen all across the state to change. Dr.
Glenda BarronAssistant Commissioner, Community
and Technical Colleges DivisionTexas Higher
Education Coordinating BoardJanuary 7, 2005
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• 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

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The state must look for successful programs with
statewide potential, such as ACCs College
Connection program, in which seniors in
participating high schools are given help with
financial aid forms and required to fill out
applications.Raymond ParedesState Higher
Education CommissionerAustin American Statesman,
April 16, 2006
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College ConnectionResults
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The Austin Community CollegeCollege Connection
Program Works!
BlueYear after College Connection
started 1-Source http//www.txhighereddata.org/Re
ports/PDF/0961.pdf 2-Source http//www.txhighered
data.org/Reports/PDF/0963.pdf 3-Source
http//www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF
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College Connection Results for Austin Community
College-Fall 2005

• Positive effect on fall enrollments
• 37.6 increase in enrollment from College
  Connection High Schools from Fall 04 to Fall
  05
• Positive effect on Early College Start
  enrollments
• 25.6 increase in enrollment from Fall 04 to
  Fall 05
• Positive effect on Tech Prep enrollments
• 647 increase in number of students receiving
  Tech Prep credit from Fall 04 to Fall 05

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College Connection Program National Acclaim
Recognition
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The College ConnectionWeb Site

• Information in English and Spanish
• Information for parents
• Information for students
• Information for school district personnel
• Calendars
• Links to pertinent Austin Community College sites

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(No Transcript)
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Early College StartOverview
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Early College Start Program (ECS)

• Students qualify academically
• Enroll in ACC courses
• Complete classes for college credit
• Use college credit to meet graduation requirements

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ECS

• District signs MOU
• ECS liaison helps with
• academic year planning courses on your campus
  counselor updates
• pre-enrollment services offered at high school
  campus
• information session
• assessment testing
• academic advising

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Student Enrollment

• Complete ACC application, ECS Form
• Requires approval from counselor, principal (or
  designee)
• Requires signature of parent
• Students limited to 2 courses each semester
  (includes summer)
• Test, if not exempt via TAKS, SAT, or ACT
• Complete ACC 101 online pre-advising
• Obtain signature of ACC academic advisor
• Register for classes by phone or web
• Pay for classes, if necessary

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Student Costs

• Out-of-district students pay a low cost
• 40 per course for courses at ACC campus or
  distance learning
• Free for courses at Elgin HS or any other HS
  facility
• Textbooks, materials
• Official college transcript
• Parking permit (if parking on ACC campus)

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ECS at Elgin HS

• Courses offered in Spring semester for 5 years
• Singleton courses (criminal justice, personal
  computing, government, psychology, sociology,
  German)
• Some taught by Elgin teachers, some taught by ACC
  adjunct faculty
• Scheduling challenges (time of day) sufficient
  enrollment
• Faculty challenges (ACC SACS changes)

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Scheduling Courses at Elgin HS

• Work with ECS liaison to request courses
• ECS liaison requests approval from ACC Department
  Chair staffing affects approvals
• College schedule development timeline differs
  from HSstart early
• Must schedule appropriate class period and
  semester length
• Summer courses possible

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Who Provides Faculty?

• Elgin HS faculty
• Must meet SACS qualifications
• Masters degree with 18 graduate hours in content
  area
• Go through ACC faculty hiring process
• ACC adjunct faculty
• ACC sends adjunct faculty member

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Who Pays for Faculty?

• Elgin HS faculty
• EISD pays if faculty teaching as part of assigned
  load
• ACC pays if faculty teaches during zero hour,
  after school, or during conference period
• Even if EISD pays, the faculty member is under
  the supervision of ACC Dept. Chair for the
  college instruction, and must complete all ACC
  requirements (portfolio, evaluation, etc.)
• ACC adjunct faculty
• ACC pays

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Elgin ECS Resources

• Link Davidson
• 689-4819 (ACC mobile number)
• 512-353-7224 ACC San Marcos Center
• Leave message
• Linkd_at_austincc.edu
• ECS Website
• http//www.austincc.edu/ecs/index.html

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For a copy of this presentation

• www.austincc.edu/isd/RTESC/071306Presentation.ppt