College Connection
Deep East Texas P-16 Council
December 5, 2008
Presenter
Luanne Preston
Executive Director, School Relations
Austin Community College
luanne@austincc.edu
512-223-7354
College Connection
Agenda

Closing the Gaps Overview

College Connection Overview

How It Works

Guiding Principles

Program Results

Program Recognition

State and National Interest in Expansion

How To Start

Plan for Success

Next Steps

Questions and Answers
Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board’s
Strategic Plan
“Closing the Gaps”
Overview
Closing the Gaps in
Participation

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.

Angelina College’s target goal is over 1,844 more
students by 2015.
Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/ClosingtheGaps/ctgtargets_pdf.cfm?Goal=1
College Connection
Overview
Education Beyond High School
Increases earning
potential and
employment
opportunities
-- U.S. Department
of Education
Improving High School to
College Transitions

Provide admission and pre-enrollment
services to seniors on their school
campuses.

Create an expectation that “College is in
everyone’s future.”

Increase percentage of high school seniors
who enter college after high school
graduation.
Angelina College District Service Area
College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2007
Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2007
School District
Total High
School
Graduates
Students
Enrolled in
Texas
Universities
Students
Enrolled in
Texas 2-year
Colleges
Students Not
Located in Texas
Higher
Education *
Central ISD
95
13
14%
29
31%
53
56%
Diboll ISD
119
19
16%
46
39%
54
45%
Hudson ISD
120
21
18%
47
39%
52
43%
Huntington ISD
140
15
11%
51
36%
74
53%
Lufkin ISD
449
114
25%
129
29%
206
46%
Zavalla ISD
28
5
18%
10
36%
13
46%
Crockett ISD
81
22
27%
19
24%
40
49%
Grapeland ISD
41
11
27%
12
29%
18
44%
Latexo ISD
29
6
21%
7
24%
16
55%
Lovelady ISD
33
13
40%
11
33%
9
27%
*Includes students who were not enrolled in Texas colleges or universities in the year immediately
following graduation, students who could not be tracked, and 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/Reports/PDF/1497.PDF
Angelina College District Service Area
College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2007
Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2007
School District
Total High
School
Graduates
Students
Enrolled in
Texas
Universities
Students
Enrolled in
Texas 2-year
Colleges
Students Not
Located in Texas
Higher
Education *
Central Heights ISD
43
9
21%
16
37%
18
42%
Cushing ISD
36
6
17%
9
25%
21
58%
Garrison ISD
40
4
10%
16
40%
20
50%
347
110
32%
42
12%
195
56%
Woden ISD
44
14
32%
8
18%
22
50%
Corrigan-Camden
ISD
55
9
16%
12
22%
34
62%
Livingston ISD
229
47
20%
52
23%
130
57%
Onalaska ISD
35
7
20%
3
9%
25
71%
Hemphill ISD
58
15
26%
9
16%
34
59%
West Sabine ISD
37
5
14%
14
38%
18
49%
Broaddus ISD
28
3
11%
9
32%
16
57%
San Augustine
57
15
26%
12
21%
30
53%
Nacogdoches ISD
Angelina College District Service Area
College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2007
Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2007
School District
Total High
School
Graduates
Students
Enrolled in
Texas
Universities
Students
Enrolled in
Texas 2-year
Colleges
Students Not
Located in Texas
Higher
Education *
Groveton ISD
41
11
27%
15
37%
15
37%
Trinity ISD
62
13
21%
4
7%
45
73%
Colmesneil ISD
44
6
14%
15
34%
23
52%
Spurger ISD
26
8
31%
0
0%
18
69%
Warren ISD
65
16
25%
15
23%
34
52%
Woodville ISD
57
18
32%
17
30%
22
39%
Alto ISD
37
7
19%
17
46%
13
35%
Newton ISD
65
8
12%
13
20%
44
68%
143
43
30%
27
19%
73
51%
Coldspring-Oakhurst
CISD
93
31
33%
11
12%
51
55%
Shepherd ISD
94
15
16%
17
18%
62
66%
2871
659
23%
714
25%
1498
52%
Jasper ISD
TOTAL
College Connection
How It Works
College Connection Program

Many high school students find the college
enrollment process intimidating.

Austin Community College District 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.
Students Receive Services at the
High School:
Required
•
•
•
•
•
Admission application
ASSET or COMPASS
Pre-advising
Academic advising
Graduation letter
Recommended
• Senior
presentation
• Financial aid
application
Optional
•
•
•
•
•
Student life info
Teleconference
Campus tours
Registration
Other
College Connection
Common Order of On-Campus Activities
1.
Senior Presentation
2.
Admission application
3.
Financial aid application
4.
ASSET assessment
5.
Tour of Austin Community College campus(es)
6.
Pre-Advising
7.
Advising
8.
Acceptance letter to Austin Community College at graduation
9.
Registration for Austin Community College classes
Red=Required
Blue=Recommended
Black=Optional
College Connection Activity Grid Sample
ISD District Lead:
Sandra Dowdy, Assistant Superintendent, 512-386-3040, sdowdy@del-valle.k12.tx.us
Del Valle HS Lead:
Jean MacInnis, Principal, 512-386-3210, jmacinnis@del-valle.k12.tx.us
Admin. Assistant: Nadene Norwood, 512-386-3211, nadene.norwood@del-valle.k12.tx.us
ACC District Lead:
Mary Hensley, 223-7618, mhensley@austincc.edu
Exec. Assistant: Laurie Clark, 223-7618, lclark2@austincc.edu
College Connection Lead: Luanne Preston, 223-7354, luanne@austincc.edu
Admin. Assistant: Claire Lewis, 223-7354, clewis@austincc.edu
Senior Count:400
Activity
Date
Time
Location
Equipment
Communication
Del Valle HS Contact
(*Lead Contact)
name@delvalle.k12.tx.us
ACC District Contact
(*Lead Contact)
name@austincc.edu
High School
Planning
Committee
Meeting
August 9,
2008
2:00 p.m. –
3:00 p.m.
Del Valle
Admin
5301 Ross Road
Del Valle, TX
•E-mail
•Announcement
*Jean MacInnis
Jmacinnis
*Luanne Preston
luanne
College Connection
Agreement
Prior to
beginning
Fall
semester
*Sandra Dowdy
Sdowdy
*Luanne Preston
luanne
Senior
Presentation
Kickoff Activity
September
13, 2008
10:30 a.m. –
11:30 a.m.
Auditorium
•Notice in parent
newsletter
•Notice on high
school website
*Sarah Mabry
Sarah.mabry
*Ashley Williams
awillia4
Admissions
Application
October 10,
2008
8:30 a.m. –
4:00 p.m.
Rooms A205,
C216, D130,
D208
•Non-citizen
students must
obtain alternate
ID before
completing
application
*Sarah Mabry
Sarah.mabry
*Pat Colunga
pcolunga
Make-Up Day
SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities
Lifetime Acceptance “at ACC”

Application never discarded

Provides a permanent
college home

Students come to ACC:
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Full-time
Part-time
In Summer for transfer
After military service
After career changes
While attending 4-year
institution (co-enroll)
Lifetime Acceptance “at ACC”

Cohorts can be tracked
by semester of entry

Longitudinal data
collected for
◦ Retention
◦ Completion
◦ Success
College Connection:
Guiding Principles
Guiding Principles: College Connection

Deliver services on high school campus
◦ “If they’re really interested, they should come to us”
◦ “Getting them to the college campus really gets them
excited; they need to see the college campus”
◦ Traditional recruitment has not produced desired results

What if the school wants to bring students to the
college campus for activities other than campus
tours?
◦ Ascertain the school’s purpose – this approach can be
useful in some circumstances, but it is generally more
efficient to serve students at the high school
Guiding Principles: College Connection

Deliver services during school day

Work with every category of high school student
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Gifted and talented
Advanced Placement/Honors
Bilingual/ESL
Section 504
Special Education
Guiding Principles: College Connection

Students do not need to repeat steps
◦ Dual-credit students do not have to re-apply
◦ Exempt students do not have to re-test

Design activities within one bell period
◦ Exception is assessment testing
◦ Be respectful of instructional time

Customize service delivery
◦ Meet high school needs
◦ Honor school preferences

Incorporate suggestions of school personnel
Program Results
College Connection Program Growth
Over 4 years:

1 school district
to 24 school
districts

2 high schools to
55 high schools

400 students to
17,000+ students
The College Connection Program Works!
Students NOT Located in Higher Education in Texas
ISD
San Marcos
Austin
Bastrop
Del Valle
Leander
Hays
Manor
Pflugerville
Fall 2003
Fall 2004
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
#
#
#
#
273
2,155
286
293
444
281
51
194
%
%
%
Fall 2007
%
66%
219
56% 2,066
55%
234
56% 2,005
59%
294
54% 2,014
#
66% 277
52% 1871
69%
77%
48%
57%
57%
47%
57%
80%
48%
56%
57%
47%
54%
66%
42%
55%
62%
48%
61%
71%
40%
51%
68%
46%
234
312
459
309
74
201
239
236
422
290
87
204
282
229
418
286
89
156
223
227
452
296
85
445
2007 Increase
of Students in
TX HIED
Since
Inception
%
64%
52%
2%
4%
55%
75%
38%
48%
56%
42%
2%
5%
10 %
7%
6%
6%
Blue=Year College Connection started
Red=Year Seniors attend ACC after College Connection
1-Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Reports/PDF/0961.pdf
2-Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Reports/PDF/0963.pdf
3-Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF
4-Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1497.pdf
The College Connection Program Works!
Students NOT Located in Higher Education in Texas
ISD
Elgin
Jarrell
Lockhart
Luling
Round
Rock
Smithville
2007 Increase
of Students in
TX HIED
Since
Inception
Fall 2003
Fall 2004
Fall 2005
Fall 2006
Fall 2007
#
#
#
#
%
45%
52%
11%
-2%
%
%
%
%
95
22
56%
50%
#
72
26
170
54
1020
63%
62%
47%
139
54
959
55%
67%
44%
8%
-5%
3%
66
53%
56
57%
-4%
Blue=Year College Connection started
Red=Year Seniors attend ACC after College Connection
1-Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Reports/PDF/0961.pdf
2-Source: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Reports/PDF/0963.pdf
3-Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF
4-Source: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/Reports/PDF/1497.pdf
College Connection
Diversity of Participants 2007-08
Traditionally Underrepresented in Higher
Education - Students Enroll at ACC

More than 50% of
College Connection
enrollees are
minorities

Higher percentage
entering ACC through
College Connection
than in the general
ACC student
population
College Connection Positively
Impacts Other College Programs

ACC Fall Enrollments
◦
◦
◦

Early College Start (Dual Credit)
Enrollments
◦

38% increase first year
59% increase over two years
Sustained growth over five years at about 30%
per year
41% increase from ’05 – ‘08
Tech Prep Enrollments
◦
98% increase in enrollment from ‘03 to ‘08
 36 students in 2003-04
 48 students in 2004-05
 293 students in 2005-06
 1,597 students in 2006-07
 2,181 students in 2007-08
Program Recognition
College Connection Program
National Acclaim & Recognition
Awards Received
• THECB Star Award
• Excelencia in
Education
Award
Award Recipient
November 2006
Semi-Finalist
October 2006
• Bellwether Award
Award Recipient
January 2007
State and National Interest
in Expansion
National Interest:
Florida Department of Education

Launched state-wide campaign in April 2007 called “Go
Higher-Get Accepted” modeled after College Connection
Maine Interest in College Connection

Proposed law requiring graduating high school seniors to
complete at least one college application before getting
diploma.

Support from “Compact for Higher Education”
“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
THECB Statewide
College Connection Expansion
2007-2009
•
Ten Colleges Receive Implementation Grants
• Alamo Community College District
• Blinn College
• Del Mar College
• Houston Community College System
• Lee College
• Odessa College
• Richland College
• South Texas College
• Tarrant County College District
• Weatherford College
THECB Statewide
College Connection Expansion
2007-2009
•
Five Colleges Receive Planning Grants
• Cedar Valley College
• Cisco Junior College
• Northeast Texas Community College
• Paris Junior College
• Victoria College
THECB Statewide
College Connection Expansion
•
Colleges Already Adopting College Connection
•
Alamo Community College District
•
Central Texas College
•
Coastal Bend Community College
•
Del Mar Community College
•
Houston Community College District
•
Temple Community College
•
Vernon College
•
Victoria Community College
College Connection:
How To Start
Formal Agreement

Between college and
school district

Signed by chancellor
and/or president and
superintendent

Establishes transfer of
student data from high
school to college

Details responsibilities
and expectations
Advance Briefing
 District/Central
 High
Office Staff
School Principal
Planning Meeting

One meeting held annually in Summer or Fall

Schedule one hour (slightly longer for new schools or
multiple schools)

Complete activity grid

Focus on scheduling

Leave activity details for * contacts
Communications between
School District and College

Electronic via list serv

Updated activity grid sent via e-mail when
changes occur

College Connection website links

iCal
◦ Combined calendar for internal use
Data Collection

Very Important

Collect electronically (Excel spreadsheet)

Collect from high school
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦

Name
Address
DOB
HS Student ID (for later record matching)
Test Scores (HS Exit Exam, SAT, ACT)
Mark records as College Connection cohort in
student database
Data Follow-Up

Track by school, how many students complete
each activity

May need multiple visits to get 100%
participation

Give high school principal participation rates for
use at graduation announcement ceremony

Report Fall enrollment from pilot schools
(compare to benchmark), Spring persistence
Austin Community College
College Connection Website
www.austincc.edu/isd

Access to scheduled
activities for students,
parents, and school officials

Calendars

Links to pertinent ACC
school district sites
Website
 Participating
 Links
schools
to school pages
 Link
to college pages of interest
 Press
coverage/special events
High School—College Partnership
Plan for Success
Central Office Staff

Sign formal agreement before beginning
◦ Work with superintendent

Understand and vocally support College Connection
program
◦ Announce program in meetings, newsletters, e-mails

Ensure your Board is informed
◦ Invite higher education partner to do a brief
presentation
Central Office Staff

Participate/help schools participate in “launch” activities
◦ Press conference
◦ Campus tours, celebrations, or special events

Attend as many campus planning meetings as possible
◦ Planning meetings to be held before activities begin
on campuses
◦ Lays the foundation for organized program activities
◦ Everyone is literally “on the same page”
Central Office Staff

Expect 100% participation – make expectations clear to
school staff

Provide support for school staff in scheduling all
activities during school days
◦ There is no other way to have 100% participation

Support and justify the pilot program for schools not yet
participating
Principal

Understand and vocally support College Connection
program
◦ Announce program in meetings, newsletters, e-mails

Participate in your campus planning meeting

Clear obstacles – allow access

Assign a positive, helpful, supportive “asterisk” person
to coordinate each activity
Principal

Allow the use of necessary school facilities during the
school day for activities (computer labs, gyms for
testing, etc.)

Help faculty understand your support for the program
◦ Students will be pulled out of classes 3 or 4 times during the year

Understand College Connection as a process with
sequenced activities
◦ Time is needed between activities

Emphasize the importance of 100% participation
◦ Allow repeated access, if necessary, to ensure that all students are
included
Principal

Assign staff to accompany students to College
Connection activities
◦ To help keep order
◦ To personally identify students to TCCD staff

Ensure that your school website features College
Connection

Help solve any problems that may arise
◦ During an activity
◦ During the school year
◦ Call College Connection contacts if needed
Principal

Recognize College Connection at graduation
ceremonies; some examples
◦ Announce how many students receive acceptance
letter
◦ Ask College Connection students to stand

Ensure students receive college acceptance letter along
with their diploma

Ensure final, official high school transcripts for all
students given to your college partner at the end of the
school year
Use College Connection data to celebrate, apply for
grants

Counselor

Understand and vocally support the program
◦ Announce in
 Meetings with classes
 Senior assemblies
 To individual students
 “Counselor’s corner” of the school newsletter
 E-mails to parents

Participate in your campus planning meeting

Be one of the positive, helpful, supportive “asterisk”
people coordinating one or more College Connection
activities
Counselor

Help find alternatives that allow the College Connection
process to be completed (computer labs, gyms for
testing, etc.)

Help colleagues understand your support and that
students will be pulled out of classes 3-4 times during
the year
Counselor

Understand the importance of 100% participation
◦ Help students understand the benefits of College Connection
even if the student has applied or been accepted to another
college





Free testing
FAFSA
Easy entrance
Higher income for more education
Accompany students to College Connection activities
◦ Help keep order
◦ Personally identify students to TCCD staff

Ensure that College Connection is featured on your
school website
Counselor

Help solve any problems that may arise during an
activity, or during the school year
◦ Call College Connection officials, if needed

Ensure that students receive the college acceptance letter
along with their diploma

Ensure that official high school transcripts for all
students are given in a batch to your college partner at
the end of the school year
◦ Saves time for students when enrolling
◦ Makes process smoother for students not entering directly after
graduation
Next Steps
•
Find high school or college partner
•
Create/sign appropriate Agreement
•
Brief district/high school personnel
•
Conduct planning meeting
• Begin, if possible, right after school year ends
• Next best time is August, before classes begin
Questions and Answers
For copies:
PowerPoint Presentation:
www.austincc.edu/isd/Deep EastP16/120508Presentation.ppt