College Connection
ACT Conference Presentation
April 20, 2006
Agenda
• College Connection Overview
• College Connection Results
• Assessment
• COMPASS
• Questions and Answers
Presenters
Mary Hensley, Ed.D.
Vice President, College
Support Systems and ISD
Relations
mhensley@austincc.edu
512-223-7618
Luanne Preston, Ph.D.
Executive Director, Early
College Start and College
Connection
luanne@austincc.edu
512-223-7354
Richard Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Vice President,
Instructional Resources and
Technology
rlsmith@austincc.edu
512-223-7792
Jennifer Weber, M.Ed.
Online Applications
Software Administrator
jweber@austincc.edu
512-223-7333
College Connection
Overview
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.
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
Improving High School to
College Transitions - Goals
• Create a culture/expectation that “College is in
everyone’s 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
Austin Community College Service Area
College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2005
Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005
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 *
Austin
3,732
1040
28%
687
18%
2,005
54%
Bastrop
446
105
24%
102
23%
239
54%
Blanco
63
18
29%
14
22%
31
49%
360
57
16%
67
19%
236
66%
Dripping Springs
234
114
49%
54
23%
66
28%
Eanes
576
256
44%
53
9%
267
46%
Elgin
211
58
27%
42
20%
111
53%
Fredericksburg
228
90
39%
30
13%
108
47%
Coupland**
Del Valle
Doss**
*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/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF
Austin Community College Service Area
College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2005
Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005
School District
Georgetown
Total High
School
Graduates
Students
Enrolled in
Texas
Universities
Students
Enrolled in
Texas 2-year
Colleges
Students Not
Located in
Texas Higher
Education *
530
189
36%
95
18%
246
46%
33
17
51%
4
12%
12
36%
Hays
531
164
31%
77
15%
290
55%
Jarrell
38
10
26%
10
26%
18
47%
Johnson City
58
23
40%
9
16%
26
45%
Lago Vista
65
21
32%
8
12%
36
55%
Lake Travis
320
150
47%
54
17%
116
36%
1,016
312
31%
282
28%
422
42%
Liberty Hill
138
42
30%
30
22%
66
48%
Lockhart
241
66
27%
28
12%
147
61%
Harper
Leander
*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/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF
Austin Community College Service Area
College Transition Rates
Texas High School Graduates from FY 2005
Enrolled in Texas Higher Education Fall 2005
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 *
Luling
81
17
21%
7
9%
57
70%
Manor
140
27
19%
26
19%
87
62%
59
10
17%
13
22%
36
61%
940
334
36%
202
21%
404
43%
2,202
747
34%
398
18%
1,057
48%
San Marcos
400
102
26%
64
16%
234
59%
Smithville
105
25
24%
24
23%
56
53%
Wimberley
160
65
41%
34
21%
61
38%
McDade**
Nixon Smiley
Pflugerville
Prairie Lea**
Round Rock
Total
12,907
4,059
31%
2,414
19%
6,434
50%
*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/Reports/PDF/1161.PDF
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.
College Connection
Students Receive On-Campus Activities:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Access to college and help getting started
Student life information
Admission application
Austin Community College Video Teleconference—Campus
Tour
Financial aid application
ASSET assessment
Tour of Austin Community College campus(es)
Pre-Advising
Advising
Acceptance letter to Austin Community College at graduation
Registration for Austin Community College classes
Red=Required
Blue=Recommended
Black=Optional
College Connection
Activity Grid Sample
San Marcos Lead: Chad Kelly, 512-393-6800, chad.kelly@smcisd.net
Senior Count: 424 (SMHS)
Cecily Moore, 512-393-6800, cecily.moore@smcisd.net
16 (Pride HS)
ACC Lead: Mary Hensley, 223-7618, mhensley@austincc.edu/Luanne Preston, 223-7355, luanne@austincc.edu
Admin. Assistant: Esther Buzard, 223-7618, ebuzard@austincc.edu/Charlene Washington, 223-7353, cwash@austincc.edu
Activity
Date
Signature Letter of
Release
August 1526, 2005
For all Seniors:
-Access to College
-Getting Started
-Financial Aid
-Career Planning
September
8, 2005
Admissions
Application
Sept 14,
2005
Make-Up Day
Sept 28,
2005
ASSET
Assessment
(paper and pencil)
Financial Aid
Information Night
Time
Location
Equipment
Communication
San Marcos HS Contact
(*Lead Contact)
Name@sanmarcos.isd.tenet.edu
ACC Contact
(*Lead Contact)
Name@austincc.edu
Biolerplate
letter
•Letters to
parents contest
*Cecily Moore
Cecily.moore
*Linda Kluck
Lkluck
9:45-11:15
a.m.
SMHS
Auditorium
and Library
•Notice in parent
newsletter
•Notice on high
school website
*Cecily Moore
Cecily.moore
*George Reyes
Rey
Amy Koch
Akoch
8:30 a.m. –
4:00 p.m.
San Marcos HS
Library 60
computers
•Intercom
announcements
•Notice to faculty
*Cecily Moore
Cecily.moore
*Amy Koch
Akoch
Nov 8 & 10,
2005
8:30 a.m.12:45 p.m.
SMCISD Fine
Arts Theater
and Library
•Schedule to
parents and on
web site
*Cecily Moore
Cecily.moore
*Amy Koch
Akoch
Feb. 15, 2006
9:00 a.m. –
4:00 p.m.
San Marcos HS
Library
Use incentives
for kids to
attend
Information sheet
disseminated to
students @ school
& via web site
*Cecily Moore
Cecily.moore
*Terry Bazan
SHADE/BOLD – Required College Connection Activities
Tbazan@austincc.edu
School Districts Participating
in the College Connection
Program 2004-2005
2003-2004 (Year 1)
2004-2005 (Year 2)
2005-2006 (Year 3)
San Marcos ISD
Austin ISD
Austin ISD
Bastrop ISD
Bastrop ISD
Del Valle ISD
Del Valle ISD
Leander ISD
Hays CISD
San Marcos CISD
Leander ISD
Manor ISD
Pflugerville ISD
San Marcos ISD
School Districts Participating
in the College Connection
Program 2005-2006
School District
Austin ISD
Number of
Seniors
4,488
Bastrop ISD
513
Del Valle ISD
512
Hays CISD
620
Leander ISD
Manor ISD
Pflugerville ISD
San Marcos CISD
Total
1,245
214
1,120
440
9,152
Other Community Colleges
Adopting College Connection
Program
• Coastal Bend Community College
• Del Mar Community College
• Houston Community College
• Temple Community College
• Victoria Community College
“Closing the Gaps”
Background
“The community college’s 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. That’s one of the areas that we’re 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 Barron
Assistant Commissioner, Community and Technical Colleges Division
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
January 7, 2005
“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
“The state must look for successful
programs with statewide potential, such as
ACC’s College Connection program, in
which seniors in participating high schools
are given help with financial aid forms and
required to fill out applications.”
--Raymond Paredes
State Higher Education Commissioner
Austin American Statesman, April 16, 2006
College Connection
Results
The College Connection Program Works!
District
San Marcos
Austin
Bastrop
Del Valle
Leander
Students Not
Located in Texas
Higher Education
Fall 20031
273
2,155
286
293
444
66%
56%
69%
77%
48%
Students Not
Located in Texas
Higher Education
Fall 20042
219
2,066
234
312
459
55%
56%
57%
80%
48%
Students Not
Located in Texas
Higher Education
Fall 20053
234
2,005
239
236
422
% Increase of
students
Located in
Higher
Education
59%
54%
54%
66%
42%
Districts Initiating the College Connection Program in Fall 2005
Hays
281
57%
311
57%
290 55%
Manor
51
57%
74
57%
87 62%
Pflugerville
407
44%
470
49%
404 43%
Blue=Year after College Connection started
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
7%
2%
15 %
11 %
6%
2%
-5 %
1%
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
The College Connection
Web Site
www.austincc.edu/isd
• Information in English and Spanish
• Information for parents
• Information for students
• Information for school district personnel
• Calendars
• Links to pertinent Austin Community College
sites
College Connection
Assessment
College Connection and the
Texas Success Initiative
• State of Texas requires all students entering
college to demonstrate college-readiness in
reading, writing, and mathematics by
standardized test scores or by exemption.
• Students who don’t meet the college-ready
cut scores or exemption scores must take
developmental classes.
College Connection Testing
• State-approved testing instruments are
COMPASS, ASSET, THEA, ACCUPLACER.
• Free state-approved testing is a required
College Connection activity for students who
need to establish college-readiness.
College Connection Testing
• College Connection will serve approximately
9,000 students in 2005-2006.
• ACC generally tests about 50% of College
Connection participants on at least one skill
section.
• ACC uses ASSET on high school campuses
because the format allows the quick testing of
large numbers of students.
College Connection Testing
• ASSET is an excellent instrument for
accommodating students with disabilities.
• Assessment, or presentation of exemption
scores, is a required part of the ACC
admissions process.
• ACC uses ASSET and COMPASS scores for
correct college-level or developmental course
placement.
COMPASS Pilot
COMPASS Advantages
•
Lower cost = more participants
•
Immediate scoring
•
Score interpretation to students
•
Printed score report
•
Shorter testing time
•
Appealing to students
•
Make-up testing for absent students
•
Retesting in single subject areas
COMPASS Pilot Overview
• Feasibility pilot
• Pilot conducted at San Marcos High School
in October 2005
• Purpose was to define implementation
issues and identify solutions to any
problems encountered
• Sought to answer the question “Can it be
done?”
Preparatory Planning
• Inter-departmental coordination at the college:
• Assessment Specialists (test proctors)
• Instructional and Information Technology Staff
(technical support)
• College Connection Staff (ACC liaison to area
High Schools).
• Committee meeting called between staff from each
of the above areas to define task assignment and a
timeline, share prior COMPASS testing
experiences, and express any related concerns
about the pilot.
Results of the Pilot
• Feasibility confirmed
• 8 participants successfully took the test and
obtained a placement printout.
• All test components used including e-Write
• Issues Addressed:
• Software and Client Installation
• Server-Side Setup
• Assessment Configuration
Software and Client Issues
• Changes requiring administrative privileges
on the High School computer stations:
• Internet Explorer security settings, software
installation and registration of each workstation
with ACT network
• Conflict with filtering and classroom
management software on the workstations
• Variability in workstation setup
• Windows updates and network cabling
Software and Client Solutions
Implementation strategies
• Coordination with High School Technology Staff
to obtain administrative privileges on the
computers.
• Plan for sufficient lead time to install software and
work out any unforeseen problems
• Burn software to CDs to minimize download times
• Randomization of test items allows for use of all
workstations so there is no need to stagger
students.
Server-side Setup
• Assessments are hosted on ACT servers
• Requires some computer literacy and
troubleshooting skills
• Assessment configuration details need to be verified
in four major areas; site definitions, proctor logins,
assessment creations and placement criteria.
Assessment Configuration
• Site and security recommendations
• Create a site for each physical location
• Deactivate sites when not in use
• Restrict which staff logins can proctor at each site
Assessment Configuration
• Test Packages
• ACC imported preexisting assessments from
Windows 3.2 version
• E-write errors were resolved by creating these
from scratch once we determined that they could
not be migrated from the previous version.
• Score Report format
• Set to print upon completion of test
• Includes ACC placement information
Assessment Configuration
• Uncheck SSR file option (Single Student Record)
• Student Privacy
Other Considerations
• Calculate student to computer ratio carefully and
plan to allow for 4 hours for each student to take
the test.
• Special meal arrangements had to be made, as
testing times conflicted with student lunch
schedules.
Future Directions
• ACC will continue to expand the College
Connection program to additional school
districts in 2006-2007.
• In order to begin receiving the benefits of
computerized testing, ACC is moving forward
with a full scale implementation of the Internet
version of COMPASS at those high schools
which have sufficient number of computers.
For a copy of this presentation
• http://www.austincc.edu/isd/act/
042006Presentation.ppt
Questions and
Answers