GNYC! College Transition Programs
In recent years, conversations pertaining to post-secondary success have focused on how “college-ready”
students are when they graduate high school or complete a GED program successfully. In the Graduate
NYC! Initiative, college-readiness is defined as “the level of academic preparation and behaviors, and
college awareness a high school graduate needs in order to ensure his or her ability to: 1) make informed
post-secondary decisions, 2) apply in a timely manner, and 3) enroll and succeed without remediation in
credit-bearing courses that meet the requirements for a degree.”
While college-readiness can be associated with several discrete benchmarks, the transition to college is a
comprehensive and complex process involving many stakeholders and encompassing several dimensions
of personal preparation: academic, behavioral, financial and conceptual. For example, effective
curriculum and classroom pedagogy are essential to providing students with a foundation for college-level
learning. Focused advisement increases students’ awareness of college expectations, while family
engagement also plays a significant roll, starting at the moment of selecting a secondary school.
Additionally, the transition timeline occurs on a continuum with multiple points of entry: ninth graders
who understand the long-term benefits of pursuing a rigorous high school curriculum increase the
likelihood of a successful college transition, while, at the opposite end, the first years of college are an
acclimatizing period for many students, especially first generation college-goers who might require
several semesters to establish successful academic or social routines.
Given the dissatisfying rates of college enrollment and degree attainment in New York City, many
schools, colleges and community organizations have realized the need to develop supplementary
programs to address college-readiness and success. The goal of the GNYC! Transition Programs team is
to identify the local programs that address college transition outside of the typical school or college
academic and advisement structures required by state or local mandate. For the purposes of GNYC! –
and borrowing from Conley – College Transition Programs typically serve students in the last couple
years of high school and first year of college. While high school completion and a stable, supportive
family environment are crucial to the foundation for college success, GNYC! College Transition
Programs are aimed at increasing students’ academic skills and “college knowledge” prior to enrollment
in gatekeeper courses and supporting their initial progress toward degree completion, or roughly the first
20 credits1. These programs have high expectations for young people and are specifically designed to
provide services that address the following areas2:

Short- and Long-term Personal Goals: CT programs help students understand the value of
college, broadly, and the connection of college with life and career goals.
 Academic Preparation: CT programs implement rigorous curricula that prepare students for
introductory college-level learning, with a focus on literacy, numeracy and problem-solving
integrated with core content and competencies in academic disciplines or career/technical fields.
 Personal & Academic Behaviors: CT programs help students organize their time and study habits
– as well as monitor their own learning – within the context of a college success agenda.
 Contextual Skills & Awareness: CT programs support an understanding of the college-going
process as well as campus structures and culture, e.g. how to access services such as counseling,
advisement, or financial aid. Some CT activities build the communication and self-efficacy skills
that enable students to navigate the college landscape, from finding and applying to best “match”
colleges, completing a college prep curriculum, and making informed choices about degree
pathways.
1
2
According to Adelman, earning 20 credits by the end of the first year is strongly correlated with graduation.
The elements of college transition presented here are informed by Conley’s “College-readiness” framework.