Early and Middle Colleges:
Best Practices
Meghan Nyeste – Oakland University
Benjamin Brown – Michigan State University
Overview & Goals
 Open dialogue
 Define early and middle colleges
 Understand the history of these programs
 Identify challenges and benefits for students and institutions
 Future of the programs
 How MACRAO can assist
Quick Poll
An early/middle college program is…
A. An accelerated program for high-achieving
students
B. An incentive for schools to make money
C. For traditionally under-represented populations
D. A way to increase the number of people in
Michigan with a college degree
Definition and History
Early College High School Initiative
2002 – Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
North Carolina holds 1/3 of all programs
Only 3 Michigan programs fall into this category
Middle College
A 5-year educational program
JFF Early College Design Features
 Aligned curricula and
instruction
 Personalization and student
supports
 Power of place
 College Credit
 Partnerships
Definition and History, cont.
National Alliance for
Concurrent Enrollment
Partnerships (NACEP)
“Provides high school students the
opportunity to take college-credit
bearing courses taught by collegeapproved high school teachers”
“Sole Accrediting body for
concurrent enrollment partnerships”
Definition and History, cont.
Michigan Department of Education definition
Stand-alone, school w/in a school, PSA or SEE
The picture in Michigan…
School entities (19)
School programs (49)
Enhanced dual-enrollment – STEM Early College
Expansion Partnerships (SECEP) (13)
The LIST
Recently updated list
of all E/M College
programs in Michigan
from MEMCA
81 total in Michigan
Student Benefits of Programs
Student Benefits, cont.
According to a 2013 study, Early College Students had…
Better attendance
Lower suspensions
Higher levels of engagement
Compared to the control group, EC students reported
Better relationships with teachers
More rigorous and relevant instruction
More academic and affective support
Higher expectations
Additional Benefits
Students receive tuitionfree college credits
Colleges and Universities
EC students may graduate
sooner
Less scholarship money to
provide
High school districts
Another option for students
Able to create partnerships
Students may graduate with
an associate’s degree
Overall Challenges
Defining these programs
NACEP and EC Initiative standards vs. Michigan
standards
Assessment and accountability
Monetary influence
Who pays for what?
Other Challenges
Student Challenges
University Challenges
 Possibly disadvantaged with
college scholarships
 How to code these students?
FTIAC? Transfer?
 Balancing high school life with
college life – maturity levels
 What GPA to use?
 Extra-curricular activities
 Credit transferability
 Admissible from HS, not college, or
vice versa
 Transferability of courses
 Orientation program?
Future – where to go from here
Is there a need for college admissions offices registrars
offices and/or institutional research offices to have a
“best practices” regarding early/middle colleges?
Would high school districts benefit from this
college/university perspective?
How can we be more involved with MEMCA?
o The admissions
application process?
Questions to ask your
college/university
Does our institution have a
policy/practice/stance on…
o The amount of transfer
credit awarded?
o The type of
scholarships these
students qualify for?
o A specific orientation
program or a
preference for one or
the other?
Resources
 AIR.org – Impact studies regarding ECHSI
 JFF.org (or earlycollege.org) – Jobs for Future Foundation resources
 Michigan Early/Middle College Association – mighigan.gov/mde
(under “MDE programs”)
 Tc.Columbia.edu/ncrest – Teachers College at Columbia; research
on programs
 http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/06/prweb11966313.htm
Discussion