From GEDs to College Degrees: The Adult Education Transitions Collaboration between Jefferson County

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From GEDs to College Degrees The Adult
Education Transitions Collaboration between
Jefferson County Public Schools and Jefferson
Community and Technical College

• Julie Scoskie, Director
• Joyce Griffith, Specialist
• Jefferson County Public Schools
• Adult and Continuing Education

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Our Goals Today

• Origins of the Partnership
• Policy environment political imperatives
• Internal issues
• The Transitions Program
• How it addresses gaps in knowledge skills for
  success in postsecondary education
• Impact on students
• How it relates to your program
• Plans for the future
• Ten Easy Steps--Breakout Session

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Context for Collaboration

• Kentucky House Bill 1 (1997)
• Post-Secondary Education Reform in Kentucky
• A seamless, integrated system of postsecondary
  education leading to greater numbers of citizens
  attaining college/university degrees
• and/or the completion of the training necessary
  to develop a workforce with the skills to meet
  the needs of new and existing industries.
• Kentucky Senate Bill 1 (2000)
• The Restructuring of Adult Education
• A seamless, integrated system of adult education
  services resulting in greater numbers of adults
  with GEDs and an increase in those entering
  postsecondary education and/or training.
• Result
• Aggressive enrollment and educational attainment
  goals.

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State-wide Concerns The Pipeline Leakage
Problem
For every 100 Kentucky 9th graders

• 65 graduate from high school
• 37 enter college
• 24 are still enrolled in collegiate sophomore
  year
• 12 graduate with a four-year degree in 6 years

Source Tom Mortenson, Public School Graduation
and College-Going Rates of Students Directly from
High School, 2004 NCES, IPEDS Fall 2004
Retention rates and 2004 Graduation Rate Survey
U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community
Survey (ACS)
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Local Imperatives Merged Government and the
Brookings Report

• Historic Opportunity
• The Louisville region stands at a historic
  juncture. As (the 2003) merger creates the 16th
  largest municipality in the U.S., the new city
  has an opportunity to seize the moment, get it
  right, and chart its destiny as one of the most
  progressive American cities.
• Serious Challenges
• The new city faces serious human capital and
  quality of life challenges that threaten future
  competitiveness, including
• A workforce severely limited in size and skill
• Low educational attainment which limits
  competitiveness in the knowledge economy

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The Solution Build a State of the Art Workforce
Development System

• Focus on the New Economy and high-skilled,
  high-wage jobs
• Provide career ladders for lower skilled adults
• Upgrade the regions community and technical
  colleges
• Make adult education, colleges, and universities
  full partners in Louisvilles long-term economic
  development strategy
• Promote educational attainment from GEDs to
  Ph.Ds.

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Educational Enrichment Services Program

• How it started
• How it works
• Impact on students

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Why Partner?

• To end competition and avoid duplication of
  services
• To address the gaps in knowledge and skills
  needed for success in postsecondary education
• To stretch limited resources
• To meet state-mandated enrollment goals
• To improve retention

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Self-Evaluation

• Confluence of events Go Higher! campaign, Beyond
  Merger, Brookings Report, and Local Workforce
  Investment Board
• We asked ourselves
• How is education faring in our community?
• 1 in 5 students lacked a high school credential
• 70 of college entering students needed a
  remedial course
• 83 of entering KCTCS Students scored 17 or lower
  on an ACT or equivalent assessment
• What are our educational challenges?
• What are our resources?
• What are our relationships like between
  educational institutions?

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College and Workforce Readiness
First-Time Freshmen Testing into JCTC
Developmental Courses Fall 2007

• 76 test into at least 1 developmental course
• 64 test into developmental math
• 32 test into developmental English
• 10 test into developmental reading
• 65 of 2007 high school graduates entering JCTC
  tested into developmental courses

Total First-Time Freshmen 2,160
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JCPS Adult Education Profile 2007-08
4,819 students
978 students earned a GED
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How We Collaborate Rethinking the Revolving Doors
PHASE I Moving college students in need of basic
skills into adult education services
PHASE II Moving adult education students into
college classes
Continually moving students in the right direction
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PHASE IDevelop the Structure

• Development of formal MOU
• Referral system based on Compass cut scores (lt
  27 in math lt 21 in writing lt 45 in reading)
• Align curricula and embed skills for success
• Deliver adult education services on campus for
  seamless transition
• Allow students to dually enroll in EES and
  college courses
• Provide College Assessment Preparation classes

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Factors for Success

• Commitment from leadership
• Monthly communication meetings
• Faculty/staff cooperation
• Common data system
• Tailored curricula
• Community awareness
• Continuous improvement based on expanding
  populations e.g. ESL

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PHASE I

• EES Students
• Average Age 25.31
• Gender
• F 62.77 M 37.23
• Race
• Asian 1.78
• American Indian .71
• Black 50.26
• Hispanic 3.13
• Not Specified 26.77
• White 30.64

• JCTC Students
• Average Age 26.4
• Gender
• F 54.16 M 45.81
• Race
• Asian 1.22
• American Indian .28
• Black 17.69
• Hispanic 2.09
• Not Specified 31.3
• White 62.54

Data captured Jan. 1, 2006 through Dec. 31, 2007
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Results Phase I

• Fall 2003 to Fall 2007 Results
• English
• 82 EES Course Completion Rate
• 89 Eligible to Move to Next Course or higher
• Math
• 79 EES Course Completion Rate
• 90 Eligible to Move to Next Course or Higher

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Results Phase I (cont.)
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Results Phase I (cont.) Tracking the original
262 EES Students from Fall 2003

• Spring 2006 52 (137) still enrolled
• (compared to 21 of all first time students from
  Fall 2003)
• Fall 2007 37 (97) still enrolled
• (compared to 11 of all first time students from
  Fall 2003)

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GED recipients represented approximately 10 of
the total JCTC enrollment.
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PHASE II Focus on College Success

• College Bound Program Incorporate higher
  education into lesson plans, link career goals
  with education, and address barriers (financial
  and disabilities)
• Award annual scholarship to outstanding GED
  recipient
• Provide separate orientation and admission
  process
• Award one credit hour of GE 100 (Introduction to
  College)
• Improve data tracking
• Improve intervention and support system (based on
  successful Career Pathways and Success Now
  Learning Communities)

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Benefits

• Tuition saved for students
• College, Adult Education, and Student
• Serves students through a comprehensive,
  seamless system that reduces
  duplication
• Leveraged resources
• Joint marketing

Tuition saved in 2007-08 More than 400,000
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Resources

• Council on Post-Secondary Educations Double the
  Numbers Plan to Increase College Graduates
• http//cpe.ky.gov/doublethenumbers/
• Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Task Force on
  Postsecondary Education
• http//www.kychamber.com/docs/governmentaffairs/po
  stsecondaryreport.pdf
• In the Eye of the Storm Kentuckys Looming
  Workforce Crisis
• http//www.kctcs.edu/compete/kctcs_ceo_summary_rep
  ort.pdf
• Robert McCabe, No One to Waste A Report to
  Public Decision-Makers and Community College
  Leaders
• Summary available at http//www.ecs.org/clearingho
  use/25/34/2534.doc
• Full Book available from Community College Press,
  Washington, DC
• Robert McCabe, Yes, We Can! A Community College
  Guide for Developing America's Underprepared
• Full book available from American Association of
  Community Colleges, Washington, DC. League for
  Innovation in the Community College
• Crisis at the Core Preparing All Students for
  College and Work
• http//www.act.org/research/policymakers/reports/c
  risis.html

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Resources (cont.)

• Ready for College and Read for Work Same or
  Different (ACT)
• http//www.act.org/research/policymakers/reports/w
  orkready.html
• Tough Choices or Tough Times (National Center on
  Education and the Economy)
• Summary available at www.skillscommission.org/pdf
  /exec_sum/ToughChoices_EXECSUM.pdf
• Full book available from Jossey Bass Publishers
• Americas Perfect Storm Three Forces Changing
  Our Nations Future (Educational Testing Service)
• Summary available at www.ets.org/communitycollege
  07/apsfr.html
• Are They Really Ready for Work? Employers
  Perspectives on . . . New Entrants into the 21st
  Century Workforce (The Conference Board, et al.)
• www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/FINAL_REPORT_P
  df09-29-061.pdf
• Winning the Skills Race and Strengthening
  Americas Middle Class Action Agenda for
  Community Colleges (College Board)
• Available at http//www.collegeboard.com/prod_down
  loads/prof/community/winning_the_skills_race_summa
  ry.ppt

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Recognition

• Awarded National Alliance of Community and
  Technical Colleges Program of Distinction, 2008
• KentuckianaWorks Excellence in Workforce
  Achievement for Innovative Program/Partnerships
  http//www.kentuckianaworks.org
• Featured at American Association for Adult and
  Continuing Education
• Profiled by Dr. Forrest Chisman from the Council
  for Advancement of Adult Literacy
  http//www.caalusa.org
• Selected as a model program for visitation by
  Bostons Jobs for the Future Program and the
  Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
• Cited in June/July 2005 issue of the Community
  College Journal
• US Department of Education Office of Vocational
  and Adult Education http//www.c-pal.net

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To find out moreAttend the Breakout Session
Creating a Successful Transitions Program in Ten
Easy Steps
and/orGo to http//www.ged4u.com and
click on Transition to Postsecondary Education