Volume:2, Issue: 1
Apr. 1, 2010
Apr. 1, 2010
DESCRIPTORS: early college high school; school mission and goals; low-income youth; at-risk students; high motivation; project learning; digital portfolios; academic tutorial sessions; supportive environment.
SYNOPSIS: This article written by the school principal in association with the community college administrator assigned to this program talks about a very productive and challenging authorial model which proved to be reproducible in different educational settings. The authors clearly indicate their primary keys for success and introduce to the readers some intriguing strategies and techniques. They also show how effective could be such methods as developing individual learning plans and arranging for academic tutorial sessions for everyone who needs them.
The Early College High School Initiative began with a captivating, though radical, concept: challenge not remediation will make a difference for those young people who are least likely to attend college and for whom society often has low aspirations for academic achievement. To make this proposition succeed, secondary and postsecondary partners would need to rethink traditional curriculum sequences, find creative ways to align and connect high school and college experiences, and provide the academic and social supports students need to succeed in an intensive early college program of study.
Since 2002, with start-up support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, more than 200 early college high schools have transformed this innovative concept into reality. Across the country, early college high school students are simultaneously earning both a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or two years of college credit toward a Bachelor’s degree. Whatever their prior experience in school, early college high school students are challenged and supported to develop the knowledge, skills, and behaviors that lead to success in college. ECHS is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges.
The schools are designed so that low-income youth, first-generation college goers, English language learners, students of color, and other young people underrepresented in higher education can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s degree—tuition free.
The Coastline/Newport-Mesa Early College High School opened in August 2006 through a collaborative effort between Newport-Mesa Unified School district and Coastline Community College – an effort consistent with the standards of the Early College High School Initiative described above. Our ECHS students can potentially earn both a high school diploma and an Associate in Arts Degree in five years or less by taking college and high school courses concurrently. They do this without changing schools, without applying to college, and without paying college tuition.
The program targets young people who have not reached their academic potential, who are socio-economically disadvantaged, English language learners, first in their family to go to college, and those who must balance school and family obligations.
Betty Disney’s comment: As the Coastline college administrator assigned to this unique new program, I was both thrilled and daunted by its unprecedented goals. I thought the concept was marvelous in the abstract, but I had a sinking feeling it would never really work. How wrong that feeling was!
The mission of Early College High School is to prepare students academically and socially to contribute at the highest levels by becoming productive members of society. To reach this goal, we depend on the partnership, communication, and support of our students, educators, parents, and community members.
Betty Disney’s comment: Coming from the college side of the partnership, I didn’t at first realize the extent of these students’ emotional needs and how important providing emotional support was for their success. The students themselves commented on how every teacher and staff member at the high school knows them by name and how the school feels like family. Because these students are getting the individualized attention and guided interaction they crave, they feel cared for. They feel their lives and their choices matter. This is important to everyone, but for teenagers coming from less-than-supportive backgrounds, it is essential.
An Early College graduate will:
Our ECHS has a maximum population of one hundred students per grade level, allowing for smaller class sizes, frequent opportunities for individual participation, and personalized attention from faculty and staff. ECHS is an inclusive school community that involves students, teachers, parents, and the public who support our students in the pursuit of their academic endeavors. ECHS incorporates effective instructional and structural systems that engage students in a comprehensive support network that helps them develop not only the academic skills, but also the social skills and the behaviors necessary for college. Our students are offered a complete and rigorous curriculum that is technology driven and aligned with the student interests and state standards.
ECHS students experience a college educational environment beginning their first year of high school. From the start, they receive the expert advice of both a high school and college counselor to help them develop their Individual Learning Plans. Each year thereafter the students receive additional information regarding their academic progress toward achieving their established goals. The high school schedule is organized into eight 90-minute periods with four high school classes meeting on Monday and Wednesday and four different high school classes meeting on Tuesday and Thursday. This allows the school to offer high school and college courses, tutoring periods, and college preparation courses within the students' daily schedules. Students who have not earned a grade of C or higher in their classes are required to attend additional after-school tutoring.
The curricular structure incorporates an emphasis on Project-Based Learning and student digital portfolios demonstrating academic accomplishments. Technology is integrated into the instructional presentation and is used as a tool for improving student learning. ECHS students start in the ninth grade taking two college courses and increase the number of college courses as they evolve through the program. The students will complete 34 to 37 college credits by their senior year and the students who stay for the fifth year will earn an additional 23 to 26 college credits to complete their Associate of Arts Degree.
Betty Disney’s comment: Though the schedule is rigorous and the expectations high, the students seem to thrive in this challenging environment. In fact, in some of the college classes, the high school-aged students have academically outperformed the college-aged students!
Early College High School is fortunate to be able to offer its students both high school counseling and college counseling. These counselors work closely together to plan students’ high school and college curriculum and advise students in their career and academic decisions. At Early College High School, we feel that counseling and advisement are key components to ensuring student success.
The objective of our counseling department is to provide a comprehensive and developmental program that addresses the academic, career, and personal/social development of all students. The role of the school counselors is to provide support in these areas to maximize each student’s potential to achieve academic and personal success and to ensure that each student is prepared and equipped with the knowledge and skills to be a contributing and productive member of society.
The school counselors play a vital role in the establishment of communication with the student, parents, educators, and community members.
Betty Disney’s comment: This kind of guidance is “gold” especially for our socio-economically disadvantaged students and those who are first in their family to go to college. It is so common at the community college level for our college-aged students to begin classes with no idea what their options are or how to define and pursue their goals. Our ECHS students start this process at the age of 14 – what a fabulous advantage.
At ECHS, it is imperative to create a student-centered learning environment that engages students. As a result, the ECHS staff has maintained the view that it is not only their obligation to educate the students, but to teach them to apply their knowledge. By accomplishing this goal, ECHS is creating educated students who are able to positively impact society.
To help all students meet the high academic standards, ECHS has embraced project-based learning as a key educational practice. Project-based learning helps students accomplish the ESLRs created for ECHS.
As part of the Early College High School Grant, ECHS accepts a large percentage of students who are categorized as “at-risk” and performing below their academic potential. It was understood that it would be difficult to have all students meet the high academic standards set by the school. By creating exciting and innovative projects, the teachers and students are relaying information in a new way that helps students understand the importance of course content as it applies to the real world.
Teachers are encouraged to create projects for their subject matter and work together to create cross-curricular projects. These projects encourage students to connect the material in one class to the material in other classes. Teachers at Early College High School use a variety of academic and interpersonal strategies to emphasize higher level thinking and help students succeed.
One of the greatest educational benefits of project-based learning is that it encourages reflection on habits and skills. When participating in a project, it is not possible for students to merely regurgitate information. They must demonstrate a true understanding of the material. As students answer and reflect upon the following questions, they are involved in a deeper level of thinking. What did we learn? What skills have we been taught? What skills do we need to practice? What was the quality of work? Where can we improve?
The implementation of project-based learning at ECHS has allowed the teachers to employ effective teaching strategies with the inherent belief that all students can learn. The practice of implementing cross-curricular projects, with teacher collaboration as a key component, reinforces the importance of what students are learning.
Teachers incorporate a variety of performance-based assessments to determine the level of understanding by students. Teachers work individually and together to create single subject or cross-curricular projects aimed at building connections within and between the various subject matters. Through oral presentations, skits, dialogues, historical reenactments, student-created PowerPoint presentations, newspapers/editorials, group debates/discussions, research papers, art projects, and lab demonstrations, students of all learning levels bridge connections between life situations, California State Standards, and ESLRs.
Ultimately, the goal is to help students draw connections between the coursework and their lives so that students walk away with a firmer grasp on the content. For example, a student may study WWII in social studies and read Night by Elie Wiesel in English. In the geometry Athletic Fields Project, students worked in groups to present a proposal to Coastline Community College creating a design to incorporate four athletic fields into the existing field space in a cost effective way. Students researched dimensions, labor costs, and maintenance costs within the allotted space. Students created a scale model, written proposal, and a PowerPoint presentation. In these cross-curricular projects, students apply the concepts learned to help solve problems and enhance interpretation for in-depth understanding that remains relevant to their lives and the community.
Students were given the opportunity to be part of an International Environmental Advocacy Project in conjunction with North Lindsey College in England. The project is comprised of four teams of students from both schools who are competing to create an informational website that details the causes and effects of global warming in communities around the world. Students are addressing the effects of a rise in sea levels due to the melting of the polar icecaps. This project focuses on science, economics, writing, technology, and presentation skills. Each website will be judged by a panel of international judges. This project in particular exposes the students to the viewpoints of people from other countries through cooperative learning. ECHS is truly proud of the ability to offer this tremendous educational opportunity to students.
Betty Disney’s comment: A positive and unexpected outcome of having an Early College High School on a college campus is the impact the high school’s best practices (like project-based learning) has had on the college. Because the ECHS program has been so successful, the college has been inspired to establish professional development workshops for the college instructors on the instructional strategies used by the ECHS high school teachers – a true win/win.
Every year students create a culminating display of project-based learning through a digital portfolio. The students develop their own website that displays four projects from each class. The digital portfolio highlights the projects and important concepts students have learned in each class during the year. It also allows students to creatively express themselves using digital media. Members of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, Coastline Community College, parents, and community members are invited to students’ digital portfolio presentations at the end of each school year. Students take great pride in their digital portfolio and are graded by each teacher on the content. Digital portfolios allow students to sharpen their research and web design skills.
The writing component of the digital portfolios is an important part to the students' presentation. Students are asked to convey in writing what they have learned in the high school classes. Students highlight favorite projects in each course and write about their learning experience. When reviewing students’ digital portfolios, teachers are able to decipher what students learned in class and revise projects where key concepts may have been misunderstood.
Betty Disney’s comment: It is amazing how articulate the students are about what they have learned. As a college representative invited to review the portfolios, I am consistently impressed. Not only are the students articulate, but also they exude a comfortable confidence and enthusiasm as they explain their work to adults who are often complete strangers to them.
Individual learning plans are unique to Early College High School students. The counselors work together to develop an Individual Learning Plan that is designed to serve as a student’s personal guide to becoming a successful student. The plan serves as a tool which helps students set learning goals based on academic and career interests. Students who receive an Individual Learning Plan will have a customized success plan and support system to serve as a guide as they navigate through their educational experience in the high school and community college systems.
The Individual Learning Plan (ILP) helps secondary students better focus their coursework and on individual goals as they prepare for postsecondary studies and careers. The ILP plays a key role in the advising component of the students' education. Students engage in advising and guidance specific to their educational goals based around the ILP.
The Individual Learning Plan has many features and resources that involve students on a variety of levels:
As a school that embraces the belief that all students can learn, the staff ensures that every student has an opportunity to truly understand the material being taught in class. With this in mind, the bell schedule was designed to support the academic needs of the student population. The school day starts at 9:15 a.m., approximately 90 minutes later than the majority of traditional high schools. Research has shown that adolescent brains are more alert and function at a higher cognitive level later in the morning. An eight period block schedule was created to allow students to have smaller class sizes, greater access to teachers, and increased instructional time. The eight period block schedule allows students to take a variety of college courses at different times throughout the school day.
More than half of the students accepted to Early College High School are categorized as “at-risk.” Students can fall under this category by being the first in their family to attend college, participating in the free and reduced lunch program, earning “D” or “F” grades, scoring in the far below basic or below basic level on STAR Tests, or for behavioral or attendance issues. Many students do not have access to the academic support necessary to reach their full potential. The majority of the families are not able to pay for tutoring outside of school nor does the majority of the parent population have the educational background to assist their child with course material. Many of the students reside in small living quarters where it is not possible to have a place to focus on schoolwork. Considering these factors and the high academic standards set for the students, it was imperative to have additional academic support available to the students.
Betty Disney’s comment: At one remarkable ECHS bonding and team-building event, several adults were invited to facilitate intimate discussions with the students about painful personal experiences like intolerance, prejudice, violence, hopelessness, etc. During these sessions I listened to students in my group express their struggles with drugs, homelessness, suicidal thoughts, and family violence. This was not my experience as a child and I marvel at their stamina and courage. I am also so thankful they are in this remarkable program, receiving the positive reinforcement they so desperately need and deserve.
In reviewing the academic records of the students admitted to this program, including students’ previous grades and CST Test results, it was clear that many of the students lacked the skills necessary to achieve their stated career goals or dream of attending a four-year college.
A tutorial period was built into the regular bell schedule for ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade students, giving students an opportunity to have additional instructional support from high school teachers in core subjects. Tutorial periods provide students with the opportunity to begin working on assignments, projects, labs, and other important coursework with the assistance of the teacher in that specific subject. The students are exposed to an increased number of instructional minutes. This additional instructional support allows teachers to build upon a lesson and reinforce concepts. It was found that students greatly benefit from being exposed to material more than once. Tutorials offer a chance for students to practice information taught in class while getting further clarification from teachers. As a result, students feel more comfortable asking for help.
In addition to the tutorial periods designated in the regular bell schedule, students who are earning a “D” or “F” grade at any given quarter are assigned to after-school tutoring for one hour per week per subject. These after-school tutorial periods serve as another support for students who have not met their academic potential. Students have access to the expertise of their teachers and support from peers in these tutorial sessions.
The existence of tutorials as part of the bell schedule creates structural supports for student success. These tutorial periods provide opportunities for students to reach their academic potential and reinforce the belief that every student can learn and achieve. These periods were designed to give students the opportunity to practice and implement what they are learning in class.
Teachers use tutorial periods to address individual student concerns and review information that was not fully understood. Teachers often pair students who have experienced success with students who are struggling and all students are given an opportunity to discuss challenging concepts. This allows teachers to get immediate feedback and re-teach difficult information. When students work together they can exchange ideas, compare and contrast information and perceptions, and justify their answers. This is an excellent opportunity to bolster a student’s self-esteem.
Within the tutorial sessions, the high school teachers have the opportunity to help students meet the demands of rigorous college courses. For example, many students have sought out the aid of the high school English teachers to help with writing assignments in college courses. The high school teachers gladly work with the students to reinforce the importance of high school material as a foundation for success in college.
Early College High School has become a means of bridging the divide between high school and college. Our school has helped students develop respect and responsibility among themselves. They are told when they enter the school they have great potential and can become extremely successful. Using the unique design and bold approach of high school and college has challenged and inspired our students to achieve at higher levels. The smaller learning environment has provided greater access to teachers and administrators. The dual credit classes have eliminated high school/college redundancies. It has provided an easier transition to higher education. We have established a school that promotes student success and a family friendly environment. Our data along with other Early College High Schools demonstrate how students can flourish in a small, challenging yet supportive environment where all students can succeed.
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