Grega & Brown & Davidson High School to College Transition: Facilitating Academic Readiness

23/Th 1:00 PM Kaye

60-minute Concurrent Session

High School to College Transition:  Facilitating Academic Readiness

The presenters, representing both a four-year university and a two-year college, describe collaborations with local school districts to facilitate the transition of high school seniors to first year courses at both institutions.  We will share how our projects served to strengthen ties with local high schools and offer high school students greater awareness of college academic readiness. 

This presentation honors the day to day work of college advisors, counselors, and faculty who help students achieve their educational goals.  One important way developmental educators can build a “bridge to college success” for under prepared students is to partner with secondary schools to raise awareness of academic readiness and create stronger transitions between high schools to colleges.

Freshman Year Experience

According to Dr. Robert McCabe, Director of the Bridge Project, a “bridge to college success” can help high school students be better prepared for college academic competencies. He recommends postsecondary institutions partner with high schools to raise awareness of academic readiness for college courses.

At the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and at Kodiak College, a branch of UAA, the 2007 Early College Placement Testing Project offered one way school districts and colleges could begin to build that bridge by providing more awareness of college readiness standards, timely assessment of progress toward readiness, and an early opportunity for underprepared students to catch up before enrolling in college. Building on the success of the 2007 project, both institutions modified their projects to better serve students transitioning from high school to first year college courses.

This session will share how both campuses joined forces with schools to expand the early college placement testing, ensure early assessment of college readiness, connect students to first year learning communities, align high school and first year college courses, and launch “college ready coordinators” within each high school. 

College advisors, developmental education faculty, and high school to college transition coordinators will learn how these innovative collaborations contributed to a sustainable program that addresses college readiness and high school to college transition. Presenters will discuss difficulties encountered along the way as well as report on results.  Benefits of the projects to students, to local high schools, and to UAA and Kodiak College will be described through a lively PowerPoint presentation and useful handouts.

Patricia Grega is an Associate Professor of Developmental Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage where, in addition to coordinating the reading and study skills program, she served as department chairperson from 2002-2005. She attended the Kellogg Institute for Developmental Educators in 2001; as part of her practicum, she facilitated the transition to ACCUPLACER Placement Test at UAA    She was awarded a CRLA Professional Development Scholarship in 2005 which supported her dissertation research about academic readiness and effective educational practices for underprepared college students.  In December of 2005, Patricia earned a Doctorate of Education at the University of Oregon. Most recently, she has directed the Early College Placement Test Project, collaboration with Anchorage School District which promotes awareness of college readiness for high school juniors and seniors. She has presented about her research and teaching at CRLA conferences and is the former Alaska CRLA Director. She co-chairs the UAA Student Success Task Force and is a member of the University of Alaska Statewide Student Goal Attainment Committee.

Barbara Brown earned a Master of Science in Education with an emphasis in College Student Development and Administration from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2002.  She is the Academic Counselor and Assistant Professor of Guidance and Counseling at Kodiak College, University of Alaska Anchorage and teaches college success courses in a developmental learning community. She presented at CRLA in 2005, 2006, and 2007 and at NADE 2007. She is the Alaska CRLA Director. She is the secretary of the UAA Student Success Task Force.

In addition to her other duties, Evelyn Davidson teaches developmental writing in the Smart Start Program at Kodiak College, University of Alaska Anchorage. In 2003, she received the UAA Chancellor’s Award for Excellence for Outstanding Contributions to Students. She is a graduate of the 2004 Kellogg Institute and also attended Advanced Kellogg in 2005. She was Team Leader for the Kodiak College faculty team attending the National Summer Institute on Learning Communities at The Evergreen State College in summer 2005. As a recipient of a CRLA Professional Development Scholarship for 2006, she attended The Winter Institute in January 2006. She has presented at both CRLA and NADE conferences and is the former the Alaska CRLA Director. She co-chairs the UAA Student Success Task Force and is a member of the University of Alaska Statewide Student Goal Attainment Committee.  She is a 2008 recipient of the Journal of Developmental Education, Volume 30 “Outstanding Article Award.”