College Readiness & Completion | EPCAE

College Readiness Course of Study (Recommended High School Program)

The Collaborative has consistently placed a great deal of emphasis on elimination of remedial and low-level course offerings, K-12, and enrollment of all students in a college preparatory course of study. Toward that end, we worked closely with district leaders to ensure that all students enrolled in the rigorous set of college-preparatory courses known as the Recommended High School Program (RHSP), the Texas 24 unit college prep program.

As a direct result of the Collaborative’s work and initiatives, by 1996, all three large districts in the region had passed and implemented policies making the RHSP the default curriculum for all high school students, eight years before the state took similar action. Despite the fact that the RHSP has been the default curriculum in Texas since 2004-2005, the El Paso region continues to lead state urban areas in the proportion of graduating seniors completing the RHSP.

Think College Now

Many El Paso area students and their parents have a limited awareness regarding the importance of preparing for and pursuing a college degree, as well as the knowledge about resources available to them for attending college and completing a higher education degree. THINK COLLEGE NOW is aimed at improving understanding among parents, students, and counselors regarding the importance of college for all students and the actions necessary to ensure student success. It also helps develop and provide tools and strategies for teachers, counselors, administrators, parents, and students to support and promote a college-going culture in all schools.

One of the key initiatives of THINK COLLEGE NOW, which resulted from a partnership between the Texas Business and Education Coalition—Texas Scholars program, provides information to eighth and ninth grade students building their knowledge about and motivation to prepare for college. Through this element of Think College Now, volunteers provide presentations to students about the real-world benefits—monetary and otherwise—of enrolling in and completing a four year college degree. The presentations also promote the Recommended High School Program and the Distinguished Achievement Program, provide financial aid information, and encourage enrollment in high-level math and science courses and participation in Advanced Placement and dual-credit courses.

El Paso College Readiness Consortium

The El Paso College Readiness Initiative is a key element in our community’s strategy toward increasing student participation in higher education through enhanced pre-college preparation. This initiative began in 2006 with an initial charge to move college placement assessment to the high schools and ensure that students are fully prepared to enter college and enroll in college-level, rather than remedial/developmental courses. All twelve regional school districts now make college placement testing a priority for all junior or senior high school students. Those students who do not demonstrate college readiness are provided access to remediation while in high school and prior to matriculation at either the community college or university. This downward shift of responsibility for college readiness to the high schools has contributed to a significant reduction in the number of students who enroll in developmental courses at the University and greatly increased the number of students who are able to enroll directly in college-level coursework

While the El Paso College Readiness Consortium is a joint effort of the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the El Paso Community College (EPCC) and area school districts, the impetus for its creation was the Collaborative’s work on College Readiness. For over a decade the Collaborative provided data on a regular basis to Collaborative Board members—comprised of UTEP and EPCC presidents, and school district superintendents, among others—on the proportion of students placed into remedial/developmental courses or college level courses upon entry into college. Data presentations were followed by in-depth analysis, discussion and strategic planning sessions. These discussions led to the creation of the College Readiness Consortium.

Improving Post-secondary Student Success

While a great deal of time and energy has gone into developing approaches for greatly enhancing college access for young people in the El Paso region, meaningful access requires that students be supported to successfully complete a course of study and earn a degree. Thus, the ultimate measure of our community’s—and the Collaborative’s—work is the extent to which students persist in college and earn community college and university degrees.

Though the vast majority of this work has been undertaken by the Collaborative’s post-secondary partners—UTEP and EPCC—the Collaborative has supported their efforts by helping develop programs to align mathematics and science courses at EPCC and at UTEP, and by supporting the restructuring of developmental mathematics courses at UTEP to significantly reduce the amount of time it takes students to progress to college-level courses.

College Readiness Summit and Agenda

The El Paso Collaborative for Academic Excellence has worked closely with its school district partners to ensure that all students graduate from high school fully prepared to enter and be successful in college. In order to support and assist districts in that work, the Collaborative took the lead in planning and convening College Readiness meetings and district-wide Summits with the following goals:

To assess the college readiness level of district students currently;
To identify the most effective college preparation programs in place in district schools and across the state and nation;
To develop a process and structure to lead and coordinate district-wide efforts to improve the college-readiness of all students, especially those furthest from adequate preparation levels; and,
To support schools in developing and implementing college readiness action plans.

Attached are two documents that provide examples of College Readiness Summit agendas and Institute frameworks.

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Recommended High School Program

As of 2009, 93% of El Paso high school graduates completed the Texas Recommended High School Program. This rate is among the highest in the State, and is significantly higher than that of Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.

Think College Now

Over the years, the Collaborative has:

Trained over 1000 business leaders, community representatives, and university students in the El Paso region to deliver presentations to local 8th and 9th grade students.
Conducted almost 2000 presentations in classrooms across the region.
Reached over 48,000 eighth and ninth grade students across the 12 district region.
Transferred responsibility for the Texas Scholars presentations to local districts, supporting districts in providing all middle and high school students information about high school and college course enrollment and preparation.
Provided large-scale conferences for middle and high school counselors, reaching over 150 middle and high school counselors, to ensure their commitment and capacity to build college-going cultures in their schools, promoting academic success and preparing students for higher education.
Provided one-on-one support to counselors and administrators in over 40 area middle and high schools, supporting them in their efforts to build college-going cultures. In addition, the Collaborative also conducted on-site leadership workshops for student peer “college counselors” at over 20 high schools.
Conducted professional development for counselors and others in area high schools that showed an interest in developing college-advising centers at their schools, and worked with all area high schools encouraging the creation of such centers.
Sponsored, or co-sponsored, over twenty parent conferences reaching over 8000 parents with information about the college admissions process and on applying and submitting forms for scholarships and financial aid.

The El Paso College Readiness Consortium

As a result of the College Readiness Consortium:

All junior and senior high school students in 12 area school districts who have not yet demonstrated college readiness under State of Texas regulations are oriented and prepared for college placement testing, are tested, and those not passing receive interventions and are retested.
All students not completing college readiness requirements are encouraged to attend summer bridge and support activities at UTEP or EPCC in order to receive in-depth preparation for successful passage of college placement exams.
All junior and senior students in 12 area school districts complete applications for admission to UTEP, EPCC, and others colleges of their choice, and are provided comprehensive financial aid information.
In 2010, 86% of area high school students attending UTEP passed the mathematics placement test, or completed all requirements exempting them from having to take the placement test. This number contrasts with the 66% that passed, or were exempted, just 6 years earlier in 2004.
In 2010, fully 76% of first time students at UTEP were eligible to enroll in a college level mathematics course, versus just 27% in 2004.

Improving Post-Secondary Student Success

As a result of the Collaborative’s work, and that of its post-secondary partners, post-secondary student success has improved greatly. Among the clearest indications of that improvement are the following:

UTEP has implemented the Enhanced New Student Orientation (ENSO), including a program specifically designed to support students in enrolling in college-level, rather than developmental courses. For students who do not place into college-level math prior to ENSO, a six hour math refresher is provided, as well as an opportunity to retake the math placement exam. A similar orientation program is being implemented at El Paso Community College.
UTEP has also implemented the Entering Student Program (ESP) whereby it has created learning communities, helped students build study and time-management skills, brought together faculty across disciplines, and established learning objectives that mirror nationally recognized essential skills required to meet 21st century challenges. Data from the Entering Students Program show consistently higher one-year retention rates for first-time freshmen in the program.
UTEP and EPCC have worked intensively to identify conditions that accelerate student progress toward degree completion. Key elements for both institutions include curriculum review and academic advising redesign, as well as early college high schools. A focus on enhanced support for transfer students is also key atUTEP.
In 2010, fully 76% of first time students at UTEP were eligible to enroll in a college level mathematics course, versus just 27% in 2004.
One- and two- year retention rates at UTEP have increased significantly, with a 6% increase, to 62%, between 2000 and 2008.
Six-year graduation rates increased greatly—5%—between the 2002 cohort that graduated in 2008, and the 2004 cohort that graduated in 2010.
Finally, far larger numbers of students are also earning college degrees. At UTEP, the number of degrees awarded between 2000 and 2010 has almost doubled to about 4000.