ARCs - Sinclair Community College



High School Linkages Action Project: Quarterly Progress Report

Winter 2005

A. Describe the past quarter’s accomplishments and the current status of this Action Project.

• Sinclair’s work to expand linkages for students from secondary to post-secondary education continues to grow through its Tech Prep, CCTI and other initiatives. Implementation planning continued this quarter for the two new pathways in Exercise Science and Criminal Justice Science, with commitments made by five area high schools or career centers to offer these programs beginning in fall 2005 (Exercise Science: Miami Valley Career Technical Center, Miamisburg High School and Centerville High School; Criminal Justice Science: Greene County Career Center and Warren County Career Center). Student response to these pathways was quite strong, and well-qualified, full classes are scheduled to begin in August.

• Sinclair’s Tech Prep Consortium was asked by schools outside the consortium’s service district to develop two pathways: Biotechnology in Bellefontaine and Automotive in Clark County. These pathways will be launched in fall 2005.

• Enrollment in the new PALS pathway (Procurement, Acquisitions, Logistics and Supply Chain Management) is building gradually, with strong support from the Department of Defense and Wright Patterson Air Force Base. This pathway has promise for meeting a very strong employment need; Ohio has one of the highest number of PALS-related positions (public and private combined) in the country, and anticipated retirements will greatly expand openings over the next decade.

• Two task forces made recommendations for improving the Miami Valley Tech Prep Showcase and the Tech Prep Awareness Days, activities that are an important avenue for recruiting and recognizing Tech Prep students.

• The Tech Prep program continued to track data on student enrollment and success by pathway, high school, and for the consortium as a whole. Student achievement, as indicated by GPA, is tracked upon entry into a pathway, in the fall of the senior year and upon graduation. These data are reported to and compared with a state-wide data base.

• Sinclair continued its participation as one of 15 sites nationally for the League for Innovation’s College and Career Transitions Initiative (CCTI). Staff presented on the progress of Sinclair’s project at the national summit in early March. As a partner in this initiative, Sinclair helped develop an electronic toolkit for other campuses interested in replicating the pathway model, and Sinclair’s pathway template is featured on the League’s website. The project was charged with developing a plan for state-wide dissemination of the CCTI model, and staff authored a summary of the project, including principle strategies, lessons learned, a case study of the project and a detailed improvement plan.

• The pilot and evaluation of the Metamorph project were completed. Metamorph is a web-based career guidance tool designed to help ninth grade students develop realistic, personally meaningful goals for their education and careers. Metamorph was piloted with 350 students at nine area high schools, and participating students completed pre- and post tests. Students who participated in Metamorph were statistically more likely to demonstrate important competencies related to career development than students in the control group. Importantly, this program worked well with students of high, average and low academic achievement.

• The Academic Resource Centers in five area high schools served 236 students during the winter quarter. Planning continued for opening four additional centers in fall 2005, and prospects for adding a fifth center were explored. Guidelines for identification of students to participation in the ARCs were finalized. A new Program Coordinator was identified for the Academic Resource Center initiative. Student learning continues to be tracked as reflected by grade level gains for individual students and for schools and the overall ARC initiative in the aggregate.

• Sinclair’s Engineering Division is providing leadership for Ohio’s Project Lead the Way initiative, a national program to insure an adequate supply of skilled high-tech workers. In this role, Sinclair will train teachers from across Ohio in the delivery of the PLTW curriculum. During the winter quarter, plans were developed for a summer institute for 60 high school math and science teachers.

• Planning continued for the new Dayton Public Schools career tech high school and Sinclair’s support of this project. A proposal was developed for a 2005-06 collaboration between the college’s developmental studies program and the existing career tech high school (Patterson Career Center) to improve students’ math and English proficiency.

• Planning was initiated for a new course designed to help students, including recent high school graduates, make a more successful transition to college, clarify educational and professional goals, and improve skills critical to college success.

• The college’s high school linkages inventory was updated.

B. Describe how the institution involved people in the work of this Action Project

• Additional faculty were involved in the development of the Tech Prep pathways, specifically with student recruitment, curriculum development, teacher hiring and consultation with area schools on facilities and equipment considerations. Professionals in the fields represented by the college’s new pathways were consulted on curriculum, equipment and facility issues. Collaborations were initiated between Tech Prep staff and faculty and the faculty and staff in two new high school systems.

• Tech Prep personnel and college leaders participated in the CCTI national summit and conferred with colleagues from other campuses who are part of this initiative.

• Faculty-to-faculty collaborations regarding curriculum were initiated between college and high school faculty on math and English curriculum alignment.

• Over 350 ninth and tenth grade students participated in the Metamorph pilot.

• Contacts with personnel at area high schools were expanded as planning progressed for the opening of four additional Academic Resource Centers next fall.

C. Describe your planned next steps for this Action Project.

• Report student progress during 2004-05 through the Academic Resource Centers. Complete plans for the opening of the new ARCs. Relocate the on-campus ARC to a new space.

• Continue planning with Dayton Public Schools for the new career tech high school.

• Prepare a best practices summary on the Metamorph project for dissemination, and seek funding to provide training to teachers throughout Ohio in the use of this tool.

• Continue the roles associated with Sinclair’s affiliate college status with Project Lead the Way.

• Commit funding to support the curriculum alignment project with the Patterson Career Center.

• Develop plans for a pilot of the new student success course.

• Evaluate the scope of the college’s initiatives related to high school linkages. Determine whether to continue or conclude this action project.

D. Describe effective practices that resulted from your work on this Action Project.

• The Metamorph tool clearly is an effective device for early career guidance, an important missing piece in the college’s existing Tech Prep/CCTI work and these initiatives on other campuses.

• The electronic toolkit and pathway template, developed in conjunction with the CCTI initiative, are useful resources for the expansion of high school to college connections across many disciplines.

E. What challenges, if any, are you still facing regarding this Action Project?

• The college’s portfolio of high school linkage initiatives has grown significantly this year, and it is appropriate to examine whether to continue or conclude this action project.

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