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Importance of College Readiness in High School

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Importance of College Readiness in High School

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As a College Readiness Teacher,  I thoroughly see the importance of informing students about the significance a college degree can have on them and their family. Students need to be able to see different factors on how a college degree can impact their life through financial stability and career satisfaction. Two ways to communicate this to students is by either teaching through a college readiness course or having the campus counselor organize meetings with high school senior students on the process of college applications and transition to college. The audience is high schools seniors preparing for their first year in college.

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Importance of getting a college education

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Importance of getting a college education

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Obtaining a college education is a difficult task for students in the Rio Grande Valley. Students come from low-socio economic background, underserved communities and first generation families. Therefore, at my interviewee's district, the mission is to help students to and through college regardless of the higher institution the student choses to attend. Receiving a post-secondary degree is important for students because having a degree is imperative in the workplace, there is career satisfaction and on average you make more money. In the interview, James Martinez is a College Counseling for IDEA College Preparatory Alamo and he mentioned a best practice on how to invest students into thinking about college. He says "the earlier they can get informed and prepared, the better the student can produce and become a high quality applicant."

Campus Website:  https://ideapublicschools.org/our-schools/idea-alamo/

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1. Having meetings with students (whether it is an individual or group setting) informing them about the importance of attending a higher education institution will allow for college conversation to begin with students. Many times students are not enlightened about college because their parents did not attend therefore, the counselor is the primary advisor in assisting students through the process.
2. Having college application drives for high schools senior students. The counselor can invite college representatives to assist the campus with questions and guidances in the college application process. Students can come by and get first-hand help by a college recruiters and successfully apply to a university.
3. Having a school wide college awareness week to promote college to all students would be one of the best practices not only for senior students but for all high schools students. This can initiate college conversations with teachers, counselor and administrators on campus. The earlier students can find out about what is college, the importance and what schools they plan to apply will alleviate difficult tasks their senior year.

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An emerging issue that can come up is students stating they don't want to attend college because they want to start working to help their family with expenses. This is a prominent issue I have come across and was reinstated by my interviewee. Ways to successfully treat students with this mentally is to have individual counseling and invest parents into the conversation to enhance students motivation to go to college. Perhaps, inviting the students on a college visit will be an eye-opening experience on how college can be a fit for them.

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National Association for College Admission Counseling

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National Association for College Admission Counseling

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National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) is a useful resource for college counselors to gain information about college and universities nationwide. NACAC provides trainings and conferences for college counselors and universities recruiters to share and update anything related to post-secondary education. My interviewee expressed he attended a NACAC conference last year and gained knowledge on how to help students with their personal statements and resumes to ensure they are submitting high quality applications. Mr. Martinez was provided with tips and strategies on how students can brainstorm before writing their personal statement. One of the resources he brought back from the conference was from College Essay Guy. This resource gives step by step guide on how to write college essays and personal statement.

NACAC link: https://www.nacacnet.org/
College Essay Guy link: https://www.collegeessayguy.com/

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College Readiness Concerns by latest round of ACT scores by Maggie Campbell (Education Week) 

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College Readiness Concerns by latest round of ACT scores by Maggie Campbell (Education Week) 

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Major concerns with ACT rigor (Campbell, 2019).

Students are not performing as they should be and the national average per section is decreasing (Campbell, 2019).

There was less test takers in 2019 than 2018 (Campbell, 2019).

Changes to the ACT will begin Fall 2020 (able to retake individual sections, computer based exams, and ability to superscore) (Campbell, 2019).

One concern brought up about the change is not all universities and colleges accept section scores (Campbell, 2019).

This issue is important because ACT is a college entrance exam and students need to be able to perform their best in order to receive their top score. As a future counselor, I will provide resources to students so they are able to study and be prepared with the rigor and timing of the exam.

Article link: https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/30/college-readiness-concerns-raised-by-latest-round.html

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There's More to College Prep than Academics by Clewiston Challenger (Education Week)

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There's More to College Prep than Academics by Clewiston Challenger (Education Week)

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Colleges put a significant weight on GPA and ACT score for college admissions (Challenger, 2019).

Grades and college entrance exams are ineffective predictors of students' college success (Challenger, 2019).

School counselors are well-positioned to offer support to students that can lead to lower college dropouts and stronger retention rates (Challenger, 2019).

Ways to help students thrive is through soft skills, social skills, financial literacy, time-management and organizational skills (Challenger, 2019).

Steps counselors can take to ensure students are prepared for college:

1. Revamp curricula

2. Encourage extracurricular involvement

3. Integrate psychoeducational groups

4. Bring soft skills into the conversation

5. Think differently about the right "fit"

(Challenger, 2019)

As a future counselor, learning about ways to motivate and encourage students to participate in outside activities to boost their college application is essential for finalizing a high quality college application.

Article link:
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/10/23/theres-more-to-college-prep-than-academics.html

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Section 28.014 of the Texas Education Code 

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Section 28.014 of the Texas Education Code 

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State statutory law (Texas Education Code § 28.014).

A school district is required to be in partnership with a higher education institution to establish college readiness courses (Texas Education Code § 28.014).

In order for students to be able to perform college-level work, college readiness courses in high school will prepare students for their post-secondary coursework (Texas Education Code § 28.014).

Link to full text of law: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.28.htm

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Texas Education Code, subsection 39.025(b-2)

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Texas Education Code, subsection 39.025(b-2)

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State statutory law (Texas Education Code, subsection 39.025(b-2).

This course is not to get confused with section 28.01. Both of these college preparatory course is referenced together but have different enactments and programs (Texas Education Code, subsection 39.025(b-2).

TSI and college entrance exams can provide exemption for students if they meet the required score in order to take college-level classes (Texas Education Code, subsection 39.025(b-2).

Link to full text of law:
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.39.htm

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Administrative law (Texas Administrative Code, §74.12(b)(1)).

Ensure students are fulfilling their graduation requirements (Texas Administrative Code, §74.12(b)(1)).

This law is in accordance with local district policy and aligning students to successfully complete credits beginning their 9th grade year (Texas Administrative Code, §74.12(b)(1)).

Link to full text of law: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter074/ch074b.html

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Statutory law (Texas House Bill 5).

HB5 made changes to the state’s curriculum and graduation requirements. The reconstruction allows students once entering high school to indicate an endorsement they would like to pursue (Texas House Bill 5).

The school district must follow the curriculum requirements and students can modify their endorsement at any time (Texas House Bill 5).

Link to full text of law:
https://tea.texas.gov/academics/graduation-information/house-bill-5-foundation-high-school-program

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This local initiative in the Rio Grande Valley is in partnership with Educate Texas to improve college readiness, access and success. The vision of RGV FOCUS is to help students achieve a degree that leads to a meaningful occupations and employment opportunities in the Rio Grande Valley (Educate Texas, 2018).

Link:
https://www.edtx.org/our-impact-areas/collective-impact/rgv-focus

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Dr. Daniel King, former superintendent of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD illustrates how Texas
districts can use innovative state policy to improve graduation
rates by reengaging and graduating out-of-school youth. PSJA ISD teamed up with South Texas College to create the College, Career, and Technology Academy (CCTA), a college-connected dropout recovery school that puts into action policies Texas has created over the past five years (Allen and Wolfe, 2010).

Link:
https://jfforg-prod-prime.s3.amazonaws.com/media/documents/BackOnTrackCCTA-091510.pdf

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American Counseling Association: Section C - Professional Responsibility 

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American Counseling Association: Section C - Professional Responsibility 

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"C.4.e. Accreditation Status -
Counselors accurately represent the accreditation status of their degree program and college/university."  Counselor must ensure students are taking the correct classes during high school in order for students to receive their credits for high school graduation (American Counseling Association, 2014).

Link: https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

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College Readiness is critical for students to understand especially entering their senior year of high school. Below are best practices to implement at your campus:

1. Promoting college awareness across campus

2. Invitation to students and parents about about college fairs

3. College application drives during school

4. Financial aid application drives for students

5. College representative visits on campus for students

6. Financial Literacy presentation for students and parents

7. High school graduation credits presentation for students and parents

8. Personal Statement and Resume Workshop for students