Draft: 10,000 Degrees’ College of Marin Summer Bridge Program 2014 The Challenges:
An internal evaluation of 10,000 Degrees’ 416 total students attending college in 2012-2013 revealed that students enrolled at community colleges are more than 5 times as likely to struggle academically (complete less than 12.0 units per semester and/or receive a GPA of under 2.0) than those students enrolled at year universities (27% for CC students vs. 5% for 4-year University students). Additionally, our research indicates that our first and second 4-year students are 11 times more likely to struggle academically than our juniors and seniors (92% of those who struggled academically were underclassmen vs. only 8% upperclassmen).
The most commonly identified challenges for these students include: academic difficulty, lack of a defined academic plan, lack of access/knowledge of existing campus resources, adjustment to college responsibilities/lifestyle, lack of defined study habits, lack of connection to campus organizations/clubs/peer groups, and personal difficulties/mental health concerns. We also observed that our students who placed into either (or both) remedial English and Math courses persisted at lower rates than their peers who test directly into college level coursework,
findings which have been supported by many other studies in the college success field.
This, combined with national data indicating that community college students graduate at a lower rate than their counterparts beginning at 4-year universities, place our incoming
community college students at a higher risk of not graduating than any other subgroup within our student population.
Within our community college population we have also seen better outcomes for our students enrolling at Santa Rosa Junior College than those students enrolling at College of Marin. Our SRJC students persisted from the 2012-13 academic year to the 2013-14 academic year at a higher rate than our COM students (94% vs. 80%). Additionally, our entering freshmen at SRJC enrolled full time for the fall 2013 semester at a higher rate than our COM students (97% vs. 82%) and enrolled in learning communities like PUENTE and EOPS at a higher rate (67% vs. 33%).
I believe much of the disparity between our SRJC and COM cohorts is due to a lack of summer programming for the COM group. SRJC students all enroll in a special summer Counseling 270 course, which combines college survival skills/knowledge with cohort bonding activities, in addition to earning 1.0 unit of college credit and earning priority registration.
The Proposal:
We propose a three-week Summer Bridge program for our College of Marin cohort with a combined focus on academic preparation, college success skills and knowledge, and cohort bonding with the goals of accelerating entry into academic programs of study, minimizing the time to get our COM cohort college-ready, increasing retention rates and full-time enrollment rates, getting them comfortable with campus resources, programs, and professors, and building greater cohesion amongst members.
The Target Population:
All 10,000 Degrees Institute entering freshmen at College of Marin. Our cohorts average around 10-15 new students per year. Additionally, we are collaborating with Anna McGee at Madrone High School and want to include all entering COM freshmen from Madrone, as well as other MarinCAN organizations like Canal Alliance, Huckleberry, etc. Our target cohort size for the program is 20 – 30 total students.
The Program:
3 weeks total, 4 days per week Monday through Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Our proposed dates are July 14 – 31. Mornings are dedicated to academic instruction in Math and English and taught by College of Marin faculty, with one subject taught on Mondays and Wednesdays and the other subject taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays. After a break for lunch, afternoons are dedicated to college success knowledge, tips, and cohort bonding, as taught by a College of Marin Counselor and 10,000 Degrees staff and current 10,000 Degrees College of Marin students, with special appearances from Luz Moreno, Becky Reetz, and other COM staff.
Summer Bridge Daily Agenda: July 14 – 31, 2014; Monday - Thursday
Time Activity Staff
9:30 – 10:00 Welcome, check-in 10,000 Degrees
10:00 – 12:00 Academic Instruction COM Faculty
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch 10,000 Degrees
1:00 – 2:00 Counseling 110? 115B? COM Counselor
2:00 – 2:30 College Success, Bonding, Student Panels
The Measures:
#1: Accelerating Entry into Academic Program of Study/Minimizing Time to College Readiness: All program participants will take the College of Marin Math and English assessment tests while still in high school/before the Summer Bridge program. Upon completion of the program, students will take the Math and English assessment tests again. The desired outcome is to improve assessment test scores, reduce the number of semesters students will have to spend in remediation, and ultimately get them to transfer and thus complete a Bachelor’s degree faster.
#2: Persistence/Retention Rates: All students in the program (and all 10,000 Degrees students, regardless of college) are monitored and supported throughout the year and
retention/persistence is measured via scholarship renewal and collection of unofficial transcripts every semester.
#3: Full-Time Enrollment in Fall semester: All program participants are required to submit unofficial transcripts with Fall 2014 class schedules to 10,000 Degrees.
#4: Connection to Campus Learning Communities: All eligible participants will be encouraged to sign up for PUENTE and EOPS, which will be verified by Luz Moreno and Becky Reetz (both of whom are also definitely invited to participate in the Counseling portion of the program).
#5: Connection to Cohort: This will be measured via attendance at monthly COM cohort events facilitated by 10,000 Degrees Student Ambassadors, who are current COM students. All
program participants will also be encouraged to add 10,000 Degrees staff and Student Ambassadors on Facebook and to exchange email/phone contacts.
Logistics
COM professors will be chosen by COM administrators for suitability and availability Once chosen, the COM professors will have complete control over their curriculum 10,000 Degrees staff will meet with the chosen professors well before the program begins to explain the program goals/population and answer any questions
College of Marin will provide a consistent classroom space for the duration of the program capable of comfortably housing 25-35 people (preferably with computers) College of Marin professors will teach 2 separate 2-hour sessions for all 3 weeks (12 total hours of instructional time)
It is recommended that some of the instructional time be spent on assessment test preparation and strategy
If College of Marin’s Counseling department is amenable (and COM Administration), a COM Counselor will teach a condensed version of Counseling 115B or Counseling 110 as part of the afternoon sessions (2 separate 1.5-hour sessions for all 3 weeks), and
program participants will receive 1.0 units of college credit
10,000 Degrees staff and continuing COM students will facilitate 2 separate 1.5-hour sessions of college success skill-building, cohort-bonding activities, and enrichment activities for all three weeks
10,000 Degrees will provide lunch and snacks for all program participants
10,000 Degrees staff will collect and summarize all data and share it with College of Marin
Job Description for College Of Marin Professors:
Position: Math Instructor, 10,000 Degrees COM Summer Bridge Program
Reports To/Collaborates With: COM Administration/10,000 Degrees Program Manager Hours: 36 total paid hours
Compensation: COM standard compensation per hour Duration: 3 total weeks of instruction, July 14 – 31, 2014
Qualifications: Experience teaching remedial level Math or English at the community college level. Enthusiasm for working with minority/underrepresented youth strongly preferred.
Responsibilities:
Teach two, 2-hour sessions per week to a cohort of 20 – 30 entering freshmen for 3 weeks The cohort will be of varying academic ability, but the majority will have tested into both remedial Math and English
Curriculum is up to the professor, but is essentially a condensed skill-building,
test-prep-oriented course intended to help students improve assessment test scores and equip them with a basic “toolkit” of skills that will enable them to be successful in their college coursework Total Prep Hours 2 x total # of Instructional Hours 24 hours Total Instructional Hours 4 hours per week x 3 weeks 12 hours
Total Paid Hours 36 hours
Job Description for College Of Marin Counselor:
Position: Counselor, 10,000 Degrees COM Summer Bridge Program
Reports To/Collaborates With: COM Administration/10,000 Degrees Program Manager Hours per Week: 27 total paid hours
Compensation: COM standard compensation per hour Duration: 3 total weeks of instruction, July 14-31, 2014
Qualifications: Experience teaching Counseling 114, 115. Enthusiasm for working with minority/underrepresented youth strongly preferred.
Responsibilities:
Teach two, 1.5-hour sessions per week to a cohort of 20 – 30 entering freshmen for 3 weeks The cohort will consist entirely of low-income, first-generation, traditionally underrepresented students, many of whom graduated from a credit recovery high school
Curriculum will be Counseling 114/115, emphasizing study skills and understanding the college landscape, terminology, and procedures
Total Prep Hours 2x total # of Instructional hours 18 hours Total Instructional Hours 3 hours per week x 3 weeks 9 hours
Proposed Budget:
Item Quantity Cost Total
Hourly compensation for COM Professors
2 36 hours x $___
Hourly compensation for COM Counselor
1 27 hours x $___
Lunch & snacks for students Supplies
