In order to re-vision the CA High School we need to “throw out the calendar, get out of the classroom, and utilize community resources” - Noel Ford
In Noel Ford’s comments during our Panel discussion several weeks ago he suggested we look into the potential of further collaboration between Sterling College and Craftsbury Academy grades 9-12, and referenced a model in which eligible high school students take college courses beginning in grade 12. First of all, existing collaboration between CA and Sterling College includes:
1. Since 2005 Sterling College has enrolled one to two CA high school students in a class at Sterling College each semester, for a very reduced per credit fee. Students earn college credit which is applied toward their HS graduation requirements and can be transferred to another college as needed. There is a short, straightforward application process.
2. Sterling College students are CA mentors & tutors, facilitate teambuilding and challenge course sessions for middle school students, teach Four Seasons and Four Winds classes in the elementary school, and help run the after school program at CA.
Below is some information on a model where eligible HS students begin taking a college course load in their senior year or earlier.
• reasons cited for interest in this model are: changing student population, students' frequent lack of skills preparedness, and the awareness of a need for new models of inservice staff development for high school teachers. Some differences exist between high school and college cultures, these differences can be overcome through planning and sensitivity.
• Five key recommendations for developing high school-college partnerships:
1. Identify the student population and program goals
2. Convene a meeting of Sterling & Academy faculty, administrators, students and community members to discuss: “How can we collaborate to improve learning outcomes for grades 11 - 16?”
3. Determine costs
4. Develop community support
5. Evaluate for program improvement
• Some further observations from Will Wootton (President of Sterling College) and Pavel Cenkl (Dean of Academics)
- Sterling is open to and interested in pursuing more extensive collaboration with CA than we have had in the past.
- High School/College collaboration is becoming increasingly popular, especially between community colleges and high schools.
- The first challenge in terms of implementation has to do with coordinating calendars
- How to handle tuition is another piece that has to be worked out
- There is a lot of money out there to support this kind of partnership
- Bard College in NY (attached) and the Five College Consortium in MA are examples of some interesting partnerships/programs.
Summary of Bard High School Early College Program, since 1999
• BHSEC is a public educational institution.
• No tuition is charged.
• Students from the five boroughs of New York City are eligible to apply.
• Enrollment is limited to approximately 500.
• The average student to teacher ratio is 20:1.
• Admission to BHSEC is based on the student's academic record, teacher recommendations, writing and math assessments, and an interview.
• Successful applicants typically have a minimum grade average 85. Evidence of ambition and intellectual curiosity is critical. Last year, BHSEC received roughly 4,000 applications for 135 places in the current class of 2008.
• Students entering in ninth grade complete their high school work and the required New York State Regents Exams in the first two years at BHSEC. At the end of tenth grade, their high school classes end. Students with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0 for the ninth and tenth grades are eligible for entry into the early college program. At the end of four years, students have completed 60 college credits and receive the Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree in the liberal arts and sciences from Bard College as well as a New York State Regents diploma.
Faculty
• Some come from New York public high schools; others are experienced college professors with a special interest in working with younger students. In total, BHSEC has 37 full-time and 16 part-time faculty. Approximately two thirds of the full-time faculty hold Ph.D. degrees in their fields.
Continuation in 4-Year Colleges
• The A.A. curriculum is designed to enable students to transfer, with up to two years of college credit, to colleges and universities throughout the United States and abroad. Some students elect to continue for another three or four years of college as undergraduates.
Sources:
“Evidence of increasing interest in high school-college partnerships” (Education Resource Information Center)
Personal correspondence with Noel Ford
Interview with Will Wootton, President of Sterling College
Interview with Pavel Cenkl, Dean of Academics at Sterling College
Bard College Website
Submitted by Anne Morse (amorse@sterlingcollege.edu) to the Craftsbury Collaboration Group, April 29, 2010
