Presented by

Penny EdgertICC Middle School Grades

Initiative&

Olive Davis, DirectorYoung Entrepreneurs At HAAS

U. C. Berkeley

Northern California Middle Grades Counselor Conference:

What is College: Making it Happen?

College: Making It Happen is a program designed to communicate to families and school educators the importance of early academic and financial planning in order for middle school children to have choices after high school graduation.

Originally designed for families and school educators of sixth to ninth grade students, the materials and presentations are applicable to parents of students in other grades as well.

CMIH Sponsorship

• California Education Round Table– Association of Independent College and Universities– California Community Colleges– California Department of Education– California Postsecondary Education Commission– California State University– University of California

• Intersegmental Coordinating Committee (ICC)– Programmatic arm of the Round Table– Composed of staff, faculty and student representatives

from all sectors of education

How It Can Be Done:

• Parent Workshops

• Conferences/College Fairs

• Intervention Periods

• After School Clubs/Programs

• Mentoring Programs

Make it FUN and INTERACTIVE

Intervention Periods, After School Clubs and Mentoring

Program• Structure: 50 min to 2 hour sessions, twice per

week

- Ice Breaker

- What’s Expected of Students-Code of Conduct

- What do you know? What do you want to learn?

- Program Objectives

Make it FUN and INTERACTIVE

Intervention Periods, After School Clubs and Mentoring

Program (Cont.)

• Interactive Discussions : 50 min to 2 hours twice per week

1. Understanding High School requirements (incl. A-G Requirements, CAHSEE Exit Exam, Grades, etc. )

2. Sharing the High School Experience ( local high school students)

3. Discuss “The Pathways to College” (next slide – 4 systems of higher education in CA)

4. College: Making it Happen (PowerPoint). Focus on information in each slide (i.e., Financial Aid, preparation per grade, SAT vs. ACT, etc.)

5. Have student perform activities such as research and discuss a college from each system, write a personal statement, create a resume, etc.

6. Provide information about Programs and Services to Assist Students in preparing for college

Pathways to CollegePathways

High School

4-Year College 4-Year University

2-Year CollegeWork

Examples:

UC Berkeley

Cal State East Bay

Stanford

Examples:

St. Mary’s College

Mills College

Action Items: • Logistics

– CSUEB resources– Office of Early Outreach mission– Committee members– Target audience

• Partners– Local middle and high schools, University Administrators– How to request an event– Roles and Responsibilities

• Timeline / planning– How to prepare for an event– Agenda– What to expect

• Lessons Learned – Plan early!– Use every means possible to promote event(s) and involve parents– Plan for the unexpected– Make it interactive and fun for the students

How to ‘make it happen’ on

your campus!Things to keep in mind:• Size of the program - Accommodation

issues• Who’s involved in the planning?• Advertising• Age range (Pre-K, elementary, middle &

high school)• Workshops for parents (Other languages)

How to ‘make it happen’ on your campus!

More things to keep in mind:• Hospitality• Fundraising• Door Prizes / Incentives

- amusement parks, local teams, restaurants, guest passes, souvenirs

Discussion Questions

• What are your challenges?• Do you have space?• Do you have the institutional support?• What are your needs?• Bilingual services needed?• Evening vs. Weekend event?• Other comments, concerns, ideas

Where can I get more information?

Websites• U.S. Department of

Education: www.studentaid.ed.gov

• The College Board: www.collegeboard.org

• Electronic FAFSA : www.fafsa.ed.gov

• FinAid: SmartStudent Guide

www.finaid.org• FastWeb

www.fastweb.com

Phone Numbers• U.S. Dept. of

Education800-433-3243

• FAFSA Processor319-337-5665

• Free Publications800-394-7084

Contact Information

• For more information on existing programs, visit www.certicc.org.

• For more tips, contact us:

Olive Davisomdavis@haas.berkeley.edu