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Welcome to the Launch of the

Massachusetts Early College InitiativeCo-Sponsored by The Massachusetts Executive Office of Education, Department of Higher

Education, and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Thursday March 23, 2017The UMass Club

Event Partners

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- Today’s Program -

WelcomeChris Gabrieli, Chair, Board of Higher Education

MA Early College VideoEarly College Students

Keynote Address Introduced by JD Chesloff, MA Business Roundtable A Message from Governor Charlie BakerSecretary of Education James Peyser

Early College Leadership Panel Introduced by Ben Forman, MassINC Moderated by Nancy Hoffman, JFFNuri Chandler-Smith, Bunker Hill Community CollegePresident Lane Glenn, Northern Essex Community CollegeDan Riley, Marlborough High School STEM Early CollegeOmari Walker, New Heights Charter School

Policy Leadership Panel Moderated by Chad d’Entremont, Rennie Center Senator Michael Moore, Representative Alice Peisch,Commissioner Mitchell ChesterCommissioner Carlos Santiago

Thank you and Call to ActionChris Gabrieli Margaret McKenna, Member of Board of ESE and of Early College Joint Committee

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Steering Committee

Jim Peyser, Secretary of EducationMitchell Chester, Commissioner, Department of

Elementary and Secondary EducationCarlos Santiago, Commissioner, Department of

Higher EducationChris Gabrieli, Chair, Board of Higher Education

Paul Sagan, Chair, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education

Leah Hamilton, Barr Foundation

Working Group

Blair Brown, David Cedrone, JD Chesloff, Cliff Chuang, Jenny Curtin, Dianne Kelly,

Karen Hynick, Patricia A. Marshall, Philip Sisson, and Keith Westrich

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The Challenge This effort is motivated by a clear challenge and a shared sense of opportunity between K-12 and Higher Ed institutions to improve postsecondary success…

The Challenge

Only 45% of MA students graduate from HS and connect directly to

postsecondary education without need for remediation

Do Not Graduate in 5 Years

12%

Graduate but Disconnected from Higher Ed

27%

Graduate but Need

Remediation 16%

Graduate and Connect to Success

45%

The Opportunity

Design and scale a set of high-quality school models that:

1. Break down siloes between high school and postsecondary

2. Increase postsecondary completion, especially for underserved youth

Definitions• Graduate and Connect to Success: Students who graduate high school, enroll immediately in a postsecondary option (2-year or 4-year), are sufficiently prepared for

college such that they do not need to enroll in remedial/developmental education coursework, and persist into the second year of postsecondary coursework• Graduate but Need Remediation: Students who graduate high school, enroll immediately in postsecondary, but need developmental education coursework• Graduate but Disconnected from Higher Ed: Students who graduates high school, but do not immediately enroll in postsecondary

Source: MA DESENote: Low-Income is defined by the state as students who are eligible for free and reduced price lunch

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The Challenge…particularly for underserved students where the need is most acute

100%

100%

90%

71%

65%

34%

57%

25%

44%

15%

Obtained a Degree within

6 Years

Entering 9th Graders in 2003-

2004

Graduate within 5 Years

Enrolled in College

(Immediate Fall)

Non-Low-Income

Low-Income

Persistently Enrolled in

College

Source: MA DESE DART Database

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State Goal Alignment Research indicates that early college programs can be effective for all students, and especially for underserved youth

Source: AIR 2014 Study

0

10

20

30%

Graduate from HS

Incremental Impact of EC

Model

+5% points

Enroll in college within 2 years

of HS graduation

+10% points

Obtain college degree within

2 years of HS graduation

+22% points

Incremental Impact in Percentage Pointsof Early College Model vs. Comparison Group

All Students, regardless of Race/Income► Several academic studies on early college

models have found that these models have a beneficial impact on all students, making them more likely to graduate from high school, enroll in college, persist through, and obtain a degree

► One of the most well-known study, conducted by the American Institutes for Research, also found that early college models significantly reduced the opportunity gap (measured by the students’ likelihood to obtain a college degree) between low-income and non-low-income students, and actually closed the opportunity gap between minority students and non-minority students

Schools included in this study: • Were committed to serving students underrepresented in higher education• Partnered with a higher education institution (with a jointly developed integrated academic

program with the opportunity to earn 1-2 years of transferable college credit)• Offered a comprehensive support system for students

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A Base to Build UponThere are already efforts across the Commonwealth that can be built upon to reach the state’s goals…

Source: Community College Survey; Interviews with Schools, Superintendents, Community College CAOs; Jobs for the Future

Six MA community colleges offer “Gateway to College” which

engages at-risk students with on-campus community college courses to earn a HS diploma and significant college credit

Districts across MA are working together to partner with local

colleges to offer programs that offer college credits and college experiences to students, such as Pittsfield’s Positive Options

Program

Schools across the Commonwealth are partnering

with local colleges to provide full early college programs for small

subsets of their student body populations

Jobs for the Future has helped launch four programs across the Commonwealth that link K-12,

postsecondary, and career through a defined pathway

Gateway to College District Efforts Local School Efforts Youth Career Connect and Pathways to Prosperity

Public Higher Education Institution

Gateway to College site

Early College site

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A Base to Build UponLeaders are aligned on specific design principles to bring greater coherence and impact to the programs this initiative would support

From April-August 2016, a group of leaders in K-12 Education, Higher Education, and Employers, came together to define a vision for what early college schools in the Commonwealth could look like. These model design principles reflect the group’s

consensus on what is important to make these programs effective for students

The model needs to be:• Free to the student • Open to all students, regardless of past academic performance

Precondition

Guided Academic Pathway

EnhancedStudent Support

RelevantConnection

to Career

Equitable Access

2

3

4

Deep Partnerships

1

5

There are multiple formalized “on-ramps” or entry points for students to access the program (e.g., not just limited to 9th grade). Academic and non-academic supports are provided along the way to prepare students for the academic rigor of college courses and to succeed in a potentially new environment (college campus)

High schools and their higher education partners jointly develop an integrated academic program so that all students in the program have the opportunity to earn, at a minimum, 12 credits of transferable college credit during the full program. The academic program is designed for a full cohort of students to progress towards a credential with clear labor market value

Appropriate student supports are fully incorporated as a part of program design. At a minimum, this includes personalized academic advising and tutoring oriented around the pathway to postsecondary completion, and takes into account needs of ELL students and students with disabilities. Programs will also likely need to include non-academic supports like guidance counseling, social-emotional supports, and financial literacy

Provides students with relevant workforce skills, exposure to career paths, and career counseling. General skills include skills like: teamwork, communication, and interview preparation. Strong career prep focuses on experiential learning and workplace learning (could include internships, job shadowing, and mentorship) to assist students in informed career decision-making, but does not imply a narrowly defined vocational track or a credential awarded by a specific company

There exists a deep and sustained partnership between the K-12 district or school, the higher education partner, and employer partner. The three work together to align curricula, structure programs and define resource sharing via MOUs, and both are equally invested in student success (and are held accountable for student results)

Note: The leaders referenced were members of a multi-stakeholder “Working Group” established to provide ongoing guidance and input to the project. They represented DESE, DHE, the STEM Advisory Council, School Districts, and Community Colleges. These leaders expressed agreement with the design principles above through a survey and multiple meeting sessions.

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Student Support Personnel

Career-related costs

Transportation

Range Per Pupil: $700-$900

Instructional Costs

Improved Outcomes for Reasonable CostsWhile there are many potential ways to implement an early college program, such an effort will require incremental funding at steady state

Note. The model assumes that 50% of the 720-student student body is enrolled in credit-bearing coursesSource: Interviews with Program Directors of Early College Programs

Example Early College Program (12 Credits) Total Incremental Annual Program Costs at Steady State

This model indicates a need for additional funding in the range of $700-$900 per pupil

This is equivalent to 5%-6% of MA average per pupil funding

► All students in an early college school should receive higher levels of support to help access more rigorous coursework and academic pathways

► Instructional and transportation costs reflect a mix of students taking courses at the high school and college campus

► The actual costs for a particular school will vary based on:

► The percentage of students taking college courses

► The location of these courses► The intensity of student support► The ability of the high school to recoup

savings in its own staff as college course-taking rises

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State Goal Alignment The framework of the Massachusetts Early College Initiative has several key features

► Designation contingent on alignment with key design principles that define high-quality while still allowing for flexibility/variation at the local level

Precondition: Models must be free and open to all students,

regardless of academic performance

Equitable Access

Guided Academic Pathway

Enhanced Student Support

Relevant Connection to Career

Deep K-12/HE Partnerships

Create a state-authorized Early College designation

► Target scale is up to 4,000 underserved students per high school grade cohort in MA or 16,000 across all high school grades (out of ~280,000 high school students)

Provide additional funding linked to measuring outcomes

Seek meaningful scale and impact across the state

► Through a standing grant committee and designation process, schools would receive additional assistance

Planning Grants and Start-up Funds

Ongoing Funding at $700-$900 per pupil

Technical Assistance (Learning Community, Leading Practices)

Performance Contracts (ongoing funding contingent on

meeting performance goals)

Large enough scale to have a direct and significant effect on key

student outcomes

At the same time, capped in size to support ongoing gathering of

evidence on effectiveness before scaling initiative further

1 2 3

This initiative could leverage investments already made by the state in MassTransfer pathways

(seamless transition from 2-year to 4-year colleges). Extending the

pathways into high schools could give students easy access to

meaningful pathways that result in transferable credits at colleges

around the state

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State Goal AlignmentThis initiative can become a substantial part of meeting statewide goals

Source: DESE; DHE Vision Project Report

10,000Additional

completions annually

2,000

Goal 1: Raise Overall Completion Levels

“Example State Goal”

Potential Early College Impact

20%

Goal 2: Address the Opportunity Gap

“Example State Goal”

40%3,500Additional

completions among

underserved students 1,500

10,000 is the number of additional completions

needed to satisfy DHE’s Vision Report goal of ensuring that 60% of residents aged 25-34

obtain a postsecondary credential

3,500 more completions would double the number of underserved students with a

postsecondary credential, significantly reducing the state’s Opportunity Gap

Potential Early College Impact

► State leaders believe that over time we can increase enrollment in high-quality early colleges by 4,000 students per grade► Effective implementation could achieve 20% of a statewide completion goal, and 40% of an opportunity gap goal

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Early College Designation Timeline

DHE/DESE-led Activities

Policy/Regulatory (Boards)

Initiative Execution

January 2017

January 24, 2017: BESE/BHE pass joint

EC Motion► Established 5 member

ECJC to oversee the development of a process for designating EC HQ CP programs, authorized a design/review process, and empowered Departments to conduct such a process

► Approved 5 guiding principles for EC HQ CP programs.

February-June 2017

► EC working group develops designation application process

► Contemplate planning grants for awards in FY18

By June 30, 2017:BESE/BHE meet and approve proposed

EC designation processRelease RFP and Solicit Applications (both Higher

Ed and K-12)

September 2017-March 2018

Fall 2017Designation applications

Parts A due for initial cohort, response to

RFP for initial planning dollars due

October 2017-January 2018

► ESE/DHE review and vetting process

► Exploring and leveraging funding opportunities

August/September 2018

First designated EC programs launch

Program Planning

March-September 2018

April 12, 2017 and early June 2017:

ECJC reviews working committee

draft materials

Informational sessions/technical

assistance

May 2017► EC Working Group seeks

stakeholder input into draft designation application process

Early 2018Designation applications Parts B due

for initial cohort

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State Goal Alignment

Improved Outcomes for Reasonable Costs

A Base to Build Upon

Massachusetts Early College

Initiative