College in the Schools Principals and Assistant Principals Impact Survey Report March 2011

Transcription

1 College in the Schools Principals and Assistant Principals Impact Survey Report March 2011 Methodology Online link was ed to a total of 28 principals and assistant principals from schools that had offered Entry Point Project courses in the past (EPP-survey), as well as to 136 principals and assistant principals that had not offered Entry Point Project courses (Non-EPP survey). The surveys were the same except that several additional questions about Entry Point Project were included on the Non-EPP survey. s were sent on March 15, 21, and 28. The survey was closed on March 30. All addresses were valid. One person opted out of the survey. Response Rate: Of the total 164 contacted, a total of 83 responded for an overall response rate of 51%. 15 of the 28 EPP surveys were returned (54%) and 68 of 136 non-epp surveys were returned (50%). Results (of the 83 survey responses): Most questions included response options (such as Neutral or Don t know ) not described in this report. The response options below seemed the most important to include. The Access queries can be opened if a more complete understanding of the responses is required. 1. As a result of taking U of M courses, offered in my high school through College in the Schools, STUDENTS have: Strongly Agree a. Continued rigorous learning. (49) 59% (33) 40% b. Developed realistic expectations of college. (33) 40% (46) 55% Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree c. Considered, for the first time, going to college. (5) 6% (18) 22% (14) 17% (4) 4% 2. As the result of the presence of College in the Schools in my school, MORE STUDENTS: Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree a. Have enrolled in academically challenging courses. (34) 41% (30) 36% (3) 4% b. Are staying on the high school campus instead of attending college courses at another site. (38) 46% (26) 31% (6) 7%

2 3. As a result of offering U of M courses through College in the Schools, my SCHOOL: a. Offers prerequisite courses for College in the Schools courses that are appropriately rigorous. b. Raised expectations for student performance in courses preceding College in the Schools courses. c. Demonstrated to parents that their students are doing challenging work as juniors and seniors. Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree (32) 39% (36) 43% (3) 4% (1) 1% (19) 23% (47) 57% (6) 7% (36) 43% (41) 49% (1) 1% d. Enhanced its prestige and academic reputation. (39) 47% (37) 45% (2) 2% 4. As a result of teaching a U of M course through College in the Schools, TEACHERS in my school have: Strongly agree a. Found their jobs more satisfying. (26) 31% (44) 53% b. Taken leadership positions within their department, school, district or professional association. Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree (17) 20% (28) 34% (7) 8% c. Been energized as teachers. (21) 25% (46) 55% (1) 1% d. Found it more difficult to fulfill other school responsibilities. e. Been released from other school duties, enabling them to give courses and students more time. (6) 7% (11) 13% (32) 39% (1) 1% (9) 11% (43) 52% (6) 7% 5. As a result of College in the School's presence in my high school, GUIDANCE COUNSELOR(S) in my school: Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly Disagree a. Changed the way they present college options to students. (16) 19% (29) 35% (12) 14% (1) 1% b. Perceived more students as capable of higher levels of academic achievement. (8) 10% (30) 36% (10) 12% (2) 2%

3 6. What is the single greatest impact College in the Schools has had on your STUDENTS? Impact on Students The acceptance of the challenges a high rigor course provides. I never hear the students involved complain about the rigor. Opportunity to take a college level class while staying in their current school and not having to leave campus. Higher rigor and increased expectations. Prepares students for College! RIGOR! More options at the high end for kids Rigorous coursework that is normed. Some flexibility has been available for Japanese students. Advanced course work to prepare them for college. Provides them with college level course experiences. Experiencing a college class before actually leaving high school Academic Challenge College Credit Increased their motivation to go to College. College credit College preparation Allows them to stay at our school and earn college credit while engaged in a more rigorous curriculum. The opportunity to earn college credit has increased their confidence when competing against students from metro schools who have been given more opportunities. Exposure to college level classes in the building. Challenging offerings at our building. Given them a chance to "feel" like they are college students - i.e. "college Material" Realistic expectations regarding college-level coursework More students taking CIS class than took comparable AP class. The CIS courses we have offer a deeper and more relevant curriculum than Advanced Placement. The curriculum has given our students confidence that they can achieve at the college level. Provided more challenging coursework, especially for seniors. More students stay here to get challenging classes versus PSEO. Because students recognize they can take college-level coursework, greater focus on achievement at the prerequisite levels has been experienced; and, our enrollment in those pre-requisite courses has increased. Ability to earn college credit 80 to 90% of the students who qualify for University Writing take the course. They are staying in our building and earning college credit. Of our top 28 seniors, 1 went PSEO and 1 did not take any honors classes. That's

4 Impact on Students remarkable! College rigor offered here at our school. Exposure to college level courses and the expectations of college courses. Students get a college experience on the high school campus. The savings on tuition It has enhanced the rigor of our curriculum Getting them ready academically for life after high school as a college-bound student. College credit and rigor. We have not yet seen any data but I 'feel' it has exposed our students to the college experience. Additionally, part of the experience is raising expectations through a rigorous curriculum. Earn college credit at our high school Offered an option for Hebrew study equivalent to other language opportunities available at their public hs. It has provided our students with the rigor and challenge that is expected at the college level. The students are enjoying this challenge and are excited about the work they are doing. They stay in the high school, because they can take an expensive college course for free. Successful college level course work experience. Raised the bar for academic excellence! College credit prior to entering college. Offered students another alternative to earn College Credit beside AP and PSEO Quality college experience Opportunities to demonstrate college level work in a high school environment. Maintains student enrollment on our campus. Gives them credits they don't have to pay for $$ in their pockets EARN COLLLEGE CREDIT, KEEP THEM HERE INSTEAD OF PSEO Offer hs students college credits Providing them with the opportunity to earn college credit while in school without leaving the building. Earning free college credit. They have had an opportunity to try college curriculum. It also allows students options in the Life Science and Latin areas. Convenience of earning college credits. A place to get ready for college with some supports before being on a campus full time.

5 Impact on Students Getting them to sign up for the classes. Students are being more responsible. Academically rigorous course opportunities For those few who take advantage of the option, they continue their upper level work. Remain at the high school. 7. What is the single greatest impact College in the Schools has had on your TEACHERS? Impact on Teachers The one instructor involved is not only confident in what he is doing, but is proud of the accomplishments. Rigorous curriculum that is already designed for them and being able to get training on how to present the information. A re-birth of sorts, new energy Challenged them - moved the out of their comfort zone. Re-energized some of them Greater pride for the course they teach and higher commitment to excellence. It has allowed our Japanese teacher to expand her program slightly. A lot of extra preparation time for the course. Provides them with quality training and rigorous course curriculum A renewed interest in their professional growth Made them more aware of curriculum needed in preparatory courses. Motivates and encourages leadership in their core areas. Given them an opportunity to experience a different level of teaching. All of our courses are taught at or above the rigor of the CIS program Engaged teachers in a level of professional development that has improved their teaching in other classes. Challenges them to teach a more rigorous, aligned curriculum. Confidence Increased research/learning. Excited about the opportunity to challenge themselves as well as students. Given them a chance to interest students in high level course work Opportunities to teach more rigorous courses There is more prestige associated with teaching a CIS class than honors or even AP classes.

6 Impact on Teachers The professional development provided our teachers is outstanding and they rate it as some of the best professional development in which they participate. It has empowered them to improve and given them a new and challenging experience. Our teachers that teach CIS have also improved their regular HS classes. They have raised the bar in many of the other classes they teach! The greatest impact has been the empowerment and self-confidence experienced by our teachers. Opportunity for professional growth The teachers have been re-invigorated by teaching the best students in an atmosphere where kids really want to learn and be successful. The program is energizing for our teachers. They love teaching it. Has compelled them to expand their skill set as instructors, learn more about their subject area and to raise their own expectations about how they teach a more rigorous course. They get a chance to push students at a more rigorous level. The staff development through the U is better than the other concurrent enrollment programs we offer It has shown them the importance of maintaining rigor in the classroom Allowing them to recognize what excellent educators that they truly are. Opportunity to network with other CIS teachers. Professional Development! Offer college credit courses in their program area A challenging curriculum and motivated students energizes the teachers. It has challenged our teachers to use different teaching tools, such as Moodle. It has also provided an opportunity for teachers to work with their students on a different level. The students are more dedicated. Raises the bar of what is expected in terms of rigor in regular hs courses. More are getting Masters to qualify. Provides teachers with the opportunity to push students to be the best the student can be and pushes the teachers to be their best! Teach the brightest and best. Added value to their course and has allowed them to maintain their offerings even when other areas were cut. New energy and commitment to excellence Challenges them as instructors and enables them to keep high level students. Promotes a college-going culture New challenges HIGHER LEVEL TEACHING More potential staff development

7 They seem to achieve a greater level of professionalism. Enhanced learning opportunities for them. Collaboration. Impact on Teachers An opportunity to connect with other professional colleagues and opportunities to transfer some instructional strategies learned for CIS to their other courses. Gotten to teach serious students at a high level. Staff are more focused. Network opportunities with colleagues at other high schools and faculty at U of M 8. What is the single greatest impact College in the Schools has had on your SCHOOL? Impact on School The public awareness and the connection of this program to address community needs. More college level opportunities for students keeps the students in our school, which in turn helps us provide even more college level course offerings for students. That leads to a more rigorous program for all students. CIS has created more options for our top students Helped students earn college credit ($ savings) and stay involved in High School. More kids taking college level courses because the credit is not based on one test at the end like AP Prestige of offering coursework that will directly benefit our students for life after high school. It has allowed us to keep the Japanese program for now. More opportunities for advanced courses in preparing students for college. Assists students in earning college credit and allowing them to continue to socially develop with their peers College credit achieved on our campus Keeping the student leaders at the school raises cultural expectations. Strengthens our academic program. Increased our prestige and reputation for offering challenging classes. College credit Allows us to provide rigorous courses that directly prepare students for classes they will take as first year college students. Allows us to promote the opportunities for college credit while engaged in rigorous curriculum. We have always been proud of our school. CIS has helped us meet the expectations of our parents to offer our students excellence in education. It has raised the level of confidence our parents have in our school. Providing college level classes.

8 It has give our school a status heretofore not realized Impact on School Advanced academic course offerings, which attract students seeking challenging academic programs More students involved in the programs early - their goal being to advance to a CIS class. Parents and community members rate CIS above AP. It has improved the image of our school in the eyes of community members. We have reduced our PSEO enrollment, and it has given us a leg up on neighboring schools. Students love the challenge and more seniors stay on campus. As a result of CIS we have been able to further the message and belief that enrollment in rigorous coursework is worthwhile to students. Keeps kids in school that might otherwise go the PSEO route. Students, parents, and staff have confidence that the classes are preparing students for a better college experience, and pride in succeeding in courses taught at such a high level of rigor. Students walking away with transcripted college credit. It's a great opportunity for schools to provide college level courses at our site to keep students here. It has been a great avenue for our advanced students. Students are staying here instead of going off campus for PSEO This is difficult to appraise. I would say that it has enhanced a value added component for our parents and the community Has kept far more students on our campus where they can be involved in high school activities and we can tap into their leadership abilities on an everyday basis, plus it keeps State Aid in our school district vs. a student who leaves to go PSEO. A great pathway for college prior to graduation. Assisting me to establish and maintain a culture of high expectations, academic rigor and expecting to move onward beyond high school. Enhance reputation with college offerings A selling feature for parents and students to receive college credit. We are a small rural school and the College in the Schools program has allowed students to remain at the high school and be involved with their classmates as they earn college credit. They do not become disconnected from the school or their peers. We keep them here until they graduate. More $ for the district. Reach high standards and communicate high expectations. CIS goes along with our mission of providing students with a college preparatory experience. Fewer students attending PSEO Supports our goal of increased rigor across the curriculum to meet the needs of a wider variety of students.

9 Impact on School Leaders in the school are those who participate Kept some kids from leaving us to PSEO. Parents are extremely supportive - really see the value Has helped keep some students at our school Kept kids here PREPARE STUDENTS FOR COLLEGE The potential for students to remain on campus for college credit It has made us an attractive alternative to a local private school with which we compete for students. Prestige Allows us an opportunity to offer more College opportunities in other areas. Options for students. It is considered one of the core designs for equity and access for many of the high schools in the area. It has boosted enrollment. Sets a high standard Concurrent enrollment option with a reputable partner, the U of M 9. What could CIS do to serve more students of color, low-income, or first generation college-bound students in CIS classes at your school? I think increase the number of EPP classes. The U of M has offered several courses that are reachable for most students in our building. We have found the EPP courses direct our students to four year colleges where they may otherwise have selected two year colleges. Recruit the kids, provide a teacher of color Most CIS courses are really designed to serve the top 20% (EPP excluded). We need a greater partnership with colleges for the 50th to 80th percentile in the 9th and 10th grade years, so they are ready as a juniors to take regular CIS. Nothing from CIS - the course is accessible to those students. Offer courses that are more interesting to those populations and get them engaged when they are juniors Possibly provide a summer program to the students--a taste of CIS prior to enrolling in the classes. Have a list of prerequisites for CIS courses Work with us as we begin AVID and work with Legislators to spend more money on CIS than AP or IB Continue to approve our instructors to be involved in CIS

10 This is a family issue - I don't think CIS can do anything about it. Have a presentation at local churches, family district meetings and a mailer to sophomores who are students of color as an invite. We would love to offer more if it was not so expensive. Maybe schedule a rep to be available for questions and answers in our Career Center for students to drop in and discuss questions they might have about CIS courses. Nothing Maybe offering tutors--college students that could volunteer--similar to AVID The cost of CIS is inhibiting the offering of the courses It would be the same thing for all students and that is to provide more courses so that they will fit into the individual school's curriculum We don't have the staffing to be able to offer additional courses (Entry Point Project) at this time and the required courses we have take up the majority of our staffing. Actually, support the counseling department as they seek to enroll these underrepresented groups Our district has a very low number of students of color. I believe the Entry Point Project is the very best way to bring more low-income, first-generation college-bound students into the process. Schools need the financial support to offer this gateway We need to offer more rigorous classes that offer traditional CIS credits. We also need to secure funding for CIS classes. Have courses available that are more in line with our curricular progression. Continue to expand your Entry Point program. I would hope the experience would encourage underserved students to gain courage for a post-secondary experience and better prepare them for the rigor. 10. Do you anticipate offering University of Minnesota courses through College in the Schools in ? Yes No Unsure (78) 94% (2) 2% (1) 1% 11. If you will NOT be offering U of M courses through CIS, why not? (Please select all that apply.) Budget cuts Lack of student interest (4) 5% (2) 2% Lack of teacher interest Lack of qualified teacher

11 12. Other (please specify) Other reasons for not offering U of M courses through CIS Despite budget cuts we believe the money we do have should be invested in CIS. It is getting more and more difficult to adhere to the class size limitations. Small class sizes limit schedule, therefore cannot be offered. We will eventually cut the program, if the U continues to govern our class size limits. We have classes of and are expected to have CIS classes of 25. Not going to happen next year. Would offer more if the cost was not so high 13. If you WILL be offering U of M courses through CIS, do you anticipate offering the same or nearly the same number of courses and the same number of sections as you have this year? Yes No Unsure (71) 86% (3) 4% (3) 4% 14. How many years have you worked with students taking U of M courses through College in the Schools? 1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 10 years or more Unsure (16) 19% (37) 45% (13) 16% (13) 16% (2) 2% 15. How many years has your school offered U of M courses through College in the Schools? 1-2 years 3-5 years 6-10 years 10 years or more Unsure (9) 11% (25) 30% (20) 24% (16) 19% (10) 12% 16. My school is: Public Private (72) 87% (9) 11% Urban/inner suburb Suburban Rural (6) 7% (8) 10% (3) 4% 17. How many students are in your high school? Fewer than , or more (6) 7% (13) 16% (23) 28% (39) 47%

12 18. Do you have any additional comments about the impact of College in the Schools on your students, your school, or teachers? Comments I checked NO to the question about providing the same number of CIS classes because we are planning on more this year than last year. Students love to be challenged and they enjoy the high level of rigor found in these classes. We have students who have raised their ACT score 3 points and their ACT Reading sub-score by 6 points by taking two CIS Courses (History and Literature). For one of the students, taking the CIS courses is all he did to improve his score. College in the Schools makes more sense for students in the middle. While AP and IB classes offer rigorous course work, the ability to earn college credit increases with College in the Schools. It is much more motivating when the opportunity to earn credits is more visible and attainable for students. Thanks for your support CIS has been a great addition to our school. Students appreciate options and CIS is an excellent option. CIS through the U of M is among the very best opportunities that we offer students. The value to the schools is great as it provides credibility to the public as to the rigor and value of our public school and our students learn how to succeed in college level coursework. I am a strong supporter of CIS programming in our school and look toward expanding our involvement where possible. It is the best thing we have done regarding our curriculum for college bound students! We are adding more classes this year. Our students are hungry for the challenge. CIS is a tremendously valuable program and option for our students and staff. Frankly, the backlash from our families were this program eliminated would be considerable, and well-founded. This program works, and fulfills the very vision and mission of our district to develop and enhance 21st century skills. It is not necessarily a factor in the short term, but in the long term, cost may be a deciding factor in determining the extent to which we can offer additional CIS courses. I am confident that we will always offer some, but expansion is uncertain at best. CIS has allowed us to have some of our best teachers work with U of M professors without some of the restrictions we faced with MNSCU institutions. The training and opportunity to network with other CIS teachers is invaluable. Your max seat counts for classes is out of sync with the rest of the courses in our school. Your max seat counts need to be increased. If you don't it will result in cheating or schools dropping your program because they can't afford to pay for the small class sizes. Your program is great for our students and school! Thanks!!! Keep it going. Good for kids and parents. Good for enrollment in the school. In this time of budget cuts it becomes more difficult for our District to pay for these courses. Also - class sizes are up throughout the building. It is very difficult to keep these required class sizes. I think it is awesome for all parties involved! CIS is a pathway to building expected college skills, and an opportunity while still in high school to get a nice running start for what's to come for life after high school. Let the schools dictate the class sizes.

13 Question for principals at schools that did NOT offer Entry Point Project courses Results (of the 68 survey responses from schools that did not offer EPP courses): 1. In CIS will again offer three U of M courses through the Entry Point Project. These courses are targeted to underserved students, especially students of color, low income students, and first generation college bound students. The three courses are Writing Studio, Mathematical Modeling and Prediction, and Physics by Inquiry. All three courses carry U of M credit. We d like to know more about why your school has not opted to offer one or more of the Entry Point Project courses. Please check all that apply. a. Lack of student interest (11) 13% b. The CIS Entry Point Project courses don't seem to maintain CIS quality. (4) 5% c. We cannot afford to offer more U of M courses through College in the Schools. To offer an Entry Point Project course we would have to stop offering some other CIS course. (25) 30% d. These CIS courses don t fit into the other programs at the school that serve these students. (7) 8% e. These courses don't meet the needs of our underserved students. (0) 0% f. We would like to offer the math course but we haven t found a teacher interested and qualified to teach it. g. We would like to offer the physics course but we haven t found a teacher interested and qualified to teach it. h. We would like to offer the writing course but we haven t found a teacher interested and qualified to teach it. (4) 5% (2) 2% (4) 5% i. None of these courses fit into our curriculum for juniors and seniors. (8) 10% Other reasons for not offering EPP courses: Other We would love to consider offering Entry Point Project courses, as I believe they would further student awareness, confidence, and experience with college-level coursework for the targeted, underserved students in our high school. But, we simply can't add more expenditure to a very stressed district budget! We would like to incorporate the three classes in the future We will offer these courses this year if approved We provide Upward Bound for our students. We haven't fully investigated the possibility of offering these. We are stretched to add any more at this pt. We are offering the writing course next year. We are currently working on offering these courses now that we have a qualified teacher. This request needs to go through our Curriculum and Instruction Director

14 Other There have been a lot of competing initiatives the past two years The limitation on class sizes has prevented our school from offering the courses. We are most definitely interested in the Writing Studio and Physics by Inquiry courses. The cost is just too much when we are already paying our teacher to teach the course The additional cost to the University for the CIS courses are making it difficult to offer additional courses. Teachers have not been interested in the courses Teachers don't want teach those courses. Our students currently move through MCTC Students seem to be content with the courses that are currently being offered. Our AVID program is targeting the same kids, and the fact that with very limited budgets today, very few new courses are being proposed. In a time of continued Budget Reductions where HS electives courses continue to be cut, it is difficult to add more courses with a higher cost to the registration process. I think the biggest obstacle currently is finding the right teacher, obtaining assistance in identifying the targeted student and marketing. If it is still possible, I'd like to explore offering all three: Physics by Inquiry, Writing Studio and Mathematical Modeling and Prediction. I have two instructors pursuing offering the Mathematical Modeling and Physics by Inquiry. Our desire is to offer these courses as soon as possible. I have not been given any direction to pursue these classes. I am not knowledgeable of these offerings. Recommend contacting 656 curriculum director. This could be interesting to consider Entry point classes are not as rigorous as traditional CIS classes and do not offer the same credit bearing as a traditional CIS class. Also St. Paul is moving away from supporting any funding of CIS classes. Don't know a lot about them Conflicts with IB DIploma Requirements CIS is a great program. The inconsistency of class size guidelines are both illogical and unproductive and may be cost prohibitive in the near future. At this time, they don't fit our curriculum, but we will keep exploring these and other options CIS offers As a college prep school we have few students who qualify as the targeted group.