Santa Barbara City College
Discovers the Missing Link Between High School & College:
A Dual Enrollment Freshman Transition Course
Anaf luentSouthernCaliforniacommunitywith
beautifulbeachesandSpanishColonialarchitecture,
theSantaBarbaraareawouldseemtobethelast
placethatmighthaveanacademicachievement
problem.Andindeed,the92.7%highschool
graduationrateachievedbyCarpinteriaHighSchool
in2009,wouldbetheenvyofmanyschooldistricts
(SARC,2010).
Anissuelies,however,inthefactthattoofewof
thesestudentsactuallyattendandgraduatefrom
college.Inamovetomotivatestudentstoputforth
astrongereffortinhighschoolandseek
postsecondarytrainingafterward,SantaBarbara
CityCollege(SBCC)teamedupwiththelocalschool
districts,SantaBarbaraUni iedandCarpinteria
Uni ied,toofferaDualEnrollmentFreshman
Transition(DEFT)course.
Theclassfacilitatesthecreationofonline10‐year
CareerandEducationPlansthatareuniquetoeach
ofthestudents’desiredcareerpaths,whichheor
shechoosesaftercarefullyexamininghisorher
strengths,interests,andlifestylerequirements.
Studentsdiscoverthetremendousimpactthattheir
highschoolperformancecanhaveonthedegreeof
satisfactionorhardshiptheyexperienceintheir
lives,sotheyincreasinglyvaluetheireducation.
Withsuchpersonallymotivatinggoalsandallthe
stepslaidouttoachievethem,theyaremorelikely
tosuccessfullycompleterelevantpostsecondary
trainingandliveproductive,ful illinglives.
“SantaBarbaraCityCollegehasalwaysbeenan
entrepreneurial‐thinkingcollegewithavery‘big
picture’‐typeofleadership,”saidDr.DianeHollems,
DeanofEducationalProgramsatSBCC.“Thebig
pictureisthatifstudentsasyoungas14yearsof
agelearn,inaninformedway,whattheywanttodo
withtherestoftheirlives,thebene itisnotonlyto
thosestudentsbuttoparents,thehighschool,the
college,andthecommunity.”
The big pict re is that if st dents as young as 14
years of age lear , in an infor ed way, what they
want to do with the rest of their lives, the benefit
is not only to those st dents but to parents, the
high school, the college, and the communit .
Dr. Diane Hollems, Dean, Educational Programs
Santa Barbara City College
Studentsareenrolledatthecitycollegeandthehigh
schoolsimultaneously.Uponcompletionofthe
semester‐longclassknownasFreshmanSeminar,
whichtheyattendontheirhighschoolcampuses,
studentsreceivethreeunitsontheircollege
transcripts.Offeringafreshmantransitioncourse
thatalsoearnscollegecredithastheadditional
bene itthat,notonlydostudentslearnwhotheyare
andthelifeskillstheywillneedtoachievetheir
dreams,buttheytrulybegintoseethemselvesas
collegestudents.Thisincreasesthelikelihoodthat
theywillprepareearlyforcollegeandenrollafter
highschoolgraduation.Suchaprogrammakesgreat
stridestowardlevelingtheplaying ieldfor
populationscurrentlyunderrepresentedinhigher
education,astheDEFTprogramisintendedforall
studentsinanentirefreshmanclass.
“Ourprogramisdesignedtoreachallstudents,”
assertedDr.LaurenWintermeyer,DualEnrollment
CoordinatoratSBCC.“We’rereachingminority
populationstudentsthatmayotherwisenothave
accesstopostsecondaryeducation.Ifwegetthem
experience,andaccesstopeopleatthecollegewhile
they’restillinhighschool,hopefullythey’llhavea
moresuccessfultransitionafterhighschool.”
(800) 967-8016 | www.WhatWorksCareerChoices.com
A Breakthrough in Dual Enrollment Innovation
SBCChasofferedtraditionaldualenrollmentclasses
suchasEnglishandcalculusforanumberofyears,
whichwereinitiallyattendedmainlybyhigh‐
achievingstudents.Butthecollege’spioneeringin
theareaofdualenrollmentbeganinearnestin1998
whenCaliforniapassednewlegislationallowing
bothhighschoolsandcommunitycollegestocollect
fundingforduallyenrolledstudents.
Theprogramhasgrowntoincludeover100dual
enrollmentsectionsofferedon ivehighschool
campusesthroughouttheschoolday.With
approximately2,000studentstakingadual
enrollmentcourseandreceivingcollegecreditfrom
SBCCeachsemester,SBCCfacilitatesoneofthe
largestandmostsuccessfuldualenrollment
programsinthecountrythatschoolsfrom
throughoutCaliforniavisitandstrivetoemulate.
Hollemsimmediatelysawthepotentialofthe10‐
yearplantopowerfullytransformthecultureofthe
SantaBarbaraareahighschoolsandincrease
collegeparticipationafterattendingaworkshopin
early2009,whichoutlinedtheprogrammodelof
theGeorgeWashingtonUniversity’sFreshman
TransitionInitiative.Butshetooktheconcept
presentedonestepfurther:Whatifthefreshman
transitioncourseadvocatedatthisworkshopalso
carrieddualenrollmentcredit?Whatifevery
freshmanwithinthecollegedistrictstartedhigh
schoolwiththisrigorous,standards‐basedcourse,
completedthecoursewithanonline10‐yearplan,
andearnedcollegecreditforit?
UponreturningtoSantaBarbara,shepromptlymet
withtheleadershipofthetwoschooldistricts
withintheenrollmentareaofSBCCand,througha
seriesofpresentationsandworkshops,recruited
themajorityofhighschoolsintheareato
participateatdifferentlevelsthefollowingfall.
Throughthefallof2011,1,0139thgraderswithin
theSantaBarbaraareadistrictshadenrolledinthis
coursetoearnthreeunitsofcollegecreditforthe
DEFTcourse.
“Ithinkifwe indmorewaystoremindthemthat
they’recitycollegestudents,we’llseeevenmore
enrollmentindualenrollmentcourses,goingtothe
collegecampus,takingmorehonorsandAP
courses,”speculatedErinHansen,teacherofthe
DEFTclassatCarpinteriaHighSchool.“Ifwecanget
somanybene itsfromonecourse,it’sabsolutely
worthourtime.”
25% of students entering four-year
universities and 61% of students
entering community college enrolled
in at least one remedial class.
‐U.S.DepartmentofEducation
Too Many Students are Not College-Ready
Studentsenrollingincollegeareoftengrossly
unpreparedfortherigorofcollege‐levelwork.A
U.S.DepartmentofEducationstudyannouncedthat
25%ofstudentsenteringfour‐yearuniversitiesand
61%ofstudentsenteringcommunitycolleges
enrolledinatleastoneremedialclassbecausetheir
skillswerenotadequatetosucceedinentry‐level
classes(Wirtetal.,2004).
Needlesstosay,takingremedialcoursesisan
expensivewaytoentercollegeforstudentswho
mustpayforrequired,non‐collegelevelcourses
beforetheyevenbeginworkingonadegree.They
arealsocostlyfortaxpayers,whopayforthesame
educationforthesamestudentstwice.
Perhapsworstofall,remediationisadevastating
roadblockforstudentsontheirmissiontogeta
degree.Takingnon‐collegelevelcoursesinterrupts
anymomentumstudentsmayhave,sendsthemthe
messagethattheyarenotcutoutforcollege,and
drasticallyincreasestheprobabilitythattheywill
dropout.TheEducationDepartmentstudyreported
thatonly17%ofstudentsthattakeremedial
reading,forexample,evercompleteabachelor’s
degree,comparedwith58%ofstudentsthatdidnot
takeremedialclasses(Wirtetal.,2004).
Thisoccursinpartbecausehighschoolsareoften
unawareofwhatcollegesactuallywanttheir
studentstoknow.Acloserrelationshipbetweenthe
highschoolandthecommunitycollege,whichcan
befosteredbycreatingadualenrollmentprogram,
bringsthedifferentsystemsintocloseralignmentto
betterpreparestudentsforcollege.
Wintermeyeragreedthatcommunicationhasbeen
crucialtothesuccessoftheSBCCdualenrollment
program.“Allofus—K‐12,communitycollege,
university[staff]—areinthispartnershiptogether.
We’relookingataligningcurriculumsothat
studentshaveaseamlesstransitionbetween
All of us—K‐12, communit college, universit
[staff ]—are in this par ership together. We’re
looking at alig ing cur iculum so that st dents
have a seamless t ansition bet een systems.
Dr. Lauren Wintermeyer, Dual Enrollment Coordinator
Santa Barbara City College
systems,”Wintermeyersaid.
Toooften,educatorsbelievethatjustgetting
studentsintocollegemeansthatthemissionofthe
highschooliscomplete.Thisisevidencedbythe
commonlyused5‐yearplanthatendsonlyayear
afterstudentsgraduatefromhighschoolandgives
littleattentiontograduatingfromcollegeor
enteringachosencareer.Thisfrequentlyresultsin
studentswhoareunpreparedforcollegeandwho
failtounderstandwhytheyarethere.
“Itseemslikeeverythingisalwaystalkingabout
howyougettocollegeandtheyneverreallytalk
aboutwhatyoudoafter,”observedSierraSaragosa,
asophomoreatCarpinteriaHighSchool.“Freshman
Seminarreallyhelpedmerealizethatthere’slife
aftercollegeandthateverythingI’mdoingnowis
workingforaftercollegeandnotjustforcollege.”
Studentswhodonotseetherelevanceofeducation
totheirlivesareunlikelytoevengettocollege,
muchless inish.
“Mostofthetime,whenstudentscompletehigh
school,theystilldon’thaveaclearpictureofwhat
theywanttobeorwhattheirmajorshouldbe,”
Hollemscommented.“Theyoftenhear,‘Justexplore,
youhaveallthetimeintheworld,makeupyour
mindlater.’Well,thatdoesn’tworkandit’snot
realistic.Butstudentsthatcometocollegeknowing
whattheywanttobeandhavingresearchedthat
aregoingto inish.Andthat’shuge.That’swhywe
investinthe9thgradedualenrollmentcourse.”
A 10-Year Plan Keeps Students on Track
Thefreshmantransitioncourseservesasan
importantbridgefrommiddleschooltohighschool
andpavesthewayforasuccessfultransitionto
postsecondaryeducationoracareerpathway.The
studentdiscovershowharditistoearnthe
extravagantsalarysheimaginedbutthatitis
possibletoearnadecentlivinginacareershe
enjoys.Itthentiesastudent’sperformanceinallof
hercoreacademicclassestoherchancesofliving
thelifestyleshedesiresandshowsherthatputting
forthherstrongesteffortinhighschoolisthewisest
irststeptoachievinghergoal.
Theselessonsareespeciallycrucialforstudents
comingfromlowersocioeconomicbackgrounds
whomaylacktheresourcesorrolemodelstoteach
themthefoundationsofmiddle‐classsuccess.
“Thecourseworkopenstheireyestothe15
industrysectorpathways,thefoursystemsof
highereducation, inancialaid,thingstheymaynot
havetheculturalcapitaltoknowabout,”
Wintermeyernoted.
Withanew,morerealisticunderstandingofadult
responsibilitiesandofherownstrengthsand
preferences,thestudentexplorestheconceptsof
identityachievement:whoamI,whatdoIwant,and
howdoIgetit.Throughoutthecourse,shebuilds
theself‐knowledgeandlearnsthestrategiestobe
abletowriteherownquantitative10‐yearCareer
andEducationplan.
The10‐yearplanlaysoutthestepsforeachstudent
togetthroughhighschool,throughpostsecondary
training,andintohisorherchosencareer.Evenif
studentsdecidetochangetheirplanslater(asmany
inevitablywill),theyknowhowtogoaboutthe
decision‐makingprocess.
“Whetherornotthestudents,downtheroad,
continuewiththe[plans]theycreatedwaybackin
the9thgrade,they’velearnedhowtosetgoalsand
they’velearnedhowtocheckonthosegoals,and
hopefullytheycanlookbackandseethatthey’ve
completedthosegoals,”Hollemssaid.
It seems like ever hing is always talking about
how you get to college and they never really talk
about what you do aſter. Freshman Seminar
really helped me realize that there’s life aſter
college and that ever hing I’m doing now is
working for aſter college and not just for college.
Sierra Saragosa, Student
Carpinteria High School
Whether or not the st dents, down the road,
continue with the [plans] they created way back
in the 9th g ade, they’ve lear ed how to set goals
and they’ve lear ed how to check on those goals,
and hopef lly they can look back and see that
they’ve completed those goals.
Dr. Diane Hollems, Dean, Educational Programs
Santa Barbara City College
The10‐yearplanalsobecomesanimportant
advisorytoolthroughouthighschool.Carpinteria
HighSchoolhassetupdesignated“touchpoints”to
checkinwithstudentsontheirprogresstoward
theirgoals.Theonline10‐yearplansareavailable
anytimeacounselororinstructorneedstore‐focus
andre‐engagestudentswhomightbefalteringon
thepathtoself‐suf iciency.
Havingtheconnectionbetweenthehighschooland
thecommunitycollegeextendsthelengthoftime
thatstudentscanreceiveguidancerelatedtotheir
10‐yearplans.Insteadofhopingthatstudentswill
remainmotivatedandkeeptheirplansinmind
throughalltheupsanddownsofcollege,SBCCwill
havecounselorsonsite,trainedinusingthe10‐year
plan,whocancontinuetoassiststudentsin
achievingtheirgoals.
“We’renotsupposedtodoitforthestudents,we’re
supposedtoempowerthestudentstodoitfor
themselvesandIthinkifwe’reallonthesamepage
lookingatthestudents’ownwordsthenwecanbest
re lectthatbacktothem,”Wintermeyersaid.
TheJamesIrvineFoundationawardedthe
CommunityCollegeResearchCenter(CCRC)at
TeachersCollege,ColumbiaUniversityoversightof
theConcurrentCourseInitiative(CCI),whichhad
eightgranteesinCalifornia.Dr.ThomasBailey,
DirectoroftheCCRC,andDr.KatherineHughes,
AssistantDirector,havebeenperformingresearch
relevanttodualenrollmentforanumberofyears
andstudiedthedualenrollmentprogramatSBCCas
partoftheCCI.Thearticle“DualEnrollmentCan
Bene itaBroadRangeofStudents”byHughesand
SeniorResearchAssociateDr.MelindaMechurKarp
(2008)con irmedthat,whenitcomestolow‐and
middle‐achievingstudentsinparticular,simply
providingaccesstocollegecoursesisnotenoughto
observebene itsinincreasedpost‐highschool
collegeenrollmentandattendance.Dualenrollment
ismosteffectivewiththisdemographicwhenthere
isasubstantialsupportcomponent,whichtheDEFT
programdeliversintheformofthe10‐yearplan.
“Idon’tknowthatothercollegesembracethebridge
betweensecondaryandpostsecondaryinthesame
way,”Wintermeyersurmised.“Ithink,inmany
areas,studentscantakecoursesatthecollegelevel
butarelefttonavigatethepathwayontheirown.”
Andstudentslefttonavigateontheirownareata
muchhigherriskofgettinglost.
SBCC’sdualenrollmentprogramoffersavarietyof
careerpathwaysandacademiesthatfeeddirectly
intodegreeandcerti icateprogramsatthecollege,
andhavingthesesystemsinplacehelpsstudents
knowwheretogonextandhowtofollowthrough
ontheirgoals.BeforetheDEFTprogram,students
werestillresponsibleforselectingacareerpath
independently.Butasshecomparesstudentsat
CarpinteriaHighSchoolthathavehadthefreshman
transitionclasswiththosethathavenot,Hansen
fearsthatolderstudentsattheschoolwillbeata
disadvantage.
“Ifeelit’sadisserviceto[theolderstudents]
because,throughFreshmanSeminar,[students]not
onlyknowaboutcareerpathwaysbuttheyknow
practicallifeskills,”expressedHansen.“[Theolder
studentsare]goingtobemorelikewanderers,
whereasourfreshmanclassesaregoingtobeable
toadvocateforthemselvesnomatterwhattheydo
becausetheyknowwhat’soutthere.”
LuckilyforfuturefreshmanclassesintheSanta
Barbaraarea,theywillhavealltheresourcesthey
needtomakethemostoutoftheirfutures.
“Whenstudentshaveadetailed10‐yearplanwitha
clearpathtonotonlyeconomicself‐suf iciencybut
alsotoasatisfyinglifethatmatchestheirpassions,
strengths,andpersonality,theadvantagesof
advancedplacement‐typecoursessuchasdual
...our eshman classes are going to be able to
advocate for themselves no ma er what they do
because they know what’s out there.
Erin Hansen, Freshman Seminar Teacher
Carpinteria High School
enrollmentbecomeabundantlyclear,”saidMindy
Bingham,authorofthestandards‐basedCareer
ChoicescurriculumpublishedbyAcademic
Innovations.Thiscomprehensiveguidancecourse
materialisthecurriculumadoptedforuseinthe
SBCCDualEnrollmentFreshmanTransitionclasses.
“Studentswhomightnotnormallystretch
themselvestotacklethesecollege‐levelcoursessee
thebene itsinexertingtheextraeffort,”contended
Bingham,whosecurriculumhasbeenusedbyover
5,000schoolsoverthelast20years.“Andthat
intrinsicmotivationisthekeytodropout
prevention,forbothhighschoolandcollege.”
Dual Enrollment Increases Access to College
Dualenrollmentincreasestheprobabilityofpost‐
highschoolsuccessincollegebygivingstudentsa
tasteofwhatcollegeislikeinadosethatisnot
overwhelming.TheDEFTcourseusespass/nopass
gradingtoensurethatnostudentwillstartcollege
withapoorGPAasaresultoftheclass,butthevast
majorityofstudentshavethrivedinthetough
courseandearnedcollegecredit.Thisencourages
themtopicturethemselvesascollegestudentsand
believetheyarecapableofgettingadegree.
“Offeringdualenrollmenttofreshmenisahugeself
esteemboost,”Hansenaf irmed.“Youcanjustsee
thesmilesontheirfaces—they’reproud!“
Hughessupportedthisobservationinherarticle
“DualEnrollment:Postsecondary/Secondary
PartnershipstoPrepareStudents”(2010),
concludingthat:
Brie ly,dualenrollmentwaspositivelyrelated
tostudents’likelihoodofearningahighschool
diploma,tocollegeenrollment,topersistence
...dual enrollment was positively
related to students’ likelihood of
earning a high school diploma, to
college enrollment, to persistence in
college, and to higher postsecondary
grade-point averages.
‐DualEnrollment:Postsecondary/Secondary
PartnershipstoPrepareStudents(2010)
That’s the engine that drives our whole economy:
the education of our young people and the
education of our workforce.
Dr. Diane Hollems, Dean, Educational Programs
Santa Barbara City College
incollege,andtohigherpostsecondarygrade‐
pointaverages.And,whilemuchdual
enrollmentoccursthroughcommunitycolleges,
participatingstudentsinourstudieswhowent
ontoattendcollegeoncecompletinghigh
schoolweremorelikelytoenrollinafour‐year
institution,perhapsindicatingthattheirearly
tasteofcollegegavethemtheskillsand
con idencetoraisetheireducational
aspirations.(p.13)
Withacollegetranscriptalreadystartedanda10‐
yearplaninplace,studentsshowimprovementin
theirpreparationforcollegebytakingtheclasses
theyneedandworkinghardinthemfromthestart.
Throughdualenrollment,studentslearnhowthey
willmeetthehigherexpectationsofcollegeand
developtheself‐motivationthattheywillneedin
orderto lourishthere.
“Ithinkit’sthekeytoteachingstudentsself‐
advocacy,howtojumpthehoopsofpostsecondary
education,andthelanguageofpostsecondary
education,”Wintermeyersaid.
Dualenrollmentalsohasthepotentialtosavethe
studentmoneyoncollegetuitionbecausethese
coursescostremarkablylessthancollegecourses
forregularlyenrolledstudents.SBCC,forone,offers
dualenrollmentcoursesforatnotcosttohigh
schoolstudents.
Itiscost‐effectiveforthecommunity,aswell.
Taxpayersavoidpayingforstudentstotake
essentiallythesameclassesinbothhighschooland
collegeandavoidpayingforclassesforstudents
whowillchangetheirmajorsordropoutlater.The
communityalsoreapsmorefromstudentswho
contributemoreintaxesasproductivecitizens,
insteadoflosingmoneyondropoutsinneedof
welfareor,intoomanycases,incarceration.
“That’stheenginethatdrivesourwholeeconomy:
theeducationofouryoungpeopleandthe
educationofourworkforce,”Hollemsasserted.“It
alltiesintogether.”
St dents seem to be more connected to school,
are here in the classroom more, and are just not
ge ing in t ouble as much...they understand
that they need to be here and why their decisions
will affect them in the f t re.
Erin Hansen, Freshman Seminar Teacher
Carpinteria Hgih School
The Results Start to Come In
Theprogramcontinuestogrow.Asofthefallof
2011,threecomprehensivehighschoolsintheSBCC
enrollmentarearequireaDEFTcourseforall
incomingfreshmen.
CarpinteriaHighSchoolledthewayforthislocal
initiative.Fromthestartoftheprograminthefallof
2009,theDEFTcoursehasbeenrequiredforall9th
graders.Thesemester‐longcourseispairedwith
thesemester‐longhealthrequirementsothathalf
thestudentstaketheDEFTcourseinthefallandthe
otherhalfcompletethecourseinspring.The irst
cohortofDEFTstudentsiscurrentlyinthe11th
gradeandschoolof icialsreportanevidentchange
inschoolcultureoverthepastthreeyearsasthis
initialcohortandsubsequentclasseshave
embracedcareerandeducationalpreparation.
“Studentsseemtobemoreconnectedtoschool,are
hereintheclassroommore,andarejustnotgetting
introubleasmuch,”Hansenreported.“Ithinkthat
relatestotheFreshmanSeminarcourseandwhat
they’regettingfromtheclass—theyunderstandthat
theyneedtobehereandwhytheirdecisions[now]
willaffecttheminthefuture.”
TheSantaBarbaraUni iedSchoolDistrict,
comprisedofthreecomprehensivehighschoolsas
wellasoneparticipatingcontinuationhighschool,
hasalsoembracedtheDEFTcourse.DosPueblos
HighSchoolhasofferedthreeto ivesectionsofthe
DEFTcourseeachsemestersinceitsinception,and
LaCuestaContinuationHighSchoolhasadaptedthe
courseformulti‐gradelevelstudents.Forcredit‐
de icientstudents,thiscourseisparticularly
importantasitassistsstudentsinrealizingtheir
goalsandthenecessarystepstogetontrack
academically.Furthermore,therelationshipwith
SBCCDualEnrollmentencouragesstudentstolink
theireducationalaspirationstothemultitudeof
programsavailableatSBCC,particularlythose
designedtoassistunderrepresented, irst‐
generationcollegestudents.
Inthefallof2011,SantaBarbaraHighSchooland
SanMarcosHighSchooljoinedSBCC’sGetFocused…
StayFocused!™movementbyimplementingthe
DEFTcourse.Bothhighschoolsofferthecoursefor
all9thgraders,andtheintroductiontodual
enrollmentencouragesparticipationinadditional
dualenrollmentcoursesandcareer‐technical
pathways.Beginningwiththecurrentclassof9th
graders,studentswillbene itfromfollow‐up
curriculuminthe10th,11th,and12thgradesatallof
thecomprehensivehighschoolsinwhichtheywill
revisittheir10‐yearplansandre‐articulatetheir
self‐directedgoals.Thelocalschooldistrictsarealso
discussingthepotentialfortheDEFTcourseto
becomeahighschoolgraduationrequirement,as
theneedforallstudentstohaveapersonalized
learningplanisindisputable.
CarpinteriaHighSchoolreportsthatfreshman
suspensionshavedecreasedsigni icantlysincethe
programwasimplemented.Inaddition,a
preliminarystudyatDosPueblosSeniorHigh
Schoolfoundthat10thgradestudentswhohave
takentheDEFTcourseareabsent ivefewerdays
peryearthan10thgraderswhohadnottakenthe
course.Suchresultsreportedbythehighschools
havespurredSBCCtoexpandtheDEFTprogram
evenfurther.
Arecent$20,000donationfromtheSantaBarbara
FoundationandcommunityactivistCarlLindros
willhelpcompilethedatatodate.Aplanisinthe
workstoraisefundsinordertotrackstudentsin
theDEFTprogramthroughouttheirtenureatthe
communitycollege.
Future Plans for DEFT from 8th Grade Through College:
The Get Focused, Stay Focused!™ Initiative
and the Progression in Education Model
Inrecognitionofthefactthatthe10‐yeareducation
andcareerplanningprocessneedstocontinue
throughouthighschool,afollow‐upcurriculumtied
totheCommonCoreStandardsforEnglish
LanguageArtsandCollegeandCareerReadiness,in
particular,iscurrentlyindevelopment.Teamsof
educatorsrepresentingthelocalservice‐areahigh
schoolsgatheredinFebruary2012tocollaborateon
writingandeditinga irstdraftofproposed
modulesforthe10th,11th,and12thgrades.Students
spend16hoursineachgradelevelrevisitingtheir
10‐yearplansinanacademicclassroom.They
continuethere lectionandrevisionprocessby
exploringbothhigh‐demandandSTEM(science,
technology,engineering,andmath)careersand
connectingtheirselectedcareerpathwithan
appropriatepostsecondarymajorandinstitution.
Studentsareencouragedtoapplyfor inancialaid,
scholarships,andthepostsecondarypathwayof
theirchoosing,andtheyimprovetheircareer‐
readinessthroughthedevelopmentofresumesand
coverletters,mockinterviewexperiences,job
shadowing,andcommunityserviceopportunities.
Thecurriculumdeliversasubtleyetimportant
message:“Aproductiveandsatisfyingliferequires
becomingalife‐longlearnerwhotakeschargeofhis
orherowneducationplan.”Studentswillcontinue
toprepareforlifeafterhighschool,whetherit’sina
formaleducationalsettingsuchascollegeorin
trainingprogramswhenenteringtheworkforce.
Theonline10‐yearplanisvaluablenotonlyfor
helpingeachstudentstayontracktoreachan
informedpostsecondaryeducationgoal,butitis
alsoanimportanttoolforcounselorsand
instructors;becauseitisonline,the10‐yearplan
canhelpthempersonalizetheirworkwitheach
student.SBCChostedanoverviewworkshop
entitledCaringConversationsforthearea’sschools,
presentedbytheDirectoroftheFreshman
TransitionInitiativeattheGeorgeWashington
University,Dr.RebeccaDedmond.Dedmond
presentedstrategiesforpreparingtherestofthe
schools’facultytousetheonline10‐yearplanto
informadvisoryandacademiccoachingfunctions.
Moreworkisplannedforincreasingtheadvisory
capacityonthehighschoolcampusesaswellasat
thecitycollege.
Seeingthepotentialtotakethismodeltostill
anotherlevel,SBCCisguidingthehighschoolsin
developingstrategiesforsummerbridgeprograms
for8thgradestudents,whichwillgivethemahead
startonlearningwhatittakestobesuccessfulin
highschool.Duringthesummerof2011,two
schoolstestedauniquemodeltoaddresstheneeds
ofitsdistinctivestudentpopulation.Inaddition,by
thetimethe irstDEFTfreshmencohortreaches
SBCC,systemswillbeinplacetoenablestudentsto
transitiontheironline10‐yearCareerand
EducationPlansseamlesslyintotheguidance
systemofthecommunitycollege.Thisdynamictool
willprovidecollegeguidanceprofessionalsand
facultyaliketheabilitytoactivelymonitorand
supporteachstudent’sprogresstowardasatisfying
Every student who enrolls to pursue
a certificate, degree or transfer
objective, and in many cases even
those seeking career advancement,
needs a Student Education Plan that
represents the sequence of courses
that can get them from their starting
point to attainment of their
educational goal...
AdvancingStudentSuccessintheCalforinia
CommunityColleges(2012)
andproductiveadulthood.
TheprogramfortheongoingdevelopmentofCareer
andEducationPlansfrom8thgradethroughcollege
comprisestheProgressioninEducationModel,a
comprehensive,scalableprogramthataddresses
therecommendationsoftheCaliforniaCommunity
CollegesStudentSuccessTaskForceinthereport
AdvancingStudentSuccessintheCalifornia
CommunityColleges(2012):
EveryMatriculatingStudentNeedsanEducation
Plan
Everystudentwhoenrollstopursuea
certi icate,degreeortransferobjective,andin
manycaseseventhoseseekingcareer
advancement,needsaStudentEducationPlan
thatrepresentsthesequenceofcoursesthat
cangetthemfromtheirstartingpointto
attainmentoftheireducationalgoal…
Expandedresourcesforcareerexplorationare
essential.(p.21)
Infact,theProgressioninEducationModelwillbe
integratedwithSBCC’snewExpresstoSuccess
initiative.By“backwardmapping”theirultimate
educationalandlifegoalsviatheir10‐yearplans,
studentscompletingExpresstoSuccesswillmake
informeddecisionsinpreparationforarrivingatthe
collegewithdeclaredmajorsandasolid
understandingofthecollegecoursestheyneedin
ordertocompleteadegreeorcerti icateprogram
and/ortransfer.
Ideally,thiscohesivepartnershipbetweencollege
andsecondaryschoolwillsavestudentsfrom
accruingunnecessaryunits,whichinturnwillhelp
themtoevadethecostandfrustrationassociated
withanon‐directedpath.Instead,theywill
ef icientlycompletecerti icateprogramsor
associatedegreesandtransitiontoeither
productive,self‐supportingworkortoanother
institutioninpursuitofabaccalaureatedegree.
A Crucial Step Toward Educational Equality
Implementingadualenrollmentfreshman
transitioncourseisakeystrategytoincrease
collegeenrollmentandgraduationamongstudents
thatarecurrentlyunderrepresentedinhigher
education.Withasemester‐longcomprehensive
guidancecoursebasedontheCourseStandardsfor
FreshmanTransitionClassesandcontinualsupport
inthe10th,11th,and12thgrades,anystudentis
capableofwritingandfollowinga10‐yearCareer
andEducationPlan.Additionally,earlyexposureto
collegeenablesthesestudentstoseethemselvesas
“collegematerial”andenhancestheoddsthatthey
willadequatelyprepareforpostsecondary
education,enroll,andgraduate.
Withoutthisknowledge,guidance,andexperience,
studentsmustputallthesepiecestogetherby
themselves,andiftheyareableto igureitout,itis
oftentoolate.
“Unlesstheyhaveparentsthatareactivelyinvolved
andsharingthiswiththem,”Hansenobserved,
“there’snowhereelseonourcampuswherereality
issoembeddedintheclassroom.”
Dualenrollmentfreshmantransitionpromotes
equalopportunityforallstudentsand,byhelping
themtoplanwheretheyaregoing,helpsthemto
makethemostoftheirlives.
VoicedLaurenMingee,ajunioratCarpinteriaHigh,
“WhenIwasafreshman,Iwastakingprettyeasy
classes,doingmyhomeworkinthemorning,not
reallytryingashard.Aftertaking[Freshman
Seminar],Irealizedhowmuchapplyingyourself
reallymatters.Educationreallymattersandthe
choicesyoumakenowreallyaffectyourfuture.
ThisyearI’mtakingAPclassesandadual
enrollmentcourse.”
When I was a eshman, I was taking pre easy
classes, doing my homework in the mor ing, not
really t ing as hard. Aſter taking [Freshman
Seminar], I realized how much applying yourself
really ma ers. Education really ma ers and the
choices you make now really affect your f t re.
Lauren Mingee, Student
Carpinteria High School
References
CaliforniaCommunityCollegesStudentSuccessTaskForce.
(2012).AdvancingstudentsuccessintheCalifornia
communitycolleges.Retrievedfromhttp://
californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/PolicyInAction/
StudentSuccessTaskForce.aspx
CarpinteriaHighSchool2008‐09SchoolAccountability
ReportCard.(2010).RanchoCordova,CA:School
Innovations&Advocacy.Retrievedfromhttp://
www.sbceo.org/districts/sarc.shtml
Hughes,K.L.(2010).Dualenrollment:Post‐secondary/
secondarypartnershipstopreparestudents.Journalof
CollegeScienceTeaching,36(6),12‐13.Retrievedfrom
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Collection.asp?cid=17
Karp,M.M.&Hughes,K.L.(2008).Dualenrollmentcan
bene itabroadrangeofstudents.Techniques:Connecting
EducationandCareers,83(7),14‐17.Retrievedfrom
http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?UID=669
Wirt,J.,Choy,S.,Rooney,P.,Provasnik,S.,Sen,A.,&Tobin,R.
(2004).Theconditionofeducation2004(NCES2004‐
077).U.S.DepartmentofEducation,NationalCenterfor
EducationStatistics.Washington,DC:U.S.Government
PrintingOf ice.Retrievedfromhttp://nces.ed.gov/
programs/coe/2004/section3/indicator18.asp
Details about
Santa Barbara City College’s
DualEnrollment
FreshmanTransition&
GetFocused...StayFocused!™
Initiativeare available at
www.getfocusedstayfocused.org
(800) 967-8016 | www.WhatWorksCareerChoices.com