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Did You Know? for 2021

Summer is the Time for K-12 and Higher Ed to Be Friends

June 1, 2021 by MOCAN

There are few more poignant moments than when students cross the stage and receive their high school diplomas. At that moment, families, district and school administrators, teachers, and everyone else who has helped the student get to this point see so much of their time and effort realized.

Borrowing a page from every commencement speech ever written, that K-12 culmination is also a new beginning and, for many, a new pathway toward college and/or career.

As students take their first steps toward that new pathway, how many district and school personnel really know where their students are going? Unfortunately, the answer too often is “no” or “not really.”

Sure, most schools monitor acceptances and conduct senior exit surveys to better understand students’ post-high school plans, but that knowledge is too infrequently paired with practice that ensures students fulfill their plans.

A few months ago in this space, we wrote about summer melt, a phenomenon that affects 10-40% of high school students intending to matriculate to a postsecondary institution. We offered suggestions like making sure to measure summer melt, creating college transition checklists, building a summer melt program, and using the National College Attainment Network summer melt toolkit to be proactive.

Incidentally, federal funding from the American Rescue Plan (and the other COVID relief legislation) can spur these kinds of partnerships with institutions and/or community-based organizations like college access programs. Probably the biggest takeaway is that any use allowable for Title I spending is allowable here for the recovery and relief funding, which in and of itself greenlights a large swath of activities, including those to prevent summer melt.

One key practice left unconsidered was how to forge stronger connections between K-12 districts and school and the postsecondary institutions to which their students matriculate. When we talk about the “silos” between the K-12 and higher education sectors, what that looks like in practice is that districts and institutions don’t have consistent, meaningful, or productive contact that could benefit students. Existing connections might include scheduling tours for students to visit a campus or getting more posters for the counselors’ suite, but K-12 and higher ed need outreach to build deeper, sustained, less transactional relationships.

Our sense from talking with districts and schools across the country is that substantial proportions of their students matriculate to a handful of institutions, with a long tail of additional institutions getting one or just a few students each year. Our other sense, unfortunately, is that few districts and schools have close professional contact with the institutions welcoming most of their graduates. That lack of contact makes it so there is no formal hand-off of students, and they can fall through the cracks, or “melt” as described above.

This summer is coming after a decidedly difficult year, and everyone involved in education wants, and deserves, a break. But given that FAFSA completions are down, college applications are down for first-generation students and those from low-income backgrounds, and students are changing their college plans, there is no rest for the weary, unfortunately. The high school class of 2020 saw a nearly 7% decline in fall enrollment, and the leading indicators for the class of 2021 are not optimistic.

Now is the time for school district administrators to look at their senior exit survey data or, even better, their previous National Student Clearinghouse StudentTracker data to see which combination of institutions comprises the largest proportion of students’ destinations. (By the way, summer is the best time to update your StudentTracker Graduates file so that it is ready to go when fall enrollment data become available).

Next, conduct outreach to those institutions, through the admissions or financial aid offices or student support services. See how district and college or university staff can work together to ease students’ transitions. Maybe that is as simple as the university co-creating or developing a college transition checklist (or reviewing an existing one for accuracy and making any needed additions). But maybe it’s a more intensive partnership that includes personalized outreach to students that can answer their matriculation questions. The possibilities are endless, but none of them will come to fruition without there being contact between K-12 and higher ed. Summer is the right time to do this because both sectors know this is a perilous time of year in a particularly perilous moment for students, and there is a concrete goal for both sides: making sure students achieve their postsecondary aspirations. Let’s break down the K-12/higher ed silo and forge the connections that can help students in the class of 2021 and beyond.

Filed Under: Did You Know? for 2021

Missouri public high schools awarded for FAFSA completion efforts

May 14, 2021 by MOCAN

Show-Me FAFSA Challenge winners announced

Eleven public high schools in Missouri are being recognized for helping students plan financially for higher education. In an effort to promote completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) among high school seniors, the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) launched the Show-Me FAFSA Challenge in October 2020. The competition ended April 1.

Public high schools throughout the state competed with each other for scholarship prizes. Schools were automatically entered and sorted into three groups based on size. Each group competed for prizes in four categories, including highest completion rate, most improved completion rate, greatest percentage of lowest income students filed, and most innovative strategy. Random drawings were held to decide the winners in categories where there were ties. The Missouri Scholarship & Loan Foundation and the Missouri College Access Network are sponsoring the scholarship prizes.

“In spite of challenges created by COVID-19, many schools were still able to help their students take this important step to understanding their financial aid options for college,” said Zora Mulligan, commissioner of higher education. “We were excited to see several schools exceed the 60 percent filing goal, and we look forward to continuing this competition next year.”

Winning high schools include:

Highest Overall Completion:

  • South Holt High (South Holt Co. R-I) 73.7%
  • Bayless Senior High (Bayless) 66.3%
  • Rockwood Summit Sr High (Rockwood R-VI) 57.7%

Most Improved Completion:

  • Collegiate School of Med/Bio (St. Louis City) +37.1%
  • Chillicothe High (Chillicothe R-II) +33.4%
  • Marquette Sr High (Rockwood R-VI) +44.2%

Greatest Percentage of Lowest Income Filers:

  • Alton High (Alton R-IV) 100%
  • Northeast High (Kansas City 33) 100%
  • McCluer High (Ferguson-Florissant R-II) 89.3%

Most Innovative Strategy:

  • Charleston High (Charleston R-I)

There were nine schools that reached the statewide FAFSA filing goal of 60 percent. Chadwick High (Chadwick R-I) was the winning school chosen based on a random drawing held for that overall prize.

Winning schools will designate one of their graduating seniors who will attend a Missouri postsecondary institution in 2021 as the scholarship recipient.

For more information about the competition and to view the FAFSA tracker, visit https://dhewd.mo.gov/ppc/fafsachallenge.php.

This post was created and released by the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development. 

Filed Under: Did You Know? for 2021

Bridges to Success Equity Webinar focuses on community and technical colleges

May 12, 2021 by MOCAN

White paper highlights mental health on college campuses

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) will host a webinar, Thursday, May 13, as part of its Bridges to Success Equity Webinar series.

InsideTrack, an organization that has provided support for higher education institutions for 20 years, will give a virtual presentation on meeting the needs of Missouri’s community and technical colleges.

Thursday’s webinar is the latest in a series of monthly presentations given by educators and advocates aimed at promoting equity throughout Missouri’s colleges and universities.

MDHEWD’s Office of Postsecondary Policy recently published a corresponding white paper on inequities in student mental health services.

“Technical and community colleges play a vital role in higher education in Missouri,” said Dr. Mara Woody, assistant commissioner of the office of postsecondary policy. “Not only do these schools prioritize the state’s workforce needs, but they also provide low-cost, high-quality education and serve students who may be typically underrepresented at four-year universities.”

The corresponding white paper covers the mental health crisis on college campuses, the ways in which it was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how schools can use technology to find solutions. 

Monthly equity webinars have been offered since September 2020. Next month’s webinar will be held June 10. Download the recent white paper, register for the upcoming webinar, and view recordings of past webinars at dhewd.mo.gov/equity_project.

This post was created and released by the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development. 

Filed Under: Did You Know? for 2021

High School Graduation Checklist

May 6, 2021 by MOCAN

As the semester winds down, graduating seniors will be out the door and onto what’s next. Every year, an estimated 10-40% of high school students with every intention of enrolling in college the following fall, do not. We know that now is one of the last times that students will be easily accessible and available to receive a strong final round of college-going support. 

With that in mind, here are a few final ways that districts, schools, and college access organizations can best support their graduating seniors. 

Support for graduating high school seniors begins with the senior exit survey. 

Information gathering is the first step in building out a plan to support graduating seniors. 

A senior exit survey is a simple and effective way to update contact information, find out students’ next steps, and determine how to tailor student support throughout the summer.

Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research created a Summer Melt Handbook that includes a great guide for what exactly to include in a senior exit survey. They suggest administering a senior exit survey as close to graduation as possible to get the most accurate information. Consider including the exit survey in graduation materials to be sent to students and their families or offering incentives to increase the completion rate. 

The senior exit survey should aim to identify up-to-date student phone numbers and emails, whether students plan to attend college, and, if so, where. Getting answers to these questions will help your organization identify which resources to promote to students. For instance, if the survey reveals that most of your students are attending a local college or university, your team can then share information on next steps for that particular school. 

While it is important to make sure that the senior exit survey fits the needs of your students, there is likely no need to create an entirely new senior exit survey. Consider adapting exit surveys from previous years or using an existing template.

For exit survey inspiration, visit the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) guide for immediate next steps for graduating seniors or see the examples below:

  • Broward County Public Schools
  • I Know I Can
  • College Now Greater Cleveland

Be sure to administer the survey electronically so that you are able to make use of the results immediately. These results can inform the resources that you promote to your students. For instance, once you have an idea of where most of your students are going, consider making or promoting transition cheat sheets.

Summer transition cheat sheets are a quick, easy way to ensure students have accurate information regarding their next steps at popular colleges. 

Summer transition cheat sheets (or checklists) are simple one-pagers full of information on a college’s upcoming tasks, deadlines, contact information, and other pieces of helpful information. These resources can be a great way to make sure that your students have clear actionable tasks and goals to accomplish before enrolling in the fall. 

Puget Sound College and Career Network has created these same cheat sheets for their students, and they serve as a great example. 

All of their checklists are neatly divided into sections on what to do before coming to campus:  

  • Apply
  • Finish the financial aid process
  • Complete testing or send transcripts
  • Register for orientation
  • Register for classes
  • Find transportation
  • Pay tuition,
  • Find supports and community

Harvard’s Summer Melt Handbook also has strong examples from which schools, districts, and college access organizations can draw inspiration. Be sure to include as many relevant links as necessary in your checklists – each link makes it that much easier for students to navigate the enrollment process.

Once you have created or identified information and resources to distribute to graduates, decide how you want to reach them. For many organizations, text messaging is a great option for reaching lots of students quickly and easily. 

Texting is one of the best ways to relay information to students over the summer. 

Research shows that text messaging campaigns can be a great, cost-effective way to relay information to students. According to research from the CARPE Center at the American Institutes for Research, “text nudges may be best for encouraging such high-stakes actions OR should help students understand consequences of inaction (e.g., what are the consequences of NOT going to a career fair?).”

Consider using texting to encourage your graduating seniors to take action over the summer. This is an opportunity to inform students of necessary pre-enrollment tasks that they might not be aware of such as the ones listed in summer transition cheat-sheets. 

If your district of school has texting abilities, consider this avenue as a way to get in contact with students. Find the Fit has a timeline of text message templates that can be customized to fit the needs of your students and your organization. Alternatively, consider utilizing message delivery services such as Signal Vine to get in contact with students. 

Let students know where they can find support over the summer.

If your organization has the capacity to offer hands-on support throughout the summer, make sure that students know where to find it as personalized advising is an invaluable resource. Before students are out the door, make sure that students (and parents!) know where to find help from counselors this summer. Consider including contact information in your summer cheat-sheets and in your texting outreach. 

As your organization is finalizing your plans to support your seniors, don’t forget to take advantage of the resources that are already available to you. Be sure to check out NCAN’s Summer Melt Toolkit and their K-12 Advising Calendar.

Filed Under: Did You Know? for 2021

Bridges to Success Equity Webinar focuses on College Access

April 12, 2021 by MOCAN

White paper highlights Guided Pathways

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) will host a webinar, Thursday, April 15, as part of its Bridges to Success Equity Webinar series.

Dr. Natissia Small, assistant provost for access and academic support at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, will give a virtual presentation on barriers to college access and how they can be overcome.

Thursday’s webinar is the latest in a series of monthly presentations given by educators and advocates aimed at promoting equity throughout Missouri’s colleges and universities.

MDHEWD’s Office of Postsecondary Policy recently published a corresponding white paper on Guided Pathways, a robust support system aimed at helping students choose their major and adjust their course load in order to thrive in the classroom while maintaining a healthy school-work-life balance.

“Understanding the historical inequities in access to higher education will help Missouri’s colleges and universities combat today’s challenges,” said Dr. Mara Woody, assistant commissioner of the office of postsecondary policy. “Both this month’s webinar and white paper will offer tangible strategies for making higher education more accessible.”

Titled “Best Practices for College Access Past, Present, and National Pandemic,” this week’s webinar will examine equity in higher education from a historical perspective. The white paper suggests how Guided Pathways, which has already been adopted by more than 250 schools, can be used to counter the academic hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Monthly equity webinars are scheduled to take place from now until June. Download the white paper, register for the upcoming webinar, and see future webinar dates at dhewd.mo.gov/equity_project.

This post was created and released by the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development. 

Filed Under: Did You Know? for 2021

Stopping Summer Melt Starts in the Spring

April 6, 2021 by MOCAN

Every year, an estimated 10-40% of high school students with every intention of enrolling in college the following fall never actually do so. Students most underrepresented on college campuses, e.g., students of color, students from low-income backgrounds, and first-generation students, are the most susceptible to challenges of this “summer melt.”

The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) defines summer melt as the “the phenomenon of college-intending students who have applied to, been accepted by, and made a deposit to a college or university, but fail to matriculate to that college (or any other) in the fall following their high school graduation.”

So, what causes summer melt?

The challenge of getting to the metaphorical college-going finish line is not often a question of whether or not the student wants to go, but rather if they have the resources to do so. Far too often, students falter when facing the immense challenge of navigating complex forms and processes.

Financial aid is often one of high school seniors’ biggest hurdles. If there are gaps in a college’s sticker price and a financial aid package, students might find themselves in what seems like the impossible position of not knowing how to close that gap.

Students who complete the FAFSA thinking it will unlock their financial aid sometimes experience hurdles in the form of being selected for verification and needing to provide additional documents. The office of Federal Student Aid estimates that 7.2% of students selected for FAFSA verification do not receive subsidized federal aid as a result. These challenges add up, making it more difficult for students to afford, and attend, college.

For the class of 2021, we cannot overstate the importance of summer melt interventions. New data about the class of 2020 tell us that postsecondary enrollment from low-income high schools was down more than 13 times from the previous year. Similarly, high-minority high schools saw postsecondary enrollment decline more than tenfold.

Since the most disadvantaged students are the most susceptible to summer melt, it is imperative that districts, schools, and college access programs are prepared to provide support for high school seniors as they transition. Regardless of your organization’s capacity, there are actions that you can take to combat summer melt.

The first step to tackling summer melt is measuring summer melt.

Measuring summer melt takes time, but the payoff is well worth the effort.

For many organizations, the classic senior exit survey administered around graduation is a good place to start. To increase survey completion, consider offering incentives or making the survey a graduation requirement. Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research Summer Melt Handbook offers a guide on what exactly to include in the senior exit survey and offers examples.

When it comes to creating the survey, the more specific the questions, the better. For instance, the guide recommends asking questions that reveal exactly at which institution a student plans to enroll and whether or not the student has paid their deposit.

With an understanding of how many students intend to go to college, compare that information against data available through the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). Their StudentTracker service helps organizations determine how many students actually enroll in college the following fall.

Once the fall approaches, use data on intention and enrollment and this formula to calculate summer melt:

For an example from the field, consider the School District of Lancaster (PA). The district paired with researchers from Franklin & Marshall College to develop an approach to measuring summer melt. They found three key indicators to best predict their class of 2018’s summer melt: senior year GPA, senior year attendance, and completion of the FAFSA (or listed as N/A due to income or undocumented status). The district then used that new information to inform its advising approach and refine the types of supports its college advisers would provide students.

“While your school or organization may not have the data or resources to build your own predictive model, it may not be as hard as you think. Consider reaching out to local colleges and universities, especially the economics, education, statistics, and political science departments,” advises Dr. Jeremy Raff, SDOL’s coordinator of college and career services.

Regardless of measurement approach, the key is to have some sense of how many students are melting and, even better, which student groups are melting at the highest rates. Having these data makes a more effective summer melt intervention possible.

If many of your students are going to the same colleges, consider creating transition ‘cheat-sheets.’

Organizations can take this simple and low-budget action to support students over the summer.

To get started, make a list of the institutions to which the students you serve most often matriculate. Contact these colleges’ admissions offices to ensure that your organization is creating a guide that is in line with each school’s requirements and timeline and to see if they have any additional information to include. This can also help to build a stronger partnership between your organization and the higher education institutions that serve your students.

The Puget Sound College and Career Network created a number of wonderful checklists for their students’ popular college choices. They include simple one-page summaries of tasks, deadlines, and “good to know” information – complete with links and contact information.

Keep in mind that while the cheat sheets are a great resource, they are most effective when combined with hands-on support.

Depending on your organization’s capacity and funding, consider summer staffing.

If a district has the resources to hire school counselors or other summer employees, this high-impact approach allows for personalized advising. For the class of 2021 in particular, it is a great way to reach students who started their college-going process later in the year. This is especially impactful if your organization has access to the information necessary to contact students over the summer.

Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research Summer Melt Handbook offers guidance on how to actually make this happen:

“Through phone calls, text messages, and face-to-face meetings, counselors offer additional college-related support and guidance during the summer months. Counselors help students review their financial aid packages, understand and complete required paperwork, and negotiate social/emotional barriers to enrollment.”

Also consider involving members of the local groups such as the faith community, a local college access organization, or a nearby college. If you have already have strong partnerships with these groups, this could be a good match for your district, school, or organization.

Last summer, the Partnership for Los Angeles Schools collaborated with four local colleges to build a summer melt program by employing two AmeriCorps VISTA college success advisers. They met with the students virtually every month and sent out weekly, campus-specific text message reminders. Utilizing the cohort model ensured that students had a community that would arrive with them on campus.

Whether or not your organization is able to bring on summer staff, you should still consider a digital approach, such as texting.

Texting campaigns can easily be customized to reach your students.

Research suggests that texting campaigns can be one of the most cost-effective ways to stay in contact with students.

For instance, when Rhode Island Pipelines to College collaborated with Career Research Partnership, they found that 73% of students from low-income backgrounds who received text nudges enrolled in college, compared to 66% who did not receive texts. When Bottom Line paired with Signal Vine to re-engage students through two-way texting, they found that staff members reported at least a 50% student response rate.

The aim of texting should be to inform students about college-related tasks that they might not be aware of, remind them of deadlines, and help them complete such tasks before enrolling. If your district or school’s student portal has texting capabilities, that is one way to get in contact with students. If not, consider contracting with a message delivery service like Signal Vine.

When sending texts to students, focus on just one enrollment objective per text and include links for actions.

If you’re looking for text messaging templates, Find the Fit has a series of customizable text messages that can be sent to students.

Finally, for a more in-depth look, “Nudges, Norms, and New Solutions” is a comprehensive guide on how to utilize digital efforts such as texting, social media campaigns, and chatbots.

Remember, being proactive is key to every summer melt intervention, regardless of an organization’s size and capacity.

It’s an unfortunate truth that summer melt starts in February. Comprehensive and engaging summer melt interventions require thoughtfulness and planning in order to effectively reach the students who need them the most. While your organization is determining the approach that is right for you, don’t forget the resources that are already available to you. NCAN has a Summer Melt Toolkit for inspiration as well as a K-12 Advising Calendar to help you stay on track throughout the year.

Filed Under: Did You Know? for 2021

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