1. Key Project Features
College Enrollment Support
Support beyond college application
submission is required for all students
transitioning from High School
Equivalency (HSE)/GED programs to
College, as students face additional
barriers to enrollment that affect their
document submission, class
registration and financial aid
packaging. Robust advisement and
proactive personalized student
outreach is key to successful enroll-
ment.
Closing the Readiness Gap in
Mathematics
Back on Track is reducing math
developmental needs by offering
college math placement exam prep
courses; providing tutoring support for
developmental courses in the first
semester; and by actively directing
students to successful developmental
intervention programs within the first
year.
Building a College Going Culture
HSE instructors and counselors
provide college transition support for
students even before they take their
HSE exam. In addition, College and
Career Readiness Standards are
weaved in HSE curricula to facilitate
the transition into college degree
programs.
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BACK ON TRACK INITIATIVE
Supporting Transition and Persistence from High School Equivalency to College Year 2
GETTING HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY
STUDENTS TO COLLEGE
Designed to fund innovation in higher education, LaGuardia Community
College was awarded a 4-year, $2.9 million First in the World grant in
October 2014 to launch Project COMPLETA: Comprehensive Support for
Student Success. A main focus of Project COMPLETA is to provide help to
thousands of high-risk High School Equivalency (HSE) or GED students as
they move from LaGuardia’s non-credit Adult and Continuing Education
(ACE) programs to college degree enrollment and new career opportuni-
ties. This is where the Back on Track Initiative comes in.
By providing targeted college readiness services (e.g., help with the college
application, personalized email and text messaging, just-in-time advise-
ment, and financial aid application support) in Years 1-2, Back on Track
was able to improve college enrollment task completion rates for HSE stu-
dents. (See below)

2. WHO ARE THE BACK ON TRACK STUDENTS?
 We’ve served 731 nontraditional students who included adults, Immigrants
and out of school youth.
 All earned their HSE/GED diploma
at LaGuardia Community College.
83% entered their first semester of
college with math basic skills
needs.
 54% are female & 46% are male.
 Average age of students is 26.
 Almost 70% enrolled in college full
time.
 Roughly 80% are federal Pell Grant recipients.
Spotlight:
How to Build a College
Going Culture in an
HSE/GED Program
 Start by involving
students in the college
application process before
the end of their High
School Equivalency
(HSE)/GED courses.
 Help instructors and
advisors shift their focus
and language towards
students from preparing
only for an HSE/GED
exam to preparing for
college and their next
career move.
 Advise filing for
financial aid early and
provide financial aid
workshops and Immun-
ization health clinics dur-
ing the HSE program.
 Invite alumni from HSE
programs who transitioned
into college to speak to
students of their experi-
ence and provide insight-
ful tips.
DO HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY STUDENTS
REQUIRE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT IN THE TRANSITION
TO COLLEGE?
First generation college students who have earned their High School Equivalen-
cy (HSE) or GED diploma face many barriers to success in their transition to col-
lege and in their first year. Lack of academic preparation, parenting responsibili-
ties, part-time enrollment, full-time employment, and varying financial circum-
stances can cause students to become sidetracked during the college admis-
sion process or drop out at any time during their undergraduate studies.
Additional barriers that affect HSE students during the college application pro-
cess include validating foreign transcripts; gathering prior post-secondary edu-
cational transcripts; and identifying outstanding prior debt (i.e., for-profit school
debt, loans). These hurdles can often lead to what some refer to as the “summer
melt.” There is a high attrition rate between students obtaining their HSE
diploma and starting their first year of college; they tend to “melt” away.
Our goal is to stop the melt and get these students to their first year.
Resources
Castleman, B. L., Page, L. C., & Schooley, K. (2014). The Forgotten Summer: Does the Offer of College Counseling After High School Mitigate Summer Melt Among College Intend-
ing, Low Income High School Graduates?. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 33(2), 320-344.
Bahr, P. R. (2008). Does mathematics remediation work?: A comparative analysis of academic attainment among community college students. Research in Higher Education, 49(5),
420-450.
CCPI/LAGCC/CUNY | © 2016 | WWW.LAGUARDIA.EDU/CCPI/
Want more information?
Please contact us at:
College & Careers
Pathways Institute
(718) 482 5385
CCPI@lagcc.cuny.edu
Laguardia.edu/ccpi