1) Project goal: The main goal of the project is to provide high school seniors with the knowledge and preparation necessary to thrive in their educational experience once they move on to Community College. Students will participate in guidance lessons, online application process and group discussions. By the end of the program, seniors may understand the Community College system and the transfer process to a 4-year university. The program also provides information on the steps required for early registration in community colleges and on financial aid applications as well as special programs such as the Puente Project and Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS).

1. COMMUNITY COLLEGE
PROGRAM
High School to Community College Program:
Preparing for Transition

2.  33.3% of Hispanics 25 and over have not
completed high school as of 2015, compared
to 6.7% of non-Hispanic whites.
 15.5% of Hispanics have at least a bachelor’s
degree as of 2015, compared to 36.2% for
non-Hispanic whites.
 I wanted to examine how many ELL who are
also Hispanic or Latina/o are not A-G
eligible and whether they could benefit from
an increased awareness of college
preparedness by participating in a community
college transition program.

3.  Population: 232,206
 Average Household Income: $105,355
 Education: 52.7% of residents have a Bachelor’s,
Graduate, or Professional degree
 92.3 % HS Graduation Rate
 6.1% below poverty
 Median Home Price: $648,800
 Foreign Born Population: 45.1%
 Asian….............................................50.6%
 White…............................................32.8%
 Hispanic/Latino….........................14.8%
 Black/African American….............3.3%
Public High SchoolFremont, California

4. How can we best support Latina/o ELL
and bridge their moving up from high
school to community college in hopes of
preventing the dropout rates and failure to
achieve a certificate, Associate’s Degree, or
transfer to a four-year university?

5.  This program consisted of 8 guidance lessons and workshops that
focused on providing students with background information about various
community colleges in the region, the transfer process, special programs,
resources available, and the early registrations process.
 These lessons were implemented bimonthly and trimonthly from January
2017 through March 2017.
 The English Language Specialist provided scaffolding so that all
participating seniors could understand the material.
 The Career and College Specialist provided me with current and relevant
college information and website links so I could include the information on
the guidance lessons.

6. 1. Introduction to the CC Program
2. Understanding the CC Process
3. What CC should I attend?
4. Financial Aid Workshop
 Financial Aid Workshop for Parents
(afterschool)
5. Placement Test Overview
6. Special Programs Workshop
 MEChA program from Ohlone
7. Final Steps Workshop
8. Post High School Starter Kit
Community College Application Labs
(CCLB)
 CCLB for Community College A
 CCLB for Community College B
 CCLB for Financial Aid
 CCLB for Special Programs

7.  Studies have demonstrated that participants in transitional programs
have increased their academic achievement and have ensured a
successful transition into high school and beyond (Karp &
Hughes, 2008).
 Another study confirmed that students who participate in transition
programs have higher numbers of students retained in high
school, higher graduation rates, and higher community college
enrollment compared to students who were not in the transition
programs (Luna & Fowler, 2011).

8.  Studied the interventions and activities that school counselors use to promote academic
achievement and increase college-going rates among Latina/o English Language
Learners. They found that school counselors who reported having adequate resources
showed higher rates of Latina/o ELLs receiving a high school diploma. The data
suggests that by collaborating with various stakeholders such as parents and the
community, making resources and materials available in Spanish, inviting Latina/o
professionals to serve as positive role models, and building cultural awareness to better
support the Latina/o ELL population (Cook, Perusse & Rojas, 2012).
 This study examines the gap that exists between the educational and career goals of
Long-Term English Learners (LTEL) and the level, or lack of, college and career
readiness. The study identified four main factors that cause the gap: lack of awareness,
lack of access, lack of connectedness, and lack of self-advocacy (Carrillo, 2016).

9.  A group of researchers aimed to develop the Social Emotional
Health Survey Systems (SEHS-S) as an instrument to measure the
students’ level of CoVitality and psychological distress According to
Furlong et al. (In press), all students who are considerate to be at-
risk, have strengths that could be identified and promoted to
facilitate more optimal developmental outcomes. The results
from the study suggests that educators could use the SEHS-S in
addition to school-based data to get a better understanding of each
student (Furlong et al., In press).

10.  The transitional group consisted of 15 seniors (5 males and
10 females; 17 to 18 years old).
 The participants included the Hispanic or Latina/o English
Language Learners who are not eligible to attend a four-
year university based on their transcripts.
 Included are two seniors who are not eligible to graduate
high school but could benefit from a transitional program.

11. Phase One – Initiating Conversations and Identifying Challenges
 Step 1: The Hispanic or Latina/o student population and the ELL are underrepresented
and underserved.
 Step 2: At the high school, I had conversations with my site supervisor, the assistant
principal (seniors), principal, EL specialist and Career and College Specialist. I also had
conversations with Katie Messina, Eric Blanco and Dr. Lewis.
Phase Two – Engaged Inquiry
 Step 3: The high school has a Career and College Specialist and a strong connection with the
local community college. In the Fall, the school had CCLB & financial aid labs as well as
fieldtrips. Workshops were advertised on School Loop and on Naviance. All this is
wonderful, but…
 Step 4: Observations and conversations with students as well as parent feedback at the
Financial Aid workshop. Common theme: we may know what but not how.

12. Phase Three – Collaborative Actions
 Step 5: The Community College Program consisted of 8 guidance lessons and
workshops as well as the CCLB during school hours (groups or individual). It also
included a financial aid workshop for Spanish speaking parents as well as a
presentation done by MEChA, a club organization from the local community
college.
 Step 6: Recipient of the Rowell Collaborative Action Research Grant.
Additionally, students have established an educational goal, registered for the
application workshop and the placement test at the high school. The majority
have applied for financial aid and have completed the online application for
College B.
https://www.socialpublishersfoundation.org/knowledge-base/high-school-to-
community-college-program-preparing-for-transition/

13. Phase Four – Community Assessment and Reflection
 Step 7: Administered the SEHS-S to measure students’ level of CoVitality and
psychological distress. Also administered the post-survey to examine the effects
of the transition program.
 Program Results:
 As a result of attending the guidance lessons and workshops:
 By the end of the program, 100% of participating seniors established an educational goal. All
students want to continue their education after high school.
 By the end of the program, 93.33% (N=14) of participating seniors will attend a community
college and/or high school next year.
 86% of students submitted an online application and applied for financial aid (FAFSA or
CADAA). Two seniors applied for scholarships.

14. Moving up to community college from high school can be an
overwhelming and confusing transition. One way that counselors
can decrease the dropout rates and failure to achieve a certificate,
Associate’s Degree or transfer to a four-year university for
Latina/o English Language Learners, is to guide students through
the community college enrollment process and help them establish
educational goals through college and career exploration (i.e.
Naviance). As a result, students may arrive to community college
better prepared and, therefore, have a successful transition.

15. Carrillo, S. T. (2016). Future dreams deferred: The dissonance between long-term english learner aspirations and reality. (Order No. 10258858). Available
from ProQuest Dissertations & Thesis Global: The Humanities and Social Sciences Collection. (1884623750). Retrieved from
http://proxylib.csueastbay.edu/login?url=htpp://search.proquest.com.proxylib.csueastbay.edu/docview/1884623750?accountid=28458 CELDT:
California Department of Education. (n.d.) Retrieved March 8, 2017, from http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/el/
Cook, A., Perusse, R. & Rojas, E. D. (2012). Increasing academic achievement and college-going rates for latina/o english language learners: a survey of
school counselors interventions. Journal of Counselor Preparation and Supervision, 4(2), 24-40.
Fowler, M., & Luna, G. (2011). Evaluation of achieving a college education plus: a credit-based transition program. Community College Journal of
Research and Practice, 35(9), 673-688, doi: 10.1080/10668920903527050
Hispanic Higher Education and HSIs, 2017 Fact Sheet: (n.d) http://www.hacu.net/hacu/HSI_Fact_Sheet.asp
John F. Kennedy High School, Fact Sheet 2014-2015 (n.d.) Retrieved March 8, 2017, from http://www.doc-
tracking.com/screenshots/Serve/45184/FactSheets/
Karp, M.M., & Hughes, K.L. (2008). Supporting college transitions through collaborative programming: A conceptual model of guiding policy. Teachers
College Record, 110(4), 838-866.
Lewis, R. E., & Winkelman, P. (2017). High school to community college transition group. Lifescaping Practices for School Communities: Implementing
Action Research and Appreciative Inquiry. New York, NY: Routledge.
Quick Facts: California (n.d.). Retrieved on March 8, 2017 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045216/06,00
Quick Facts: Fremont, California. (n.d.). Retrieved on March 8, 2017https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045216/0626000,00