Preparing High School Students for College - ERIC - U.S. ...

Implications for College Readiness Partnership ProgramsSelecting Interventions That Show PromiseSome of the studies referenced in the first chapter of this report suggest that certainprogram elements such as mentoring by adults or peers, and assisting students with thecollege application process may be more likely to result in positive outcomes (Gándara,2001). In addition, program descriptions based on our site visits, included in Appendix A,outline approaches to college readiness partnerships that have been field-tested in Texashigh schools and colleges. Choosing interventions that show the greatest promise in a givencontext can enhance the chances of success.Matching Students and InterventionsCollege readiness programs are relatively scarce. Further, many programs, especiallythose that are more intensive, can only serve limited numbers of students. Institutions maywant to match college-going students who are academically underprepared with moreintensive programs and direct those students who primarily need assistance with collegeknowledge to less intensive programs. The early assessment of students’ college readiness, apractice that we observed in a number of school districts, is a useful strategy for identifyingstudents’ needs and facilitating better matches between students and programmatic supports.Sequencing InterventionsAs we looked at programs offered by high schools and colleges, we often sawpromising programs that were not explicitly linked with one another. For example, in severalcases, a college-sponsored summer program for high school students was not aligned withactivities planned for students during the following school year. Linking secondary andpostsecondary college readiness programs may allow each type of institution to leverage theservices of the other, creating an opportunity to maximize the potential gains for students.Planning for Expected ChallengesDuring our site visits we learned about common challenges faced during programimplementation. Institutions struggled particularly with student recruitment, retention, andprogram sustainability. These challenges are worth considering — and planning for — earlyon in the development of college readiness partnership programs.financial need, or other criteria, it creates a circumstance under which students close to but on either sideof the cut point that determines acceptance into the program are highly comparable).30