in partnership with
2021 Guiding Principles
Professional Learning Community
Join us every other Tuesday morning from 9:00-10:00 a.m. as we take a “deep dive” into each of the guiding principles. This professional learning community, led by Dr. Joseph Goins, will keep you current on designation requirements while providing an opportunity to network with other designated program leaders.
This series is designed for secondary and postsecondary leaders of designated programs and those seeking designation.
May 18
Guiding Principle 1: Equitable Access
Designated programs should prioritize students underrepresented in higher education enrollment and completion. To facilitate this, programs should be structured to eliminate barriers to student participation. Design might therefore include, but not be limited to, tuition-free participation, open enrollment without regard to prior academic performance, student supports to promote success, scalability, multiple entry points for students, and student supports to prepare students for entry into the program.
Session will Cover:
- Review Designation Criteria
- What are the Elements that are Demonstrative of the Criteria?
- Best Practice within the ECP and Problems of Practice
June 1
Guiding Principle 2: Guided Academic Pathways
Designated programs should be structured around clear and detailed student academic pathways from secondary to post-secondary education with regard to coursework, sequencing, and experiences beyond the classroom. Prior to students choosing a pathway, programs should offer students substantive exposure to career opportunities, allowing them to make an informed decision about which pathway to pursue. Within these pathways, students should be expected to complete at least twelve college credits that are transferable and count towards an Associate or Bachelor’s degree pathways. Students should also be exposed to the authentic experience and academic rigor of postsecondary education. This would require validating that courses are as rigorous as college level courses offered on campuses. Further, programs should prioritize allowing students to take at least one or more courses on college and university campuses where possible, and otherwise offer experiences intended to acculturate students to the postsecondary experience.
Session will Cover:
- Review Designation Criteria
- What are the Elements that are Demonstrative of the Criteria?
- Best Practice within the ECP and Problems of Practice
June 15
Guiding Principle 3: Enhanced Student Support
Designated programs should incorporate sufficient wraparound services to promote academic success and completion, taking into consideration the needs of diverse populations of students.
Session will Cover:
- Review Designation Criteria
- What are the Elements that are Demonstrative of the Criteria?
- Best Practice within the ECP and Problems of Practice
June 29
Guiding Principle 4: Connection to Career
Designated programs should expose students to a variety of career opportunities including greater depth in careers relevant to their selected pathway. Programs can provide opportunities for targeted workforce and career skills development, career counseling, and elements of experiential and workplace learning .
Session will Cover:
- Review Designation Criteria
- What are the Elements that are Demonstrative of the Criteria?
- Best Practice within the ECP and Problems of Practice
July 13
Guiding Principle 5: Effective Partnerships
Designated Early College programs should be a partnership between at least one institution of higher education and one public secondary school and district and may include one or more employers. Partnerships should present evidence that the program has been determined to be aligned with collective bargaining agreements. Memoranda of understanding between partners that detail the nature of governance, budget, sustainability, scheduling, respective responsibilities, and performance measures, should also be provided. Programs should be sufficient in size to capture economies of scale goals and to ensure long-term sustainability.
Session will Cover:
- Review Designation Criteria
- What are the Elements that are Demonstrative of the Criteria?
- Best Practice within the ECP and Problems of Practice