CVHEC’s Mid-Year Review 2024

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Math Task Force continues AB 1705 work with April 19 convening

Secondary education voices invited to join discussion

Discussions to improve calculus pathways for STEM students amidst a pending deadline this summer continues with the third “Central Valley Way to AB1705 Success” Convening set for Friday, April 19 in Fresno that will also bring more secondary education voices to the table and a review of guidance issued by the California Community College Chancellors Office last month.

Registration is now open for the event in Fresno presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Math Task Force with the Charles A. Dana Center (University of Texas at Austin) from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center, the site of two previous in-person convenings last fall and in January.

The event will re-convene community college math educators, administrators and institutional researchers working since the fall towards compliance with the final stage of AB1705: validation of equitable placement, support and completion practices for STEM programs.

Signed into law by Gov. Newsom in September 2022,  AB 1705 is an amendment to the landmark legislation AB 705 (Irwin, 2017) which transformed placement and developmental education in the California Community Colleges. AB1705 supports full and comprehensive implementation by, among other requirements, specifying that colleges must demonstrate the benefit of transfer-level math preparatory courses for STEM Calculus 1 based on the following conditions:

  • The student is highly unlikely to succeed in the first STEM calculus course without the additional transfer-level preparation.
  • The enrollment will improve the student’s probability of completing the first STEM calculus course.
  • The enrollment will improve the student’s persistence to and completion of the second calculus course in the STEM program, if a second calculus course is required.

From now until July 1, colleges have the opportunity to validate that their preparatory courses meet the aforementioned AB 1705 standards.

Since passage, the state’s community colleges have worked towards compliance of various aspects of AB1705 including 19 Central Valley community college members of CVHEC through representatives serving on the consortium’s Math Task Force consisting of math faculty and administrators.

The task force has held several virtual and in-person work sessions since October designed to collaborate in unity for compliance. At the last convening Jan. 26, more than 82 math and administrative representatives from the community colleges — including several campus research professionals — and one high school principal met with the task force to explore five strands of curriculum planning:

  • Validating Prerequisites;
  • Designing Precalculus for 2025;
  • Math Support Outside and Inside the Classroom;
  • Building an AB 1705 Campus Team; and
  • Guided Self-Placement.

Since the Jan. 26 meeting, the strand leads have been preparing summaries of their breakout discussions held that day, said Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math Task Force.

Member college teams are also preparing summaries of the tentative plans they developed in the afternoon breakout sessions for oral reports. Additionally, the workgroups have been meeting and will report out on their progress in April regarding the strands.

A good portion of the April 19 meeting will be devoted to the data collection underway by CVHEC community college research professionals related to student success in math, part of the valleywide Data Collection Project under development by the consortium, said Spevak, who will again co-facilitate the April event with Dana Center colleague Dr. Tammi Perez-Rice.

 

Secondary ed voices 

This next convening will also include representatives of K-12 school districts, including several high school principals who have already worked with CVHEC through the Central Valley Math Bridge Program.

“It’s important to bring into the conversation high school leaders and our colleagues who care as much about the future math success of students as community college math educators do,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director.

That conversation was begun at the January convening of community college math professors and administrators when Marlena Celaya, principal of Orosi High School and former high school math teacher, told the group that Central Valley high school educators would very much like to participate in future discussions about math success for Central Valley students.

Spevak said this development will also foster additional learning about the high school math landscape as it pertains to college readiness.

Any Central Valley secondary education officials interested in attending the April 19 convening are welcome, he added.  

 

CCC ‘validation memo’

Also up for discussion will be a Feb. 27 validation memorandum by the California Community College Chancellors Office entitled AB 1705 Validation of Equitable Placement, Support and Completion Practices for STEM Programs.

The Chancellor’s Office also presented a webinar March 4 to further discuss the details of this guidance and address questions.

The Dana Center and CVHEC teams are presently reviewing the CCC memo to provide analysis that will help guide the Math Task Force’s five strands committees and will be presenting its memo assessment in the coming weeks, said Joan Zoellner, M.A., who is the lead for the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative;

In a preliminary review of the memo, Zoellner noted that while the CCC memo provides direction on the validation process for transfer­ level math placement and enrollment practices for STEM programs, it indicates that no more than one transfer-level prerequisite shall be offered prior to calculus.

“The options for that prerequisite course are limited by the memo and validation options as well,” Zoellner said.

She recommended that consortium community colleges review the chancellor’s office memo and some of the findings presented to determine how it affects their respective campus.

“If possible, work with your IR department to confirm those numbers and results prior to the April 19 convening,” Zoellner advises.

 

For more info: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com

For media inquiries: Tom Uribes – cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu (or text 559.348.3278).

 

See also: 

 

 

What the CV-HEC Is Happening Blog: Math Bridge Update

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Central Valley Transfer Project: valley’s four-year colleges collaborating

Fresno State, a founding CVHEC member, joined CVHEC’s historic Central Valley Transfer Project in January with (from left): Dr. Kent Willis, vice president of Fresno State Student Affairs and Enrollment Management; University President Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval; Dr. Benjamin Duran, CVHEC executive director; Tom Burke, CVHEC regional coordinator; and Dr. Sergio La Porta, associate dean of the Fresno State College of Arts and Humanities.

Fresno State joins in transfer ‘centerpiece’ with

11 CVHEC community colleges, 3 CSUs, UCMerced

 The Central Valley Transfer Project is now partnered with the region’s three California State University campuses after Fresno State signed on in January joining Bakersfield and Stanislaus in the historic Central Valley Higher Education Consortium initiative designed to open new doors for students’ successful transfer from community college.

Along with founding partner University of California, Merced, this means the valley’s four public institutions of higher education are working in unison with 8 community colleges currently through CVHEC’s project using the groundbreaking Program Pathways Mapper software. The project has also gained the full support of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office.

The community colleges already in the CVTP, with several more expected to sign on this year, are: Bakersfield College, Clovis Community College, Madera Community College, Merced College, Porterville College, Reedley College, West Hills College-Coalinga and West Hills College-Lemoore.

The Transfer Project is also expanding participation in the north end of the Central Valley with Modesto Junior College, Columbia College and San Joaquin Delta College scheduled to begin onboard this spring for a total of 11 community college partners said Stan Carrizosa, CVHEC regional coordinator and consortium lead for the project.

All Transfer Project partners are members of the consortium with their respective chancellors and presidents serving on the CVHEC Board of Directors.

“The Transfer Project is now a centerpiece for students to both enter and transfer from community college to their four-year universities,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director. “We are excited to share this latest progress of the project which has been featured statewide and nationally at conferences such as the Community College League of California and Complete College America.”

He added, “This innovative approach is the only one in the state that includes a University of California campus collaborating with partner California State University and community colleges in establishing transfer pathways for Central Valley students to get them to and through college in a timely manner.”

Dr. Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Fresno State president and CVHEC board member, said,  “I’m proud that Fresno State will be a dynamic partner in the Central Valley Transfer Project, as this pathway will empower community college students to become visionary Bulldogs.”

The Fresno State agreement was finalized Jan. 17 between Durán and President Jiménez-Sandoval, with Tom Burke, CVHEC regional coordinator and Transfer Project team member; Dr. Kent Willis, vice president of Enrollment Services; and Dr. Sergio LaPorta, associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.

At CVHEC’s Higher Education Summit last fall, CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian announced that the statewide system has designated the Transfer Project as a demonstration project as set forth in her Vision 2030 for all California community colleges. The Transfer Project’s participating community colleges are serving as the pilot campuses with plans to implement statewide.

Carrizosa said the state budget continues to support and fund the onboarding costs for all community colleges to subscribe to the Program Pathways Mapper.

Established in 2021 with UC Merced, Merced College and Bakersfield College, the project is designed to open new doors for students to successfully transfer from community college with its Program Pathways Mapper, Carrizosa said.

He said the Program Pathways Mapper — a public facing, internet-based app that can be downloaded and accessed by the public software platform — provides unprecedented ease of access for students, counselors, advisors and parents much more so than other existing platforms.

“There are no typical requirements for access to PPM such as other internal college systems like Degree Works, Assist.Org and the CSU Transfer Planner,” he said. “These are all course tracking systems but in order to use them, students need to be successfully enrolled in college and have a student email address or other form of login to try and plan. Through PPM students simply upload the public PPM app to their devices and have immediate access.”

Carrizosa said the PPM helps simplify the transfer planning process which can be the most difficult task for many students.

“In much of our Central Valley region, as many as seven out of 10 incoming college freshmen will be first generation students to attend college,” he said. “Research shows that the most difficult task for them is often the application process itself and completing the required steps for enrollment. Systems like Degree Works and others do nothing to remove this common barrier because these systems cannot be accessed until a student successfully enrolls.”

He explained that a high school student can start the Transfer Project journey as a junior or senior by enrolling in college dual enrollment courses enabling them to complete their transfer level English and Math courses while still in high school. These units roll up with them as they enter community college and track the completion of their lower division requirements for their Associate Degree for Transfer in their chosen major via PPM.

“Students can easily select a community college they wish to attend and a major they want to pursue and the lower division courses required are sequentially laid out for them through the Program Pathways Mapper software.”

In addition, the PPM then links those lower division courses to an upper division institution of the student’s choice and shows a clear sequence of upper division courses needed to complete the degree, Carrizosa added.

“The PPM contains clear and accurate information directly from course catalogues from all participating colleges,” Carrizosa said.  “The Central Valley Transfer Project is becoming an alternative continuum of courses to the traditional high school A-G or Career Technical Education continuums and is unprecedented in the state’s community college system. We call it ‘The Central Valley Way!’”

“Through the use of PPM, students complete exactly what is required of them to successfully transfer to their four-year university and they follow PPM through their last two years to degree/certificate completion,” Carrizosa said.

Baseline data results also demonstrate the promise that PPM delivers in the Transfer Project.

In a sample of 5,000 incoming freshmen to Bakersfield College in 2022 the students using the PPM increased their “percentage of on-path course completion” to over 80 percent which also closed the equity gap in this statistic for ethnic minority students when compared to their white counterparts, Carrizosa said.

“The same sample showed students using the PPM reduced the ‘number of units-to-degree’ from an average of 87 down to 67,” he added.

The project is now gearing up to expand the partnership with the College Bridge Math Project and to onboard community colleges from the northern region of the Central Valley.

For more information about the CVTP, contact Carrizosa at centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

 

CVHEC media inquiries: Tom Uribes – cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu or text 559.348.3278.

Fresno State media inquiries: PIO Lisa Bell – lbell@csufresno.edu.

See:

·  Pilot CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project improves process for students  

·  CVHEC Web Site Feature: Transfer Project

·  Historic Transfer Project spurs statewide movement to increase transfer rates

·  WHAT THE CV-HEC IS HAPPENING BLOG (January 2024): CVHEC 2023 — surging forward for Central Valley students

·  HIGHER ED NEWS: College Bridge to expand Math Bridge; CVHEC Transfer Project

•  A-G

·   Career Technical Education

Kern Master’s Upskilling Program: 2nd cohort graduates – next cohort recruitment underway

Two cohorts from the Kern Master’s Upskilling Program (MA English) are eligible to participate and walk in the 2024 National University Commencement May 18 at Petco Park in San Diego. The program’s high school teacher participants are now qualified to teach English dual enrollment community college courses on their respective campuses. A third English cohort and the first Kern math cohort graduate in June.

Kern Master’s Upskilling Program

reaches another milestone

Second English cohort graduation – recruitment underway for a fall math cohort

The Kern Master’s Upskilling Program for high school teachers seeking a master’s degree in English or Math that qualifies them to teach dual enrollment courses at their respective campuses reached its second milestone last month when 11 participants completed post-baccalaureate requirements in English through National University.

Formally known as the Dual Enrollment Teacher Upskilling Pathway for English and Mathematics, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium initiative is in partnership with the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative that was funded as part of an $18 million statewide competitive grant in June 2022 to improve student progress from high school to postsecondary education and ultimately into the workforce.

The program also announced recruitment is underway for a third math cohort of 21 students to begin this fall for completion in spring 2026 though Fresno Pacific University in concert with the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS), which serves as the administrative agent for the Kern K-16 Collaborative.

Informational meetings are set for March 21 and April 11 at 4:30 p.m.

A potential fourth English cohort pilot through CSU, Bakersfield with seven students is also in the works said Tom Burke, CVHEC’s Kern Masters Upskilling Program lead who reports that the program progress “has been very good” since it was funded two years ago.

“With the first two cohorts of English graduates to be joined by our first cohort of math graduates this summer, we are well on the way to significantly increasing the number of faculty in Kern County eligible to teach dual enrollment or community college courses in math and English,” Burke said.

The January graduation follows the first cohort of 11 English students who graduated in September for the innovative state-funded CVHEC initiative that helps reduce the cost of tuition for high school teachers to pursue a master’s degree, a state requirement to teach community college dual enrollment courses.

Each NU cohort group of students is eligible to participate and walk in the 2024 Commencement services set for Saturday, May 18, at Petco Park in San Diego, said Jessica Gladney, senior director for Partnership Development/ Workforce Education Solutions for National University,

The first Kern Master’s Upskilling Program cohort — MA, English with a specialization in Rhetoric — began in January 2023 with 13 out of 15 students completing their program in November 2023 (nine of the 13 will graduate with honors with a grade point average of 3.85 and above).

The two remaining students are currently in the process of completing their capstone, which is the culminating course of the master’s program, Gladney  said.

The second Kern Master’s Upskilling Program cohort of MA, English with a specialization in Rhetoric, began in March 2023, and 10 out of 15 students completed their program in January 2024. The remaining students are currently in the process of completing their capstone course, Gladney reports.

She said each NU cohort group of students is eligible to participate and walk in the 2024 Commencement services set for Saturday, May 18, at Petco Park in San Diego.

“We are proud of these candidates and we are excited to assist with building a qualified candidate pool of eligible dual-enrollment English teachers to meet the workforce demands in the Central Valley,” Gladney said.

CVHEC, made up of 28 institutions of higher education in the valley’s nine-county region from San Joaquin to Kern counties, is one of several partners in the Kern Collaborative.

South Valley CVHEC members include California State University, Bakersfield; Kern Community College District; Bakersfield College; Cerro Coso College; Taft College; Porterville College; Fresno Pacific University; and National University.

The project also includes the CVHEC Mentor Program that pairs the master’s candidates with a community college mentor to support them along the way and help them navigate the process to becoming an adjunct community college faculty member.

Under coordinators Dr. Liz Rozell (math) and Dr. Vikash Lakhani (English), the program is still accepting community college professors to serve as mentors, Burke said.

For more details about the fall 2024 math cohort through Fresno Pacific, potential students can contact:

  • Manjula Joseph, program director – manjula.joseph@fresno.edu or 559.453.2096
  • Nathan Lyness, senior Outreach & Admissions representative – nathan.lyness@fresno.edu or 559.453.7183

See:

MEMBER NEWS: WHCCD gets federal grant for RuBICON – rural broadband

$1 million USDA grant awarded to West Hills CCD

for broadband cooperative formation

Project director recruitment underway

 

The West Hills Community College District (WHCCD) has received a $1 million federal grant that will play a pivotal role in establishing the Rural Broadband Initiative Cooperative Network (RuBICON), a project aimed at providing affordable broadband services to rural communities and farms in the Central Valley.

The district, a Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) institution member, announced the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) award Feb. 21 as well as a search for a project director for RuBICON, which aims to empower local communities by forming a cooperative that delivers reliable and cost-effective broadband access, bridging the digital divide in the rural Central Valley.

The district said this groundbreaking endeavor draws inspiration from the historic electric co-op movement, envisioning equitable change and progress for rural America in the 21st century.

Jeff Seed, WHCCD associate vice chancellor of Information Technology, emphasized the broader impact of this grant, stating, “This is not just about broadband access – it’s about fostering sustainable farming, building robust local economies, and empowering our rural communities for the digital future.”

In a social media post, Chancellor Kristen Clark, who is also CVHEC Board of Directors chair, said, “Excited about this opportunity for the West Hills Community College District to help support high-speed broadband on the Westside of the Central Valley.”

Project RuBICON has garnered support from a diverse coalition of partners committed to assessing and delivering connectivity to rural communities in the Central Valley. The initiative will collect comprehensive data to understand current needs and identify solutions to address connectivity gaps. In addition to infrastructure development, West Hills will offer digital literacy education for local communities and leverage its Farm of the Future to create a framework for agricultural technologists, propelling the community toward Agriculture 4.0.

“This project is designed to facilitate cost-effective broadband deployment, with the goal of serving as a model that can be replicated across the country,” Seed added.

For WHCCD media inquiries, contact Amber Myrick at 559.934.2132 or ambermyrick@whccd.edu.

 

See:

WHCCD press release

Project direction position and application process info 

CVHEC broadband video press release

$1M boost for affordable Internet in the Central Valley – YourCentralValley.com

Valley’s math ed experts unite to address AB 1705 challenge for student success

Math Task Force Convening Jan. 26:

‘Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success’

 

With the agenda released this week, over 60 Central Valley math education experts will convene in Fresno Jan. 26 to plan math pathways for student success as they brainstorm within five strands of implementation around Assembly Bill 1705 that goes into effect this summer.

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s “Central Valley Way To AB1705 Success” Convening from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Fresno Convention Center, will bring together community college math educators, administrators and institutional researchers.

Presented by the CVHEC Math Task Force and facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the convening is free with advance registration and includes lunch.

Discussion for the historic convening — with administrators and IR experts joining in the conversation — will center around five strands that the region’s community college math academicians can undertake for student success when the new law goes into effect July 1:  Validating Prerequisites; Designing Precalculus for 2025; Math Support Outside and Inside the Classroom; Building an AB 1705 Campus Team; and Guided Self-Placement.

Five Math Task Force members serving as strand leads are: Jeremy Brandl, Fresno City College math professor; Nathan Cahoon and Shelley Getty, both Taft College math professors; Marie Bruley, Merced College dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM); and Jay Thomas, West Hills College Lemoore math professor.

After the event opens with a welcome and brief introductions, the strand subcommittees open the discussion by presenting reports regarding preliminary strand deliberations over the past few months that started at three meetings the Math Task Force held in the fall.

Participants will then break into tabletop talks for feedback and to brainstorm new ideas, a timeline and next steps followed by report outs of those subcommittee sessions.

Following lunch, the participants will break into their respective college teams to discuss “Preliminary College Plans” in two parts: “Validating Prerequisites Between Now and July 1, 2024;” and “Developing New/Revised Curriculum to Take Effect July 1, 2025.”

“College Team Report Outs” will follow before the final session “Where Do We Go From Here?” looks towards the future and the role of Math Task Force sub-committees, college teams and CVHEC.

Dr. Benjamín Durán of CVHEC with Dana Center reps Joan Zoellner and Tammi Perez-Rice at the Oct. 13 Math Task Force convening in Fresno.

 Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said, “We are proud that our Central Valley community colleges are leaning in on the expertise of their own math experts to figure out the best way to support our students within the guidelines of the legislation.”

AB 1705 — passed in 2022 for implementation July 1, 2024  —  expands the provisions established in AB 705 (2017) by explicitly requiring community colleges not only to place students directly into transfer-level English and math courses but also to ensure that students actually enroll in those courses.

The legislation also establishes that for students who need or desire extra academic support, community colleges shall provide access to such support. The new law clarifies that a community college can require students to enroll in additional concurrent support if it is determined that the support will increase the student’s likelihood of passing transfer-level English or math.

Community colleges have been tasked with ensuring they comply with both AB705 and AB1705 designed to strengthen support for student success and increase degree completion.

CVHEC helped start the conversation by bringing together its Math Task Force — made up of representatives from CVHEC community colleges — and other math educators to discuss ideas and options regarding implementation within the Central Valley community college mathematics community last fall.

Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator

In three virtual sessions and one in-person convening in 2023,  the Math Task Force created a collaborative “Central Valley Approach” to each,  said Dr. John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math and English Task Forces.

“Now, for the January session, administrators and researchers are joining the Math Task Force to develop data-driven and college-endorsed solutions that help meet the challenge head on and in unity for the best interests of students.”

The fall inaugural sessions were facilitated by two Dana Center representatives who will return to Fresno for the Jan. 26 convening:  Joan Zoellner, M.A., who is the lead for the Dana Center’s Launch Years Initiative; and Dr. Tammi Perez-Rice, Postsecondary Course Program specialist.

Dr. Erik Cooper, assistant vice chancellor of the California Community College Chancellor’s Office Cooper, also participated in the first virtual session to discuss the recent history of math education reform in California and answer questions as well as present the CCCCO’s AB 1705 Implementation Guide and FAQ webpage.

“With the passage of AB 705 then later 1705 – all designed to strengthen support for student success – CVHEC has been moving full steam ahead in assuring that our member colleges and their feeder high schools have a good understanding of the seemingly turbulent waters of the legislation,” Durán said.

Strand breakdown: 

  • Validating prerequisites — quantitative and qualitative: creating a Central Valley collaborative approach which would help make a strong case with the state. Point person: NATHAN CAHOON, Taft College math professor.
  • Designing Precalculus for 2025: An effective single-course prerequisite for Calculus 1 (especially valuable if the state allows in 2025-26 only one prerequisite course for Calculus 1). Point person: JEREMY BRANDL, Fresno City College math professor.
  • Math support outside and inside the classroom:  What’s working best in the Central Valley, including math lab centers, tutoring, embedded tutoring, supplemental instruction, etc. Point person: SHELLEY GETTY, Taft College math professor.
  • Building an AB 1705 campus team: Who needs to be on the team? Math and English professors, IR/IT staff, counselors, administrators, etc. How does it best function? Point person: MARIE BRULEY, Merced College dean of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
  • Guided self-placement: Helping ensure with the best possible questionnaire that students are taking the right math class when they start college. Point person: JAY THOMAS, West Hills College Lemoore math professor.

(Links to recordings of the two previous sessions are available below).

 

REGISTER – “The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705” (Jan. 26, 2024)

EVENT AGENDA For questions: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.

For media inquiries: Tom Uribes 559.348.3278 (text msg) or cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu 

 

SEE:

  • Previous sessions recordings:

CVHEC “AB1705 in the Central Valley” Webinar with Dr. Erik Cooper Oct. 6, 2023

MTF meeting  Nov. 17 (10 a.m. session)

MTF meeting Nov. 17 (1 p.m. session)

 

  • Coverage of the fall sessions:

Math Task Force begins discussion of AB1705 implementation – Nov. 17 next (with Oct. 13 photo gallery).

CVHEC Math Task Force meets in-person Oct. 13 for AB 1705 follow-up  

NEWS RELEASE – CVHEC Math Task Force: Impactful legislation (AB 1705) Convenings Oct. 6 & 13

 

 

Dr. Erik Cooper of the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office zoomed into the Oct. 6 CVHEC Math Task Force session to address AB1705 implementation.

 

CVHEC $1.5m funding renewal: higher ed strategies for ‘economic, social and educational well-being of valley students’

In a 21-year quest to improve the postsecondary success of students in its region, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium has once again gained College Futures Foundation (CFF) refunding with a $1.5 million grant to continue championing dual enrollment, math pathways, Open Education Resources/Zero Textbook Costs measures and transfer student support as well as strengthening data access for improved strategy planning.

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, announced the new three-year grant (Jan. 2024 – Dec. 2026) from its primary funder this week saying it will allow the consortium — made up of 28 institutions of higher education throughout the Central Valley’s nine-county region that represents one-third of the state of California — “to implement equity-driven strategies that decrease disparities in student persistence and higher education attainment and provide students a timely pathway to completion.

“We appreciate the College Futures Foundation’s continued support for CVHEC activities that are designed to impact student success most efficiently at our member institution,” said Durán, who is president-emeritus of Merced College.

Established in 2005, College Futures Foundation uses a wide variety of human and financial resources and tools — including nearly $20 million in grants annually —  towards its mission:  increase postsecondary completion for learners who are underserved centering learners and their aspirations and needs on the path to achieving their educational goals.

“We collaborate with organizations and leaders across California’s postsecondary ecosystem and beyond that share a vision of equity and upward mobility for Californians,” its website states

The partnership between CVHEC and College Futures began in 2016 when the consortium was awarded its first CFF grant.

The long-term vision for the consortium’s CFF proposal is that “initiatives and projects shepherded by CVHEC will result in policies, programs and best practices that will be institutionalized in Central Valley institutions of higher education and will lead to improving the economic, social and educational well-being of the students in the valley.”

Durán added that the funding shows CFF recognizes how CVHEC has intentionally engaged in establishing a cohort of colleges and universities working collaboratively to implement strategies and practices that can help transform the higher education attendance and degree/certificate attainment rates in the region thus creating meaningful pathways for Central Valley students.

With a membership of 28 accredited public and private colleges, universities and community colleges from San Joaquin County in the north to Kern County in the south, CVHEC’s Board of Directors is composed of chancellors, presidents and campus leaders of those member higher ed institutions. As the CVHEC Board of Directors, they speak with a single voice for advocacy, policy and legislation for higher education in the Central Valley region, Durán said.

The CFF grant reflects a commitment to the goals and priorities of the consortium through these five equity-driven strategies designed to decrease disparities in student persistence and higher education attainment for timely pathway to completion:

  • Dual Enrollment — expand the dual enrollment course offerings in the Central Valley to enhance opportunities for underrepresented students in rural and underperforming urban high schools and decrease time to degree or certificate attainment.
  • Transfer Student Support — increase the number of students transferring with an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to all Central Valley CSU and UC campuses, as well as its non-profit independent institutions members (Fresno Pacific, National University, and University of the Pacific).
  • Open Educational Resources — collaborate with the Statewide Real Colleges Task Force and West Hills College Lemoore President James Preston, a member of the SRC Task Force, to form a Central Valley Open Educational Resources Task Force and establish successful models of OER courses at member colleges.
  • Data Development – expand the Central Valley Higher Education Student Dashboard to include essential student metrics at all member colleges and universities.
  • Mathematics Pathways – collaborate with the Charles A. Dana Center, College Bridge) and Valley colleges and universities to support the scaling of mathematics pathways from high school through postsecondary education and into the workplace, aligned to students’ goals and aspirations.

Other CVHEC projects and accomplishments include serving an integral role in the development of four state-funded K-16 Collaboratives within the nine-county region supporting regional efforts to develop and streamline equitable pathways from high school to post-secondary education and into the work force.   CVHEC has initiated the K-16 Collaborative Master’s Degree Upskilling English and mathematics initiative to prepare high school teachers to teach college dual enrollment courses at their high schools, resulting in 100 high school math teachers and 100 English high school teachers earning their Master’s degrees that allows them to meet minimum qualifications to teach college courses at the high school.

CFF funding also supports major CVHEC activities such as its annual Central Valley Higher Education Consortium Summit as well as hosting or participating in other conferences and regional convenings.

 

BACKGROUND: Founded in 2002, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC), strives to implement strategies and practices that can help to transform the higher education attendance and degree/certificate attainment rates in the region to create meaningful pathways for students in the region by successfully establishing and engaging a cohort of colleges and universities that work collaboratively towards that end.  CVHEC is a 28-member strong consortium of accredited public and private colleges, universities, and community colleges members in a nine-county region of California from San Joaquin County in the north to Kern County in the south. Member chancellors, presidents and campus leaders serve on the CVHEC Board of Directors speaking with a single voice for advocacy, policy and legislation for higher education in the Central Valley region.  These institutions of higher education serve 4.3 million people living in California’s Central Valley, a 27,500 square mile region the size of South Carolina that is rural in general, with an extensive array of farms, ranches, small towns and growing cities – including Fresno, the fifth largest city in California. The Central Valley is historically distinctive as one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the United States with challenging socio-economic and college going rates.  

MEDIA INQUIRIES: Tom Uribes, CVHEC Communications/Media coordinator – 559.348.3278 (text) or cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu

 

HIGHER ED NEWS: College Bridge to expand Math Bridge; CVHEC Transfer Project

College Bridge President Dr. Lynn Cevallos speaks at the Math Bridge kick off in Fresno May 18, 2023.

College Bridge funded $2.1 million to expand Math Bridge

the ‘Central Valley way’; collaborate with CVHEC Transfer Project

The College Bridge Program, a partner of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, has received a $2,196,928 federal grant for expansion of its College Transition Bridge project that, among other features, will advance collaboration with CVHEC’s Central Valley Transfer Project and its college course-planning software, Program Pathway Mapper, as well as with consortium member colleges.

The College Transition Bridge project is a college counseling initiative created in 2017 that includes a curriculum to meet student needs in preparation for a successful transition from high school to college.

With this new three-year grant from U.S. Department of Education Rural Postsecondary Education and Economic Development (RPED) program funds, the College Transition Bridge Project will identify over 2,750 low-income, minority and rural students in the Central Valley to participate in a year-long program that provides students and educators access to college knowledge.

Additionally, the grant will expand the CT Bridge curriculum to include regional workforce needs and streamlined degree pathways to enter the workforce, said Dr. Lynn Cevallos, founder and president of College Bridge, a non-profit organization dedicated to forging a path towards both college access and success for underrepresented students.

“The pathways lead students from high school to community college to the university to career,” she said. “Expanded services are provided to students as well as intersegmental teams of instructors, counselors and administrators.”

She emphasized that “this grant is 100 percent Valley-focused benefiting the identified student population in the California Central San Joaquin Valley.

“And we will be connecting with CVHEC’s proven Central Valley way of doing things as we tie student success to the workforce needs of the region,” she added, explaining that CVHEC leads the partnership efforts connecting workforce needs through aligned college transfer programs between California Community Colleges and the California State University and University of California systems in the region.

The College Bridge team at the Math Bridge kick off last year: Owynn Lancaster, Dr. Nicole Korgie, Dr. Lynn Cevallos.

College Bridge, based in Southern California but working closely with CVHEC community college members and their feeder high schools in the Central Valley through its  Math Bridge Project, is the only California recipient of the RPED program funds awarded Dec. 22 when the Biden-Harris Administration announced $44.5 million in grants to 22 institutions of higher education nationwide.

Funding from the RPED grant program, which promotes the development of high-quality career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region, is designed to improve rates of postsecondary education enrollment, persistence and completion among students in rural communities.

Cevallos noted that two San Joaquin Valley demographic characteristics drive the need for the federally-funded project:  the average per capita incomes are 32 percent lower than the state average; and college graduation rates are 50 percent below the state average.

“Students in the San Joaquin Valley lag far behind in academic performance compared to the rest of the state,” she said. “The region trails the state in bachelor’s degree attainment, with only 12 percent of the adult population holding a bachelor’s degree, compared to 21 percent in the state.”

She said that for associate degree attainment, the region and the state are similar at roughly 8 percent, so this grant opportunity also allows for the revision and expansion of the CT Bridge curriculum regarding:

  • Community College Transfer Pathways with an overview of all transfer pathway options but particular focus on the state’s two-to-four-year Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) Program;
  • and the CVHEC Transfer Project’s Program Pathway Mapper (PPM), the software tool that guides students in choosing courses to complete a specific ADT Program.

“In leading the partnership efforts connecting workforce needs through aligned college transfer programs between California Community Colleges and the CSU and UC systems in the region, CVHEC convenes regional partners to review and approve transfer curricula that serve as the basis for the ADT Program,” Cevallos said.

“Faculty from each partner college and university meet to review and approve ADT course requirements. Approved ADTs are loaded into Program Mapper software, which is embedded in College Transition Bridge.”

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, said this new endeavor between Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and the College Transition Bridge will streamline and clarify effective college and career pathways for high school students.

“The Central Valley Transfer Project is anchored by the Program Pathways Mapper, a simple, user-friendly but highly effective software platform,” Durán said. “CVHEC will now help integrate the use of the PPM into the college readiness activities provided by CT Bridge as the key planning tool for high school students to identify and chart their pathway to successful completion.”

Cevallos said the math and CT Bridge experience enables students to build their confidence and capacity in math and successfully complete college transfer-level math courses before high school graduation.

“College-level math and English are gateway courses that serve as prerequisites to many other courses important to successful completion and attainment of their desired degree/certification,” she said.

The funding provides the CT Bridge students, while still in high school, a series of college readiness activities such as completing financial aid and admissions applications, reviewing career opportunities in their desired workforce, selecting a major aligned with their desired career interests and planning the necessary sequence of courses, training and timeline for successful completion.

Stan Carrizosa, CVHEC regional coordinator who is the lead for the consortium’s Transfer Project, said

students who benefit from participation in the CT Bridge experience will be introduced to PPM and guided through the readiness details needed for them to plan their college futures from high school to community college and their four-year institution.

“Because so many of the CT Bridge students are first generation college prospects and come from backgrounds underrepresented in college attendance, they often transition to their local community college as their initial pathway into higher education,” Carrizosa said.

He cited the success of a PPM user who was a student panelist at the CVHEC Summit in October.

“Students like Araceli Tilley took full advantage of Program Pathways Mapper by utilizing the course planning software after her transfer from Merced College to continue planning her academic journey at UC Merced where she graduates with a master’s this spring,” Carrizosa noted.

For more information about the College Bridge RDEP grant, contact Dr.  Nicole Korgie at nicole.korgie@college-bridge.org.

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BACKGROUND:  College Bridge’s mission is to identify and eliminate barriers that prevent underrepresented students from progressing to and through college specifically focusing on Black, Latino, low-income  and rural students. One of its two objectives is to expand strategic dual enrollment partnerships to serve low-income, rural and Latino students in California’s Central Valley.

 

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