CV-HEC BLOG: High School Students On Westside Can Start Taking College Courses

This issue’s “What The CV-HEC Is Happening” Blog features John Spevak, former Merced College vice president who is now a regional coordinator for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium. He also is a correspondent for the Westside Express newspaper where this column on dual enrollment first appeared.

By John Spevak 

CVHEC Regional Coordinator

For a high school student living on the Westside of the Central Valley, college can be as near as the next classroom — right in their high school — in a course taught by a college professor.

Or it can be on their computer at home in an online course offered to them by their local community college. Or it can be a short drive from their home to their local community college campus.

These opportunities are available now to students in high schools in Los Banos, Dos Palos and Firebaugh in a  program called dual enrollment, offered by both Merced and West Hills Colleges.

In many cases these college courses also fulfill high school requirements providing dual credit. And dual enrollment is available to ALL high school students, not just a select few, and not just seniors. And no placement test is involved.

The challenge is that most high school students, and their parents, don’t know about this opportunity. But they could. All they have to do is talk with their high school counselor. And once they take a college course they can begin talking with a local college counselor.

“Dual enrollment should not be a ‘best kept secret,’’’ said Ben Duran, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, which consists of 30 colleges and universities from Stockton to Bakersfield.

Duran, who spent many hours of his youth working in the fields near Planada, believes every high school student in the Central Valley should have a college opportunity, and he says in most cases that opportunity can start right in high school.

“When I was the superintendent of the LeGrand Union High School district in the 1980’s,” Duran said, “I saw many students who were bright and talented but who didn’t believe that college was for them. Their parents hadn’t attended college, so college wasn’t a part of their background.

“Back then,” he continued, “they didn’t have the opportunity for dual enrollment. Now every high school student on the Westside has that opportunity,” Duran said. “Both West Hills and Merced Colleges have been leaders in the state in providing dual enrollment.

“I would like all students (and their parents) in high schools in Los Banos, Dos Palos, Firebaugh and Santa Nella to know about this terrific opportunity,” Duran added. “I’m hoping that everyone who reads this article in the Westside Express tells their family members and friends about dual enrollment.”

The best place to find out about dual enrollment is by talking with high school counselors, all of whom are familiar with the dual enrollment concept. Each high school, along with its partner community college, has its own processes and procedures for dual enrollment.

Duran believes there are two things he’d like to see every high school student consider when thinking about dual enrollment: identifying a tentative career goal or path and then fulfilling their college English and math requirements before leaving high school.

“It would be great if high school students, beginning in their freshman year, would start thinking about what career they’d like,” Duran said. “A friend of mine suggests they think about their ‘dream job.’

“Then they should explore what education is needed to have a well-paying job in this career,” he said. “In almost all cases today a job that earns enough to support a person and her or his family requires some sort of college education leading to a certificate or a degree. It may not require four years of college, or even two.

“Then, along with their parents and high school counselor,” he added, “high school students need to map out what college courses are needed for that career and start looking at what college courses on this path are available to them in high school.

“I particularly recommend,” Duran said, “that whatever path high school students choose, they fulfill their English and math requirement before graduating from high school. Once students have these two requirements out of the way, all kinds of doors are open to them, immediately and down the road.”

Both Merced and West Hills Colleges, along with their partner high schools, plan to provide more information to students and parents on the Westside of the Central Valley about dual enrollment opportunities soon.

See the original Westside Express post.

CVHEC Director’s Message (July 2022): Summer ‘recharge’ and a renewed appreciation

Greetings and welcome to our July CVHEC e-newsletter,

This month we share a brief issue and greeting as we find ourselves in the first summer since 2020 where the pandemic is not ruling our lives.

I hope you all enjoyed fabulous live commencement exercises on your campuses.  We know students, family, professors, and staff have been looking forward coming together again to celebrate the accomplishments of our students in the Central Valley.

I’m sure many of you agree that one take-away from the pandemic experience – with life seemingly coming to halt the past two years amid shutdowns and event cancellations  –  is the renewed appreciation we find in everyday routines like pulling into the campus parking lot, crossing the beautiful landscapes of our 30 campuses across the valley, walking into classrooms and seeing those eager faces, reconvening with colleagues in the office and most significantly, sitting in an arena, stadium or any venue to bask in the joy of our students walking across the stage to receive their diploma, a celebration with their friends and families of the hard work and success by all in academia.

This summer we will continue to work on our regional initiatives like dual enrollment, creating a Central Valley transfer model and working on developing math pathways between our K12 partners and our CVHEC member institutions.  

Until we usher in the fall 2022 semester together, I hope you will find some time to rest, recharge, enjoy time with your loved ones and maybe even a do little travel once again.  We look forward to regrouping in August and kicking-off another impactful year.

Have a great summer!!!

 

 

CVHEC Director’s Message: Re-imagining  the social and economic landscape of our region

Greetings and welcome to our June CVHEC e-newsletter,

Welcome to the end of the semester and to the first summer in two years when we are not shut down.  As we emerge from the pandemic, faculty and staff at our Central Valley Higher Education Consortium member colleges and universities have been engaged in providing a great education to our students.

In this issue, please look at this month’s blog that , in light of a recent article regarding University of Californian, speaks to the Central Valley Program Pathways Mapper project that improves transfer of valley students to UC Merced as well as our three California State University campuses, Bakersfield, Fresno and Stanislaus.

We are also delighted to congratulate the Central San Joaquin Valley K16 Partnership (Fresno-Madera Collaborative & Tulare-Kings Collaborative) and the Kern Regional K16 Education Collaborative (Kern County Superintendent of Schools) on receiving $18.1 million in funding each from the state for a four-year effort to improve the educational and economic well-being of the Central Valley.  Merced, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin County are pursuing a similar grant opportunity and should hear in early fall.  These K16 Collaboratives that will include our CVHEC member institutions can change the very social and economic landscape of our region.

Last year, the Fresno-based K16 Collaborative served as a model for the funding that would eventually be allotted to create similar collaboratives throughout the state.

One of the initiatives funded by Fresno K16 Collaborative was the CVHEC MA Upskilling project which provided funding to support high school English and math teachers in earning their master’s degrees to allow them to teach dual enrollment college courses on their high school campuses to high school students.  Dual enrollment is one of the strategies CVHEC is supporting to help move students into and through higher education.  By the end of December 2022, there will be 118 new high school teachers in Fresno County holding MA degrees to facilitate the delivery of dual enrollment in our region.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the issue.  We wish you a restful and safe summer.

CVHEC Director’s Message: Consortium Summit ’22 Wrap – Recapturing the Magic

CVHEC board members and May 6 summit participants enjoyed the music of Las Hermanas Medina at the Cinco de Mayo reception the day before more than 130 higher education leaders and advocates convened for the Higher Education Policy and Legislative Summit in downtown Fresno.

 

Greetings and welcome to our May CVHEC e-newsletter,

As the spring semester ends, there is so much to talk about.  For the first time in two years, students and their families are enjoying attendance at live commencement ceremonies at colleges and universities throughout the Central Valley – you can feel the magic in the air.

Also, in a very generous gesture, institutions are honoring those graduates in 2020 and 2021 who were deprived of their commencement events by the pandemic by providing opportunities for them to participate in this year’s ceremonies as well.  We know the graduates would also want to thank the staff and faculty on their campuses for helping them achieve their educational goals.  Congratulations to ALL graduates and to your respective support systems!

As we celebrate our graduates, we hope you enjoy our May issue of the CVHEC Newsletter.  You will see this was an exciting month for us as well.  On May 5 and 6, CVHEC held its spring Board of Directors meeting and our first CVHEC Legislative and Policy Summit since 2019 live in Fresno.  Participants were appreciative of the opportunity to reconnect in-person with colleagues and make new connections.

At the board meeting, the CVHEC Board of Directors was happy to welcome the University of California, San Francisco – Fresno campus as the 30th member institution of the Consortium.  CVHEC also invited six newly-appointed CEOs as members of the Board.

This summit marked the 20th Anniversary of CVHEC with over 150 participants celebrating two decades worth of success by our member institutions in increasing the college-going rate for Valley residents. Please view the Summit photo gallery blog for the visual story of this very successful Summit.

Highlights of the summit include a conversation with Dr. John Welty, President Emeritus of Fresno State and founder of CVHEC, in addition to a panel of students from the region sharing how they navigated the pandemic.  The annual visit and legislative update by Congressman Jim Costa also added to the day.

These highlights, the information that was shared with attendees about the initiatives in the Central Valley to improve student success, and the ability to network in a live setting were invaluable and welcome.

Enjoy our newsletter and enjoy your summer.

See: PHOTO BLOG

New CVHEC Video: ‘Blurring the Lines Between High School and College: Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley’

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium released its latest education video this week, “Blurring the Lines Between High School and College: Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley.”

The five-minute video, which premiered publicly at CVHEC’s Dual Enrollment Convening March 17, depicts three student success stories as well as three area educators advocating for dual enrollment. It highlights the need for intersegmental collaboration in providing dual enrollment opportunities for all students as a way not only to help students get a jumpstart on their college education – saving costs and time – but also to help close the equity gap.

The video presents Dr. Kristin Clark, chancellor of the West Hills Community College District and chair of the CVHEC board of directors; Dr. Chris Vitelli, president/superintendent of Merced College; and McKenna Salazar, college and career engagement specialist for the Tulare County Office of Education.

Three students featured included one, Nataly Frias, who earned an associate degree from Merced College last May at age 18 a few weeks before receiving her Turlock High School diploma and is now enrolled in upper-division courses for a degree in psychology at Fresno State. Nataly was also featured in the CVHEC e-newsletter in September.

The other two students are currently enrolled in high school and shared their experience with dual enrollment as they learn the challenges and benefits of college courses: Isaac Bates, a Corcoran High School senior taking dual enrollment courses from College of the Sequoias; and Alicia Bias, a Washington Union High School senior taking Fresno City College courses where she is completing clinical labs for a medical assisting certification.

The three also made a live appearance at last week’s CVDEEP convening serving on the student panel sharing their experiences, moderated by President Vitelli.

CVHEC Executive Director Benjamín Durán said this video articulates the value of dual enrollment for both the students and the campuses while helping close the equity gap.

“The video portrays the success story of three Central Valley students who have made the most of the dual enrollment opportunity afforded to them,” Duran said. “They represent why we do this sometimes overwhelming but satisfying educational work and it’s satisfying seeing that our efforts have the concrete results these students demonstrate.”

He said the CVHEC video is available for use by anyone who wishes to help promote the value of dual enrollment: https://bit.ly/CVHECeNewsMARCH22.

The video project was coordinated by Tom Uribes, CVHEC media and communications specialist and retired Fresno State public information officer, and produced by the Fenceline Media crew of Fresno area journalists Juanita Stephenson and Justin Davis.

See the CVHEC Dual Enrollment video

CVHEC  Dual Enrollment Convening set for March 17 in Fresno

The “Establishing Dual Enrollment Pathways in the Central Valley” convening Thursday, March 17, will bring more than 150 secondary and postsecondary educators together in person for the first time since the pandemic shutdown to address challenges and barriers to dual enrollment success.

Presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, the convening will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.  at the DoubleTree By Hilton Hotel in downtown Fresno.

Registration to participate is now open at: https://bit.ly/DEpathwaysCV (the hotel link is https://bit.ly/DoubleTreeFresno).

This second convening will continue the work started on March 5, 2020 – two weeks before the pandemic shutdown – which resulted in several initiatives that have enhanced the delivery of dual enrollment in the region:

  • Improvements in the CCCApply application process to the California Community College system.
  • The Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program that provides access to state funding through the Fresno K-16 Collaborative providing funds for high school English and math teachers to earn their master’s degrees.

“This unique event — intersegmental collaboration at a regional level — will be highly interactive and will engage audience members with panel presenters from valley colleges and high schools including practitioners and student success stories,” said Dr. Benjamín T. Durán, CVHEC executive director.

This renewed localized promotion of dual enrollment began in Spring 2019 when Central Valley community college leaders approached CVHEC to provide convening assistance surrounding dual enrollment, a strategy that allows secondary school students to earn college credits before their high school graduation.

As a result of the discussions in these early gatherings, the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force was formed with about 60 community college and K-12 educational leaders who deliver dual enrollment services valley-wide.

“These educators endeavor purposefully and strategically in addressing the complexity of dual enrollment to spotlight both challenges and best practices for colleges and high schools in the nine-county CVHEC region,” Durán  said.

In June 2020, CVHEC released a 16-page report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity;”   by former CVHEC Strategies Lead Virginia Madrid Salazar, Esq., that highlights this work and provides a blueprint to strengthen dual enrollment delivery in the Central Valley. (Also, see her blog in this issue: https://bit.ly/CVHECblog-DualEnrollment021822).

Check for updates and event follow-up at the CVDEEP Convening Website

SEE: CVHEC report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity” and press release).

 

BACKGROUND

In 2016, a new dual enrollment option was introduced through Assembly Bill (AB) 288, amending Education Code (EC) 76004, and creating the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP). This legislation enabled more high school students to take college courses taught by college professors on their high school campuses.  California AB 30, signed by Governor Newsom in October 2019, expands and protects dual enrollment through 2027.  

CVHEC media contact: Tom Uribes • tom@uribes.com • 559.348.3278

‘What the CV-HEC is Happening?’ Guest Blog FEB. 2022: Dual enrollment

Virginia Madrid-Salazar, Esq., was CVHEC’s strategies lead from 2015 through July 2021. In August, the San Joaquin College of Law alumna’s service to her community shifted to private law practice as a dependency attorney serving parents and minors involved in Dependency Court of the Fresno County Superior Court. She is also a board member of the Fresno County Office of Education Foundation. Not only did she utilize her skills while at CVHEC to help develop dual enrollment strategies with CVHEC member institutions and educational partners, Virginia also supported her own son’s productive dual enrollment journey – so we asked her to share some observations on dual enrollment from this unique perspective for our fourth “What the CV-HEC is Happening” Blog.

 

Dual enrollment: an equity change-maker

By Virginia Madrid-Salazar, Esq.

As the strategies lead for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, it was an honor to work alongside area educators to affect transformational changes that have occurred in the region’s higher education sphere during that period.

This blog entry gives me a welcome opportunity to share my perspective, first, reflecting on the dual enrollment work that CVHEC champions; experiencing dual enrollment in my own son’s educational career; and lastly, expressing my hope for where the Central Valley will go with dual enrollment. As a dependency attorney, I welcome the push of dual enrollment for foster youth.

Energizing for Dual Enrollment Despite Pandemic Limitations

Right before the pandemic hit, on March 5, 2020 CVHEC hosted a groundbreaking event for Central Valley higher education and K-12 educators. Nearly 200 interested educators gathered to create an action plan to create a dual enrollment model that improved the delivery of dual enrollment for the Central Valley’s rural and urban communities.

It was an energizing event. A CVHEC-convened taskforce primed the agenda to allow colleagues an opportunity to identify shared barriers to dual enrollment and devise action plans to dismantle those barriers. This collaboration proactively allowed for a valley-wide approach.

Among the needs that emerged included improving CCCApply for dual enrollment students (the application was not originally  designed for use by high school students taking college-credit bearing courses and it showed); and the simple fact that not enough teachers met minimum qualifications Ito teach college courses on their high school campuses.

During the pandemic, CVHEC brought those interested parties together virtually via Zoom where these challenges were further examined and solutions were crafted.

Application Frustrations Raised and Fixed

An executive committee of the task force identified frustrations experienced by Central Valley students when enrolling in dual enrollment courses. These concerns were shared with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office team working to improve the application process.

As a result, improvements have been implemented and there are more students now overcoming that barrier.

Growing Dual Enrollment Teachers on High School Campuses

CVHEC got to work on another barrier and organized grant applications to the Fresno K-16 Collaborative to fund high school English and math teachers to earn their master’s degrees (see Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program). In December 2021, the first of three cohorts completed their degrees. Not only will these teachers teach dual enrollment courses on high school campuses, but some will serve at rural high school campuses where the need is great.

These efforts are the beginnings of improving dual enrollment for Central Valley students.

Improving dual enrollment access does not necessarily mean a student must earn their associate degree by the time they finish high school either. Rather, the opportunity to take at least six units of college-credit bearing courses – especially an English or math course – before they finish their high school career can transcend a student’s outlook on their college career.

That was my son’s experience.

Students Getting a Head Start in College Career

In his senior year of high school, my son enrolled in six units of college credit-bearing course work taking Communications and English 1A. It was the first he heard of these dual enrollment classes offered on his campus and he decided he would give it a shot. Not only did he find the course work and his instructors interesting (he earned A’s in both courses) but, perhaps more importantly, he saw himself as a college student – in that moment.

“That dual enrollment is clutch!” That was his exclamation in our kitchen with his ed plan in hand. It was clear to him he was free to take a few other courses he needed to transfer to his choice school. This was all because he got a head start on his college career with dual enrollment. All I could do was smile.

Unbridled excitement for his future. It’s an indescribable feeling to see the positive impact of transformational change. That must be what our Central Valley higher education leaders pursue as they explore how to grow dual enrollment in the valley.

Opportunities to Grow Dual Enrollment – Equitable Growth

That excitement I saw in my son – a mix of relief, inspiration and a vision he saw for himself – is for everyone. Growing dual enrollment offers an equitable growth opportunity. As of late, I’ve noticed a push for foster youth in dual enrollment. (See Career Ladders Project Dual Enrollment for Foster Youth: Toward Effective Practice.) Now as a Dependency Attorney, and not someone in the daily challenge of growing dual enrollment, I see the experiences foster youth endure and the resiliency they display and I applaud this push on their behalf.

This is where I have a unique perspective. I can see the transformation that can occur for foster youth if they participate in dual enrollment – even if it’s a few college courses. Not just because of the impact higher education can have on someone’s life, but because for a senior who is living life as a foster youth, a lot rides on that last year of high school. Let me explain.

When foster youth are not reunified with their family as they near the age of majority, they may continue to receive County support through age 21 if they work or attend college through what is known as AB 12 Extended Foster Care Program and Benefits.  If foster youth can envision themselves as college material while in high school that young person will be inclined to participate in AB 12 and pursue a college education. This is a decision they make during that last year of majority or their senior year of high school. I cannot emphasize enough how a dual enrollment opportunity can transform that young person’s life.

Simply put, in all its fashions, dual enrollment cannot be denied in its ability to create long-lasting, unimaginable change.

Yes, it was such an honor to lend my skill through CVHEC to help Central Valley educators create transformational change.

I cannot wait to see what transformations take shape in the next few years and what other barriers to dual enrollment Central Valley educators will dismantle.

 

Check the CVDEEP Convening Website for updates and follow-up of the March 17, 2022 event.

See CVHEC White Paper Released: ‘Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley: Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity’

 

CVHEC Director’s Message: Turning the Corner

 Greetings colleagues,

I am happy to present our February CVHEC e-Newsletter amidst recent encouraging news showing our country may be turning the corner on this historic pandemic that has transformed the way we deliver instruction and services to our students in the region.

With that in mind, we are pleased to announce that this spring CVHEC will return to in-person convenings with two major events for the Valley’s education community, pandemic conditions permitting.

The first event March 17 will bring the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force together with regional and statewide partners.  See details in this issue.

For our second event, CVHEC leaders are excited about the return of our annual Legislative and Policy Summit in the late spring – details to follow in next month’s issue.  The Summit has been on “pandemic hiatus” since 2019 and many are anxious to come together in person to follow up on much progress that our Valley higher education community has been pursuing.

Additionally, CVHEC will hold other professional development and regional meetings in-person when campus COVID regulations allow.

Also in this issue, we announce a new round of mini-grants launching this spring throughout the Central Valley. For the last three years, CVHEC has been able to offer this funding to member colleges and universities in the Central Valley providing opportunities for faculty and staff to target areas on their campuses that have been identified by the Consortium as regional strategies and priorities. We invite our member institutions to utilize this opportunity for services that can help your students.

Finally, we are especially pleased to publish the fourth installment of our “What the CV-HEC is Happening Blog”  that features an entry by former CVHEC team member Virginia Madrid-Salazar, Esq. regarding dual enrollment from the personalized perspective of a parent of a high school student benefiting from taking college courses at his local high school. Dual enrollment is one of the equity strategies CVHEC is pursuing throughout the region and Virginia’s blog is a great warm-up for the CVDEEP Convening next month. I am proud to note that Virginia was instrumental in developing our CVDEEP Task Force while she was with us. We appreciate her taking some time from her busy law practice that she began last summer.

We hope you enjoy our newsletter for the month and we welcome your feedback

SAVE THE DATE: CVDEEP Convening – March 17, 2022

(UPDATE – the CVDEEP Convening has been rescheduled to March 17. Details will be available in the upcoming February issue of the CVHEC e-newsletter).

CVHEC’s Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) is now planning to re-convene in person Friday, March 17 at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Fresno for the first time since the pandemic shutdown two years ago.

Open to secondary and postsecondary educators and community leaders interested in dual enrollment opportunities for high school students.

See details and registration info:  https://www.cvhec.org/cvhec-dual-enrollment-convening-march-17/

 

• See story about the 2020 CVDEEP Convening.

A NEW YEAR: Recharged for a Dynamic 2022

Hello friends and colleagues of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC)!

With 2022 well underway, we are pleased to share with you our first e-newsletter of the year.  We at CVHEC wish you a dynamic start to the spring 2022 semester with hopes of reaching some sort of a new normal that will lead us to working, meeting our students and convening in-person in the near future.

Though 2021 was a challenging and unprecedented year for us all, CVHEC members and partners were fully engaged in working to deliver productive educational programs for our students and valuable professional development opportunities for our faculty and staff in the region.  This  month’s newsletter provides a brief summary and reminder of the good work that was done in the Central Valley this past year.

Among these are our  Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program; announcement of our  CVHEC Equity, Race and Social Justice Taskforce; success stories about our dual enrollment efforts featuring some of our Central Valley students as well as innovative initiatives undertaken with our popular CVHEC Mini-Grant Program; our communications initiatives resulting in ongoing development of this e-newsletter including  a new blog feature, development of our public information officers/communications committee and a video on broadband disparity, one of three videos we are producing; our historic  CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project and the appointment of several new chief executives for member campuses.

This newsletter will also provide a preview of higher education efforts to come in the valley this year.

Be on the lookout for a continuation of the work around equity and inclusion in member institutions through our Equity Task Force, the pursuit of dual enrollment as an equity strategy in rural parts of the Valley and the Consortium providing assistance in creating K16 collaboratives in the north and south counties of the region.

CVHEC is also partnering with state and regional advocates to work to bring broadband to rural parts of the Central Valley to ensure that internet connectivity and bandwidth are no longer a barrier for our students and residents.

Also, the CVHEC Board of Directors is considering conditions that will allow for delivering our annual Legislative and Policy Summit in an in-person setting later in the spring, for the first time since 2019.

Needless to say, while the pandemic has put the squeeze on all of us the past two years, we are more determined than ever to conquer that challenge as we have so many others. To that end, we look forward to continued partnerships with you all in the coming year.

Contact Us

  • cvhecinfo@mail.fresnostate.edu

  • 559.278.0576

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