SPOTLIGHT: Dual Enrollment Week Mar. 10-14, 2025 CDE podcast

 

Sharing our dual enrollment initiatives in a California Department of Education PODCAST by Diane Crum at the recent California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference held Feb. 23-26 in Sacramento were Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC Operations & Finance manager; Ginny Sandhu, Sunnyside High School (Fresno Unified) English teacher; and Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director:  https://bit.ly/CDEpodcast-CVHECdualenrollment . See full transcript.

CVHEC featured on CA Dept. of Ed podcast

“The Bridge to Success: Navigating Dual Enrollment” 

 

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Communications Coordinator

Diane Crum – California Department of Education

To help kick off Dual Enrollment Week March 10-14, we present the California Department of Education podcast “Bridge to Success: Navigating Dual Enrollment” recorded Feb. 25 at the California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference featuring members of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium delegation.

Interviewed and sharing our dual enrollment initiatives at the third annual statewide conference held Feb. 23-26 in Sacramento were Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director; Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC Operations & Finance manager, Ginny Sandhu, Sunnyside High School (Fresno Unifed) teacher who earned qualification to teach dual enrollment through CVHEC’s Master’s Upskilling Program.

The podcast by Diane Crum, Education Programs consultant in CDE’s High School Innovations and Initiatives Office, explores dual enrollment success stories from around the state of California. She dives into inspiring stories, best practices and expert insights to help students bridge the gap between high school and college.

“We appreciate the work Diane is doing through this CDE podcast with a component at the California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference for participants to share their respective dual enrollment stories,” said Tom Uribes, CVHEC communications coordinator.

 

See related story: CVHEC presents at California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference ’25

Hear the podcast:

 

CVDEEP Convening wrap: ‘dual enrollment at scale and with equity’


Caption

 CCC chancellor says Central California region

is state model for dual enrollment implementation

By Elaine Cash
CVHEC Dual Enrollment Co-Lead

and

Tom Uribes
CVHEC Communications Coordinator

Citing the Central Valley as the state leader and exemplary model for dual enrollment implementation, California Community College Chancellor Sonya Christian provided a powerful keynote launch for the “Dual Enrollment in The Central Valley” Convening held Feb. 5 in Fresno.

The day-long event was presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and its Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force in partnership with the California Guided Pathways Project at the Foundation for California Community Colleges.

Six interactive breakout sessions and two panels were provided for 140 educators representing secondary and postsecondary institutions from throughout the valley’s 10-county region as well as from student-supporting community programs.

California Community Colleges Chancellor Sonya Christian chats up student panelists Ailyn Morales and Jonathan Alfaro of Mendota High School prior to the Central Valley Dual Enrollment Convening 2025 Feb. 3.

Dr. Christian brought an insightful and encouraging message to the event as she emphasized Vision 2030, a bold strategy set when she was named chancellor in 2023.

“Our mission,” Dr. Christian declared, “is to work toward a future in which all California high school students enroll in community college transfer, career or apprenticeship pathways and complete high school with at least 12 units of college credit.”

Dr. Christian, a former Central Valley community college leader, noted that in 2021-2022, a goal was set to enroll 257,000 students in a dual enrollment course by 2030.  She announced that California surpassed this goal in 2023-2024 with almost 290,000 students enrolled in at least one dual enrollment course.

“The Central Valley, with over 20 percent of California dual enrollment students, is the state leader and exemplary model for dual enrollment implementation,” said the chancellor who previously served as a member of the CVHEC Board of Directors when she was president of Bakersfield College and chancellor of the Kern Community College District prior to her statewide appointment.

However, despite encouraging successes and especially the work in the Central Valley, Dr. Christian reminded her audience that 80 percent of California high school students still do not participate in dual enrollment coursework.

“So what is the work?” she asked.  “It is dual enrollment at scale and with equity.”

She cheered on the dedication of the educators convening and collaborating that day to keep improving dual enrollment pathways for valley students.

“I know all of you are engaged in making sure that you are fundamentally supporting each and every student so that they can continue on their educational pathway because that is at the core of what we do at the California Community Colleges,” Chancellor Christian said.

That dedication was reflected in the panels and breakout sessions beginning with a discussion about several models for dual enrollment through a presentation featuring partnerships between Reedley College and Sanger High School; Bakersfield College and McFarland High School; and Coalinga College and Mendota High School.

Moderated by Tressa Overstreet of the State Center Community College District (SCCCD), the “Dual Enrollment Models” Panel included Lissette Padilla, Coalinga College; Jill Jimenez, McFarland High School; Richard Aguilar, Reedley College; Travis Kirby, Mendota High School; Alma Feathers, Bakersfield College; and Carmen Garvis, Sanger High School.

Each described models of dual enrollment implementation such as Middle College; college courses on high school campuses and embedded in the master schedules; and hybrid on-campus and online programs, each suited to the unique needs that school sizes and locations require.

The breakout sessions emphasized a variety of useful elements of dual enrollment presented by successful implementers. Each presenter shared practical resources and “how to” strategies that were immediately applicable.   (See agenda for breakout topics and presenter names).

“Attendees were delighted with relevant information that stimulated conversations and promoted in-conference networking, and the exchange of phone numbers and emails to continue sharing,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, executive director of the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium who welcomed the participants in the opening session before introducing Chancellor Christian.

‘What Does This Mean for Students?’

But he noted that despite the power packed by the keynote speaker and the panels and breakout sessions, perhaps the highlight of the conference was a panel of high school students currently enrolled in dual enrollment pathway coursework.  Stan Carrizosa, president-emeritus of College of the Sequoias and now a CVHEC lead (Transfer Project), moderated the student panel, “What Does This Mean for Students?,” that closed the event.

Five students representing Sanger, Mendota and McFarland High Schools impressed the large Doubletree Inn ballroom full of educators with their straight-forward talk and thoughtful responses that described their dual enrollment experience. They articulated not only their ambition to attain a higher education – each citing the university they aspire to – but also the satisfaction of meeting the challenge of college courses that has provided a new level of self-confidence. Five of the six indicated they will be the first in their respective families to attend college.

Three of the students are seniors who are on path to earn an associate degree this spring: Andres Medina Zapien and Isaac Dircio, both of McFarland High School, will complete Bakersfield College requirements with their sights set on UC San Diego and Stanford respectively; and Saige Jones, who is enrolled in the Wonderful Ag Plant Science Pathway at Sanger High School, is completing Reedley College associate degree requirements with plans to attend Fresno State in the fall.

The other two are sophomores at Mendota High School with double majors through Coalinga College: Ailyn Morales plans to attend UC Irvine and Jonathan Alfaro is looking ahead to Fresno State then UC Berkeley.

“I believe that the college classes that I am taking are all different as they fulfill my gen ed,” Andres replied when Dr. Carrizosa asked the students what they felt was the greatest success in taking dual enrollment. “I feel like they are very beneficial because they give us new perspectives and open our minds to different things that we can do.”

When asked how dual enrollment students cope with the sacrifice  of committing time to the extra school work, Ailyn responded,  “It’s all about priorities. You have to determine what comes first, and what benefits you the most.”

Durán said the student panel detailed the challenges and advantages of participating in dual enrollment programs.

“It was heartfelt and insightful – even entertaining in its own way – as we heard the voices of the very youngsters our educators strive everyday to support for academic and personal success. Those voices bring home what we are doing right, and help reveal areas that we need to address.”

A new pre-conference session entitled “Dual Enrollment 101” was offered before the conference formally opened.  Bill Vasey of the California Academic Partnership and Sylvia Garvis of Sanger High School presented the session, which Vasey described as intended for those “that don’t feel they know a lot about dual enrollment and want to learn.”

“The conference was a full day of valuable information and relevant suggestions and resources that were well received,” said Durán.

He closed the event by informing participants that CVDEEP will reconvene in the fall to follow up the Feb. 5 discussions and urged them to complete a feedback form that will help improve future convenings

Ángel Ramírez, CVHEC finance and operations manager who coordinates consortium convenings and helps facilitate strategies, urged participants to build on the “Central Valley Way” — the power of collaboration, adding that materials and PowerPoints presented in the convening are available on the event page at the CVDEEP website.

“Let’s continue being persistent and collaborative in what we do,” Ramírez said. “This is why the Central Valley leads the state in our dual enrollment work. We look forward to coming together again at the fall convening.”

He said CVHEC now has its sights set on the upcoming 2025 California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference presented by the California Alliance of Dual Enrollment Partnerships, Career Ladders Project, and EdTrust–West Feb. 24-26 in Sacramento where the team will present on CVHEC’s Master’s Upskilling Program and the Central Valley Math Bridge.

In a survey, participants offered these comments about CVHEC’s “Dual Enrollment in The Central Valley” Convening:

  • “Student comments were raw and great!!”
  • “Hearing from other districts and high schools and what is working for them pushes me to take new ideas back to my own site!”
  • “Continue the momentum! DUAL is researched and backed as advantageous for students.”
CVDEEP Convening Feb. 3, 2025 – Photo gallery

Dual Enrollment Convening 2025 – Keynote: CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian

CCC Chancellor Sonya Christian to deliver keynote at

Central Valley Dual Enrollment Convening Feb. 3 in Fresno 

Agenda includes pre-conference session for schools new to dual enrollment

 

Dr. Sonya Christian, chancellor of the California Community Colleges, will keynote the “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley” Convening set for Feb. 3 in Fresno, when more than 100 secondary and postsecondary educators will address challenges and barriers to dual enrollment success that can pave the way for high school students statewide leading to a degree or certificate.

Presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and its Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force, the convening will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.

Registration is free, with breakfast and lunch included, at  https://bit.ly/CVHECDualEnrollConvene-REGISTERweb.

Dr. Benjamín Durán, CVHEC executive director, announced this week that Chancellor Christian, a former member of the CVHEC board of directors, will discuss the CCC dual enrollment commitment that is part of CCC’s “Vision 2030 – A Roadmap for California Community Colleges” plan and how the Central Valley is an active leader statewide.

According to the CCC DataVista website, the Central Valley has reported the highest share of community college students simultaneously enrolled in K-12 schools of any region in the state.

“Dual enrollment is a game changer in bringing college to first-generation students whose parents did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education,” said Chancellor Christian.

“Central Valley colleges have shown tremendous momentum in expanding dual enrollment pathways,” she continued. “The work led by The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium in collaborating, facilitating, and realizing dual enrollment is truly a gold star standard for the rest of the country. This area is leading the state in the number of students earning college credit while still in high school. Their phenomenal effort ensures equity in access, a key pillar in the work we are doing with our Vision 2030 plan.”

The daylong session will feature two panels and two interactive breakout sessions concluding with recommendation summaries. A student panel will provide first-hand testimony about dual enrollment successes and barriers. (CVHEC plans to release the full agenda Jan. 22).

Also new this year will be a pre-conference session, “Dual Enrollment Primer,” from 9-10 a.m. that will provide information for high schools and colleges new to dual enrollment, which is a strategy that allows secondary school students to earn college credits during high school. In some cases, students are able to actually complete associate degrees before their high school graduation.    

Durán noted that CVHEC’s dual enrollment convening is unique because it features intersegmental collaboration at a regional level.  It will be highly interactive and will engage audience members with panel presenters from valley colleges and high schools, including practitioners, and topped with student success stories, he added.

“CVHEC’s dual enrollment convenings help ensure that the outcomes from the ongoing dialogue between community colleges and their K-12 partners in the Valley will continue,” said Durán who will welcome the educators in the opening session.

“The convening also continues the CVDEEP Task Force’s advocacy efforts to institutionalize dual enrollment as a strategy that blurs the lines between high school and community college for those students who can benefit from taking college courses and get a leg up on their quest for a college degree or certificate.”

But Durán said the highlight of the event will be Chancellor Christian “who is a dual enrollment trailblazer in her own right leading initiatives that are part of the Central Valley’s highly successful dual enrollment landscape  when she was with KCCD from 2013 to 2022.”

Dr. Christian served on the CVHEC Board of Directors —  made up of sitting CEOs of higher education institutions in the valley’s 10-county region — when she was president of consortium member Bakersfield College from 2013 to 2021 and when she was chancellor of member Kern Community College District from 2021 to 2022 before assuming the CCC top spot.

With her appointment by the CCC Board of Trustees Feb. 20, 2022, Dr. Christian made history as the first woman and first Asian-American — as well as a first-generation college graduate — named chancellor of the state’s community college system.

The chancellor will discuss the “Vision 2030” dual enrollment strategy which calls for the preparation of high school students to choose a workforce pathway earlier in their academic journey so they see themselves as college scholars. Its “ninth grade strategy” works toward a future in which all California high school students enroll in community college transfer, career or apprenticeship pathways and complete high school with at least 12 units of dual enrollment credit.

“This dual enrollment opportunity must be available to all high school students and particularly tailored to those who have historically not been provided these opportunities,” the plan states.   “In so doing, California’s youth will receive a self-development and career-exploration opportunity that will increase their interest in and understanding of college and career. As high school students engage in tailored dual enrollment programs, they will learn how to develop a college education plan, how to access financial aid and other support programs and explore possible careers for their futures.”

Chancellor Christian said early exposure to college and career is particularly important for historically underrepresented students and will equip colleges to utilize dual enrollment as a tool to close equity gaps,   something she said is evident in the valley’s 10-county region.

Among the CVHEC initiatives are the Master’s Upskilling Program that provides a path for high school English and math teachers to earn a master’s degree required to teach community college dual enrollment courses at their respective schools (this was one of the outcomes of CVHEC’s first two dual enrollment convenings), and the Math Bridge Program with College Bridge.

 

Event information: Angel Ramirez, CVHEC finance and operations manager, at centralvalleyhec@gmail.com.  

CVHEC media inquiries about the convening: Tom Uribes via text 559.348.3278 or cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu

CCC media inquiries (Vision 2030): Melissa Villarin at 916.327.5365 or mvillarin@cccco.edu.

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

See press release full version online: https://cvhec.org/dual-enrollment-convening-2025-keynote-speaker-ccc-chancellor-christian/ 
and https://bit.ly/CVHEC-DualEnrollConv25

 

-30-

BACKGROUND

 

This is the third convening of the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force since it was formed by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium following legislation in 2016 when 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.

Planting the seeds for what has eventually led to CVHEC’s slogan, “The Central Valley Way,” the CVDEEP Task Force was formed with about 60 community college and K-12 educational leaders who deliver dual enrollment services valley-wide. CVHEC brought them together after community college leaders approached the consortium to provide assistance surrounding dual enrollment in 2019.

In June 2020, CVHEC released a 16-page report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity,” a blueprint to strengthen dual enrollment delivery in the Central Valley; and for the 2022 convening, the consortium produced a dual enrollment video, “Blurring the Lines Between High School and College: Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley,” that underscores the CVDEEP drive by featuring the success stories of several area students whose voices put the task force educators’ endeavor in perspective.

 

RELATED LINKS:

CVHEC ‘Dual Enrollment Convening – the Central Valley Way’ Feb. 3

CVHEC Video: ‘Blurring the Lines Between High School and College: Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley’ CVHEC report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity” and press release.

CVHEC Website Feature: Dual Enrollment Page

Dual Enrollment Convening: Face-To-Face Space for K-12 and Higher Ed

‘Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program’ Advances Equity

CVHEC Teacher Upskilling Program for Master’s Degrees Supports Dual Enrollment in South Valley via Kern K-16 Collaborative Grant

North Valley Masters Upskilling Program begins recruiting — info sessions set

CVHEC Partners With College Bridge in Grant Supporting DE Courses from Six Rural Community Colleges at 21 Service Area High School

The CVHEC blog by former CVHEC Strategies Lead Virginia Madrid Salazar, Esq., providing a parents perspective on dual enrollment.

What the CV-HEC is Happening Blog – December 2024: Year-In-Review

Read more

CVHEC ‘Dual Enrollment Convening – the Central Valley Way’ Feb. 3

CVDEEP Task Force convening for

educators in 10-county region to look at

strategic planning, policy changes, student success and equity

 

REGISTER HERE

 

The Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Task Force Convening will be held Feb. 3, 2025 in Fresno where educators will resume discussions of challenges and barriers to dual enrollment success in the valley’s 10-county region.

Registration is now available for the free event presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the DoubleTree Hotel in downtown Fresno. Breakfast and lunch will be provided to participants.New this year will be a pre-conference session from 9-10 a.m. that will provide information for high schools and colleges new to dual enrollment.

The event, postponed from November, will focus on creating a strategic plan for dual enrollment in the Central Valley, policy changes, support, student success and equity, said Dr. Benjamin Durán, CVHEC executive director.

“The dual enrollment opportunity provides a timely gateway to meaningful careers with sufficient earnings to support a quality of life for themselves and their families,” said Durán, who also is president-emeritus of Merced College.

Through dual enrollment, high school students earn college credits while earning their high school diploma which increases their chances of earning credentials, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees as expeditiously as possible. Since 2019, the region has reported the highest share of community college students simultaneously enrolled in K-12 schools of any region in the state.

Durán said at this convening, college and university professionals will highlight their work delivering college level courses to high school students from rural high schools using an online dual enrollment strategy as a vehicle to reach populations that do not typically have the opportunity to benefit from taking college level courses while still in high school.

“This is a great way to infuse equity and inclusion into our partner institutions for those students who will benefit from getting a jump-start on gateway college courses that are essential for the successful completion of their degrees and certificates,” Durán said.

CVHEC created the  CVDEEP Task Force — made up of community college and K-12 educational leaders — in July 2019 at the request of community college administrators so Central Valley colleges and K-12 partner districts could purposefully and strategically engage on a regional basis to deliver dual enrollment in a more equitable way.

The first two CVDEEP Task Force convenings in 2020 and 2022  set the stage for educators in the valley to collaborate leading to such gains as improving the CCCApply application process to the California Community College system and getting more high school teachers qualified to teach dual enrollment college courses.

For more information about the convening, contact Ángel Ramírez, director of operations and finance, at angelr@csufresno.edu or 559.278.0576.

CVHEC media contact: Tom Uribes • cvheccommunications@mail.fresnostate.edu • 559.348.3278 (text message)

 

Press release available at https://cvhec.org/cvdeep-task-force-sets-dual-enrollment-convening-nov-14-for-educators-in-10-county-region/

 

BACKGROUND: CVHEC Dual Enrollment White Paper sets the stage

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, expanded and protected dual enrollment through 2027.

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. (See her February 2022 CVHEC newsletter blog).

The task force’s first planning meeting July 22, 2018 brought together about 60 front-line educators who deliver dual enrollment services valley-wide to join forces  establish a regional consensus  that provided the direction for a full conference March 5, 2019.

At that first full convening in 2019, attendees representing 52 school districts, 12 community colleges and two education organizations/agencies spent the day in two panels and three breakout sessions discussing their experiences and ways to navigate forward.

John Spevak, a CVHEC regional coordinator, at the time commended the educators for their efforts in developing dual enrollment programs, telling his audience, “I’m just impressed with the amount of work that we have to do to make this successful. It just doesn’t happen by itself. This is one of the most intensive activities I have ever seen take place between high schools and colleges.

The second convening March 17, 2022,  with the theme “Establishing Dual Enrollment Pathways in the Central Valley,” attracted more than 150 secondary and postsecondary educators to discuss and recommend action that has come into fruition as a result of their efforts :

  • Improvements in the CCCApplyapplication process to the California Community College system.

 

CVDEEP Task Force sets dual enrollment convening for educators in 10-county region

 

 CVDEEP Convening planned for Feb. 3, 2025

 

[UPDATE DEC. 18, 2024]: This event is rescheduled for Feb. 3, 2025. See updated story: https://bit.ly/CVHEC-DualEnrollConv25

bit.ly/DualEnrollment25cvhec-REGISTER

WE Will! K-16: CVHEC dual enrollment projects in North Valley

Math Bridge and Master’s Upskilling

heading north via WE Will! K-16 funding

 

‘Together, we are creating pathways for success
that will benefit our communities for generations to come.’

 

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Communications/Media Coordinator

[NOTE: see updates below]

Two $400,000 state grants in partnership with the WE Will! K-16 Workforce and Education Collaborative will expand Central Valley Higher Education Consortium initiatives into the North Valley: the Master’s Upskilling Project and the Central Valley Math Bridge program.

Funding for both consortium projects, which involve improving access to dual enrollment college courses for high school students, is from a $18 million grant the WE Will! Collaborative received from the Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Programs last fall as part of the statewide drive to strengthen the K-16 education-to-career pipeline.

McKenna Salazar — WE Will!

The North Valley Tri-County Workforce and Education (WE Will!) K-16 Collaborative is a multi-sector and intersegmental collaboration uniting Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties with CVHEC-member University of California, Merced as the lead agency and includes four other fellow CVHEC members: Merced College, Modesto Junior College, San Joaquin Delta College and California State University, Stanislaus. The collaborative also includes K-12 school districts, county offices of education, economic development agencies and local and regional employers.

“CVHEC is excited to join the WE Will! K-16 Collaborative as an initiative partner,” said Dr. Benjamín Durán, consortium executive director, when he learned of the CVHEC funding decision in April that will extend its programs already underway in other parts of the valley into the northern region.

CVHEC’s two programs already in place are through the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative in the mid-valley region and the Kern K-16 Collaborative in the south valley area.

“Our south and mid-valley efforts have laid a solid foundation for the programs to succeed when scaled and replicated throughout our region to better serve all Central Valley students,” added the president-emeritus of Merced College who after his retirement in 2012 joined CVHEC in 2016.

Dr. Benjamín Durán,  CVHEC  

The dual enrollment aspect supports CVHEC’s mission to increase college degree and certificate attainment rates for valley students throughout the nine-county Central Valley region as well as helps fulfill the collaborative’s education-to-career pipeline goal.

McKenna Salazar, executive director of the Office of K-20 Regional Alliances and WE Will! K-16 Educational Collaborative, said the North Valley Collaborative sought partners whose initiatives would equitably enhance K-16 career pathways in healthcare and education.

“We are thrilled to partner on these initiatives, which represent a critical step toward ensuring that students experience seamless transitions across the educational spectrum,” Salazar said.

“Our partnership with CVHEC is an exciting endeavor that will empower students to thrive in both their academic and professional pursuits. Together, we are creating pathways for success that will benefit our communities for generations to come.”

 

Upskilling high school teachers to teach dual enrollment

The first $400,000 grant that CVHEC was awarded will support the extension of the consortium’s Master’s Upskilling Project into the northern CVHEC member counties over the next three years, said Elaine Cash, CVHEC’s grants and programs coordinator who secured the consortium funding.

The program — a collaboration of two CVHEC-members: Fresno Pacific University and National University with CVHEC member community colleges and the service-area high schools — recruits and helps fund tuition for existing high school math and English teachers to earn a master’s so they can teach dual enrollment courses in those subjects on their high school campuses.

The innovative program that has already produced over 160 master’s graduates qualified to teach dual enrollment college courses was the result of CVHEC’s dual enrollment task force, Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP), established in 2019 to identify and establish the best elements of an intentional and sustainable strategy for dual enrollment. CVDEEP is made up of more than 150 Central Valley secondary and postsecondary education leaders who gather annually for CVHEC dual enrollment convenings.

“An urgent need identified by CVDEEP is that many high schools, especially our rural schools, are unable to offer dual enrollment courses on their campuses because they lack teachers who meet the community college minimum qualifications – a master’s degree,” Cash said.

As in the other valley locations, FPU plans to offer the WE Will! regional high school teachers holding a bachelor’s degree in mathematics an online MA degree program in Mathematics Education. National will offer the WE Will! regional high school English teachers an online Master of Arts degree program in English.

“Over the coming three years, the funding will support 12 high school English and 12 high school math teachers to offset much of the cost of this upskilling coursework and provide them with community college mentors to support them in their role as college instructors,” Cash said.

CVHEC will work with Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties Superintendent of Schools offices to recruit teachers seeking this opportunity as well as with regional community colleges to identify mentors.

(UPDATE Sept. 18, 2024) — Master’s Upskilling Project: recruitment campaign for 24 slots (12 English/12 Math) is now underway with MA classes to begin in January. CVHEC is working with WE Will! and county superintendent of schools officials to promote the program to county high school teachers.

 

Math Bridge — closing the equity achievement gap 

For the second $400,000 grant funding the Central Valley Math Bridge Project, WE Will! joins efforts by CVHEC with project-founding partner College Bridge to close the equity achievement gap of underrepresented students entering college.

“In the junior and senior years of high school, underrepresented students have the opportunity and support to successfully complete the critical gateway requirements in transfer-level college math while mapping their chosen pathways to and through the CV colleges and universities of their choice,” Cash explained.

The high school students are enrolled in dual enrollment college Math Bridge courses, she said. These transfer-level math courses include a College Transition Bridge (CT Bridge) curriculum that offers students a comprehensive college-readiness experience, including an introduction to Pathway Program Mapper in coordination with the CVHEC Transfer Project.

PPM is a public internet-based software application that presents students with pre-approved course sequences aligning the community college Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) agreement with the upper division requirements by major for successful degree completion.

Several high schools in the WE Will! region have already added the CV Math Bridge course, Cash said, adding that CVHEC and College Bridge will focus the WE Will! Collaborative funding to:

1) expand the Pathway Program Mapper to include pathways for seamless ADT transfers from San Joaquin Delta, Modesto and Merced community colleges to UC Merced and CSU Stanislaus, and

2) expand the CV Math Bridge project, adding additional high schools in the Modesto Community College region.

“CVHEC is delighted to receive funding to support the expansion of the Central Valley Math Bridge program into the WE Will! collaborative region,” Cash said.  “We look forward to working with the North Valley collaborative to achieve regional goals that support our students’ college and career successes.”

The first phases for the two programs once the funding is in place is to begin collaborating with high schools for the Math Bridge program and working with county superintendent of schools offices to begin recruiting master’s candidates.

(UPDATE Sept. 18, 2024): Math Bridge officials are presently meeting with county school officials to plan implementation. Recruitment of students is tentatively set for next spring with the first cohort to begin instruction in the fall 2025. Additional updates to come.

 

See:

UC Merced-led Collaborative Awards $10.6 Million to Community  (May 9, 2024)

UC Merced-led Regional Education Collaborative Awarded $18.1 Million in State Funds (Nov. 22, 2023)

MEMBER NEWS: North Valley, East Sierra CVHEC members partner for K-16 Collaboratives (Nov. 16, 2022) 

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

CVHEC’s Mid-Year Review 2024

Read more

SPOTLIGHT ON CVHEC: #DualEnrollmentWeek 2024

CVHEC joins dual enrollment partners

in statewide digital campaign

The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium participated in the Digital Dual Enrollment Week social media campaign conducted statewide Feb 26-March 1 by the California Alliance of Dual Enrollment Partnerships (CADEP).

The weeklong campaign followed the 2nd Annual California Dual Enrollment Equity Conference held Feb. 20-23 in Long Beach presented by CADEP, Career Ladders Project, and The Education Trust–West with fiscal agent the Foundation for Los Angeles Community Colleges.

The California Alliance of Dual Enrollment Partnerships is an affiliated chapter of the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP), is a unified coalition committed to the advancement of equity, student success and quality in dual enrollment programs in California.

Its vision is to unite individuals, state agencies and organizations committed to dual enrollment in California to promote and advance quality dual enrollment programming across the state.

For the social media campaign, dual enrollment partners were asked to promote a specific theme each day:

MONDAY – Feb. 26: Celebrate Dual Enrollment Success

TUESDAY – Feb. 27: Dual Enrollment Myth Busting

WEDNESDAY – Feb. 28: Dual Enrollment is an Equity Strategy – Widening the Front Door to College

THURSDAY – Feb. 29: Families, Communities and Dual Enrollment

FRIDAY – March 1: Innovations in Dual Enrollment

“We were able to incorporate several of our projects and dual enrolment student interactions over the past few years into the social media campaign,” said Tom Uribes, CVHEC communications/media coordinator.

CVHEC featured its Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Projects and outcomes: Master’s Upskilling Project recent graduates; the consortium’s dual enrollment video; the Math Bridge project in collaboration with College Bridge; students who participated in the video and at CVHEC convenings sharing their success stories as well as their families; and visiting the dual enrollment classroom of Jade Martinez, a Sanger West High School English teacher  who completed the innovative Master’s Upskilling Project that qualified her to teach the community college courses at her high school.

CVDEEP is now looking ahead to its annual convening that will be held in the fall this year. Details will be forthcoming in future CVHEC newsletters.

For more info on CVHEC Dual enrollment work please visit. https://cvhec.org/dual-enrollment-in-the-central-valley/

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MATH TASK FORCE: ‘Something extraordinary’ (Jan. 26 wrap)

Modesto Junior College math professor Tina Akers-Porter discusses her strand group’s deliberations at “The Central Valley Way to AB1705 Success” Convening Jan. 26 where a call for a “principals task force” by Orosi High School Principal Marlena Celaya would bring more secondary education voices to the table.

‘Something extraordinary is happening in math in California’s Central Valley’

Math Task Force latest AB1705 session leads to calls

for more data, high school input, re-convene April 19

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Media/Communications Coordinator

Realizing that state guidance surrounding Assembly Bill 1705 remains elusive, valley community college math educators and officials forged ahead at “The Central Valley Way to AB1705 Success” convening Jan. 26 in Fresno with a determined and unified mindset to develop implementation plans that will serve the best interests of their students including a follow-up session set for April.

In addition, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) Math Task Force discussion centered around five strands of curriculum planning for implementation before the law goes into effect July 1, two aspects emerged at the lively day-long work session: the increased participation of institutional researchers for pertinent data-collecting and a call for a “principal’s task force” to bring upper secondary education voices to the table.

Presented by CVHEC, the convening — the latest in a series of deliberations since fall — was attended by 82 representatives from the consortium’s 19-member community colleges, one high school principal and campus research professionals.

They agreed to reconvene April 19 for reports on follow-up work that will occur as a result of this most recent event. Registration for that event will open next month with additional details forthcoming.

Facilitated by the Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin, the session last month reviewed 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.

“With tensions high and little guidance surrounding AB1705, the 19 community colleges and districts that comprise the CVHEC nine-county region are rolling up their sleeves and getting to work on this math movement the ‘Central Valley Way’,” summarized Tammi Perez-Rice of the Dana Center.

Perez-Rice, who co-facilitated the event, said the convening was solely dedicated to working and planning at a regional and institutional level in two parts. The first part was dedicated to expanding the five work groups that emerged from the Nov. 17 webinar and creating a plan to move forward.  The second half of the convening was devoted to institutional planning.

“The fruits produced from these convenings are already being felt around the region,” Perez-Rice said.  “The plans and implementations emerging from these convenings are more than just a response to AB705 and AB1705; they cultivate systemic reforms that will benefit all students in the CVHEC region and beyond.”

John Spevak, CVHEC regional coordinator who oversees the consortium’s Math Task Force and co-facilitator of the Jan. 26 gathering, said in the short-term, the five strands work groups will continue to communicate and provide updates in preparation for the April 19 convening. The strand leads are preparing summaries of their Jan. 26 breakout discussions and member college teams are preparing summaries of the tentative plans they developed in the afternoon breakout sessions for oral reports in April.

“In the longer term, our Math Task Force will continue to monitor what the California Community College Chancellor’s Office says, while mainly going forward with our own Central Valley approach to the five strands.”

That “Central Valley Way” stems from the work undertaken by the CVHEC Math task Force, first formed in 2019, in the past year that was intensified with four work sessions beginning Oct. 6 in a virtual convening with CCC vice-chancellor Eric Cooper. The first in-person session followed Oct. 13 in Fresno and another virtual session was held in two parts Nov. 17 before the Jan. 26 session.

These sessions may represent the only concerted effort by a region’s community college math community actively meeting to collaborate across campus boundaries for ways to unite as one voice and determine a curriculum course of action that meets the law’s intent, Spevak said.

“We at CVHEC, along with the Dana Center representatives and our College Bridge partners in the Math Bridge Program, feel that something extraordinary is happening in math in the Central Valley of California,” Spevak said.

After the Jan. 26 session ended, Perez-Rice reiterated a point she made the first time she visited Fresno for the first in-person convening last fall:

“This collaboration today was amazing. As I travel and talk to math faculty all over the country, what I see pulsating from the CVHEC community here in Central California is just compassion; caring about their students; putting their students first; understanding what their students need; and more importantly collaborating with each other working across institutions to make things happen.”

Inviting secondary ed voices to ‘align syllabi’

A key development of the convening was the assertion and agreement that a crucial next step is “to involve high schools in the discussion and determine how to breakdown barriers between systems for a cohesive collaborative effort to put students first across the state of California,” a message delivered by Marlena Celaya, principal of Orosi High School who was the only secondary education official in attendance.

Celaya’s comments, first in a strand session and later in general comments before the assembled group, resonated with the community college professionals as she offered to lead a task force of principals/administrators who would unify with the CVHEC community college math educators for implementation strategy — to listen and hear what the needs are and how to meet those needs.

“I’m willing to lead this work because I don’t want people to go through the wars I went through teaching algebra and volunteering all my time,” said Celaya, a former math teacher at Dinuba High School. “We would want to  hear from community colleges and say to them ‘what do you need?’

“We heard something from you today: ‘I want to know what courses are offered at the high school and what does that course description look like?’ Aligning syllabi is what I’d like to do,” Celaya said. “Mathematics is my passion.”

Perez-Rice said the April 19 convening promises more high school representation, with over twelve principals who are part of the Math Bridge Program by CVHEC and College Bridge being invited. Other secondary education officials from throughout the valley are welcome she said.  

Participant feedback: ‘great to see we’re not alone in this …’

After the event, several participants shared their assessment of the Jan. 26 convening.

“The conversations were amazing and we really appreciated being here,” said Joshua Lewis, chair of the Bakersfield College Mathematics Dept.

“There have been so many legislative changes and so many unknowns it’s nice to see the work that other campuses are doing and realize that we’re not alone, that we have shared values; that we have shared emphasis on student learning and really care about doing right by all of our students,” he added.

Nathan Cahoon, Taft college math professor, felt that the efforts of CVHEC’s Math Task Force as exhibited at the convening is strengthening the voice of the valley’s math community which will have an impact.

“It was amazing to work with incredible professionals who have some really amazing ideas,” he said. “I know I took many good notes about ideas to implement at our college.  The connections we are building here with each other will be powerful down the road as we build a cohesive effort to get some good research together that we can send to the state as one voice from all the colleges.”

Modesto Junior College math professor Marina Hernandez said coming together within the region is relished because when attending other statewide or national conferences, the focus is not as localized.

“It was very helpful to learn what other colleges in the Central Valley are doing because we share similar student population and resources characteristics and their best practices are applicable to us here in our region,” Hernandez said.

Tina Akers-Porter, Modesto Junior College math professor, said the Math Task Force work has helped her better understand what AB1705 is and what it means for her students.

“I feel like I have a better understanding of some of the challenges of the legislation and what others are worried about,” she said.  “We share some of those worries but it’s great to hear different points of view on that. A byproduct of this is we are seeing how we need to support underprepared students more, inside and outside the classroom, and sharing ideas to do that.”

Shelly Getty, Taft college math faculty and a strand leader, echoed Akers-Porter: “We left knowing we are going to start some specific tutoring and targeting students for tutoring. We will try to advertise it better and recruit so students get more access to the services we already provide which will greatly impact them.  We shared some good ideas on how to do that effectively.”

Marissa Martinez, Taft college math professor, said, “We have our work cut out for us. There’s a lot of things that we have to address with a lot of moving parts. Everything keeps changing but it was great to be able to see that we’re not alone in this, that we’re working together to better serve our students.”

She said this intercollegial collaboration and the feedback from the colleges helps “so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel — what worked, what didn’t work.”

Next steps? Data research

“I would say the next step is collecting our data to see how the numbers show where we are so we can prove that these courses are important for our student success,” Martinez said.

This data aspect was also a key part of the convening as institutional research professionals were invited and directly participated such as Arooj Rizvi, research analyst in the Office of Institutional research and Effectiveness at San Joaquin Delta College.

“Researchers have a monumental role in the implementation of AB 1705 because policymakers are going to depend a lot on what we are able to produce as a group or even as an institution,” Rizvi said. “Being a part of these conversations helps us to see the bigger picture, the context and the requirements of what exactly it is that we are looking for in the data.”

She said it was exciting to hear at the convening what area colleges are going through.

“I realized how similar our challenges are from institution to institution, “she said.  “Working through that together and being solution-oriented is something that’s going to take all of us towards a beneficial direction. Seeing us all here today was a defining moment in history.”

Owynn Lancaster, vice president of academic strategy for CVHEC partner College Bridge, said the event was “a huge success seeing folks come together from math to talk about math and really pool their resources to address actual challenges.

“The most powerful focus of change in education is always the educator,” Lancaster said. “I know everything’s heaped on them but in a lot of ways they have the greatest power of the greatest agency for this.”

For more info: centralvalleyhec@gmail.com

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

See also:

Math Task Force

https://bit.ly/MTFconveneKSEE24

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

The CVHEC Way to Math Success — Implementing AB1705

Math Task Force begins discussion of AB1705 implementation – Nov. 17 next
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

CVHEC Website Feature: Math Task Force Page

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