MATH BRIDGE UPDATE: providing tools for postsecondary journeys

Nathan Savig teaching  a Math Bridge prep course to students at Mariposa High School in the fall 2024 semester.  These students are part of the 332 program enrollees who will take their first Math Bridge college class this spring at their respective high schools.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Since the Central Valley Math Bridge program was funded in late 2022 in partnership with the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, the Rand Corporation and several community college members of the consortium with funding from the California K-16 Collaborative (Central – Fresno, Madera, Kings Counties; and We Will! – North Valley), its small but energetic College Bridge team has made headway into 18 high schools in the consortium’s 10-county region. The first Math Bridge cohort at 13 of those schools began in the fall with a prep course and now the 332 high school students enrolled in the program at those schools will be taking their first college course this spring (see list below). The other five schools will start in fall 2025. This update submitted by Audra Burwell, College Bridge communication coordinator, presents the program’s 2024 progress as it moves into 2025 with its first cohorts. 

‘… facilitating meaningful discussions about

how math applies to the real world …’

As we step into spring 2025, College Bridge is making significant strides in expanding its Math Bridge project to reach more high school students across the Central Valley.

This innovative initiative aims to ease the transition from high school to college-level mathematics by offering a rigorous college-level math curriculum alongside the support of high school and college instructors. This collaboration is laying the foundation for academic success and providing students with the tools they need to succeed in their postsecondary journeys.

Across classrooms, high school math instructors are teaming up with college faculty who bring their credentials and college-level expertise to the learning environment. Together, they combine their knowledge and experience, brainstorming examples, solving problems, and facilitating meaningful discussions about how math applies to the real world.

In many classrooms, high school instructors are also dual-certified, holding credentials that allow them to teach at the college level. This professional development is often made possible through the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s (CVHEC) Master’s Upskilling Program, which equips educators with the tools and expertise to teach college-level material to high school students.

In 2024, thanks to the dedication of educators, counselors, and administrators, Math Bridge expanded its reach to serve 13 high schools across the Central Valley (see list below). But College Bridge isn’t stopping there—2025 marks a year of even greater growth. Five new schools will join the Math Bridge initiative, helping to expand the program’s impact across the region. Le Grand High School, El Capitan High School, Merced High School, Dos Palos High School, and Gustine High School will be the newest members of the Math Bridge network. These new partners will help ensure that even more students have access to the support they need to succeed in math, breaking down barriers to higher education.

This expansion is made possible thanks to the WE Will! K-16 Educational Collaborative grant, which helps provide additional resources for high school students preparing to enter college. The partnership between K-12 and higher education institutions is creating a more seamless transition for students into postsecondary education, and the inclusion of these new schools is expected to further enhance the success of the program.

Beyond Math Bridge, College Bridge remains committed to supporting students’ overall educational pathways. One of the key components of this broader support is the  concurrently with the Math Bridge program.

CT Bridge is designed to provide students with the tools and information they need to succeed in  their transition to college such as filling out applications; making their fall college schedule; accessing their college portal; understanding FAFSA and financial aid options; gaining career advice; and how to access college support services—all in just 10 hours of course material per year. By offering students insights into both academic and career pathways, CT Bridge is helping them prepare for success not just in their math courses, but in their future college and career endeavors.

As College Bridge continues to evolve and expand, the organization remains focused on ensuring that students have access to the resources and guidance they need to thrive. In the coming months, College Bridge will be hosting several Student Info Sessions to encourage high school students to apply for the Math Bridge program for the 2025/2026 school year. These sessions will provide students with a chance to learn more about the opportunities offered by Math Bridge and CT Bridge, as well as how they can benefit from these programs.

Additionally, College Bridge will continue hosting Planning and Strategy Sessions for Central Valley educators and counselors

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to move forward with these vital initiatives!

Math Bridge Cohorts 2024-2025

(Breakdown of 332 students currently enrolled in the Central Valley Math Bridge Program at 13 high schools,
listed by community college partners that are CVHEC members):

DELTA COLLEGE
Stagg: 24
Weber: 26

MERCED COLLEGE
Buhach Colony: 18
Atwater: 26
Golden Valley: 36
Livingston: 33
Mariposa: 34

REEDLEY COLLEGE
Dinuba (2 sections): 34
Orosi: 23
Sanger: 30
Sanger West: 11

TAFT COLLEGE
Taft: 12
Riverdale: 25

(Five additional high schools will onboard in the fall semester: Le Grand, El Capitan, Merced, Dos Palos and Gustine).

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

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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.

 

Kern Master’s Upskill Program launches new English cohort

Successful dual enrollment teacher program

awarded funding for 15 more high school teachers

 

To schedule an information session:  individual OnDemand appointments

BY TOM URIBES
CVHEC Communications Coordinator

The success of the Kern Master’s Upskill Program has resulted in the creation of an additional English cohort of 15 slots that will begin in March 2025 – meaning more Kern high school teachers can obtain funding to earn a master’s degrees qualifying them to instruct dual enrollment courses at Kern County high schools as well as to become adjunct community college instructors.

The program by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, in partnership with the Kern Regional K-16 Education Collaborative through the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS), provides eligible high school teachers with a grant and tuition reduction through two consortium members:  Fresno Pacific University offers a Master’s degree in Mathematics education and National University offers a Master’s degree program in English.

For this new fourth cohort, English Single Subject credential holders who are interested in pursuing a Master’s degree in English with a specialization in Rhetoric can receive a $14,400 grant from the Kern K16 Collaborative and CVHEC and a $3,978 (20%) “employee tuition reduction” per student because of National University’s partnership with CVHEC.

Jessica Gladney, program coordinator for National, said interested high school English teachers may learn more about the program and apply by attending information sessions available through individual OnDemand appointments to fit their own schedule.

Additionally, mentors are assigned to each of the 15 students to counsel them during the course of their postbaccalaureate degree studies as well as help access adjunct hiring pools at the local community colleges.

The Kern Master’s Upskill Program is 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 under KCSOS, which serves as the administrative agent for the Kern K-16 Collaborative.

CVHEC was awarded $1.7 million to produce, over three years, up to 100 qualified dual enrollment teachers to teach English and Math.  Tom Burke, a CVHEC regional coordinator and chancellor-emeritus of the Kern Community College District, was appointed the consortium’s Kern Masters Upskilling Program lead.

Burke recently reported that in the past academic year since the Kern program’s inception, 48 students earned their master’s degrees: 32 English master’s degrees have been conferred in three cohorts to date with nine still in progress and 16 math master’s degrees have been conferred from the first of three cohorts. (In the math program, cohort two currently has 11 students on course to graduate in May 2025 while cohort three commenced this current fall semester with 22 master’s candidates scheduled to complete requirements in spring 2026).

He added that this newly-funded fourth Kern English cohort, combined with the first three, will increase the number of high school teachers with a English master’s degree in Kern County by 56, just a little over half of the intended goal.

“We are appreciative that the Kern K-16 recognizes the success and value of CVHEC’s Master’s Upskill Program that inevitably supports dual enrollment opportunities for our students and professional advancement for our high school teachers,” said Burke.

KCSOS spokesperson Kimberly Graham said Kern K-16 approved the additional funding for the CVHEC Upskilling project “to support the formation of an additional cohort because it addresses limitations the first three cohorts faced in achieving maximum participant outcomes.”

She calls it a strategic move because increasing the number of qualified high school teachers who can teach dual enrollment English courses aligns with the overarching goal of the Kern K-16 program as well as a long-term strategy for educational equity and success in the region.”

“The Kern K-16 program aims for greater educational access and equity, and the continued investment in the CVHEC project will support this by upskilling teachers and expanding dual enrollment opportunities for students,” said Graham who is the chief leadership support officer for the KSOS Local, Regional and Statewide Systems of Support.

“Adding a fourth English cohort contributes to the educational development of the region by preparing students for college-level coursework earlier in their educational paths.”

She added that by collaborating with National University, the project ensures that high school teachers receive flexible and rigorous online master’s degree programs, making them eligible to teach at the community college level.

The consortium has also implemented the program in two Central Valley K-16 regions:  the Fresno/Madera K-16 Collaborative where the program was first launched in 2021 with a  $1,830,500 grant and this fall with the WE Will! K-16 Collaborative in the North Valley under two $400,000 state grants.

It includes the CVHEC Mentor Program pairing each enrolled high school teacher with an English or math professor from a local community college district to help navigate the process to becoming an adjunct community college faculty member and provide other support along the way.

In Kern, the Mentor Program coordinators are Dr. Liz Rozell (math) and Dr. Vikash Lakhani (English). Burke said the program is currently recruiting for math mentors.  English mentors will be recruited in the spring.  They receive a $2,000 stipend.

For questions about enrollment, please contact Jessica Gladney at jgladney@nu.edu or 310.968.5805.

For questions about CHVEC and its Master’s Mentor Program, Burke may be contacted at tburke5@att.net.  

 

 

 

 

See:

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

 

SPOTLIGHT – CVHEC on the road

Executive Director Benjamín Durán (third from left) led the CVHEC delegation at the Strategic Transfer Summit with Transfer Project Lead Stan Carrizosa, Jennifer Johnson of California Community Colleges Foundation and Dr. James Zimmerman of UC Merced. (Photo below): The California Economic Summit in October was attended by Ángel Ramírez, Elaine Cash, Tom Uribes (back), Priscilla Arrellano posing with Assemblyman Joaquin Arambula.

Strategic Transfer Summit provides showcase for

CVHEC’s Transfer Project as reps make the rounds

Central Valley Higher Education Consortium delegations are making the rounds this fall at several state and national conferences including the recent Strategic Transfer Summit presented by the California Community Colleges Nov. 8 at UC Merced.

Other destinations include the Complete College America National Conference in Indianapolis Nov. 18-20; the American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) in Atlanta Nov. 14-17 through the Dana Center with CVHEC Math Task Force members Jeremy Brandl of Fresno City College and Shelley Getty of Taft College; and the Community Colleges League of California Nov. 22 in Sacramento.

CVHEC also attended the California Economic Summit held Oct. 8-10 in Sacramento.

At the recent Transfer Summit, CVHEC’s Transfer Project team presented an update on its progress in partnering with the consortium’s 15 community college members using the Program Pathway Mapper software for a smoother transfer process for students. Leading the CVHEC delegation at the UC Merced event was Executive Director Benjamín Durán and Transfer Lead Stan Carrizosa along with James Zimmerman vice chancellor of UC Merced and Jennifer Johnson California Community Colleges Foundation.

Carrizosa said the summit, attended by the chief executive officers of the state’s three public higher ed segments – the University of California, the California State University and the California Community Colleges – provided a prime opportunity to showcase the consortium’s Transfer Project.

“The participation of the statewide CEOs of CCC, CSU & UC — coupled with powerful student testimony — makes this event an inflection point that sets our Transfer Project on its next upward trajectory,” Carrizosa said.

CVHEC’s Transfer Project has been designated as a California Community Colleges Demonstration Project by Chancellor Sonya Christian to serve as a model systemwide.

This month, Duran will also attend the CLCC in Sacramento as well as lead the CVHC delegation to the CAC national conference in Indiana. Attending the CAC with him will be Angel Ramirez, operations/finance director; Elaine Cash, grants coordinator; and Tom Uribes, communications/media coordinator.

For the CA Economic Summit in October, Ramirez, Cash and Uribes were joined by Priscilla Arrellano, administrative specialist.

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

Kern Master’s Upskill Program nears half-way mark 

The drive is on to place the program’s master’s grads

in Kern community college adjunct spots

 

The Kern Master’s Upskill Program continues to forge ahead as four cohorts of high school teachers are halfway to its goal of 100 new master’s degrees which qualifies the teachers for instruction of dual enrollment courses at Kern County high schools.

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 under the Kern County Superintendent of Schools (KCSOS), which serves as the administrative agent for the Kern K-16 Collaborative.

CVHEC first started the Teacher Upskilling component in Fresno County in 2021 with similar state funding through the Fresno/Madera K-16 Collaborative before teaming up with its Kern partners for $1.7 million to produce, over three years, up to 100 qualified dual enrollment teachers to teach English and Math.

This year, the CVHEC program is also expanding into the North Valley with two $400,000 state grants in partnership with the WE Will! K-16 Collaborative with 24 slots – 12 in English and 12 in math (see the We Will story in this issue).

CVHEC’s Teacher Upskilling program is in partnership with two consortium members:  Fresno Pacific University offers a Master’s degree in Mathematics education and National University offers a Master’s degree program in English.

In the past academic year, 48 students earned their English and math master’s degrees and now the program is in full gear for the next step, said Tom Burke, CVHEC’s Kern Masters Upskilling Program lead.

“Our faculty mentors and mentor coordinators are currently working with the graduates to get them into the adjunct hiring pools for Bakersfield College, Cerro Coso Community College, Porterville College and Taft College.  “This is the initial step toward teaching dual enrollment at Kern County high schools.”

He provided this breakdown of the current Kern progress since the program began in 2022:

 

English MA Summary:

  • In three cohorts to date, 32 students have graduated.
  • Also from those first 3 cohorts, nine master’s candidates have received in progress grades and are working to complete their capstone course towards meeting their full degree requirements.
  • A fourth cohort in English is in development.

 

Math MA Summary:

  • Sixteen (16) students from cohort 1 have graduated.
  • Cohort 2 currently has 11 students on course to graduate in spring 2025.
  • Cohort 3 commences this semester (fall 2024) with 22 master’s candidates and will complete in spring 2026.

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.  In Kern, the mentor coordinators are Dr. Liz Rozell (math) and Dr. Vikash Lakhani (English).

Burke said the program is currently recruiting for math mentors while mentor recruitment for the new north valley We Will  initiative will begin lagter in the fall semester.

 

See:

 

CVHEC’s Mid-Year Review 2024

Read more

MATH BRIDGE UPDATE- April 2024

The road to Orosi, California typifies the rich rural areas of Central California where CVHEC and College Bridge are reaching
out to provide Math Bridge services that help prepare high school students for college. (Tom Uribes photo)

Math Bridge campaign identifies nearly

1,000 students for college-level math courses

 

BY DR. NICOLE KORGIE
Vice President of Operations – College Bridge

The Central Valley Math Bridge project is off and running as 13 committed high school partners with College Bridge and the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium are completing a student recruitment campaign that has identified nearly 1,000 students ready to take on college math and nearly half of those indicating their interest to participate.

The impact Math Bridge is having on education in the region is seen in one general characteristic of these students: they were likely NOT to have taken an advanced math course, or even math at all, in their senior year.

Now, as more high school students graduate with solid/advanced math skills though Math Bridge, more students will find success in college and career, filling vital local workforce needs.

The participating high schools stretching across the Valley’s nine-county region from Taft to Stockton are partnering with six community college members of CVHEC to offer the math dual enrollment courses at their respective campuses beginning next fall (student breakdown in parenthesis.  The community colleges and their participating feeder schools are::

DELTA COLLEGE: Stagg High School, Weber Academy;

MERCED COLLEGE: Atwater High, Buhach Colony High School, Golden Valley High School, Livingston High School, Mariposa High School;

REEDLEY COLLEGE: Dinuba High School, Orosi High School, Sanger High School, Sanger West High School;

TAFT COLLEGE: Taft High School;

WEST HILLS COLLEGE LEMOORE: Riverdale High School.

 

The campaign: no longer running from math!

The nearly 1,000 Central Valley students from these high schools identified as great prospects to participate in Math Bridge have solid academic GPA’s — between 2.3 – 3.4 — but have struggled in high school math.

Beginning at Taft High School in January, the prospective students were presented with information about Math Bridge and the benefits of participating such as allowing these students to complete a college level math course before they graduate from high school.

While you may think that many if not all students who fear or dislike math would run screaming if presented with the opportunity to take a college level math course, you may now re-think that: of the nearly 1,000 students identified, NEARLY HALF completed a form AFFIRMING their interest in participating in Math Bridge. They expressed a desire to take on the challenge of college level math that the Math Bridge project provides the high school including extensive support to help students pass the course.

For the upcoming academic year, all Math Bridge partner sites will offer a statistics course though their local community college. Math Bridge will be working with the college faculty and high school math teacher at each site to ensure that appropriate support services are provided to the students in the course.

We are currently following up with the 500 students who completed the interest form in the recruitment sessions to ensure that they meet with their school counselor to confirm that Math Bridge is the correct option for them for senior year and their post-secondary goals.

To date, 230 students have signed up. And we’re not done yet as Dinuba and Stagg have yet to begin their student recruitment process so even more students will be given this opportunity by the time we provide a final enrollment number in a future update.

 

Prepping participant high schools for Math Bridge

As this student recruitment campaign wraps up this spring, we now move into the support phase for the educators from the high school participants with a special event May 3 in Fresno to help prepare teachers for the Math Bridge project’s launch in the fall semester.

On that day, College Bridge will host our Math Bridge Instructional Planning Meeting where college and high school math instructors and their support teams (math coaches, chairs, supporting faculty) will collaborate with our project team around the who, how, when, where and what for the Math Bridge courses to be taught in Academic Year 2024-2025.

Activities for the day will include reviewing curriculum, assessments and commonalities between college courses and any necessary local differences. We will also review the requirements for instructors to earn the project stipend as well as calendaring all future planning and collaboration times per college service area.

It is understandable that some feel the slight mention of math is enough to squash any conversation but the groundbreaking role these Central Valley high schools and their community college partners are taking on with College Bridge and CVHEC is a new level of excitement for educators seeking to arm their students for a successful higher education experience.

 

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. In December 2022, College Bridge was awarded a five-year $4 million US Department of Education grant for the Dual Enrollment Math Bridge Project so six CVHEC community colleges could provide college-level math classes that will improve and support college readiness for underprepared students in the colleges’ respective service areas. In April 2023, the project received a $1,075,340 award from the California Regional K-16 Education Collaboratives Grant Program through two Central Valley K-16 programs – the Fresno-Madera K-16 Collaborative and the Tulare-Kings College & Career Collaborative. Then in December 2023,  a $2,196,928 federal grant was awarded for expansion of the 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.

Contact Us

  • cvhecinfo@mail.fresnostate.edu

  • 559.278.0576

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