Equitable+Access+to+College+Prep+Courses+for+ALL+Students

Potential Presenter Cover Page

=Sharon Schauss, Dan Wolfrom, Colleen Philbrook=

Location (traveling from): Local Contact Information: Availability: Cost: Conference Topic Emphasis: Background Information: Equitable Access to College Prep Courses for ALL Students

December 14, 2006


 * Objective**: To demonstrate how a high school can overcome roadblocks to provide a rigorous college preparatory curriculum to all students, regardless of background.

We propose a presentation about the dramatic change that took place at Foss High School in the numbers and demographics of students who are taking college preparatory courses and continuing on to college. We would like to explain the shift in policy that occurred and the addition of support systems that helped foster this change. We will discuss some of the roadblocks that we met, how they were dealt with and how the results of this project have been positive enough to encourage the continuation of these changes. We will be presenting data collected since 2001 and individual stories from different students about the impact these programs have had.
 * Presenters**: Sharon Schauss, former Foss High School Principal; Dan Wolfrom, Grant Co-ordinator; Colleen Philbrook, College Preparatory Advisor.

In 2001, the first year that recipients of the Achievers Scholarship reached graduation, only 60% of these supposedly college bound graduates met Washington State college entrance requirements. And of the entire school, only 44% the graduates that year went directly on to either a 2 or 4 year college. In addition, about 100 students were entering the pre-IB program as 9 th graders, but only about 50 were continuing to take at least an English IB course as Seniors, and even fewer were involved in the full program. Of total students in the IB program, over 80% were white, and about 12% were Asian. This created a situation of segregation within the school, and a vast disparity in the quality of education.
 * Background**: Foss High School is a school in Tacoma that serves about 1800 students. 51% of the students are on free or reduced lunch. About 45% of the students identify themselves as White, 7.6% as Hispanic, 27% as Black; 20% as Asian or Pacific Islander, and 1.5% identify themselves as Native American or Native Alaskan. The school is unique in Tacoma for offering an International Baccalaureate program, a rigorous college preparatory curriculum originally designed for children of international diplomats. This program begins in the 11th grade, and faculty at Foss had developed a voluntary pre-IB curriculum to prepare 9th and 10th graders to enter the program. Foss was also chosen as one of 16 Achievers High Schools, which qualifies low-income students at Foss to apply for the Achievers Scholarship and funds up to five years of college education.

In addition, an AVID program (Advancement Via Individual Determination) was begun at Foss High School, which chooses incoming Freshman with a GPA 2.0 to 3.0 in middle school who desire to go to college, and teaches them the skills needed to be successful in college preparatory courses. Its focus was on study skills, note taking, organization, and time management, but also encouraged the students to take honors and "pre-IB" courses. Eventually, the administration decided that all 9th and 10th grade English and history courses would follow the Pre-IB curriculum, to raise the level of rigor expected of all students and to give students the chance to choose to enter IB rather than being selected out by circumstance. AVID was offered to students from 9/03 through 6/06. To provide support for the students, staff development included training in Ruby Payne's Culture of Poverty, AVID training, and IB curriculum training.
 * Methods**: When we realized that the situation at Foss was a social justice issue, we chose to collaborate to create a stronger college going environment for all students at the school. At the suggestion of one of the IB faculty, all Achievers Scholars (about 60 per year) were required to take IB English and History to prepare for college level rigor. They were also required to have a full schedule, including math, science, and foreign language. This created difficulty when more students signed up for classes than there were seats available. The administration of Foss decided to make a commitment to access, and created more sections of IB and world language courses to accommodate the new need.


 * Obstacles**: Creating radical change in a school system has several obstacles including overcoming a generally held belief among faculty and staff that not all students are capable of participating in IB courses. Also, funding for the necessary number of instructors of college prep courses, for staff development and for AVID program have proven difficult to find. Also, when a large number of students must suddenly raise their academic output, tutoring and outside support become very necessary, but are challenging to find and access.


 * Outcomes**: As a result of these changes, there have been increases in the number of students taking college prep courses, the number of all Foss graduates attending post-secondary education, in the percentage of Achievers Scholars meeting college entrance requirements and remaining in college beyond the first year. Finally, the demographics of students in college preparatory courses has move closer to representing the demographics of the school as a whole.

• Students will rise to the standards set for them • School districts will provide resources when compelling evidence is provided • It is hard work and difficult to achieve total staff/community buy-in • Student voice is very powerful when needing to advocate for themselves and for change for their community • The tools students learned in high school provided them tools to be successful in college • Students and families appreciate our efforts to provide them with an equitable opportunity • We can't expect students to participate in a more rigorous curriculum without providing them with the necessary skills and resources
 * Conclusions**: