Early CollegeHigh SchoolRubric

A Self-Study and Documentation tool

Developed by Rob Baird & Andrea Venezia

The Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation

Core Principle 1
Early college schools are committed to serving students underrepresented in higher education.

Questions.

  • Are the school’s demographics primarily low-income students who would be the first in their families to attend, and graduate from some form of postsecondary education?
  • In order to serve students who are at a variety of levels, academically, how does the school use data to change curriculum, instruction, counseling, and other support services to engage students, help them strengthen their academic achievement, and close achievement gaps?
  • Is student admission based on prior academic performance? Are ECHS recruiting students at risk of dropping out, not matriculating to college and not completing a degree?

Evidence.Evidence could include:

  • The development of goals and objectives related to enrolling underserved students and creating opportunities for them to succeed.
  • The development of benchmarks, with multiple measures, related to the goals and objectives.
  • The collection of data related to each benchmark.
  • Written plans to address motivational-, instructional-, and engagement-related problems for students, either individually or for groups of students.
  • Meeting with students who are most at risk of not meeting academic and other expectations and their parents/guardians and documenting an action plan to support those students.
  • The school and postsecondary partners show improvement over time in such areas as promotion/retention, attendance, suspensions, attrition, and mobility rates, for whole school averages and disaggregated student groups.
  • The school uses data to examine student achievement, motivation, and engagement across race/ethnicity, income, gender, language, and other groups.
  • The school surveys its students to learn if its efforts to provide a rigorous, engaging, motivating, and supportive environment are working.

Core Principle 2
Early college schools are created and sustained by a local education agency, a higher education institution, and the community, all of whom are jointly accountable for student success.

Questions.

  • Does each site have a written agreement in place such that the school has full access to college courses, facilities and support services?
  • Has each partnering group dedicated staff time to the ECHS and a key leader(s) who is committed to the ECHS model?
  • Does the postsecondary partner(s) have a history of working effectively as a partner with local schools, the district and other organizations?
  • Do the education partners have histories of innovation in such areas as equality of educational opportunity, curriculum, instruction, and leadership?
  • Do dedicated representatives from all partner organizations meet regularly to review data, provide guidance and make key decisions regarding planning, implementation and sustaining the early college school?
  • Are faculty members who represent key disciplines or pathways committed to the ECHS model?
  • Are the superintendent/CEO, School Board and College President committed to the ECHS model?
  • Do faculty, staff and community members from all partner organizations develop deep, data-driven collaborations around teaching, curriculum development, staff development and student support to ensure student success?
  • How do the partners ensure effective communication within the larger college and school community?
  • Are partners actively engaged in developing sustainable funding for the Early College Schools?

Evidence.Evidence could include:

  • The ECHS decision-making structure at all levels is clear and understood by all parties.
  • All parties are prepared to write and sign an MOU detailing the particular responsibilities of each party.
  • Postsecondary partners provide in-kind donations and fundraising for the ECHS.
  • Partners work collaboratively to raise funds to support and sustain the partnership.
  • The ECHS has autonomy (e.g., budget, staffing, calendar, curriculum).
  • The ECHS has transportation, facilities, release time and professional development opportunities.
  • Key leaders and staff are there from the start-up phases through implementation and, ideally, into the sustainability phases.
  • Documents that describe participants, roles, goals, and decision-making processes, including committee roles, staff handbooks, and student codes of conduct.
  • Documentation of and communication about partnership governing body meetings and activities.
  • Documents that indicate key leaders’ support of the school and partnership(s).
  • Key representatives from each partner meet to establish a clear vision plan of action for a college-ready, college-going culture at the school and clear pathways for graduates to earn up to two years of credit and enroll in college after graduation.
  • Significant engagement of high school and college faculty in implementing the partnership plan is cultivated and evident (e.g., release time, stipends, tenure credit, PDP, recertification, etc.).
  • College faculty members are regular members of key school committees around curriculum, assessment, evaluation, etc.
  • The college provides incentives for faculty to work in the partnership.
  • College faculty members have partnership activities built into their job descriptions.
  • There is a plan for sustaining the partnership beyond the life of the initial start-up grants.
  • ECHS Liaisons are hired at both the University and High School to coordinate ECHS work.

Core Principle 3
Early college schools and their postsecondary partners jointly develop an integrated academic plan so all students will earn one to two years of transferable college credit leading to college completion.

Questions..

  • How does the partnership assess whether the current high school curriculum is a college preparatory curriculum that has meaningful, experiential learning embedded in it?
  • How do secondary and higher education partners align high school

and college requirements and curricula, which results in the codevelopment

of an academic plan with dual credit?

  • How does the academic plan ensure that students will strive for two years, but will complete a minimum of one year, of college credit in the coredisciplines?
  • How does the partnership work to develop an assessment system at both the high school and college that gathers multiple kinds of data and that uses data to inform teaching and learning and track student progress?
  • How do the school and college ensure equitable access to rigorous learning for all students?
  • How do the school and college reach out to, include, and provide academic support to students who learn differently and/or experience difficulties in academic and social aspects of learning?
  • How do the school and college provide classroom differentiation and interventions, special education referral and services to students who have an Individualized Education Plan and identification of and services to English Language Learners?
  • How do the school and college assess individual student progress, create learning plans, and document and communicate progress of students who need additional support?
  • How are families engaged in building college-readiness, promoting college-going for their children, and ensuring support once enrolled in college?
  • How does the school provide effective instruction that promotes high quality, college-ready student learning, understanding, and skill development in all classrooms and across all subject areas?
  • What strategies and structures are in place that provide students with the opportunity to complete a four-year degree, e.g., a graduation plan,transfer or articulation agreements?
  • How is the school’s professional collaborative culture and professional development plan used to promote reflection on improving instructional practice and providing rigorous, college preparatory instruction for all students?

Evidence. Evidence could include:

  • Curriculum syllabi
  • Graduation requirements
  • Curriculum maps, sample units, and lesson plans
  • Sample school, classroom, student schedules
  • Samples of student work and student self-assessment, such as portfolios and project-based assessments
  • Annotated student work (with teacher comments and grades)
  • Documents and processes for identifying and monitoring struggling students
  • Communication processes for keeping teachers and families informed about student learning plans and progress
  • Curriculum teams create curriculum scope and sequence for grades 6-14 or 9-14.
  • The ECHS scope and sequence begins with college courses/destination course requirements and maps back into ECHS program. Instructional strategies are flexible and adaptive to student’s individual needs.
  • Faculty committees study how high school course of study requirements and testing requirements blend with college courses.
  • Key faculty (ECHS and college) develop a shared understanding of effective instructional practices to prepare students for college level work.
  • All students take courses or seminars in which college-ready skills and experiences are embedded in the curriculum (e.g., college visits, admissions criteria, financial aid process and forms, college study skills).
  • The curriculum builds students’ capacity to work with increasing levels of independence and responsibility.
  • Key faculty participates in collaborative professional development opportunities.
  • Key faculty develops strategies to align required state and district tests with college entrance exams.
  • Key faculty develops strategies to track student performance in college courses.
  • Key administrators develop student information system to track student progress.
  • Examples of accommodations, differentiated instruction, and inclusion pedagogy
  • Examples of teachers’ reflective practice – planning notes, classroom and student observations, journals, peer conversations and interviews, and video clips of classroom instruction
  • Professional development plan
  • Documents from professional development work, for example agendas and reflections
  • Sample staff portfolios, journals, or other documentation
  • College readiness academic standards guide curriculum development.
  • All students across race/ethnicity, class, gender, language groups have equal access to college prep curriculum.
  • There is periodic joint review of course syllabi by college and school faculty to ensure they are college preparatory.
  • Students have opportunities for experiential learning outside of school such as internships, service learning, and community projects that link to the academic curriculum.
  • The school has adopted a consistent, school-wide approach to literacy that is evident across subject areas and demonstrated in classrooms throughout the school.
  • The curriculum reflects connections across the content areas that demonstrate interdisciplinary learning.
  • Every senior engages in senior seminars or other early college courses designed to approximate the demands of a college classroom.
  • The percent of students graduating in 4-5 years (depending on the completion of an Associate’s degree or one to two years of credit) increases over time.
  • The percent of students earning an Associate’s degree or between 1 and 2 years of credit while in high school increases over time.
  • The percent of students enrolled in and passing college-level core courses increases over time.
  • The percent of students applying for college financial aid increases over time.
  • The percent of students who get accepted (and actually enroll) into college increases over time.
  • The percent of students who graduate from college increases over time.
  • All high school students are engaged in a variety of college experiences throughout high school (e.g., college visits, college faculty teach classes, college students provide tutoring and mentoring, dual enrollment college courses).
  • All high school students receive personalized support in the college selection, admissions, and financial aid processes, including support in the completion of financial aid forms.
  • High school students talk about college aspirations and identify how the partnership contributed to college readiness.
  • A school-college team regularly analyzes multiple data to assess progress of all students being on track to be college-ready upon graduation, and uses this data to refine their overall plan and strategies.
  • The partnership tracks the progress of students upon enrollment in college, and provides support to students during their college tenure (e.g., tutoring, etc.).
  • Student involvement in self-assessment and collaborative assessment is ongoing and supportive of motivation, responsibility and new learning (e.g., portfolios, reflective journals, self-rating and critiques).
  • Instructional practices are designed to meet a range of learners and are differentiated to meet the various needs and strengths of learners through different kinds of support and individualized instruction.
  • Instruction builds in students habits of mind that enable students to succeed in college (such as, inquisitiveness, perseverance, think critically and analytically, synthesize, draw inferences, support an opinion with logic).
  • Students regularly use computers and other electronic technologies to access and categorize information, to design inquiries and research projects, and to present and communicate their work.

Core Principle 4
Early college schools engage all students in a comprehensive support system that develops academic and social skills as well as the behaviors and conditions necessary for postsecondary completion.

Questions.

  • Does the school’s mission and vision clearly articulate the supports necessary for a college ready environment for traditionally underserved students?
  • How do EarlyCollege schools develop and implement a proactive support planthat includes multiple academic and social supports to ensure

students’ progression through college, that articulates how and where

services are delivered, and that clearly describes the roles and

responsibilities of staff and partners in their implementation?

  • How do EarlyCollege schools address barriers to students’ learning and

academic achievement inside and outside of school?

  • Does the school value two-way communication with its family and community members?

Evidence. Evidence could include:

  • Each student is formally connected to a staff member who monitors the student’s overall progress and consistently communicates with the student and family.
  • The school and college offer a safe environment for learning with clear expectations for positive behavior and interactions.
  • The college participates in providing academic support to students who need it (e.g., college students tutoring, staffing homework centers, or mentoring).
  • Procedures exist at both the school and college to identify students’ additional needs, including child care, housing, mental/physical health care, transportation, and counseling.
  • There are opportunities and supports for academic help and interest-based learning during and beyond the school day, for example after school programming and mentoring, and are equitably provided to students.
  • There are opportunities for enrollment in summer or other bridge programs that engage students in college curriculum and experiences.
  • There is a well-designed college orientation process for students taking college-level work in high school.
  • There is a well designed school-college transition process for students graduating from high school that focuses on college readiness and support while enrolled in college.
  • There are opportunities for students to take on leadership roles in the school and in the community.
  • The school provides consistent opportunities for families to connect to what their children are learning, for example family conferences, student presentations, and family workshops.
  • The school builds college awareness and a college culture with all parents.
  • There are clear structures that provide family and community members with opportunities for open dialogue and information about student achievement, school initiatives, and community interests and concerns.
  • College faculty and college students are involved in supporting ECHS students.
  • The partners work in collaboration with key community organizations to support

students and their families.

  • The ECHS facility is in good condition with the required program space.
  • Students and teachers at the ECHS have access to university resources, such as labs, computers, libraries, tutors, mentors, athletics, museums, health services, summer courses.
  • The yearly calendar of the ECHS is flexible and can be adapted to the university calendar.
  • The weekly and/or daily course schedule of the ECHS is flexible to ensure students are able to attend college courses.

Core Principle 5
Early college schools and their postsecondary and community partners work together with intermediaries to advocate for supportive policies and conditions for the early college high school movement.

Questions.

  • Does the policy environment support students’ abilities to earn college credits while in high school?
  • Does the policy environment support dual credit coursetaking?
  • Does the policy environment make it possible for ECHS’ to have sustainable funding based on ADA/FTE funding streams?
  • Is funding not competitive between the schools and partnering colleges?
  • Do Early college schools collect and share data with initiative partners to

help demonstrate effectiveness at the local, state, and national level?

  • Do Early college schools work with their intermediaries to develop a

communications plan that furthers the objectives of the movement?

  • Do Early college schools help identify regulatory revisions, participate in

funding and budgeting strategies, and help advance policies that support individual schools and the broader movement?

Evidence: The policy environment at the state, university, school district/operator and school site levels is hospitable to the ECHS model in areas such as:

  • Awarding dual credits for ECHS and university level courses;
  • Developing new courses for credit at the ECHS and university levels;
  • Upon regular undergraduate matriculation the university provides tuition reduction or no tuition to students in need;
  • Allowing for the transfer of university credits earned in the ECHS to other universities in the state; and
  • Funding students enrolled and supported by both the ECHS and university