Rethinking college prep
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An original presentation by Collin Bentley and Manal Abbas
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Rethinking college prep
- 1. Rethinking college prep Manal Abbas, Collin Bentley Blount County Schools William Blount HS Class of 2015
- 2. Outreach Meeting with Mr. Britt & Dr. Morton (March 2014) To discuss possible ways to advance the AP program 92% of America’s qualified low-income students do not apply to colleges that match best with their abilities Concluded that low-cost improvement opportunities can be exploited Commissioned a “college application guide” Commissioned the testing of a Learning Management System (LMS) Vision of the final result was still very abstract Source: QuestBridge Organization, 2014
- 3. Creating a mission Solutions need to be easy to implement and low-cost To discuss possible ways to advance the AP program To create a fully comprehensive online college application resource Relatable yet comprehensive companion through grades 9-12 Hosted independently of the Blount County School System webpage Address the 92% epidemic To identify a free state-of-the-art Learning Management System (LMS) Enhance not encumber AP and Honors courses Small learning curve and easy to implement
- 4. Learning Management System (LMS) What exists? Blackboard, Moodle, and Edmodo Why was the choice so difficult? Cost of system vs. versatility and relevance of system “Blount County schools will graduate students who are college and career ready and prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st Century workplace.” The School System prioritizes a relevant education Source: Blount County Schools, 2014
- 5. Appalachian State University Austin Peay University Auburn University Belmont Abbey Berea College Bridgewater College Carson Newman College Catawba College Cleveland State Community College Cumberland College East TN State University Emory and Henry College Gardner Webb College Hiwassee College Hollins University ITT Tech Johnson Bible College King College Lee University Liberty College Lincoln Memorial University Maryville College Memphis College of Art Mercer University Miami University Middle TN State University Moraine Valley Community College Mt. Union College Presbyterian Radford University of Tennessee Knoxville University of Chicago Wheaton 70 % of all U.S. colleges utilize Blackboard, including all schools in the University of Tennessee system Jacinto College Sewanee, The University of the South Sullivan University Tennessee Wesleyan College Transylvania University Tusculum College University of Alaska University of Georgia University of Kentucky University of Montevallo University of Carolina University of Northern Arizona University of Notre Dame University of TN Chattanooga University of TN Knoxville University of Virginia University of Wisconsin Force Academy Vanderbilt University Walters State Community College Western Carolina Westmoreland College Wofford College Xavier College Source: Blackboard Organization, 2014
- 6. CourseSites (LMS) Blackboard is the most versatile, relevant LMS Through the iReach program, Maryville City Schools has implemented a district-wide installation of the Blackboard LMS This sounds like an impossible problem! We told you that our solution is free! The Blount County School system can have all of Blackboard (and more) for free. Source: Maryville City Schools, 2014
- 7. CourseSites (LMS) Source: Blackboard Organization, 2014
- 8. CourseSites (LMS) Always the most recent version of Blackboard Created as a way to test new versions of the Service before public rollout Created as a philanthropic extension of the Blackboard Organization Used by 74,200 instructors across 159 countries No limits on number of students or number of teachers per district No option to pay or “upgrade” Not a marketing tactic Is it easy to implement? Source: CourseSites by Blackboard, 2014
- 9. CourseSites (LMS) Famous five-minute teacher set up Two pilot teachers have been successfully using the CourseSites by Blackboard since late-March 2014 Four pilot teachers began successfully using CourseSites by Blackboard for the 2014- 2015 school year Source: CourseSites by Blackboard, 2014
- 10. CourseSites (LMS) Two-minute student set up Students enter an email address, username, and password, which are protected by industry leading privacy and security protocols One account on CourseSites.com works for all classes throughout high school Source: CourseSites by Blackboard, 2014
- 11. CourseSites (LMS) Discussion Board Excellent Phone, Chat, and Email Blackboard support 8-9 M-F. Free unlimited Voice, Text, Email notifications Free iPhone and Android apps Instant space for content PowerSchool Gradebook integration in late-2014. Host digital professional development for staff Free Turnitin.com plagiarism detection on all assignments [SafeAssign] Create instantly graded multiple choice tests Create essay tests (with text box and Word document submission) Create student blogs Create flipped classroom podcasts and videos Complement HHS – WBHS virtual video classroom Source: CourseSites by Blackboard, 2014
- 12. CourseSites (LMS) WBHS pilot run District-wide AP opt-in District-wide Honors opt-in
- 13. Online college application resource Average Private Counselor to Student Ratio : 1 to 6 Private admissions counselors guarantee low ratios with expensive fees Private admissions counselors can, therefore, provide individualized support to students Blount County Schools Counselor to Student Ratio : 6 to 4000 Limits on how many students can be reached No easy way to disseminate vital college information How do we reach more students? 92% of low-income, qualified students don’t apply to a school that matches their abilities Source: QuestBridge Organization, Blount County Schools, Area Private Counselor (Knoxville), 2014
- 14. soarcollege.org Cohesive, comprehensive resource (one-of-a-kind) Written to aid students bound for private and public 4-year institutions AND students bound for 2-year institutions Relevant planning information for grades 9-12 Leverages a unique platform to which you may easily post Did we mention that it is free? Hosted independently of the Blount County Schools webpage Serves as a resource for students at high schools across the country The website is available and complete today
- 22. soarcollege.org Essays Standardized Testing Summer Research Financial Aid Transcripts Letters of Recommendation Common Application Virtual College Tours Teacher Talk in which teachers may post advice Guidance Talk in which guidance counselors may post important scholarship information and advice Ability to accept digital recommendation requests (Brag Sheets)
- 23. soarcollege.org Adoption by HHS and WBHS guidance District-wide endorsement Continued maintenance and content generation
- 24. Support CourseSites and soarcollege.org What do we need to make this happen? Blount County School Board endorsement of rollout of CourseSites Blount County School Board endorsement of soarcollege.org Yes! That’s really it! With your support of our cause and our solutions, we will be able to speedily advertise soarcollege.org and integrate CourseSites into AP classes and Honors classes.
- 25. Manal Abbas, Collin Bentley Blount County Schools William Blount HS Class of 2015 Thank you! Any questions? Board of Education Members Mr. Rob Britt, Director of Schools Dr. Jane Morton, Supervisor of Instruction Mr. Rob Clark, Principal, William Blount Mrs. Brenda Keller, Teacher, William Blount
Notas del editor
- Hi, I’m Manal Abbas. And I’m Collin Bentley. We’re Seniors at William Blount High School, and tonight we’re going to rethink how college preparation works in the Blount Country School System.
- Towards the beginning of our Junior year at William Blount, we realized that the Advanced Placement and Honors programs in the Blount County School system, like many of those across the country, were lacking a few essential components to maximize student success. Within the AP and Honors programs, teachers were struggling to implement varying technology solutions to provide a true “college prep” experience. Considering the demographics of the Blount County School system, it’s relevant to note that 92% of America’s qualified low-income students do not apply to colleges that match best with their abilities. This is a serious but often overlooked epidemic. Therefore, we contacted Mr. Britt & Dr. Morton and met in early March to discuss possible improvement opportunities that could be exploited at a low cost across the school system. We knew that a sort of “college application guide” would be a critical component of realizing the full potential of college-bound AP and Honors students, and we also knew that the integration of a Learning Management System would be an essential component of improvement, but our ideas at this point were still very much abstract.
- Shortly after this meeting, we concreted our mission to consist of two solutions to the shortcomings we identified earlier. We decided to create a digital college application resource that was fun and relatable, while simultaneously comprehensive, that would be a veritable companion to college-bound students in the Blount County School System. We also decided that this resource should be hosted independently of the school system to remove liability from the school system and to reach an audience that extends beyond our schools. One of our most demanding gold standards we faced while compiling this resource was effectively addressing the misinformation and lack of information that causes the 92 % epidemic we noted earlier, while also remaining relevant to Seniors who are bound for 2-year institutions. To address the second tier of “Rethinking college prep,” the demand of state-of-the-art Learning Management System technology from AP and Honors teachers, we established a few key principles. We knew we had to identify a free LMS that enhanced not encumbered AP and Honors courses, and we knew that the learning curve and amount of time required to implement this system had to be small.
- Since so many teachers have been requesting Learning Management Systems over the past few years, many offerings have sprouted, like Blackboard, Moodle, and Edmodo. Unfortunately, none of these Learning Management Systems strike a balance between cost of the system and versatility and relevance of the system. We prioritized our search with providing a relevant 21st Century college prep experience in mind.
- We crunched a few numbers, and it turns out that over seventy percent of all U.S. colleges utilize the Blackboard Learning Management System, including all school in the University of Tennessee system. This includes classes that are online and classes that are taught in the traditional class room; in the 21st Century, upon entering a college, students are expected by their professors on day one to know how to use the Blackboard LMS to discuss and retrieve content, to take tests, and to upload assignments. For those of you who have priced Blackboard for the Blount Country School system (which would total to about $33,000 a year), you must be thinking that this presentation has already lost its relevance, but you can breathe a sigh of relief! We’re not suggesting that the School System attempt to purchase the Blackboard LMS. Not only is the LMS expensive, but also the LMS is difficult to set up at the institution level.
- We’ve established that Blackboard is the most versatile and relevant LMS, so it’s interesting to note that Maryville City Schools have implemented a district-wide installation of the Blackboard LMS for the 2014-2015 school year with mandatory participation for students and teachers grades 4-12. But back to our school system! We’ve been rambling on about Blackboard, but we told you that our solution would be completely free. The secret is: the Blount County School system can (legally!) have all of Blackboard (and more) for free.
- Introduction video to CourseSites LMS (run time 40 seconds)
- CourseSites by Blackboard is a completely free Learning Management System. However, free doesn’t mean watered down. CourseSites always has the latest version of Blackboard before institutions like Maryville City Schools have it. Started as a testing ground, CourseSites has expanded into the Blackboard Organization’s great philanthropic contribution, which is used by 74,200 instructors across 159 countries. Additionally, there are no limits on the number of students or number of teachers a district may have on CourseSites. Let’s go back to earlier we told you that Blackboard was hard to implement at the institution level.
- Regular district-purchased flavors of Blackboard are extremely laborious to implement and maintain; however, CourseSites is fully maintained and hosted by Blackboard. In late-March we began pilot runs of CourseSites to see whether it would benefit both the teachers and students of AP courses, and, interestingly, we found that it took the teachers no more than five minutes to get logged in and to have a class created. Explain the versatility of CourseSites through the quotes.
- What’s more is that students, of whom approximately 60 Juniors and Seniors have used CourseSites for at least one month, take just two minutes to set up their accounts on CourseSites, which are protected by industry leading privacy and security protocols and will work for all the CourseSites enabled classes they experience through high school.
- As we mentioned, CourseSites by Blackboard is extremely versatile. Importantly, CourseSites has live people you can Phone, Chat, and Email Monday through Friday from 8am to 9pm to help with course set-up, test creation, student addition, and any other system question. CourseSites also includes for free Blackboard mass notifications through voice, text, and email. CourseSites includes automatic plagiarism detection via the Turnitin.com database, which Blackboard owns, for free. Note that CourseSites has the ability to create and host flipped classroom podcasts and videos. So why don’t all of the colleges and districts who pay for Blackboard just use CourseSites for free? Well, CourseSites doesn’t allow for en-masse district control, so it’s up to the teachers to manage their passwords and course. The only other limitation is that teachers may have a maximum of five class periods on CourseSites, which fits marvelously into a 5X5 block schedule, but not so well into a 7 or 8 period day.
- We except CourseSites to progress next from our pilot run to a District-wide opt-in for AP teachers and a District-wide opt-in for Honors teachers, and then to any teachers who wish to opt-in. A major flaw in LMS system implementation is forcing teachers to utilize a system, which leads to high adoption rates but low daily usage rates.
- Stepping outside of the classroom and into the world of college applications, let’s start with some statistics. The average
- The homepage of CourseSites features an important date toolbar, a search bar, and a modern interface that is contrasted by fun, modern article images. Currently 35 articles exist on soarcollege.org. Special note to Mr. Clark (8/26/2014)– A few articles are under construction and we are planning on immediately adding Virtual College Tours for MTSU, Vanderbilt, ETSU, and the UT system.
- The article pages are broken up into sections, so if a student click on a content link in the right sidebar, he or she will be scrolled down to that portion of the article.
- Focusing on modernity, soarcollege.org features highlight and peel boxes that contain important information.
- Soarcollege.org allows for comments, in addition to intelligently offering “MORE STORIES” that might be of interest to a student based on what he or she has previously accessed. (Yes, soarcollege.org has a fully-fledged privacy policy, as required by law).
- Soarcollege.org intelligently offers “YOU MAY ALSO LIKE” stories that might be of interest to a student based on what he or she has previously accessed. (Yes, soarcollege.org has a fully-fledged privacy policy, as required by law).
- Soarcollege features intelligent search capabilites.
- The terms of service page clearly indicate that the views and opinions represented within soarcollege.org are not reflective of those of the Blount County School system or of any of its entities.
- The soarcollege.org website features articles ranging from essay support with successful examples, financial aid information, a step by step Common Application walkthrough, to virtual college tours, spaces for teachers and guidance counselors to upload pertinent information and digital recommendation requests. While all of these components exist separately on the Internet, there is no cohesive and comprehensive resource like soarcollege.org.
- We hope to have HHS and WBHS administration and guidance adopt soarcollege.org as a vital college prep resource for college-bound students in grades 9-12. The next step in this process is a District-wide endorsement. Importantly, soarcollege.org must be maintained and must have content generated for it as information changes through the years.
- We didn’t come today to complain to you; we have identified the a way to rethink college prep. If the Board agrees with our ideology, all we ask is for the official endorsement of the rollout of CourseSites and for the official endorsement of soarcollege.org. With your support of our cause and our solutions, we will be able to speedily advertise soarcollege.org and integrate CourseSites into AP classes and Honors classes.
- We sincerely hope that we’ve introduced you to a new way of thinking about college prep. We’d like to thank the members of the Board of Education for allowing us to present this tonight; Mr. Britt and Dr. Morton for facilitating this presentation and venture; Mr. Clark for mentoring us regarding this presentation; and Mrs. Keller for reviewing soarcollege.org and for listening to us practice this presentation numerous times. Thank you!