This is my keynote speech about college access, readiness, and success.

1. College Readiness,
Access, and Success
Rebecca Joseph, PhD
California State University,
Los Angeles
rjoseph@calstatela.edu
https://tinyurl.com/2017lausdprincipals

2. My commitment…

3. The role of college…

4. Three generations…

5. Daddy and his girls…

6. A team effort…

7. How I paid for college
• Tuition discount from
my dad’s college
• Loans
• Parent Loans
• Grandparent
assistance
• Work

8. Now share your college
readiness story.

10. Dramatic need for college
trained workers

12. Two new studies…

13. Findings…
1. Improving LAUSD students’ academic
achievement is essential for ensuring that
more students successfully start and
complete college, and must begin earlier
than high school.
• Less than a third of 2014 graduates had
A or B averages, and only a quarter of
graduates who took the SAT or ACT
scored above the national average. In
Los Angeles, as in other school districts
and nationally, academic performance is
the most important predictor of college
enrollment and completion. In LAUSD,
graduates with at least a B average
were five times more likely to complete
a four-year degree than graduates with
lower grades.
2. Striving to ensure that all LAUSD
students graduate from high school having
completed their college preparatory, A-G
course requirements with at least a C is
critical for ensuring students’ college
success.
• Recent LAUSD graduates who
completed the A-G course sequence
with only a D were five times less likely
to enroll in a four-year college than their
peers who completed A-G with at least
a C. This strong association between A-G
completion with at least a C and four-
year college enrollment is unsurprising
because public, in-state, four-year
colleges require at least a C in these
classes to qualify for admissions.

14. More findings…
3. Supporting students’ and families’
understanding about the college
application and financial aid process is
much needed to ensure that academically-
qualified students enroll in college.
• More than one in six LAUSD graduates
who were academically- eligible to
attend a public four-year college did not
enroll in any college in the year
following high school graduation.
Another one in six of those eligible for
four-year college enrolled in a two- year
rather than a four-year college.
4. Increasing LAUSD graduates’ college
persistence and completion rates is an
important task for local colleges and
universities that have low transfer and
graduation rates.
• Large numbers of LAUSD graduates—
more than two-thirds from the class of
2014—went to college in the year
following high school graduation (about
60% of college-goers enrolled in a two-
year college and the remaining 40%
enrolled in a four-year college). Based
on patterns from the classes of 2013
and 2008, about 85% of college-goers
will re-enroll in college for a second
year, but only a little over a third will
earn a degree of some type within six
years, and about a quarter will earn a
bachelor’s degree (B.A.).

15. Other major findings
• Students under match
colleges.
• Few students go out of state
for college despite huge need
for diverse students around
the country.
• Huge gender differences in
colleges success: you guess.
• Huge differential of success
by GPA, race, gender, and
socio-economic status.
• Summer melt is a crisis.
• Majority of LAUSD graduates
do not graduate within six
years.

16. Evidence…from a five year
evaluation
• SES and demographics:
80% first or 1.5 generation
75%+ free or reduced lunch
25%+ ELL students
20 % of students who choice out
• Academics:
• Six of seven small learning communities at high school did not emphasize A-G completion
with a C or higher.
• High school stopped offering Honor level courses to accommodate AP level- leaving the
middle ground student with fewer options.
• Students had limited opportunities to make up failed classes or to receive enrichment
opportunities.
• Students took Integrated Science and other courses that did not meet A-G and that slowed
down academic progress.

17. Tremendous impact…
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
CC
Private
CSU
UC
Rather than 30% matriculation rate…35.8% current
matriculation rate for first graduating class…a 28% gain from
last year and over past five years/
UC matriculation increased by 267% and CSU by 192%.

18. How did program shift culture?
• Counseling shift.
• Increase in A-G access, tutoring, and success for all students.
• Teacher buy-in.
• Students and parents with higher expectations.
• Access to school resources.

19. A college access rubric…
• Nine core areas:
• College talk
• Clear expectations
• Information and
Resources
• Comprehensive
Counseling
• Testing & Curriculum
• Faculty Involvement
• Family Involvement
• College and Non-Profit
Partnerships
• Articulation

20. Task…
•RATE YOUR SCHOOL
•Then share one area you
feel particularly proud of
and share a strategy at
your table that is effective.
• P.S. I gave you another present-a visual college
readiness rubric. That’s for another time we meet.

22. $17MillionDollarCollegeAccessGrant
Regional College Counselors, New Senior Year Math Curriculum,
A-G Coordinators, District-wide trainings, Collaborative, Options Counselors, Naviance, Test Prep Programs

23. DireCounselingRatiosinLosAngelesUnified
Recommended 200 to 1. Only 28 designated college counselors in 111 high schools

24. https://tinyurl.com/2017lausdprincipals

25. 2017SummerCollegeAdvocateTeacherTraining
Pilot Program For Teachers and Counselors in LAUSD

26. Incredible 30 Participants
• Teachers, Resource Providers, Counselors, College Counselors, Principals New District A-G
Coordinators, 24 school sites, Small Schools, Magnet Schools, Comprehensive Schools

27. Very Supportive LAUSD, Non
Profit and Admissions
Community

28. Great conversations

29. Very Supportive Cal
State LA Community

30. Life Changing Lessons
• Albin and EOP Men

31. FieldTrip

32. RangeofActivitiesandProjects

33. VerySupportiveCCOECommunity

34. Removing roadblocks
• High quality teachers
• Funding
• Curriculum
• Time and support
• Counseling
• College readiness in
elementary and
middle schools
• Second chances
• Accountability

35. CATT Suggestions
• Teacher Roadblocks
• PD on culturally responsive
• Train teachers on what they are expected teach.
Such as co-teaching- usually everything is
reviewed from a perspective but the hands-on is
always missing, We need to observe teachers
who are making co-teaching work.
• Build capacity- give/take on leadership roles.
Share best practices to other teachers.
• Model lifelong learning
• Addressing behaviors appropriately/de-escalation
techniques
• Teachers become part of college counseling
team.
• Develop A-G tracking form per student/ per
advisor. Update and develop plan of action after
each semester.
• Decrease class sizes by increasing teachers
• Use Restorative Justice Practices to build student
relationships through personalization
• Increase communication between teachers and
other stakeholders (i.e. counselors, admin, etc.)
so we can better support our students
• Funding
• Funding for teachers to attend college
access/knowledge PDs
• $ is one of the vital factors in providing
comprehensive services on any school campus
• More $ to hire a full-time college counselor -
Counseling is a full-time job - I don’t have enough
time in the day for a quality job
• Money to buy College/Career Curriculum
• Paid collaboration time :)
• More field trips to colleges
• SAT/ACT prep classes/resources
• Opp’s for grant writing & grant seeking (PD?)
• Establish community partnerships to provide
student and parent services
• Fly in programs for counselors
• Funding for parent workshops

36. • Curriculum
• Have designated time for SAT/ACT prep
• Include testing skills & standardized test
prep in all core classes
• Have college-prep curriculum available for
advisory teachers to use
• Career focused curriculum
trainings/resources district wide
• Curriculum that engages students in
authentic career experiences
• PBL
• Helps teachers w/tools (resources) to
assist students who have diff.
learning modalities (What does that look
like)
• SPED
• Curriculum for Advisories
• https://www.collegesummit.org/our-
solution/
• https://uchicagoimpact.org/tools-
training/6to16
• Summer bridge programs between
7th and 8th and 8th and 9th.
• Time and Support
• Do more training in summer
• Allow for collaboration time between
content/grade teams
• Provide meaningful professional
development instruction for admin to
bring back to school sites (help teachers
with tools to assist/support students)
• Focus on non-cognitive skills to better
prepare students for college transitions
• Administrators → be fully supportive of
innovation in instructional programs &
model the role of life-long learners! Be
open to flexible scheduling that allows for
peer collaboration/planning/observations
within the school day (and out of it)
• Provide funding for practical PD (college,
academic, testing…) throughout the year
• Require office hours/tutoring weekly
• Bring in programs like AVID/college
readiness
• Create a timeline and teams with tasks to
support activities across campus with all
stakeholders

37. • Counseling
• Smaller caseloads 200:1 Ratio
• Train all counselors about college ready - add to MS
course work
• Classroom presentations on college access
• CATT program (continued training/support year-long
& via online)
• No supervision so we can see kids @ lunch time
• Consistent PD supported @ district level & by admin
• Partnering w/community outreach programs
• Get teachers & administrators on board w/allowing
college presentations during class time
• Administrators → understand the need for counseling
staff to engage in relevant, meaningful PD AND share
knowledge with all school staff
• Providing Counseling Assistants - frees up the
counselor’s time to do counseling.
• Providing training on Psychological First Aid
• Use supervision as a time to get to know the students
• Fly in programs for counselors
• Allow counselors to have office hours during lunch
instead of doing supervision
• Counseling support staff to provide wrap services to
meet student needs.
• Consistent structured PD opportunities for counselors
• No discipline responsibilities for counselors
• Bring in outside counseling service to support social
emotional needs of the school
• Pay for counselors to attend college conferences
• College readiness in elementary and middle school
• Have career/college fairs as well/college visits
beginning in elementary.
• Be aware of/and respond to early warning indicators
(EWI’s) with/structured support at all grade levels.
• All middle schools sites should have qualified reading
intervention specialist→ reading achievement plan for
every child.
• Have enrichments activities to support student
learning and build students skills.
• Let’s educate parent at an early age!
• Use ASCA career readiness power points with student
and teachers.
• College activities/ (such as college t-shirts day..etc) to
build interest among students and parents.
• Collaboration between high school and middle school
(i.e. high school can invite middle school to college
related events, transition programs, etc)

38. • Second chances
• Credit Recovery Options -
• ie…
• SAT School
• Online Programs
• Opportunity to take courses on community
college campuses
• Summer school/Inter sessions
• How about focusing on Enrichment not
just credit recovery
• Reading intervention between grades 2
and 3. Also between 5th + 9th
• Second chance to make up credits in
different teaching experience/teaching
modality
• Alternative schools (funding & support)
such as continuation
• Early identification for social-emotional
support for students to excel
academically
• More support service to track and
monitor these students who are going to
continuation school so they can return
back to their original school
• Accountability
• Smart goals/ goal setting
• Data collections (perception, etc)
• Collective responsibility- teachers
encourage to be -responsible for college-
going culture and academic
success/support for all grade levels.
• Transcripts Audits, attendance summary
reports and monitor grade reports.
• Accountability for administration: when it
comes to IEP’s most of the time not all of
them are aware of the process. In
addition, we need a way to keep
everyone, not just teachers accountable.
• Teachers need to support struggling
students.
• Evaluations of college going patterns by
school.

39. A Model Counselor: Antonio Roque
• Academic counselor
• Diego Rivera learning
complex
• communication &
technology school

40. Antonio’s Scenarios…
• At your table, please
find the scenarios.
• In a group of two to
three, pick two of the
scenarios to address.
• Share out at table.

41. Individual acts matter

43. Three wishes…
• Mentor an individual
student throughout the
college application process
starting in 9th grade and
finishing at the end of
senior year of college.
• Begin or strengthen a
college and career access
and success workgroup at
your school.
• By Fall of 2018, hold a
college readiness and
application week in
November.

44. New Cal State Database
https://csudata.calstate.edu/highschool/?utm
_medium=301&utm_source=calstate.edu

45. College Access, Readiness, and SuccessCollege Access, Readiness, and Success

46. My commitment…and new
mantra: Pre-K Through College

47. Contact Dr. Joseph
• rjoseph@calstatela.edu
• www.getmetocollege.org
• @getmetocollege
• https://www.slideshare.net/getm
etocollege/lausd-principal-
presentation-college-readiness-
access-and-success
• https://tinyurl.com/2017lausdpr
incipals