In an effort to improve
student transition from high schools to colleges and
universities, area superintendents, board members,
administrators, principals, and other educational leaders
are gathering at a conference to review a new program
designed to address the issue. This valley-wide conference
is scheduled for Friday, September 8th, from 10 a.m.
to 1 p.m. in the Student Activities Center at Victor
Valley College.
The conference will
give details about a new endeavor called the "Bridge
Program". The program is structured to assist all diploma-granting
institutions with transition of their students to any
post-secondary educational program by bringing the
enrollment process directly to the seniors at their
local high schools.
The Bridge Program
begins, at the outset, with a primary focus on community
colleges because they are a natural home base for most
students coming out of high schools in California.
With 110 institutions offering academic and certificated
programs at low tuitions, community colleges are the
perfect transitional partners for high schools and
four-year institutions. The Bridge Program is open
to any post-secondary institution that expresses an
interest in participating.
The program draws
its structure from a field test conducted by Victor
Valley College this past spring at Serrano High School.
The field test was conducted to determine ways to improve
student transition from high school to college. For
many students it was a matter of overcoming procedural
hurdles rather than apathy or lack of preparedness.
The theory behind the experiment was that institutional
support for college transition would increase participation
in post-secondary programs.
In the field test,
Serrano's SLC program (Small Learning Communities)
was utilized by senior advisory teachers to offer a
series of lessons and activities that taught students
how the college system works, what available programs
are offered, and how to get through the financial aid
process, placement exams, enrollment, and registration.
This activity was followed by an extensive and informative
college tour.
The goal of the Bridge
Program is to have seventy-percent of the participating
high school graduates in the High Desert enrolled in
college by the end of their senior year. Invitations
have been sent to all area schools. Officials from
the San Bernardino Department of Education, UCR (University
of California, Riverside) and other community colleges
have already responded positively to the invitation.
