**Archived Information**

**Creating Secondary and Technical Education Excellence**

**Dr. Charlene Connolly**

**Provost**

**Medical Education Campus, Northern Virginia Community College**

**[Describe Key Features Of Your Program]{.underline}**.

> Northern Virginia Community College was selected as one of 15
> community colleges across the nation in five clusters with "exemplary
> programs" for the College Career Transition Initiative (CCTI). NVCC is
> one of the three colleges in the Health Sciences Cluster along with
> Miami Dade CC and Ivy Tech in Indiana.

# The College and Career Transitions Initiative (CCTI) is a cooperative agreement between

*the U.S. Department of Education and the College and Career Transitions
Consortium,*

*which consists of the League for Innovation in the Community College,*

*the Maricopa Community Colleges, and Miami-Dade College.*

The purpose of CCTI is to strengthen the role of community and technical
colleges in:

-   easing student transitions between secondary and postsecondary
    education, as well as transitions to employment; and

-   improving academic performance at both the secondary and
    postsecondary levels.

> This initiative is designed to support the principles established in
> the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 by investing in strategies to:

1)  close the achievement gap;

2)  create meaningful educational options that help students with
    diverse backgrounds and needs reach uniformly high standards; and

3)  ensure that students attain these high standards at each level of
    their educational careers.

**[Anticipated Outcomes of CCTI]{.underline}**

-   Decreased need for remediation at the postsecondary level

-   Increased enrollment and persistence in postsecondary education

-   Increased academic and skill achievement at secondary and
    postsecondary levels

-   Increased attainment of postsecondary degrees, certificates, or
    other recognized credentials

-   Increased entry into employment or further education

**[CCTI---A Partnership Endeavor]{.underline}**

CCTI products and outcomes will be accomplished through site
partnerships. Led by a community or technical college, the required
partners are secondary schools and employers. Fifteen site
partnershipsthree in each of five occupational areaswere selected from
over 150 applications to serve as exemplars and leaders in facilitating
and expanding promising college and career transition strategies and
programs of study. Site partners include nearly 100 secondary schools
and an equal number of business partners.

**[Key Features of Our Program]{.underline}**

The MEC is as an exemplary model of health professions education in
combination with a special ESL and Developmental English and NOVA Gold.
NVCC is the second largest community college in the country and the most
international. For example, on the Annandale Campus over 150 languages
are spoken. The MEC has been developed in collaboration with George
Mason University, Virginia Commonwealth University, regional School
Systems and health care business and industry. A critical component of
the MEC is the relationship of our community college with K-12 students.

**CCTI Objectives**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  A coherent sequence of academically rigorous courses that prepare
  students for more advanced coursework related to their occupational
  area of interest and successful completion of State academic standards.

  A coherent sequence of rigorous technical skill coursework for 11^th^
  and 12^th^ grades that culminates in dual/concurrent enrollment credit.

  Early (pre-high school) preparation programs that lead students to high
  academic and technical skill development courses.

  Statewide articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary
  schools for common dual/concurrent enrollment strategies.

  Use of college placement exams for determining academic readiness, and
  other assessments that determine technical skill preparedness.

  High quality professional development for teachers and faculty at the
  K-12 and community college levels.

  Academic and career related counseling and other student services.

  Creative delivery strategies such as distance learning and computer
  assisted applications.

  Articulation opportunities from two-year to four-year postsecondary
  institutions.
  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

**[Describe How Academic and Technical Skills are Presented to the
Students, and What Professional Development was Necessary for the
Teachers]{.underline}**.

All of the courses and programs at the MEC are competency based and
experiential. Didactic components include media-based presentations and
interactive technology, which brings the world of the Internet into each
presentation and contextual learning, is the methodology that is used in
the courses. Beginning in January, secondary and post-secondary faculty
will join together and participate in a series of contextual learning
workshops.

All technical skills are taught within a framework of "usability" and
are not demonstrated or taught in the abstract. Case studies are used,
in addition to "virtual rounds" which brings an interdisciplinary focus
as part of the education platform.

**[Describe Keys To Successful Interaction Between Secondary And
Postsecondary]{.underline}**

One of the most successful interactions between secondary and
postsecondary levels is to bring the high school students to the college
campus. As part of the CCTI project, all 11^th^ and 12^th^ graders from
the three health academies in Fairfax County will complete a tour of the
MEC and be involved in "live scenarios" which take a "patient" (a high
school student) through entry into the health care system either through
the MEC's emergency services department, primary care clinic or dental
hygiene clinic.

Another important component that is part of the CCTI project is to
provide the college's English and Math placement exams at the high
schools for students to take the exams and discover areas that need
support so that they will be ready for the rigors of the health
professions programs at the MEC. Tutoring and mentoring will be provided
to those secondary-level students who test scores fall below the cutoff
point in an effort to increase the likelihood of success.

An increase in the number of dual enrolled students.

Schedule tour of MEC for secondary students who express interest in
health occupations as a career; allows students to make informed
decision regarding health occupations career choices.

-   First tour conducted October 3, 2003 with 94 West Potomac Academy
    students. The tour consisted of groups of 14-15 students rotating
    through 3 of 7 different stations at 20 minute intervals and
    attending a 25-30 minute information session in the students'
    primary field of interest

Review current programs at secondary and post secondary levels for
congruency with employer needs: E-mail to Deans Richmond and Horton for
MEC, have meetings scheduled to review secondary education.

**[How was the employer community involved at the outset and through an
ongoing role?]{.underline}**

The employer community is a critical partner in the CCTI project. A
representative of Reston Hospital Center HCA joined the partnership team
and actively participates in the planning and implementation of this
project. The employer community provided data regarding the readiness of
the new graduate to begin their careers in their institutions and what
needed to be improved upon. The employer community continues to be a
strong supporter in both funding and partnering with the MEC.