New York City's College Now Program Profile

\[footnote 1: In order to give the study participants anonymity, the
specific research sites were given pseudonyms. However, the name of the
general program is used in some cases.\]

As previously described in the Accelerating Student Success Through
Credit-Based Transition Programs October 2004 site profiles, \[footnote
2: Please see the Accelerating Student Success Through Credit-Based
Transition Programs study's Web page on the U.S. Department of
Education's Web site to download and view two-page profiles of each of
the study's five case sites at:

www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/cclo/cbtrans/index.html.\] the
CBTP in New York City is operated through a partnership between New York
City Community College and New York City High School. This partnership
is one within the larger College Now program, which in its entirety is
composed of all the City University of New York (CUNY) colleges and
approximately 200 secondary schools. The goals of College Now include
improving the academic skills and achievement of high school students
and ensuring that graduating students are prepared to do college-level
work. \[footnote 3: Please also see on the study Web page, listed above,
the program description for more information on dual enrollment.\] The
colleges offer a tailored program of academic and preparatory courses
and workshops to their partnering high schools.

New York City Community College offers 43 programs that can lead to one
of three degrees: the Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS),
and the Associate in Applied Science (AAS). The college also offers two
certificate programs. Other offerings include continuing education;
cooperative and distance education; and a variety of student services,
student life activities, and campus programs.

New York City Community College enrolls students originally from over
120 countries. In 2003, the college enrolled 12,768 students, 7,366 of
whom were full-time. Full-time faculty members comprise approximately 37
percent of the college's employee roster. Among the current faculty and
executive staff, about half have been at the college for more than 15
years.

New York City High School first opened its doors in the 1930s and many
members of the faculty and staff have taught at the school for 20 years
or more. \[footnote 4: This descriptive information is provided so the
reader has a better understanding of the program environment.\] The
school's four-story Gregorian architecture style building is set within
a residential neighborhood containing both apartment buildings and older
single- and multifamily homes.

The high school's enrollment has steadily increased in recent years, so
that the school has become severely overcrowded. During the 2003-04
school year, enrollment was 3,255, with an average class size of 33
students. In order to accommodate these numbers, the school operated on
a double session schedule for the 2003-04 school year, with 11th- and
12th- graders attending classes from approximately 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., and
ninth and 10th- graders attending classes from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the
fall of 2004, the school day was extended to a three-session day, with
classes meeting from 7:20 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

New York City High School's student population displays great language,
ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. Twenty-three percent of the
students were eligible for free lunch in 2003. Approximately 45 percent
of the students are white, which includes many immigrants from former
Soviet states, 11 percent are African-American, 21 percent are Hispanic,
and 22 percent are Asian. About 13 percent immigrated to the United
States within the last three years, and 14 percent are ELLs.

A large proportion of New York City High School graduates attend CUNY
and State University of New York (SUNY) institutions, for a variety of
academic, cultural, and economic reasons.

Curriculum and Program

In general, College Now strives to create an educational experience for
middle-range students that complements and extends what they are already
receiving. College Now offers a sequence of courses that upgrades
students' critical thinking and writing skills, helping them be
successful on their high school exit exams (Regents exams) and earn
college credit. Among the many College Now partnerships between
individual high schools and New York City Community College, the
particular courses and enrichment activities offered to students are
determined at the school level. The college-based coordinator shares the
college course catalogue with the high school and makes recommendations
on which courses to offer, based on the needs of the students at that
particular high school, and also on which courses tend to transfer
easily. The interests and qualifications of the high school faculty also
are considered. Courses cannot be offered at high schools that do not
have the faculty to teach them. High school faculty must meet the
requirements for adjunct faculty, which generally means having a
master's degree in the subject area.

New York City High School's College Now program offers the full range of
remediation, college preparatory, college credit and enrichment
activities, and while students may choose from among these offerings,
they are encouraged to take a developmental sequence of courses. While
the recommended sequence typically yields a combination of high school
and college credits, the New York City High School College Now program
does not offer dual credit. Students receive high school or college
credit for any particular course, but not both.

A possible sequence of courses could be as follows: a course for Regents
exam prep, a course that counts towards fulfilling the college
developmental English requirement (college prep), a course that yields
college credit at the participating college, and courses that likely
yield transferable college credit (such as Introduction to Sociology).

The courses tend to meet two or three times weekly, for an hour and a
half at a time. Most of the course work occurs at the high school, but
some courses alternate between the high school and college locations.
Those students whose courses are at the high school may visit the
college campus at least once, to tour the facilities. College Now
teachers encourage the use of the college's library for research and
term assignments. College Now students have access to these facilities
and others on the New York City Community College campus through a
student identification (ID), which they are able to receive once they
begin participation in the College Now program.

Pre College Curriculum and Program

As noted above, each College Now partnership works collaboratively to
develop a program to meet the needs of the particular high school
student. To help address the needs of the ELL population at New York
City High School, College Now faculty at the high school and the college
created the Learner's Academy. The Learner's Academy offers a yearlong
10th- grade English and a yearlong 11th- grade social studies courses
especially for ELL students. Both courses are for high school credit
only. The classes meet twice a week during school hours, once at the
high school and once at the college, and are team-taught by high school
and college instructors. The goal of the courses is to increase the
Regents exam pass rate of the school's ELL students, as well as prepare
participants for college classes. Course content and pedagogy focus on
the analysis of literature as well as the development of writing skills.
Current events and world issues such as human rights are used as
curriculum organizing themes.

Another entry point into the program is English 99 (also called Basic
Writing). This course meets after school at the high school and is open
to any student at the high school. It offers one high school credit and
its purpose is to strengthen students' writing skills so that they not
only pass their Regents' exam, but can place out of any college
remediation courses.

The chart below summarizes the prerequisites for the programs'
pre-college credit offerings.

Exhibit A-8: Prerequisites for College Now Noncollege Credit Courses

+--------------------------+------------+------------------------------+
| Prerequisites            | Placement  | Precollege Offerings         |
+--------------------------+------------+------------------------------+
| \* Student is identified | Learner's  | College Now Enrichment       |
| as an English Language   | Academy    | Program                      |
| Learner                  |            |                              |
|                          |            |                              |
| \* Teacher               |            |                              |
| Recommendation           |            |                              |
+--------------------------+------------+------------------------------+
| \* Scoring range of      | Basic      | Courses that do not qualify  |
| 55-74 on the English     | Writing    | for college credit           |
| Regents exam             |            |                              |
|                          | (English   |                              |
| OR                       | 99)        |                              |
|                          |            |                              |
| \_\_\_\_\_               |            |                              |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ |            |                              |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ |            |                              |
|                          |            |                              |
| \* GPA of 65-75 in       |            |                              |
| English and social       |            |                              |
| studies courses          |            |                              |
|                          |            |                              |
| \* Good attendance       |            |                              |
|                          |            |                              |
| \* Teacher               |            |                              |
| recommendation           |            |                              |
+--------------------------+------------+------------------------------+

College Credit Curriculum and Program

Five courses are offered after the school day that students can take for
college credit. These are: Literacy and Propaganda, Critical Thinking,
Sociology, English, and Oral Communication (a public speaking class).
These courses have the same content as their counterparts at the
college. The first two courses yield credit at New York City Community
College but may not transfer to other colleges while Sociology, English
and Public Speaking tend to be generally transferable.

Exhibit A-9: Prerequisites for College Now Credit-Bearing Courses

+--------------+---------------------+--------------------------------+
| P            | #                   | Transferability                |
| rerequisites | ## College Offering |                                |
+--------------+---------------------+--------------------------------+
| \* Scoring   | #                   | Courses that may transfer as   |
| range of     | ## Literacy and Pro | elective credit                |
| 65-74 on     | paganda: 3 credits  |                                |
| English      |                     |                                |
| Regents exam | Critical Thinking:  |                                |
|              | 3 credits           |                                |
| OR           |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \_\_         |                     |                                |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_ |                     |                                |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_ |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \* 70+       |                     |                                |
| En           |                     |                                |
| glish/Social |                     |                                |
| Studies GPA, |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \_\_         |                     |                                |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_ |                     |                                |
| \_\_\_\_\_\_ |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \*Good       |                     |                                |
| attendance   |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| OR           |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \*480        |                     |                                |
| Scholastic   |                     |                                |
| Assessment   |                     |                                |
| Test (SAT)   |                     |                                |
| Verbal or 48 |                     |                                |
| Preliminary  |                     |                                |
| Scholastic   |                     |                                |
| Assessment   |                     |                                |
| Test (PSAT)  |                     |                                |
| Verbal       |                     |                                |
+--------------+---------------------+--------------------------------+
| \* 75+       | ### Compo           | Courses that transfer as       |
| English      | sition I: 3 credits | general education credit       |
| Language     |                     |                                |
| Arts (ELA)   | ### Oral Commu      |                                |
| Regents      | nication: 3 credits |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \*480        | Introduction to     |                                |
| Scholastic   | Sociology: 3        |                                |
| Assessment   | credits             |                                |
| Test (SAT)   |                     |                                |
| Verbal or 48 |                     |                                |
| Preliminary  |                     |                                |
| Scholastic   |                     |                                |
| Assessment   |                     |                                |
| Test (PSAT)  |                     |                                |
| Verbal       |                     |                                |
|              |                     |                                |
| \* Good      |                     |                                |
| attendance   |                     |                                |
+--------------+---------------------+--------------------------------+

All of the courses emphasize thoughtful discussion and writing.
Instruction time often includes a lecture portion as well as small group
discussions. In particular, courses include a portion of time dedicated
to the development, critique and revision of written work. In the
College Now sociology course, this portion is organized around
open-ended discussion questions pertaining to the lesson presented. In
other courses, classroom discussion centers around discussion questions
and course writing assignments that are or will be submitted as part of
the students' course grade.

College Course Selection Process

Students are eligible to apply for enrollment in a College Now course if
they meet the prerequisites shown in the above table. For College Now
credit-bearing courses, students who do not possess the required scores
or who have not had the opportunity to take the specified examinations
may be granted permission to enroll in the courses through alternative
pathways. For example, a student who has successfully completed Basic
Writing, yet does not possess the required prerequisite scores, may
still enroll in Literacy and Propaganda or Critical Thinking if they
receive a recommendation from their Basic Writing teacher. In order to
enroll in Composition I, Oral Communication, or Introduction to
Sociology, students who do not possess the required prerequisite scores
but have gone through a developmental sequence of non-credit and
credit-bearing courses must receive a recommendation from one of their
teachers.

Recruitment and Target Population

The program coordinator and program instructors take responsibility for
student recruitment, which is primarily accomplished through classroom
visits and word of mouth. For the noncollege credit courses, the high
school's academic counseling staff assists the coordinator in
identifying students who would benefit from participating. In general,
students in the middle range of academic achievement are primarily
targeted, although, because most of the courses take place after the
school day, students must be particularly motivated to enroll.

Approximately 300 students out of the school population take College Now
classes

each semester. Some courses have more interested students than for whom
they have

space, which is one of the reasons that students in the program are
limited by New

York City Community College to one class per semester.

Once students apply and are enrolled, a letter is sent to their parents
inviting them to an information evening at the high school. Parents of
the Learner's Academy students are invited to an additional evening for
a dinner during which they are able to meet Learner's Academy staff and
have their questions about the program answered.

Supporting Student Transition

Counseling

While there are no counseling services specific to the College Now
program, participating students do take advantage of the school's
general counseling services. Academic counseling and college counseling
are available. Students begin to receive advising from the New York City
High School's college counselor in the spring of their 11th- grade year
and continue throughout their 12th- grade year. The college counselor
assists students in obtaining materials from state and city colleges and
universities and making decisions about which institutions are most
appropriate for them. The counselor writes letters of recommendation for
every student who requests one, coordinates college fairs and financial
aid nights each year, and arranges appointments with parents to talk
about the college choice and admissions process.

College Awareness and Preparation

Students have a number of opportunities to visit the college. Activities
that take place at the college often include tours of key college
facilities such as the library and computer labs. College Now students
are issued a New York City Community College ID and are able to use
facilities such as libraries and computer labs just as regularly
matriculating New York City Community College students.

In addition to becoming comfortable on a college campus, students begin
to understand the nature of college courses. The pedagogy of many of the
College Now teachers differs from the classroom management and teaching
style they employ in their regular high school classes. The more relaxed
classroom environment and workshop-style discussion and lessons allow
students and teachers to develop relationships. The teaching styles as
described by the teachers also help students engage in the kinds of
student-teacher interactions (e.g., office hours, student-initiated
academic conversation, and student-initiated conversation surrounding
career and college advancement) that have been shown to be imperative to
postsecondary success.

Many College Now courses also are designed to provide scaffolding to
students as they encounter the increased expectations of self-management
associated with postsecondary education. College Now teachers give their
students course syllabi at the beginning of the semester, and they
expect students to use online technologies to manage class assignments
and course-related communication. Additionally, the decisions that
students must make related to course selection and continuing with
after-school classes for which they are receiving only college
credit---as opposed to dual high school and college credit ---in the
face of other academic and social commitments is a self-management skill
that College Now instructors feel is invaluable.

Other Enrichment Activities

Students have a number of opportunities to experience curriculum
extending and enrichment activities on the New York City Community
College campus and through field trips. The college-based and high
school-based College Now program coordinators work collaboratively with
New York Community College professors and New York City High School
College Now teachers to plan, organize, and supervise regular events
that occur outside of the high school setting both during the week and
on some weekends.

The English department at New York City Community College and the New
York City High School College Now teachers work closely together to
provide experiences such as writer's workshops that bring the students
to the New York City Community College campus. For the workshops,
authors and researchers are invited to speak about their written work
(which the students have usually read in their classes) and the writing
process and to participate in a cooperative activity that includes
sharing student work and ideas.

Other academic departments of the college also provide opportunities for
College Now students to extend their learning outside of New York City
High School. Weekend programming may include trips to plays or community
or government agencies to bring students closer to the issues or
literature they are studying in their College Now courses. Many of the
courses offer special events at the college and off-site, such as human
rights discussion forums hosted by the United Nations and Amnesty
International.

Professional Development and Collaboration

The high school teachers are selected for the program by the high
school-based program coordinator. The coordinator has more teachers
interested than can be involved, and it is generally seen as an honor to
be selected. Once chosen and approved by the college, the teachers
become adjunct faculty of the college. There is a great deal of
collaboration among the high school teachers participating in the
program; between the high school teachers and the college faculty; and
among all the high school teachers, college faculty, and College Now
central faculty and staff. The high school-based coordinator meets with
the college coordinator at least once a month, and the entire team meets
at least once a semester.

While the high-school based College Now teachers do follow a
college-approved curriculum, and are observed once a semester by someone
from the college, they also speak of the tremendous amount of academic
freedom and creativity they can use in planning and teaching their
College Now courses. Many of the College Now teachers described their
teaching style in program courses as more relaxed and emphasizing the
development of skills that students show a need for, such as critical
thinking and writing.

Funding

A portion of CUNY's operating budget is devoted to the College Now
program, which is free to students. CUNY pays for students' tuition and
provides them with free textbooks that must be returned at the end of
the semester.

Because College Now is an after-school program, the high school does not
lose any of its average daily attendance (ADA) funding.

Exhibit A-10: New York City Community College, College Now Outcomes,
2003-04

Student Outcomes \[exhibit footnote 1: All data come from school staff
and were not validated externally.\]

\* The total enrollment at New York City High School was 3,255 students.
23.1 percent of the students were eligible for the National School Lunch
Program's free or reduced price lunches.

\* Fourteen percent of New York City High School entering ninth and 10th
graders were ELLs (450 students).

\* New York City High School graduated 715 students in 2003--04. The
four-year graduation rate for this cohort was 75 percent.

\* During the 2003-04 school year, 511 students from New York City High
School were enrolled in the College Now program. One hundred sixty-nine
were enrolled in college credit courses.

\* Seventy-nine percent of the students enrolled in credit-bearing
College Now courses from New York City Community College during summer
2003, fall 2003, and spring 2004 completed courses with either an A, B,
or C. Each of these students received three credits per course.

\* During the summer 2003, fall 2003 and spring 2004 academic year
students from New York City High School who participated in College Now
earned 423 credits.