College Readiness

College Counseling & Readiness Metrics

State Indicators (CA Dashboard)
- College/Career Indicator (Priority 8)
Local Indicators (LCAP)
- Access to Broad Course Curriculum
  (Priority 7)
A-G Completion
CSU & UC Eligibility
FAFSA Completion
Applications to Admits to Enrollments
College Matriculation
CCC & CSU Readiness
Freshman to Sophomore Retention
College Completion

Professional Development Modules

The College Readiness Professional Development Modules provide comprehensive training on information crucial for both students and school accountability metrics. All training is provided in the context of local school needs (low income, first generation, AB540). Local school data are used in order to effectively target individual school needs and trends. Each topic is provided in one full-day PD session.

Are your graduating seniors college eligible or college ready?

Do you know the difference?

Do you know how to get them to be college eligible and college ready?

Service Categories

College Counseling & Readiness Services

Financial Aid Essentials

The answer to the question, “How am I going to pay for college?” may be the most important in ensuring college completion. Federal and State aid programs change each year making it crucial for school staff to stay informed so that they do not inadvertently misinform students. For example, a student may be advised to go to community college to save money when a four-year university would have actually cost less. This Professional Development training prepares all school staff to accurately answer basic financial aid questions and learn when they need to refer the student to a specialist for correct information.

The professional development is designed to improve students outcomes:

Increase FAFSA/CADAA completion rates
Increase Cal Grant and Pell Grant award numbers

The professional development is designed for the following educators:

Counselors
Teachers (all subjects)
District and Site Administrators

The recommended training time aligns to the cycle of college admissions.

September/October

The training results in the following deliverables:

Historical data on individual school site FAFSA/CADAA completion rates.
Historical data on individual school site Cal Grant awards.

Training topics:

Financial Aid Options – Scholarships, Grants, Work Study, Loans.
FAFSA FAQ’s such as what parent information needs to be included and is the student considered Dependent or Independent.
California Dream Act Application – who qualifies and how to advise students on challenging situations.

Participants will learn:

how to correctly advise students on how to apply for state and federal financial aid programs.
details of Cal Grant and California College Promise programs and how they cover college costs.
how to advise students with special circumstances to work with college financial aid offices to maximize financial aid eligibility.

$1,500 for up to 50 people.

The Process of College Application, Admission, and Enrollment

The application process is stressful for students and they look to the adults in their life for guidance during this difficult yet exciting time. While high schools celebrate their students’ higher ed acceptances in the spring, teachers and counselors are busy during the Fall semester with everything from the “should I apply?” questions to writing letters of recommendation. This Professional Development training prepares all school staff to accurately answer difficult student questions and provide much-needed support during this life-changing process.

The professional development is designed to improve students outcomes:

Increase UC & CSU applications, admits, and enrollments.
Increase student exposure to out-of-state and private college options.

The professional development is designed for the following educators:

Counselors
Teachers (all subjects)
District and Site Administrators

The recommended training time aligns to the cycle of college admissions.

August/September

Historical data report on UC and CSU rates of applications, admits, and enrolls for school site.

Training topics:

UC & CSU Admission Requirements
UC & CSU Applications
Choosing a Major
Making a College List

Participants will learn:

the difference between admission practices at the UC and CSU systems.
how applications are reviewed to determine minimum vs competitive eligibility.
overview of applications needed for private and out-of-state colleges.
how to guide students to select an appropriate major for both career choice and to maximize likelihood for admission.
how to guide students to build a balanced college list to increase the number of college admissions.

$1,500 for up to 50 people.

Academic Preparation for College

Understanding the difference between college eligibility and college readiness is increasingly important, both in advising students and meeting the new state accountability measures. This session will prepare school counselors to bolster their college prep curriculum (A-G) offerings and learn how these curricula impact college admission decisions. Additionally, counselors will learn how to determine both college eligibility and college academic readiness, as determined by both K-12 and Higher Ed standards.

The professional development is designed to improve students outcomes:

High School A-G completion rate
CSU & UC eligibility rates
CA Dashboard – College/Career Indicator (Priority 8)
LCAP – Access to Broad Course Curriculum (Priority 7)

The professional development is designed for the following educators:

Counselors

The recommended training time aligns to the cycle of college admissions.

August/September

Resources on how to determine college academic eligibility vs college academic readiness.

Training topics:

Academic Planning (A-G)
SAT/ACT Planning
CA Dashboard College Readiness Indicators

Participants will learn:

how A-G courses are reviewed and calculated in the college admission process.
how A-G is used to calculate college readiness.
how SAT/ACT scores are utilized in the college admission process.
updated policies on determining college readiness in math and English for the CSU and CCC.

$1,500 for up to 50 people.

College Options and Career Pathways

Career options open to current high school students grow exponentially year to year. While most students are aware of traditional college and career pathways (pre-med, engineering, teaching, etc.) they are rarely aware of the ever-growing list of new college majors. This training will simultaneously expose participants to new college and career options such as Unmanned Aerial Systems at Purdue University, Theme Park Engineering at Cal State Long Beach, and Sustainable Food Systems at Arizona State University.

The professional development is designed to improve students outcomes:

Increase early awareness of career and college options

The professional development is designed for the following educators:

Counselors
Teachers (all subjects)

The recommended training time aligns to the cycle of college admissions.

March/April

The training results in the following deliverables:

Resources for college search that match student selection criteria.
Resources for student assessments to match student skills, interests, and values to career fields.
Resources to match college majors to career fields.

Training topics:

Overview of California College Systems
Out-of-State and Private College Admissions
Career Exploration and College Majors

Participants will learn:

about in-state and out-of-state college options.
how to conduct student assessments in career exploration.
how to match career fields to college majors.

$1,500 for up to 50 people.

College Success is a K-16 Initiative.

College Readiness

College Counseling & Readiness Metrics

Professional Development Modules

Service Categories

Intersegmental Partnerships

School Improvement

K-16 Math Alignment