A College Awareness Month Initiative Sponsored by: Muskegon Opportunity

 Welcome - Introductions and identification of what you would like out of this session  College Awareness Month “Back-story”  College-Going Culture Rubric  Survey Results  College access and awareness grade level recommendations  Let’s play a game!  Time for a good book?

 Marissa Higgs ◦ Coordinator, Muskegon Opportunity ◦ Licensed School Counselor ◦ Former program coordinator for a division of a Fortune 500 company  Brian Barber ◦ Director of White Lake Area Community Education ◦ Co-chair and co-founder, Muskegon Opportunity

IndicatorsExamples of Evidence  College Talk  Clear Expectations  Information & Resources  Students are engaged in conversations about college as an option for them  Staff connect their subject matter with its relevance to college majors and careers  Senior clearance includes key activities they need to complete the transition to college  Information about key steps and activities in the college preparation process (Explore, PLAN, ACT) are visible throughout the school, regularly updated and available in centralized locations

IndicatorsExamples of Evidence  Testing and Curriculum  Faculty Involvement  Family Involvement  Students are prepared to succeed on Explore, Plan and ACT tests  Students have access to rigorous college-prep coursework and more students enroll in advanced classes  Curriculum is aligned with college requirements  Faculty consistently maintains a college-going culture and integrates college information and the idea of college into regular classroom activities  Faculty is up-to-date on important “college knowledge” and participates in PD to help actively prepare students for college  They have opportunities to gain knowledge about the college process and become aware that the college option is open to everyone

IndicatorsExamples of Evidence  Comprehensive Counselors  College Partnerships  Articulation  Dedicated spaces, posted hours, and efficient process to help students get ready for college  Schools make college preparation a priority and provide appropriate support and clear expectations for school counselors?  Partners facilitate college-related activities  Partners host visits of colleges with good persistence rates and supports for students  Instruction is aligned across the grades  The college message is constant as students move through their educational journey  Is seamless between elementary, middle, high school & onto college

 Why  What  When  Who  Where  How  To convey the importance of actively participating in college access & readiness  College access and readiness  At different stages in academic career of their children  Parents and students both play important roles in the process  At home, at school, online,  Setting high expectations, meeting those expectations, exploring all options, and having fun!

 Who Wants To Be A Millionaire – Mascot 101 ◦ Upper Elementary ◦ Middle School ◦ High School  Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: College Knowledge ◦ Middle School ◦ High School  Jeopardy the College Way ◦ Middle School ◦ High School  School based creations ◦ March Madness!

 Superintendents  Liaisons  Michigan Higher Education Institutions  WZZM 13 – ◦ Lakeshore – Jon Mills ◦ Grand Rapids – Lauren Stanton