INSTRUCTION AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT
This chapter reviews Austin Community College's (ACC) instruction and academic support functions in the following sections:
- A. Organizational Structure
- B. Programs
- C. Institutional Effectiveness
- D. Course Scheduling
- E. Academic Support
- F. K-12 Initiatives
- K-12 Initiatives - Part 1
- K-12 Initiatives - Part 2
F. K-12 INITIATIVES - PART 1
ACC provides opportunities for high school students to get an early start on their college education by taking some courses while still in high school through two major programs - Early College Start and Tech-Prep. The organizational structure of these two programs is shown in Exhibit 2-27.
Exhibit 2-27 Source: ACC Organizational Chart 2001-02 and interviews, August 2002.
Early College Start and Tech-Prep OrganizationTech-Prep is an Early College Start option, and the two programs coordinate outreach efforts to enroll high school students. Early College Start staff provide outreach to students interested in academic courses, and Tech-Prep has responsibility for workforce program outreach. Credit towards college courses for both Early College Start and Tech-Prep is accomplished through articulation agreements between the high schools and the college. An articulation agreement is a formal written contract between a public school system and a post-secondary institution that coordinates high school course credit with college course credit to eliminate unnecessary duplication of course work. Articulation agreements also exist between the community college and four-year colleges and universities. In these situations, the agreement is usually with a department or college within the university and involves a specific course or courses.
Rule 9.143 of the Texas Administrative Code (TAC) states that there are four types of partnerships allowed between secondary schools and post-secondary schools: those for award of high school credit only, for award of concurrent course credit, for Tech-Prep programs and for remedial or developmental instruction for high school graduates. Rule 9.144 of the TAC covers the elements required for partnership agreements:
- student eligibility requirements;
- faculty qualifications;
- location and student composition of classes;
- provision of student learning and support services;
- eligible courses;
- grading criteria;
- transcripting of credit; and
- funding provisions.
The formal articulation agreements used in Early College Start and Tech-Prep can take many forms, but usually the appropriate representatives of the participating institutions sign a brief document outlining articulation conditions. Agreements may be for any length of time, although documents with a "notice to void" provision are the most common. This notice allows either party to terminate the agreement at any time upon notification of the other party.
ACC funds Early College Start through its budgeting process and receives state funding for high school students enrolled in the program, as shown in Exhibit 2-28. Early College Start is part of the School Relations budget, which also includes the management of school centers located on high school campuses.
Exhibit 2-28 Source: ACC, Budget director, June 2002.
Budget for Early College Start - School Relations
2001-02
Expenditure
CategoryBudget
2001-02Salaries $115,797 Employee Benefits Pool $3,373 Supplies $60,500 Operating Costs $13,500 Duplication $4,000 Telephone $500 Total $197,670 Tech-Prep is federally funded. ACC serves as the fiscal agent for the federal Tech-Prep Carl D. Perkins grant through THECB. As shown in Exhibit 2-29, the amount of funding for Tech-Prep during the past 10 years has remained static.
Exhibit 2-29 Source: Capital Area Tech-Prep Consortium, June 2002.
Capital Area Tech-Prep Grant Award
Program Years 1991-92 through 2001-02
Program
YearTotal
Allocation1991-92 $249,969 1992-93 $453,588 1993-94 $343,972 1994-95 $357,000 1995-96 $349,500 1996-97 $358,478 1997-98 $374,413 1998-99 $369,360 1999-2000 $397,310 2000-01 $345,832 2001-02 $373,343 The college has two full-time professional staff and one clerical staff funded through the Tech-Prep grant, and they oversee the Capital Area Tech-Prep Consortium, an advisory committee, to accomplish program goals. The advisory committee includes business and industry members; educators; and representatives of WorkSource - Greater Austin Area Workforce Board, the Rural Capital Area Workforce Development Board and the Capital Area Training Foundation, which is the workforce arm of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce.
FINDING
Through the Early College Start program, ACC provides a process for high school students to earn community college credit for skills mastered or work completed while still in high school at no cost for tuition or fees. ACC is one of nine Texas public community colleges that waive tuition and/or fees for co-enrolled high school students.
Prior to Early College Start, high school students had been taking college classes at ACC for more than 20 years but there was no formal program serving them until 1998 when the 74th Legislature passed a measure designed to strengthen the ties between public K-12 and higher education, and allowed two-year colleges to waive tuition and/or fees for co-enrolled high school students. This was the same time the ACC Board of Trustees began to examine relations throughout the service area and looked for ways to extend and enhance partnerships with independent school districts. The board wanted to increase awareness of ACC and to expand access to higher education throughout the service area. In fall 1999, the board approved the waiver of tuition and fees for high school students who participate in the Early College Start program.
Early College Start is designed for students who plan to earn a certificate, a two-year associate degree, a four-year baccalaureate degree or who just want to take some general education college courses if unsure of college plans. As shown in Exhibit 2-30, Early College Start enrollment increased from 44 students in the spring of 1999 to 1,474 in the spring of 2002.
Exhibit 2-30 Source: ACC, Early College Start Program, June 2002.
Early College Start Enrollment
1999-2002
Semester Enrollment Percent Change
from Previous
SemesterSpring 1999 44 Summer 1999 154 250% Fall 1999 544 253% Spring 2000 717 32% Summer 2000 714 (0.4%) Fall 2000 981 37% Spring 2001 991 1.0% Summer 2001 803 (19.0%) Fall 2001 1061 32% Spring 2002 1,474 39% Summer 2002* 1,353 (8%) Total Increase 1,430
*Summer 2002 enrollment does not include the second summer session enrollments.ACC works actively with all independent school districts within its service area, as well as charter and private schools and home-schooling programs to promote Early College Start opportunities for high school students who have completed their sophomore year. ACC's freshman- and sophomore-credit classes and their faculty meet the same accreditation standards as public four-year colleges and universities. The majority of college classes are transferable to other colleges and universities. Early College Start is consistent with House Bill 400 (H.B. 400) partnership and helps to fulfill the "Closing the Gap" goal of adding 500,000 additional higher-education students by 2015. H.B. 400 requires each school district whose students have low college-going rates to establish a partnership with an institution of higher education to develop and implement a plan aimed at increasing education enrollment rates at higher education institutions.
Through Early College Start, it is possible for all eligible high school students who have finished their sophomore year to complete high school with up to one year of college credit. There are two types of Early College Start opportunities, co-enrollment and credit-in-escrow. Co-enrollment is a college credit course, which may (or may not) apply to individual high school diploma requirements. If the college course is used for a high school graduation requirement, it is also referred to as "dual credit."
ACC offers over 60 dual-credit courses that meet Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) requirements and can count towards a high school diploma. According to Texas Administrative Code (TAC) Chapter 74, districts are required to provide instruction in the essential knowledge and skills of the appropriate grade levels in the foundation curriculum. Districts are to use the essential knowledge and skills in the enrichment curriculum as guidelines for instruction. Unless a high school course meets TEKS requirements, it cannot be used for college credit.
Examples of ACC courses that are eligible for dual credit if students are enrolled in Early College Start are shown in Exhibit 2-31.
Exhibit 2-31 Source: ACC, Early College Start Program, June 2002.
Examples of ACC Courses Meeting Dual-Credit Criteria
2001-02
ACC Course High School
EquivalentACC 1623 - Accounting Principles Accounting (1 credit) ART 1613 - Drawing 1 Art 2 Drawing (1 credit) BIO 1724 - Anatomy & Physiology 2 Anatomy & Physiology A (1/2 credit) CIS 1033 - Fundamentals of Programming Computer Science (1/2 credit) ENG 1613 - English Composition English 4 Composition (1/2 credit) GER 1615 - German1 German 1 (1 credit) GER 1625 - German 2 German 2 (1 credit) HIS 1612 - U.S. History I (to 1877) U. S. History (1 credit) HIS 1623 - U.S. History I (from 1877) U. S. History (1 credit) MATH 1314 - Math Independent Study Math (1/2 credit) MATH 2413 - Calculus I Calculus (1 credit) PSYC 2301 - General Psychology Psychology (1 credit) SOCI 1301 - Introduction to Sociology Sociology (1/2 credit) Credit-in-escrow is a course that is part of a Tech-Prep articulation agreement between a high school and ACC. After high school graduation, a student continues his program of study at ACC and is awarded credit for high school courses identified in the agreement. Both co-enrollment and credit-in-escrow are provided with tuition and fees waived for juniors and seniors enrolled in public, private and charter schools, as well as home-schooled students, for two courses a semester. Once students begin at ACC after graduation, regular tuition and fees are assessed. ACC Tech-Prep articulation agreements that provide credit-in-escrow to high school students taking courses in Tech-Prep designated cluster areas are shown in Exhibit 2-32.
Exhibit 2-32 Source: ACC, Tech-Prep Manager, June 2002.
ACC Tech-Prep Articulation Agreements by District
2001-02
Tech-Prep Agreement Participating School Districts Automotive Technology Austin, Bastrop, Del Valle, Elgin, Fredericksburg, Georgetown, San Marcos Bio-Technology Austin, Bastrop, Eanes, Elgin, Georgetown Building Const. Tech Fredericksburg, Georgetown, Manor Child Development Austin, Bastrop, Elgin, Georgetown, Hays, Leander, Round Rock, San Marcos Computer Information Sys. Austin, Burnet, Del Valle Criminal Justice Austin, Bastrop, Georgetown, Leander, Manor, Round Rock, San Marcos Culinary Arts Austin, Del Valle, Georgetown Digital Pub. & Graphics AYW, Austin, Bastrop, Georgetown, Manor Electronic Technology Austin, Del Valle, Georgetown, Manor Emergency Med. Services Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock Eng. Design Graphics Austin, Bastrop, Eanes, Georgetown, Leander, Round Rock, San Marcos Environ. Science & Tech. Del Valle, Round Rock Hospitality Management Austin, Del Valle, Georgetown, Leander, Round Rock Marketing Austin, Del Valle, Eanes, Elgin, Georgetown, Lockhart, Round Rock,
San Marcos, TaylorOffice Systems Tech. Austin, Bastrop Semiconductor Electronics Austin, Georgetown, Leander Small Engine Repair Austin, Georgetown, Killeen Welding Technology Austin, Bastrop, Fredericksburg, Georgetown, Leander, Manor, San Marcos COMMENDATION
ACC's Early College Start and Tech-Prep programs make it possible for high school students to earn college credit and help the college meet its mission to serve the community.
FINDING
In 2001, the Capital Area Tech Prep (the Consortium) launched a new initiative in the Austin Independent School District (AISD) to improve Tech-Prep participation and support activities and make Tech-Prep more efficient and effective. This initiative includes setting specific goals for participation; making principals and assistant principals accountable for meeting the goals; providing training for principals, counselors, and teachers; and marketing the program to students and parents.
Consortium staff work with Tech-Prep coordinators and teachers at AISD campuses and assistant principals and principals at the high schools to educate staff regarding dual credit and credit-in escrow. AISD career specialists work with Tech-Prep coordinators and Tech-Prep teachers to inform students and staff about the program and its benefits. At the campus level, an assistant principal is assigned by the high school principal to be the lead contact for the program and to provide direct leadership to counselors, the registrar and teachers.
The Tech-Prep campus coordinator is responsible for organizing an advisory team, distributing Tech-Prep information, coordinating staff development and monitoring articulation agreements at the campus level. The campus coordinator attends Tech-Prep meetings, keeps principals advised of Tech-Prep status and stays current on Tech-Prep issues. The consortium developed and distributed a principal and coordinators packet on Tech-Prep.
Participation at AISD has increased by more than 1,000 percent in four years, from an enrollment of 145 in 1997-98 to 1,472 in 2000-01. The Consortium has significantly increased participation in AISD Tech-Prep programs by improving outreach to AISD campuses and developing a more streamlined approach to Tech-Prep at the high school campuses.
COMMENDATION
The Capital Area Tech-Prep Consortium has increased the number of Tech-Prep students in Austin ISD through its campus-level accountability system.
FINDING
ACC has not communicated the value of the Early College Start program to all the high schools it serves, despite the fact that both tuition and fees for all Early College Start students are waived. Although the Early College Start program has seen increases in participation from a number of school districts, other districts still have little or no participation. Blanco ISD has no students participating. Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Harper, Jarrell, Johnson City, Lago Vista, Liberty Hill, Manor and Smithville ISDs have limited participation.
The Early College Start program has responded to low participation in some service area ISDs by locating college courses on high school campuses. As of August 2002, classes are scheduled at Del Valle, Elgin, Harper, Liberty Hill, Manor and Smithville ISDs and are planned at Dripping Springs and Lago Vista ISDs. In most instances, the respective ISD has approached ACC with a qualified high school faculty member and ACC has scheduled a class in response. These partnerships can immediately increase enrollment, even in very small schools. The Early College Start director has assigned a liaison to each of these schools, and schools with little or no participation are assured of periodic contact and will be offered partnership opportunities.
While the Early College Start program is not mandatory, school districts have the opportunity to participate in a program that benefits students and provides considerable financial savings to parents. As shown in Exhibit 2-33, students and their parents saved $743,092 in tuition and fees for ACC fall and spring 2002 semesters.
Exhibit 2-33 Source: ACC, Early College Start Program, June 2002.
Waived Tuition and Fees for Early College Start (ECS) Students by District
2001-02
District and
High SchoolNumber of ECS
Students Fall
2001Number of ECS
Students Spring
2002Total Number of
ECS Students
2001-02Total Amount of
Tuition and
Fees WaivedAustin Akins 2 3 5 $875 Anderson 15 17 32 $5,600 Austin 23 38 61 $10,675 Bowie 49 61 110 $19,250 Crockett 18 60 78 $13,650 Garza Ind. 11 38 49 $8,575 L.B.J. 8 8 16 $2,800 Johnston 6 11 17 $2,975 Lanier 8 27 35 $6,125 McCallum 9 28 37 $6,475 Reagan 1 7 8 $1,400 Travis 8 7 15 $2,625 Bastrop Bastrop 14 26 40 $14,840 Blanco Blanco 0 0 0 $0 Del Valle Del Valle 23 26 49 $18,179 Dripping Springs Dripping Springs 13 16 29 $10,759 Eanes Westlake 57 53 110 $40,810 Elgin Elgin 9 14 23 $8,533 Fredericksburg Fredericksburg 61 117 178 $66,038 Georgetown Georgetown 102 98 200 $74,200 Harper Harper 3 2 5 $1,855 Hays Hays 26 57 83 $30,793 Jarrell Jarrell 11 6 17 $6,307 Johnson City Johnson City 9 11 20 $7,420 Lago Vista Lago Vista 1 2 3 $1,113 Lake Travis Lake Travis 69 88 157 $58,247 Leander Cedar Park 40 50 90 $15,750 Leander 24 25 49 $8,575 Liberty Hill Liberty Hill 0 17 17 $6,307 Lockhart Lockhart 35 47 82 $30,422 Luling Luling 24 23 47 $17,437 Manor Manor 20 16 36 $6,300 Nixon-Smiley Nixon-Smiley 23 21 44 $16,324 Pflugerville Connally 21 21 42 $15,582 Pflugerville 44 59 103 $38,213 Prairie Lea Prairie Lea 4 4 8 $2,968 Round Rock McNeil 38 57 95 $35,245 Round Rock 15 25 40 $14,840 Stony Point 10 21 31 $11,501 Westwood 82 80 162 $60,102 San Marcos San Marcos 4 36 40 $14,840 Smithville Smithville 3 2 5 $1,855 Wimberley Wimberley 45 27 72 $26,712 Total* 988 1,352 2,340 $743,092
Note: *Total shows Independent School District students only and does not reflect home school, private high school and charter school students.
