 Orientation
Many programs choose to use an orientation model for engaging students upon enrollment and developing a culture for learning. This model works toward establishing the relational trust that students need through focusing on their academic and life support needs.
Orientation may take the form of week- to month-long sessions that include assessment, relationship building, study skills, pre-college or life skills, and a focus on high school and beyond plans. Using a strengths-based approach and identifying the post-high school aspirations of your students will help them focus and set their courses to meet their identified goals.
Many programs have sample syllabi for their college-ready or life skills curriculum. Reach out and find them at conferences to share ideas (e.g., the WALA Spring Conference in the events section below).
The greatest benefit to introductory sessions is that they create an immersion in the culture of your program, and provide an opportunity for the students and staff members to get to know each other, and establish relationships that make ties that keep the student connected. Encourage returning students to step into leadership roles as peer mentors or ambassadors for their program. Make use of student accountability partners (mentors, tutors, local experts) to support student engagement beyond orientation.
Incorporating an IAP
An additional benefit to your students is that your orientation can be set up to provide 0.25 high school credit, which puts the student on the path toward regular Indicators of Academic Progress (IAPs).
Requirement vs Best Practice
While only two hours of face-to-face time per month is required, programs that require more regular student engagement and higher achievement (through credits and IAPs earned) have a regular schedule and require students to attend once or more every week.
Requiring students to attend in person on a weekly basis puts them in the habit of school. The more a student attends, the more they will be working directly with a staff member (case manager, instructor) who can get to know them and their skills and needs, flexing the student's educational plan to best help them be successful, and building a positive relationship with the staff members, as well as other students.
Weekly opportunities allow students to use the computers, or to complete non-digital assignments, and allow for group projects, thus building positive, productive peer relationships.
When students connect onsite more frequently, the following happens:
- students get the academic help they need;
- students receive the case management services and resources they need;
- peer group lessons can take place;
- students have more connection to the learning, their peers, and the staff.
One final benefit to regular attendance opportunities:
- It assures that the requirement for two hours of face-to-face time per month is met quickly and your program is not scrambling to get students in at the end of the month. [WAC 392-700-015(3)]
How are you tracking student face-to-face time? What do you do with that tracking tool?
There are a variety of ways that programs track student face-to-face time:
- paper or electronic sign-in sheets
- instructor attendance books
- signed class or conference attendance slips
- digital forms
But what do you do with that data? How often? If you are transcribing or downloading that data to a spreadsheet, who reviews it? How easy is it for anyone who needs that information to access it?
- In larger programs, this may be limited to a case manager who sends weekly emails to all student groups and then more directly calls them in during the last week if they haven't met their face-to-face time.
- Other programs may require an instructor or case manager to oversee the face-to-face and weekly status check data for a subset of students on a weekly basis.
- Some smaller programs with scheduled sessions have daily attendance lists and the instructor or case manager phones or messages students immediately if they do not show up.
Best practice and goals:
- Consolidate data in one document to verify enrollment;
- Make it accessible to all staff and maintain the backup data for verification;
- Review data at least weekly.
Refer to our August Newsletter for more information, or contact Laurie Shannon with questions.
Workshops & Conferences
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GATE Equity Webinar Series Regular monthly webinars. Information and registration available through the GATE website
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Fall WALA Workshops (ALE focus) October/November 2019, throughout WA state. For more information, visit the WALA website
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iNACOL Symposium October 28-31, 2019, Palm Springs, CA. For more information, visit the iNACOL website
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NAEA Conference October 28-30, 2019, Tampa, FL. For more information, visit the NAEA website
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NYEC Annual Forum November 11-12, 2019, Washington DC. For more information, visit the NYEC website.
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Alternative Accountability Forum November 13-15, 2019, San Diego. For more information, visit the Alternative Accountability website.
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45th Annual WALA Spring Conference March 5-7, 2020, Skamania Lodge, Stevenson, WA. For more information, visit the WALA website.
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