Classroom Website

In case anyone is interested, I am including the link to my AVID classroom website that I used for the test lesson. It has many pages and links, including a dropdown menu that the students used to explore the college information.

https://sanfernandoavid.wordpress.com

The training went well with a few issues. The AVID kids even did a little Kahoot to check for understanding before they left their comments on the blog. Unfortunately the kids couldn’t see the other students comments on the blog, even though we tested that on campus beforehand. Still, the comments they left were quite good, with the exception of one child who thought it was ok to steal books. I will follow up with his regular teacher though I suspect he was just being a rapscallion. (I had him last year in my art class.)

Thanks for all of your comments and support.

Heather

California Community College Completion Rates

Los Angeles area Community College Completion Rates for a 2 year degree completed in 6 years.

Los Angeles Trade-Tech               30%

Los Angeles Mission College       34%

Los Angeles Valley College           42.1%

Los Angeles Pierce College           47.8 %

Santa Monica College                      47.5%

College of the Canyons                   54.3%

Pasadena City College                     55.2%

Glendale Community College      55.5%

Information and url compilation

Some information I have compiled about early start, placement tests, and textbook prices as well as information on current costs of local colleges follows:

California State University Northridge – Costs

In State fees: $6,564 per year plus books, lab fees and parking or transportation.                 $26,256 for 4 years (tuition)

(Petersons.com)

This is reasonable tuition. Most at SFHS will get all or most of that cost in a financial aid award if FAFSA is completed.

If family income exceeds $60,000 student will pay all or most of the cost of tuition. Still, with loans, this is a good option.

Financial aid awards usually require students to work up to 15 hours per week.

If you are required to go, early start summer programs are extra. Some get fee waivers for this. Fill out FAFSA in January.

Last year the Early Start Writing course online was $184 plus books. $182 per unit plus $2 health service fee.

Early Start Writing (ESW): Offered online only as a 1-unit, 3-week intensive learning experience.

Early Start Math (ESM): One unit online course $184 plus books, ($182 per unit plus $2 health service fee.)

Early Start Math (ESM): Three units face to face 6 weeks on campus. $552 inclusive of fees plus books.

Options – Offered online and face-to-face. -either a 1-unit course 3, 6 or 8 weeks; or a 3-unit course lasting 6 weeks.
Students who attend CSUN in the fall are encouraged to enroll in a 6-week, face-to-face ESM option, either 1 or 3 units. You should consult an academic advisor if you have questions about the best Early Start Math course for your major.

Fees are per unit. One unit is $182 plus $2 per unit in fees.

http://www.csun.edu/admissions-records/early-start-program

Check your email regularly. Colleges will communicate primarily by email.

Do not forget to register for early start if you are required to go.

Even if you have been accepted to a CSU, if you do not register for early start, you cannot go to CSU in the fall.

Most CSU tuition rates are comparable to CSUN.

Most college courses will require books averaging 100 per course, sometimes a little more. More on this later.

California community college completion rate:

Only 46.8 % of students completed a 2 year, associate’s degree in 6 years.  If you have the option to go to a 4 year, go.

That means 53.2 percent of community college students were not able to get a 2 year degree in 3 times the amount of time that it takes to get one. There are many reasons for this.

http://scorecard.cccco.edu/scorecardrates.aspx?CollegeID=000#home (CCC student success scorecard)

California 4 year public colleges have a much better completion rate with 4 year Bachelor’s degrees.

64% of California 4 year public college students graduated with a 4 year Bachelor’s degree within 6 years.

http://collegecompletion.chronicle.com/state/#state=CA&sector=public_four

UC Riverside Costs:            Tuition $11,220   Fees $2,307            Housing – (room and board) $15,700

Total per year if living at home $13,527.

Most UCs are very close to these costs.

Total for four years if living at home or with relatives (no housing fees) $54,108. (Commuting is an option if you have family nearby.)

(Cut this number by at least half if your family is below the threshold.)

Total per year with housing  $29,227.

Total for four years with housing: $116,908. (Petersons.com)


Pay one third to one half of this cost with eligible financial aid.

Financial aid will offset about one half to two thirds of the total cost for families under the $60,000 total household income threshold for UCs. All but 3 of my AVID Students last year were beneath the threshold. (Most SFHS students are.)

ITT Tech                    Tuition 24,196  average per year (no housing)

Total for 4 years if living at home $96,784.

(ITTtech.edu)

Not a good value!

Housing costs on average 10,000 per year with roommates. housing costs add approximately an additional $40,000.

Total with housing $136,784

These credits do not transfer to other universities!!!

The Project Grad scholarship does not work with this for-profit school.

More urls below – textbooks and how to sign up for placement tests and early start classes.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/04/college-textbook-prices-increase_n_

2409153.html

https://www.ets.org/csu/registration/

https://www.ets.org/csu/faq/

http://www.calstate.edu/SAS/casper/freshman/transcript-requirements.shtml

http://www.ets.org/csu/registration/dates

http://www.csusuccess.org/earlystart/early-start-faq

Web 2.0 Lesson update

I thought we were supposed to post the preliminary lesson plan on the blog and I did that last night. Then I read that we were only supposed to draft the plan and update the blog with our progress. Oops.

The plan is here. It is obviously well underway. I have been collecting resources to incorporate into the my lesson materials such as the urls for the pages that illustrate the registration dates for the placement tests for my senior students and information on the early start programs for students who were accepted conditionally to the CSU and will spend summer preparing for college.

The classroom blog is all set up and is ready to go. The standards have been addressed and the Assure model is being used in the design. I still need to assign the levels of Blooms taxonomy to the learning objectives and smooth out the lesson procedures as well as finalize the articles to use in the section where kids read and share about their specific sections of text. I may have the kids post to the blog using their phones since the coputer lab doers not have a Smartboard in it at this time.

Please see previous post “” for full lesson details.

Applied to College, Now What?

Teacher tools used:

World Wide Web, WordPress Classroom Blog, Email, Smartboard Notebook software, Personal Computer.

Student tools used: Smartboard, Smartphone, WordPress Classroom Blog Software

Subject Area: AVID College Preparatory Class Junior Senior Seminar

Unit:  College Entry Senior Steps After College Application

Sequence: This activity is follow up activity in the middle of a unit on-college going culture.

  • Lesson Summary: Students are paired with a teacher selected classmate.
  • Teacher explains resources needed to navigate the college acceptance process, (presentation).
  • Teams participate reading annotation protocol in order to reinforce content material.
  • Students discuss annotation protocol and clarify any misunderstandings.
  • Students reflect upon the process and report their findings in a classroom blog post.

Materials needed: Classroom equipped with Smartboard and 45 personal computers with broadband connection, Smartboard notebook software, writing implements, knowledge of how to operate in the WordPress Blog environment.

Time Period: One 55 minute class period

Analysis of learners:

Number There are 23 learners in the class.
Grades 11/12 The class is comprised of 21 Seniors and two Juniors in High School.
Gender The class is comprised of 15 girls and 8 boys.
Socio-economics 100 percent of class members qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Exceptionalities There are 3 students classified as gifted in the class and no students with intellectual challenges or learning disabilities.
Cultural Students are 98% Latino. Up to 40 percent are born outside the U.S.
Other 21 students have Spanish as a primary language classification and all have been reclassified as fluent English proficient learners

Prerequisite skills for instructor, including technology skills: Instructor must be able to design a lesson that utilizes a classroom blog to support student interaction in a classroom setting and determine if software works with district parameters and useful to support the learning objectives. Teachers must understand responsible use of the internet, use WordPress and Smartboard effectively as well as build background for and lead students in a class discussion to reinforce content knowledge.

Prerequisite skills learner Including  technology skills Students must know how to work independently and in pairs, and in whole class discussion. Students have to possess knowledge of how to access the internet on hand held or desktop devices.

Grouping Strategies for heterogeneous groups: In this lesson students are paired. Pairs are predetermined by the instructor and will include learners of varying levels of accomplishment, skill and language acquisition.

Describe activities using multiple learner-centered technology strategies: All components are available and all materials are tested before students walk in the door. Rules are reviewed at the outset.

Objectives – Students will be able to:

  • Collaborate to compare perspectives on information
  • Review steps needed to complete in order to transition to college
  • Collaborate to answer questions supported by evidence
  • Articulate what steps are next after clarifying with a neighbor
  • Articulate what they have learned in a classroom blog post

Role of Instructor: The instructor’s roles are: presenter, facilitator, discussion leader, evaluator

Learners  State-Common Core Anchor Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.1.C
Propel conversations by posing and responding to questions that probe reasoning and evidence; ensure a hearing for a full range of positions on a topic or issue; clarify, verify, or challenge ideas and conclusions; and promote divergent and creative perspectives.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.6
Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, demonstrating a command of formal English when indicated or appropriate.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.W.6
Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing and to interact and collaborate with others.

W.CCR.9: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

Technology standards for learners (National)

  1. Communication and Collaboration b. Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats
  1. Technology operations and concepts

Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts,

systems, and operations.

  1. Understand and use technology systems
  2. Select and use applications effectively and productively

Technology standards for teachers National

ISTE Teacher 2. Design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments

a . Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity

Select  -Methods: The methods that I will use include presentation on smartboard, discussion in pairs for review of content. Students will work collaboratively and they will post to a classroom blog in order to expand on concepts learned.

Materials – See materials on page one

Utilize- Methods, Media, & Materials – see procedure below

Procedure:

Step 1        Teacher will ask students to create a T chart listing steps that they know they must complete before entering      college. On the left side (build background)

Step 2        Teacher will present information steps regarding: how and when to submit EOP recommendation letters, discuss early start program, discuss when to submit Sat scores, discuss, how to register for placement tests, the importance of the FAFSA and cal grant application and what to do when one misses a deadline. The importance of academic advising, early registration and how to buy books will also be covered.   

Step 3      Students fill out other side of t chart with information to fill in the gaps in their initial knowledge

Students write down any new information that they have learned.

(There are 6-8 articles total for the next section – students will become expert on two articles per team.)

Step 4       Students read 2 short articles individually and annotate them. (one each) 5-7 minutes

Step 5        Students switch articles read and comment on them.   5-7 minutes

Step 6        Students come to a consensus about what both articles are about. 2 minutes

Step 7         Students teach the class about what the articles are about. 10 minutes

Step 8        Students log in to classroom blog with teacher guidance.

Step 9         Students post a comment to the page about what they have learned about the process.

Modifications for students with disabilities

Assistive technology student.

On rare occasions students with disabilities appear in an AVID college preparatory classroom. Although there are no students with disabilities in the classroom at this time, students with specific learning disabilities could access the curriculum better by using text to speech and speech to text software. This would enable them to read, take notes and write papers with ease.

Require Learner Participation – I will get each learner involved the lesson by having them discuss and review information in preparation for posting their reflections on a classroom blog.

Evaluate- Student – Evaluation of students -see rubric at end of lesson plan:

Evaluate- Teacher- I will be able to tell if I have performed effectively if students are able to perform the tasks I have asked them to perform. I will reflect on the progress both formatively and summatively.

Evaluate – Media  -I will evaluate the media at the end of the experience by noting usefulness and ease of use and how students reacted to technology integration.

Evaluate – Lesson -I will evaluate the lesson by looking at the rubrics and seeing if the learning objectives were attained and noting which parts could be improved in terms of time management and ease of use.

How technology supports instructional activities:

Technology supports the teacher when planning the lesson (web search), using desktop software Microsoft Word to type up the lesson, typing the handouts and presentation

Students are supported by use of Smartboard to review concepts and by personal computers to post to the blog discussion.

Rubric: Excellent Very Good

 

Good/ Average

 

Below Average Unsatisfactory/Poor
 
Discussion

 

Contributes to discussion uses clear evidence to supporrt ideas, has good volume and speaks clearly.

(5 pts)

 

Contributes to discussion uses evidence to supporrt ideas, has good volume and speaks clearly.

(4 pts)

Contributes to discussion uses unclear evidence to supporrt ideas

Has good volume and speaks clearly.

(3  pts)

Contributes to discussion uses no evidence to support ideas and speaks in a whisper

(2 pt)

No discussion participation.

(0  pts)

 

Use of Classroom Blog to reflect upon learning

 

Team is able to log  in to blog correctly, and articulate clearly what was learned in the presentation and readings clearly using standard English.

(5 pts)

Team is able to log  in to blog correctly provides limited information about what was learned. Uses standard English.

(4 points)

Team is able to log  in to blog tcorrectly, is limited in providing information or unclear about answers. May or may not use standard English.

(3 pts)

Teamt has difficulty following directions with help. They may be unclear in response, or response requires little thought.

(2pt)

Team  does not participate ,or posts inppropriately.

(0  pts)

10 pts possible = 5 pts discussion, 5 points Blog Response

Conclusion:

I have been gathering information and articles to share with the students particularly about the California State University system process since most of these students are attending this type of college.

These students are motivated and will likely participate in this process easily.

I believe that having them teach the class even for a very short while will enhance cooperation and retention of content.

I am hoping that the use of the classroom blog will be an enhancement to their metacognitive process.

My Final Project

My Final Project will Involve teaching the Junior/Senior Seminar high school AVID college preparatory class at San Fernando High School in the Los Angeles area. I will teach the class what steps need to be completed after college applications have been turned in. Since the majority of the applications will be done by November 3Oth, and I teach them on December 2nd, this is the perfect opportunity to let the students know what the sequence of events is to come. The majority of parents at this school have not completed 8th grade so support for the college admissions process is very important. Students will read articles, discuss them with each other, ask questions and post comments to a classroom blog for this assignment.

I will be covering topics such as what steps need to be completed after applications are in:

How to pay for college: loans, grants, and scholarships.

Why is completing the FAFSA important?

What kind of loans might be reasonable to take out?

Why out of state colleges cost more.

Why for profit colleges are often a poor choice.

When is it necessary to get SAT/ACT scores to colleges?

Why must one register for summer session with conditional acceptance to a Cal State?

When must students draft a good brag sheet, and collect EOP/EAOP recommendation letters?

When are most final decisions to California colleges due?

(Late march through April.  Decisions come in Jan-Mid March usually.)

Why avoiding senioritis is important. What are rescinded acceptance letters and scholarships?

When should one take college placement tests?

When to submit final high school grades to colleges.

The importance of academic advising and registration dates.

Books, rent, buy or Ebook?  How much do books cost?