Research/Policy Topic Analysis: Student Success and Support Services Program (SSSP)
Background
The Student Success and Support Program (SSSP) for California community colleges arose as a result of the Senate Bill 1456 with a mission “to increase California community college student access and success by providing effective core matriculation services, including orientation, assessment and placement, counseling, and other educational planning services, and academic interventions,” or follow-up services for at-risk students (Graillat, Lawrence, Quiaoit & Mohr, 2016, p. 4). While this Senate Bill established the SSSP, there were other acts and bills that came before that eventually paved the way for the Student Success and Support Program.
The Seymour-Campbell Matriculation Act of 1986 created the matriculation process for continuing and incoming students taking courses for credit. The idea was that there should be an equal educational opportunity across California and that this would be accomplished through having the same educational services across campuses that would help students reach their educational goals (Graillat et al., 2016). Furthermore, in 1990, the Board of Governors (BOG) specified what the regulations would be for implementing the matriculation process (Graillat et al., 2016). In 1997 and 1998, Assembly Bill (AB) 1542 and AB 107 were passed. These bills extended these services to students taking noncredit courses (Graillat et al., 2016). While the goal of
Community colleges have roots dating back to the 1900’s and became more homogenous with the help of the 1960’s California Master Plan for Higher Education. In the past, community colleges were tuition-free or subsidized by local property taxes and state appropriations (Cohen, M. & Brawer, F. 2008). Currently, community college financing has been unpredictable “due to the discretionary nature of state support and the vagaries of funding initiatives” (Phelan, 2014, pg. 7). Nevertheless, colleges continue to be dependent on state appropriations and local property taxes as the primary source of revenue. Due to the instability associated with appropriations, community colleges must develop dynamic budgets that have the capacity to overcome fluctuations in revenue and enable the college to offer affordable access to higher education to its constituents.
Students nowadays face many challenges when it comes to obtaining a college education. We evaluate an institution’s quality based on what we need the most. The qualities sought out may vary by each person’s personal point of view. However, as a student, I’ve found that most students seek for an institute that benefits them the most. Attending a community college has been an enormous advantage towards my education. I have been attending San Bernardino Valley College for the last two semesters. I have come to respect their philosophies and values. The institution has now been in business for 87 years. They venture to encourage both students and faculty towards high standards of achievement and progress into exceptional members of the society. They now offer a variety of degrees, transfer programs and certificates for a wide range of students. San Bernardino Valley College has an accomplished staff, student support services and technological tools that pave the road towards the conquest of a quality education.
President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) on December 10, 2015. This Act advances the 52-year-old, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) that was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in an attempt to provide quality education to all students regardless of race or ethnicity, language, disability, or family income. Viewed as a civil rights law, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act further advanced equality in education; yet it’s very cumbersome requirements became untenable for schools and educators. Viewed as a natural progression of two very successful previous acts, the ESSA was designed to provide further equal opportunity for all students. However, Florida passed their required state version that has
Today, I am enrolled at Santa Monica college. However it was not as easy as I thought. It took me one month just to enroll. I did not know the process in enrolling for college as an AB540 student. “Assembly Bill 540 (AB 540) is a California state law that allows students who meet certain requirements to pay in-state tuition fees at any UC, CSU, or California community college.”(Mora) I was an immigrant student and did not know what papers to fill out. The Administration office
The new 2015 federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) challenges states to draw on lessons from the last 15 years and to refine their accountability systems to provide the right combination of pressure and support for school improvement.
Last year, at Kingsland High School’s Graduation Ceremony, Josie Hinze not only receiveed her High School Diploma, but also her Associates of Arts Degree before even attending any college or university. Fast-forward to one year later, and seven Kingsland students will be graduating high school with both their High School Diploma and AA Degree thanks to the collaboration of Riverland Community College and Kingsland High School for allowing high school students to take college-level courses in high school and receive college credit for them. Not only that, but there are several others who will be graduating Kingsland High School with transferrable college credit so their first few semesters might
In the College Transfer Success class I have learned about what is needed to be successful in college and in my career. So far we have learned about degree choices, college culture, student development and our own personal learning styles and skills. Through this class I feel more confident about my future and my success in finding a college and career I will enjoy.
The Student Success Center is a well-organized program in the college that offers individualized as well as small group tutoring. It is aimed at assisting students to improve their academic skills by supplementing their classroom instructions and reinforcing motivation. Mohave Community College (MCC) believes that every student can learn. The mission statement of the college is to empower students to excel in a college setup. Furthermore, its vision statement is; to strive to offer students with necessary resources which will enable them to transmute their life hassles into tassels. To be a successful student, one has to enroll and remain persistent towards the completion and attainment of a degree/certificate. Mohave Community College provides a successful student success center which employs the best practices policy to aid in student retention and completion while at the same time developing new ways that will boost the student 's ability to thrive in a college environment (Jaschik, 2016).
The answer might lie in starting outside of the legislation system to objectively show actually change occurring with small, but necessary step to assist community college students. The one thing congressmen and senators forget is the actually effective on these students lives. In the debate and objections, the challenges faced by community colleges students is forgotten.
1. What three success strategies (from the Student Success Strategies Guide) will you plan on using throughout your degree program to help you be a successful student? My 1st strategies is to schedule times to study and do assignments , The 2nd to attend all the live chat sessions and 3rd to log into the Virtual Campus at least twice a day.
San Jose Mercury News Editorial, authors of “Remedial costs are too high for CSU to bear” highlight the San Jose State University policy that took place in 2009. The policy is about Freshmen students who are required to take remedial classes since their math or English basic college-level aren 't good enough.To notice these students that need help ahead of time CSU created the Early Assessment Program . Even though CSU created the voluntary Early Assessment Program, which has an essay and two dozen questions that are included in standardized tests given to juniors, many students didn 't pass it. Those students who don’t take the Early Assessment Program or aren 't qualified will have to take online tutorials and remedial classes which take a year to study. Sadly, there’ll be no repeat chances for those students who don 't pass their remedial courses. They may have to hire tutors or take courses off campus to gain the basic knowledge "they should have received in high school," as the authors said. The author assume that it 's both students and their high school 's responsibility for college readiness, and I strongly agree with the authors ' aurgement. College readiness shouldn 't be CSU. However, College readiness is high schools obligation , and students duty as well.
Enabling underrepresented groups to participate equally in the education process and programs in the California University system.
In the past fifty years since the inception of the Higher Education Act, federal policies regarding financial aid have expanded in scope, intent, and access. Prior to this landmark legislation, federal intervention and financial support of higher education was minimal, with most of the control lying with individual states. Whereas financial support for higher education was previously directed at institutions, federal financial aid provided funding for individual students, initially as a means for increasing access for underrepresented and disadvantaged populations. The evolution of federal financial aid represents the historical, political, and policy changes during the past five decades and illustrates the gradual shift in societal values
Not only does Mt. SAC offer a high-quality education, but also a large number of support services. Mt. SAC provides services both on campus and online to help students in all different types of situations as they work to achieve their educational goals. Being able to have access to these support services on and off campus is essential for students in our 21st century colleges as they guide students on the right path toward success. That being said, a system like Minerva’s that requires students to use outside resources and fend for themselves, is a system that greatly neglects the students that are incapable of doing so on their own (508). Although, some students may feel comfortable managing on their own, other students have a harder time
There are several qualities to have to be successful in college. These qualities can range from attending class to going above and beyond what’s expected. Success comes from the journey taken or the path chosen. Success also comes from being prepared. As a student, I must step up to the challenge and find the path to success along the way. Several ways I define success is to uphold academic integrity, have the ability to prioritize, and to motivate myself to stay on top of what needs to be accomplished.