During the Jan. 15 governing board meeting Dave Belman, the Dean of Student Success at Los Medanos College, Alex Stern, the Interim Senior Program Manager for Early College Credit at Contra Costa College, and Sarah Peterson, the Academic/Student Services Manager of Early College Credit at Diablo Valley college shared their individual plans to create pathways, expand outreach programs and provide support to students.
Early college credit programs or College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP), such as concurrent enrollment and dual enrollment, allow high school students to earn college credits while still in high school. Data collected over the past four years has shown that the amount of students enrolled in early college credit programs across the district has continued to steadily rise.
Between 2023 and 2024 DVC outperformed other colleges in the district by having 2,606 students enrolled in early college credit programs, nearly double the amount of early college credit enrollees when compared to the 1,481 early college credit students at CCC and 1,063 at LMC.
“It’s a powerful opportunity to propel students to and through higher education and ultimately to really transform our community,” said Belman during the governing board meeting.
LMC has focused on expanding its dual enrollment programs by creating different pathways for students and partnering with high schools and adult education centers. According to data gathered from CCAP agreements and enrollment analysis reports, dual enrollment students at LMC generally outperformed students who were not part of a dual enrollment program.
Given the consistent increase of dual enrollment students, LMC is planning to increase the number of pathways available to high school students such as automotive technology, astronomy, ethnic studies, computer science, English, math and sign language.
“We certainly want to reach more students by offering more classes, but we want those students to be successful, we want them to earn more units, and have really robust experiences,” said Belman.
Like LMC, CCC has made plans to grow its Summer High School College Connection program. The program provides students with things like tutoring, career exploration opportunities, academic resources, assistance with disability services and the opportunity to build relationships with other students and instructors. According to Stern, there was a success rate of 92% among the 88 10th and 12th grade students that were enrolled in courses through the program.
“We hope to continue to grow this program in the future because it works so well. All of that extra support makes a huge difference for students,” said Stern.
Stern also mentioned how CCC uses outreach strategies to help high school students sign up for courses, meet with counselors and get prepared for college. One of the driving forces behind the success of CCC’s early college credit programs was TargetX, a platform that CCC uses to contact students who have already applied to the college and help them register for classes.
“Our concurrent enrollment outreach efforts are centered around leveraging our strong relationships with our high schools, particularly with our college and career counselors and our administration,” said Stern during the governing board meeting. “We build out a comprehensive three part outreach series to build awareness, help students with the applications, and support registration during the weeks that students can register.”
DVC saw similar success in the two early college credit programs they offer, College Now and College Connect. Students enrolled in the programs receive support from counselors at DVC and their high school to help them navigate their experience.
Between 2023 and 2024 there was a 99% success rate of College Connect students in their early college credit courses and they completed an average of 32 credits by the end of the program. Similarly, College Now students had an 85% rate of success with a completed average of 36 credits by the end of the program.
“Again, these supports have a clear impact on student success,” stated Peterson during the meeting. “Overall, College Now students are succeeding in their college courses at a higher rate than the college average.”
After the presentation, the governing board commented on the benefits and future of the early college credit programs within the district and even discussed the possibility of awarding special sashes during graduation to high school students who successfully complete college courses.
CCC Middle College counselor, Rachelle Buckner, explained that being part of an early college credit program can provide students with more than just college credits.
“I think that being on the campus all day, you’re not just learning how to take a class, but you’re literally learning how to navigate college as a highschool student,” said Buckner.
Buckner also explained that programs like Middle College can be beneficial for high school students who may be the first in their family to attend college and could be struggling to visualize themselves as a college student.
“I think that it’s really, really important to have that exposure because a lot of students in this district are first generation,” said Buckner. “If your parents don’t have access or are unfamiliar with the educational process, the way for you to get exposed is to have it come to you, or have it accessible.”
Students who are interested in learning more about early college credit programs within the district can find more information on LMC, CCC, and DVC’s respective websites.
