College Now expands in Gorge schools

Presenting to the board of education in February, Schwartz noted participating schools now included The Dalles High School, Hood River Valley High School, Dufur School, South Wasco High School, two programs at Stevenson High School, Horizon Christian Academy, Arlington High School, Pacific Crest Innovations, Condon High School and Glenwood Secondary. Last year, nine schools participated. Enrollment in the program also increased from the previous year, from 630 students in 2021-2022 to 700 students so far in 2022-2023.

Through the alignment of curriculum between high school and college courses, College Now provides high school students the opportunity to earn both college and high school credit for select classes. High school teachers (once approved by their principal and Columbia Gorge Community College to teach a college credit course) work with CGCC faculty to offer the course at their high school, and arrange for student registration and submit student grades to CGCC for credit.

Schwartz noted she was confident the program would meet the 1,800 student enrollment goal for the year.

Challenges

There are challenges, however, that need to be addressed.

Competition tops the list. “With COVID, everything is online, there is a lot more availability for things, so students can go elsewhere. We are a geographically rural location, so for our students, particularly ‘elsewhere,’ can be rather appealing,” Schwartz said. “All of our partnerships are doing them in school.”

There are also technology and application challenges, especially in integrating applications and technology between districts, including billing systems.

Another challenge has been diminished community support, Schwartz told the board, which she attributed primarily to a rapid series of program staff changes over the past couple of years.

“When there was so much uncertainty, the community felt that,” she said, and staff has focused on bringing the community back to the program.

There are also challenges within the college staff as well, as some faculty feel the program draws students away from their own classes.

“We’re trying to correct those perceptions,” she said.

The final challenge highlighted by Schwartz was sustainability. Prior to the current school year, there was no direct support for College Now, she said. As a group, College Now students are the largest single demographic served by the college, but those students are served by only 1.5 full time equivalent employees dedicated to the program.

“It’s going to a be a real challenge to grow the program further with current resources,” Schwartz said.

Strengths

That said, the program has some real strengths, the most important being the program’s value to students, Schwartz added. “This is by far the most affordable way to get a college degree,” she explained. Cost for students is $58 per class, not per credit, about 1/3 the cost of attending the college, and that is mostly covered by the state. “Very rarely does the student pay anything toward the classes,” she said.

The program is also a recruitment tool, as students in the program continue on at CGCC. This year, senior students in the program will be tracked to see if they continue with the college for the first time.

Community outreach and service is also another strength. “Some of these very rural schools, they would never go to college if not for this program. So its a really good foot in the door for those students.

“One of our schools has one student in one class, and we drive, and we make sure they are there, and we meet with that student. The principal has said how great it is to see us, and connect with us in that way. So its a really good community connection.”

Teachers also benefit, as the program becomes an academic development tool for them as well. “It’s helping to align the high school’s interest with the college’s interests, so we will hopefully have more college-ready students at the end of it.”