Sept. 23, 2021 - Vision in Action No. 49
Merritt College, which was a leader in moving away from assessment tests that wrongly placed students of color in remedial classes, and Barstow Community College, which has enhanced its student success rates through numerous support services, are the winners of the 2021 John W. Rice Awards for Diversity & Equity and Student Success.
Representatives of the colleges were presented with the awards at this week’s California Community Colleges Board of Governors meeting.
“For decades we used flawed standardized tests to determine whether a student would start in remedial or transfer-level English or math classes,” said Board of Governors President Pamela Haynes. “The colleges recognized today are at the forefront of new approaches that unlock students’ potential and yield success.”
Established in 2001, the Dr. John W. Rice Awards annually recognize colleges for setting the standard in advancing diversity, equity and student outcomes. In 2019, the nomination process was redesigned to bring the awards into alignment with the goals and commitments of the Vision for Success. Finalists for the Diversity & Equity Award were chosen based on the reduction of equity gaps for students of color completing gateway, transfer-level courses in English and mathematics over the course of the Vision for Success. Student Success Award criteria focuses on colleges seeing the greatest improvements in all students completing gateway transfer-level English and math over the course of the Vision for Success.
Palo Verde College, East Los Angeles College and Woodland Community College were honored as Honorable Mentions this year.
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System Guidance/News/Webinars
The Chancellor’s Office invites you to join the Pathways to Equity Learning Series, a series of sessions focused on developing, highlighting and celebrating learning around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion happening at our community colleges. The sessions will take place monthly until spring 2022, leading to the Pathways to Equity Conference.
Please join us on Tuesday, Sept. 28 from 10:00 – 12:00 p.m. for the second webinar in the Pathways to Equity Learning Series: Guided Pathways: Strengthening our Focus on Equity. This webinar will provide historical context for Guided Pathways in the California Community Colleges to inform attendees where Guided Pathways has been, where it is now and where it is going. This webinar is intended for California community college staff and affiliates seeking knowledge about Guided Pathways.
Register here
Register today for the RP Group’s webinar, “How Does Algebra 2 Affect Math Throughput?” on Wednesday, Sept. 29 from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
This webinar will review the evidence and recommendations from a new Multiple Measures Assessment Project (MMAP) research paper that explores the impact Algebra 2 completion has on transferable, college-level math throughput for students in STEM or SLAM pathways.
With the fall semester under way, we are asking you to mark your calendars and plan to attend the upcoming Fall 2021 LaunchBoard Webinar Series presented by the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.
The Chancellor’s Office Workforce and Economic Development Division, and Educational Services and Support Division, are presenting a series of webinars hosted by WestEd. The webinars will help ensure understanding of the most recent dashboard releases program-level information, especially surrounding new metrics and the impact on incentive-based funding.
The first webinar details are as follows:
Strong Workforce Program (SWP) Release Webinar - Overview
Date: September 30, 2021
Time: 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
REGISTER HERE
The second webinar details are as follows:
Strong Workforce Program (SWP) Release Webinar - Technical
Date: October 7, 2021
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
REGISTER HERE
The next Chancellor’s Office System Webinar will take place on Wednesday, October 6 from 9:00 – 10:00 a.m. If you are already registered for the Chancellor’s Office System Webinars, there is no need to register again. You will receive a reminder email prior to the webinar with your link.
The recording and slides from the previous webinar - Leading Courageous Conversations about Equitable Placement - will be posted on the Vision Resource Center. After logging-in, under the “Communities” menu, visit “All Communities” and look for “CCC | Webinars, Conferences, and Events”. Join this community, then access the “Chancellor’s Office System Webinars” topic to view the content.
Please share the 2021 System Webinars registration link with your colleagues that are not yet registered. (Registration is only required once and the same link will be used to access all System Webinars in 2021.)
Several California community colleges and thousands of community college students, faculty and staff are impacted by the devastating fires burning across our state.
To help, the Foundation for California Community Colleges has established a statewide fund that will help our students and staff recover from wildfires. Dollars will be used to help students overcome new barriers to education resulting from fires and displacement, including to replace essential supplies such as laptops, books, backpacks, and will provide emergency aid relief for the most deeply affected staff and faculty.
The Chancellor’s Office is committed to keeping everyone informed during this uncertain time. We encourage administrators, faculty, staff and students to regularly check the Chancellor’s Office COVID-19 resource page and the Chancellor’s Office Communications to Colleges section for ongoing executive orders, guidance memos and announcements. Current and prospective students can also get connected with their local college to find out specific resources and support services available as well as enroll in their local community college.
Student Supports
The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) has created a $3 million Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) filing fee assistance fund for individuals across the California Community Colleges. The fund will cover the $495 DACA application filing fees for students, faculty and staff affiliated with a California community college.
Through the California Community College Immigration Services Project, nine Legal Service Providers have been contracted to provide immigration legal services, including DACA initial application, renewal assistance and consultations to screen for affirmative immigration relief, to immigrant students faculty and staff. Eligible students, faculty and staff can access these supports confidentially through identified host colleges in their region. The legal service providers have committed to seeing each case from start to finish as long as they were affiliated with a California Community College at intake.
To access the DACA filing fee assistance, students, faculty and staff need to make an appointment with the closest identified host college within their region, which can be found on the Chancellor’s Office website. For questions regarding eligibility or issues with scheduling, please contact Alonso Garcia.
The California Youth Crisis line runs 24-hours a day, seven days a week: 800-843-5200. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides confidential assistance to anyone in crisis and their loved ones through a live chat and free 24-hour hotline at 800-273-8255. You can also text COURAGE to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.
Items of Interest
U.S. sets the stage for COVID-19 booster shots for millions; California awaits CDC guidance before releasing state’s COVID vaccine booster plan
COVID-19 creates dire U.S. shortage of teachers, school staff
Why California has landed in a new COVID plateau after the delta surge
