College Enrollment Team (Financial Aid)

College Readiness Team (4-Year Plans)

• Last year’s efforts brought several key learnings and successes. Emotional support for students and families proved crucial, with over 150-200 students attending workshops at local high schools. Involving community organizations and hosting financial aid workshops in the fall helped accelerate spring efforts, especially when held in the evenings. Challenges included assisting undocumented parents, but individualized check-ins and pre-scheduled events were effective strategies. Discussions about state policy, shifting deadlines, and tracking students who hadn’t completed financial aid applications highlighted areas for improvement. Collaborative efforts, including working with trusted tax preparers and organizing community nights, fostered stronger engagement and support for families.

• The A-G as Default team focused their time on looking at the broader landscape of the A-G topic, specifically in terms of who is missing from the table and who should be a part of these important conversations. Additionally, the team discussed the importance of A-G courses being entered correctly in student data systems, as well as the accurate data being shared back with CDE for yearly reporting on how many students are graduating UC/CSU eligible. The team started brainstorming on how A-G as the Default Curriculum would look for each district given the access to A-G courses and the supports in place for students to succeed in those courses. The team will spend this year building out that plan together and looking at what might be missing to make it a successful plan.