A-G Intervention and Support / Summer Transition 24 (2024)

• A-G Intervention and Support

• June 18 - July 25, 2024

  Tues to Thurs, 9am-2pm Closed June 19 & July 4

  SEVEN LOCATIONS: Banning HS, Fremont HS, L.A.C.E.S., Region East Soto Office,

  Region North Arleta Office, Region North Balboa Office, & West Adams Prep HS

  If you can’t make it to a hub, join our Zoom to be connected to a counselor. https://bit.ly/summer24collhelp

• Summer Transition Hubs Support

  For our college-bound seniors, the summer after graduation can be challenging. Now beyond the support of their school and not yet part of their postsecondary community, students face an array of complex college-entry tasks to navigate and deadlines to meet. During this time even the best-prepared can fall prey to the phenomenon identified in national research as Summer Melt - without the resources to meet challenges that occur, many find their aspirations to attend college literally melting away.

  Los Angeles Unified’s initiative in response to Summer Melt will be holding Summer Transition Hubs. These hubs will ensure all graduates have a consistent point of contact with a college/high school counselor.

  Summer transition supports have helped seniors seeking personalized guidance to resolve issues that threatened to delay or block their place in college. In addition to in-person advising, counselors have sent mass communications with reminders and tips and responded to results in the Senior Exit Survey, and answering student specific concerns by phone or email.

  Summer Transition Hubs will be available region wide for the Class of 2024. These hubs will be staffed with multiple counselors. Counselors will complete a tracking sheet identifying the Class of 2024 student(s) they support and what supports were provided. A google link for students is also provided, as capturing student voice advocates for future funding.

  

  Download PosterHere

• Introduction: Why Summer Melt Happens

  Summer melt occurs when high school seniors, who have successfully graduated and earned acceptance to a postsecondary institution, do not enter their chosen college in the fall. Counselors supporting the successful transition to college can optimize their effectiveness by working with students after graduation and identifying students at a greater risk of melting. In high school, students typically have a school counselor who supports them with college planning and the application process. However, after graduation, students are left to continue the process on their own. Obstacles such as extensive and time-consuming paperwork, family responsibilities, pressure not to attend college or leave home, fear and doubt, and limited college knowledge can influence a student’s choice to not attend. Since many students at your school may exhibit difficulties with transitioning, it is helpful to identify students at a higher risk of melting. These students will need a more intensive form of outreach/advising to ensure they transition to college. However, even students who appear to be in command of their college transition may need check-ins to ensure deadlines are met.

  

• Using the Senior Exit Survey to Collect Data and Identify Students

  Using Senior Exit Survey Results to Reach Out to Students at Higher Risk of Melting

  

  Click here to view the survey

  Use this Job Aid to learn how to access the data from the Senior Exit Survey. With this data, a spreadsheet program like Excel can be used to sort and filter to create groups of students that require support. For example, students who identify themselves as “not confident” about attending college can be a group who would benefit from receiving support from a counselor during summer. An automated call from Blackboard Connect or an email sent using Naviance can remind this group of students that a counselor will be available during summer.

  The following are instructions on how to run a report to use the data from the Senior Exit Survey to identify students at risk of experiencing Summer Melt. Staff with 1A to 2C roles have the access to run this report.

  For support in accessing and using the report in Naviance, use this job aid located here:

  

  Job Aid: Naviance Survey Results

  Additional Supports

  Contact a Division of Instruction staff for additional guidance with identification and support of students at risk of Summer Melt.

Communicating with Students for Summer Transition Hub Support

Communication with students and families to make them aware of counselor availability for transitioning to college should occur before and during the summer months.

Communication Before Summer Break

It is important that students and their families are aware that a counselor will be available during summer to assist with their transition to college. This communication should include information on the services a counselor can provide such as providing transcripts, advising on financial aid questions, and referrals to appropriate college offices and services. Below are some suggestions for communicating this information before the summer break:

• Display the colorful posters provided by the A-G Team to raise student awareness of Summer Transition Hub Hours

• Public Announcing (PA): can be used to publicize the availability of a Summer Transition Hub during summer

• Blackboard Connect: can deliver information on Summer Transition Hub availability to parents

• Naviance: emails can be sent to students to share information on Hub availability during the summer as well as other reminders

• Schoology: messages can be sent to students to share the availability of counselors at Hubs providing assistance during summer and not as links to important information

• School website and social media: can be used to publicize the availability of counselors providing assistance during summer and links to resources

Below is sample text which can be used to communicate using any of the above methods. The text must be adapted to each platform audience and translated as necessary. For example, an announcement over the PA must be shorter than an email message and Blackboard Connect calls to parents may require translation.

Sample Message:
Counselors will be available this summer to support 12th grade students in their transitionto college. Counselors can help you transition to college if you have questions aboutfinancial aid, need help connecting with the right person or office at your college, and withrequests for transcripts or other documents. Counselors will be available to help 12th gradestudents with the final steps of enrolling in college on [insert information about counseloravailability] in the [insert location]. If you would like more information or need help enrollingin college now, please see [insert designated staff name]. And remember to continue tolog into the Naviance Family Connection to check your email. You will still receive remindersand messages about transitioning to college in Naviance.

Communication During the Summer

It is important to maintain communication with recent graduates during summer. It is at this time when the student may struggle as they are without the high school support system that guided them throughout the eligibility and application process. Students may not have yet developed the self-advocacy skills to manage tasks, such as submitting housing deposits or loan applications.

Communicating With Students en Masse

Some of your communication will address a general audience of students. Although some students are more at risk of melting, all students will benefit from general reminders. General messages can be sent using:

• Blackboard Connect: Access to students will remain available to the parents of graduating seniors during the summer until the start of the new school year.

• Naviance Email: Naviance will still be available to students for up to three years after they graduate. To successfully use this option, frequently remind students before the end of the year that they will continue to have access to Naviance after they graduate. Emails can be sent to remind students to check their college portals, register for orientation, and to reach out for assistance as needed.

• School website and social media: Can include links to resources.

Below is sample text which can be used to communicate using any of the above methods. The text must be adapted to each platform and audience. For example, a Blackboard Connect message should be addressed to parents, not students:

Sample Message:
We hope that you are enjoying your summer. Even though you have graduated, support isstill available to you at [insert high school] to help you transition and enroll at college. Do youhave questions about your financial aid award letter? Have you registered for orientation? Doyou know how to schedule your classes? If you need help with this or have another collegerelated questions, remember that a counselor is available to help you at [insert high schoolname] on [insert information about hours/availability etc.]. Be sure to take care of all thetasks your new college or university is asking you to do so that your college dreams becomea reality. If you need help, connect with your college, or see [insert counselor information].

Communicating with Higher Risk Students

Students you have identified as being at higher risk for melting will require personalized communication, and they will benefit from “nudging” to come in for support at a Summer Transition Hub.Information gathered from the Senior Exit Survey can be used to target students and to develop personalized communication. Below are some strategies for communicating with students on a more personal level:

• Individual Phone Calls: Student contact information is available in MiSiS. When calling students, it is helpful to have a brief inventory of questions available to quickly assess student needs. Inventory type questions can be found in the Counselor Resource C: Intake Worksheet for Assessing Students for a Successful Transition to College, which is available in the Resource section of this toolkit.

• Naviance: Students will still be able to receive email messages by logging into Naviance’s Family Connection. To use this option, it is important to remind students that the Family Connection will still be available to them after they graduate. Below is a sample message, referencing personalized student information from the Senior Exit Survey, which can be sent to students in Naviance.

Sample Message:
Dear [Insert student name],I’m available at school this summer to help all our graduates transition to collegesuccessfully. I wanted to make sure you got the help you needed understanding your financialaid package.I’ll be in the office this week from 1-3 pm. Please email me @_.net or come by theschool for assistance.Thank You.

• Blackboard Connect calls can still be made to the parents of students who have graduated. Following is a sample script that can be sent to the parents of students:

Sample Message:
Hello, this is Mr. Jones, counselor at City High School. I’m available in the office this summerto help our recent graduates as they transition to college. Students who are transitioning tocollege need to take care of many tasks to successfully enroll in the fall, such as submittinghousing forms and registering for orientation. If your son or daughter needs help withtransitioning to college, please come to the office. The office will be open to help you and yourchild from [insert information on availability]. I can also be reached at [insert school phonenumber].Thank You.

• Resources for Transitioning to a Postsecondary Institution

  Click on button to view resource

  Student Resources

  Counselor Resources

• Student Resource A: Steps to Make Your College Plan a Reality Color, black and white flyers, and large format posters are also provided by the A-G Team

  Colorful posters graphically outlining general but important steps that students should take for a successful transition to college.

  

  Download Make College a Reality Poster

• Student Resource B: Spring Senior Exit Checklist

  Counselors will write their names and contact information if they are going to available during the summer. They can also share information about the Summer Transition Hubs throughout the district.

  

  Download Spring Senior Exit Checklist

• Counselor Resource A: Common Scenarios and Suggested Actions to Prevent Summer Melt

  Checklist for students with more detailed information on steps students should take for a successful transition to college.

  

  Download Common Scenarios and Suggested Actions to Prevent Summer Melt

• Counselor Resource B:Contacts to Support the Prevention of Summer Melt

  Contact information for colleges and universities that are frequently accessed to support student transition to college or university.

  

  Download Contacts to Support the Prevention of Summer Melt

• Counselor Resource C: Intake Worksheet for Assessing Students

  

  Download Intake Worksheet

• Counselor Resource D: Extra Support and Resources for Speciality Transition Topics

  Detailed information on supporting students with financial aid and college enrollment and milestones. Contains links for additional resources divided by topic.

  FINANCIAL AID

  Financial aid award letters and tuition bills may be difficult to interpret. Award letters include the following components: the costs of attendance (COA); the amount offered by the college in grants, scholarships, federal work study, and federal loans; the expected family contribution (the difference between the COA and the amount of aid offered); and the remaining amount that would need to be financed through other sources (e.g., savings, external grants and scholarships, part-time jobs, or other loans).

  Tuition bills are generally sent during the summer before college, although precise timing varies by institution. Some colleges will send the tuition bill electronically to students’ campus email addresses; others will send by mail.

  Students often don’t understand the difference between grants and scholarships (financial aid they don’t need to pay back) and loans (aid they do need to pay back).

  Students may also not be aware of what options they have for the type of job covered by the federal work study program at their college.

  DIRECTING STUDENTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• NAVIGATING COLLEGE LOGISTICS AND MILESTONES

  From signing up for summer bridge to registering for courses, navigating college can be quite daunting for a new college student. Particularly in the summer after senior year and during their first few months of college, students may need support getting through their college’s specific administrative processes. This section provides a brief overview of some of the key steps in the college enrollment and registration process.

  DIRECTING STUDENTS TO ADDITIONAL INFORMATION