EARLY COLLEGE ABSTRACT
Early College at Georgia College is a partnership of Baldwin County Schools, Oconee RESA and Georgia College & State University. The EC is a 7th-12th grade school located on the GCSU campus. It will enroll cohorts of 50 students each year beginning Fall 2006 until it reaches 300 students. EC will provide a unique educational experience and prepare students to complete high school with 60 hours of college credit and Hope Scholarship eligibility to finance the rest of their college education or post-secondary study.
The students enrolled in EC will be drawn from Baldwin County's Oak Hill Middle School. In addition, Putnam Middle School students will also be eligible for up to 15 of the 50 cohort spaces. Putnam students will be enrolled through Oconee RESA. The students eligible for EC will be those who would be first generation college students, those who are capable but have risk factors associated with dropping out. Students and parents will be required to sign a contract detailing mutual expectations.
EC students will be in accelerated, standard-based projects based upon the work of Henry Levin. The University Park Campus School will be a major model and source of best practices. EC students will be integrated into the GC&SU campus through a series of formal and informal activities and relationships. EC students will have a "Bobcat ID" to provide access to the library, computer labs and recreational facilities. In 7th and 8th grade, students will use the resources under the supervision of a teacher or mentor. Beginning in 9th grade, EC students will have opportunities to use the resources independently. Beginning with Freshman Convocation, EC students will be oriented and included in college events and traditions. Advisories and seminars will support students in making the transition, keeping up their academic achievement, and entering the college world. As Georgia's public liberal arts university, Georgia College attracts students who are committed to high standards, service-learning, and leadership. The student and faculty resources available for EC are exceptional in their breadth and quality.
Governance of EC will be primarily through the EC Council made up of all stakeholders and including the Superintendent of Baldwin County, the Director of Oconee RESA, and the Deans of Liberal Arts and Sciences and Education as well as the EC Director, parents and community members. The EC will model best practices in standards-based instruction, differentiated curriculum based upon individual student assessments and analysis of student work, performance assessment, and data-based program assessment.
EC faculty will be carefully chosen for their commitment, professionalism and intellectual approach to teaching and learning. The EC will model distributed leadership and draw heavily on partner resources. Mentor teachers will "loop" with their students for two years. EC will create a supportive, challenging learning community for students, EC faculty, university EC instructors, mentors, tutors and education candidates. EC will change lives and provide a model for increasing graduation and college going rates for students in Georgia.