The Route to Community

College

Sandra Hamilton SlaneShasta College

Redding, CA

Gifted and Talentedby Krista Lukas

For my teaching license, I am requiredto take a class called "Mainstreaming,"in which we learn about every kindof kid who could walk or be wheeledthrough our future classroom doors.

Not the blind, the deaf, and the handicapped,but students with blindness, deafness, developmental delays,autism, moderate to severelearning disabilities, hyperactivity,attention deficit, oppositional defiancedisorder, and so on.

The instructor, an elementaryprincipal by day, who outlineseach chapter and reads to usthese outlines each Wednesdayfrom six to nine, devotesone hour one night to the subjectof students withgifts and talents, who might alsocome through our future.

Regarding special programsfor such students, one teacher-candidate asks,"Do you have to be gifted to teach them?""No." The principal-instructorshakes her head, as ifsuch a thing would be impossible."Not many gifted people go into education.“

"Gifted and Talented" by Krista Lukas, from Fans of My Unconscious. © The Black Rock Press, 2013. Reprinted with permission.

GPS –

GUIDE TO POST-SECONDARY SETTINGS

I. Differences between High School and Post-Secondary settings

II. General community college elementsIII. Differences between community collegesIV. New RegulationsV. Student readiness

I. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL AND POST-SECONDARY

Laws and regulations

High School - IDEA

• to ensure a free and appropriate education services

• Provides individual supplemental educational services and supports

Post-secondarySection 504 / ADA

• civil rights law which protects the rights of individuals with disabilities

• eliminate barriers that would prevent the student from participating

IDEA Section 504 / ADA

College Standards• Student Responsibility - The student has the

responsibility for anticipating, requesting, and monitoring their accommodations and academic adjustments.

• Grading / course modifications - There are no provisions under Section 504 or the ADA for differential grading or modifying the fundamental requirements of a class or program.

• Personal services - Attendant care for eating, toileting, monitoring personal behavior or safety. Attendant care services are the responsibility of the student, the family, or a sponsoring agency.

College Standards, cont.• Transportation - Student's responsibility to get to and

from the college. Some colleges have transportation services, others rely on public transportation. – Campus shuttles – not all colleges have these, but if

they do, they must be accessible• Fees - Students are responsible for all college unit

fees, service fees, purchase of textbooks, and associated costs of attending college. – Financial aid is available for eligible students and fee

waivers may be available for qualifying individuals. These are based on income levels and other eligibility criteria, not necessarily qualified due to a disability.

College Standards, cont.• Use of IEP - Adjustments, accommodations, and

provisions outlined on a high school IEP may not automatically transfer to college.

• A college education is not an entitlement or a right. All students enrolling in a class must be otherwise qualified for that specific class or program and meet all of the academic prerequisites for enrollment.

College Standards, cont.• Confidentiality - The College will NOT disclose

student information about a student to parents, a spouse, an agency or others without the student's prior written consent. There are no exceptions.

• Documentation - A student needs to know how to acquire documentation of their disability. Generally, documentation cannot be older than three years. Verification is provided by a qualified professional.

College Standards, cont.• Continued attendance in college depends upon an acceptable

grade point average (GPA) and the successful completion of classes (progress). A college student needs to develop or acquire good study skills and the knowledge of how to budget time for study.

• Students are responsible for talking with their college instructors about their specific accommodations that will be used in a course. DSPS can facilitate this communication, but the student is responsible for making initial contact with each instructor.

• All students, including students with disabilities, are expected to adhere to the college code of conduct for personal behavior. See a current college catalog, Student Conduct section.

II. GENERAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE ELEMENTS

Responsibility for compliance

• Instititutional – not DSPS• Accommodations are individualized

– Case-by-case basis• The critical requirement is that, as a result of

the interactive process, disability related accommodations are provided to students in order to provide equal access to the educational process and to eliminate discrimination. Galvin-Group website

Categories of Disability – 5.1% of Community College Students

1. Hearing Impaired2. Acquired Brain Injury3. Learning Disabled4. Visually impaired5. Mobility Impaired6. Developmentally Delayed Learner7. Speech/Language Impaired8. Psychological Disability9. Other Disabilities

Distribution of disabilities

3.94% 6.66%3.92%

16.15%

10.93%38.83%

16.54%0.68% 2.33%

Acquired Brain Injury

Developmentally Delayed Learner

Hearing Impaired

Learning Disabled

Mobility Impaired

Other Disability

Psychological Disability

Speech/Language Impaired

Visually Impaired

Components of Disability Services

• Application / Intake• Disability-related advising and counseling• Accommodations – completed each semester

for each class• Assistive Technology – High Tech Centers

Verification of Disability

• Provide current written verification from an appropriate professional that:– names the disability– identifies educational limitations that the

disability causes– identifies reasonable accommodations

III. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Names of programs

• DSPS • Access Center• Disability Resource Center• Special Programs and Services

for the Disabled• Disability Support Services

LD Services

• Approximately 80% of colleges offer LD assessment– Individual– Group / classes

DSPS Counseling

• Intake / eligibility• Accommodations• Educational Planning• Career assessments• Skills training

– Managing symptoms– Self-advocacy

SPECIAL

CLASSES

• Disability related– Specific skills courses based on type of

disability• Skills related

– Self-advocacy– Managing disability

• Basic remediation– Math– English

• College Success

Ten Community Colleges

18%

13%

3%

15%10%

29%

7%5%

Computer

Career

College Success

Reading/Writing

Independent Living Skills

Learning Skills

Math

Other

Tutoring / academic support

• Not a required accommodation• Specialized tutoring through DSPS• General tutoring in learning centers

– Must be available to students with disabilities

Specialized educational programs• Transition Certificate – Shasta College• Mains’l College Plus – Shasta and Butte Colleges• Transition to Independent Living – Taft College• College 2 Career

– College of Alameda– Sacramento City College– San Diego County Community College District– Santa Rosa Jr. College– North Orange County Community College District

Other services

• Transportation / shuttle• Priority Registration – some are universal,

others are given as an accommodation only

IV. STUDENT SUCCESS AND SUPPORT PROGRAM (STUDENT SUCCESS ACT IMPLEMENTATION)

Course repeatabilityMandatory matriculation stepsEnrollment PrioritiesSatisfactory Academic ProgressNo Pell Grant without diploma or GED

Course Repeatability

• Students can only enroll in a course 3 times– Includes W and F grades– Must petition to enroll more than 3 times

• Petition can be based on disability accommodation

• Financial Aid will only fund 2 enrollments

Enrollment Priorities

• All new students must complete all steps of enrollment to maintain enrollment priority

• Students in DSPS can still register under “priority registration”

• Students with unsuccessful progress or GPA for 2 semesters, and students over 100 units will lose registration priority, regardless of disability status– May appeal this loss

Mandatory matriculation steps

– Application– Assessment– Orientation– Abbreviated educational plan

Financial Aid

• Satisfactory Academic Progress1. Quantitative – complete goal within 150% of units2. Pace – complete 67% of units enrolled in each

semester3. GPA – maintain a 2.0 GPA

• Will receive warning• May appeal – most campuses allow only 1

appeal

Financial Aid, cont.

• Educational goal - must state a program of study – cannot be undecided.

Financial Aid, cont.

• Educational goal - must state a program of study – cannot be undecided.

• HS diploma or GED required for Pell Grant

V. Recommended Readiness CriteriaSaddleback College

• Potential to benefit from instruction in a group setting

• Ability to do simple work independently with some cues/assistance

• Ability to follow directions and to attend to learning tasks for a reasonable period of time.

• Adequate attention span to profit from an hour of continuous instruction in a setting with distractions.

• Sufficient language comprehension skills to benefit from the educational program.

Recommended Readiness Criteriacont.

• Ability to perform meaningful classroom activities, using some form of both receptive and expressive language

• Behavior and emotional responses which are usually appropriate to the situation

• Sufficient independent living skills to allow independent on-campus functioning, unless routinely accompanied by a personal assistant to perform necessary ADL functions.

• www.galvin-group.com• www.cccco.edu