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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Ezzell

DATE TYPED 3/8/05

HB HM33/aHEC

SHORT TITLE Study Early College High School Initiative

SB

ANALYST Woods

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

New Mexico Public Education Department (PED)

No Responses Received From

New Mexico Commission on Higher Education (CHE)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of HEC Amendment

House Education Committee amendment to HM33 amends the legislation as follows:

On page 3, line 10: delete “2005" and insert “2006" in lieu thereof.

House Education Committee amendment to HB747 attaches no appropriation to the legislation.

Original Synopsis of Bill

House Memorial 33 requests that Eastern New Mexico University at Roswell and the Hagerman

School District study the feasibility and effectiveness of an Early College High School Initiative;

develop a survey of staff, students, parents and community members to gauge expectations, satis-

faction and local needs; monitor curricula to ensure high academic standards, alignment and ef-

fectiveness of instruction; and evaluate current curricula to ensure adequate preparation of mid-

House Memorial 33/aHEC -- Page 2

dle and high school students for participation in an Early College High School Initiative. Spe-

cifically, the memorial observes that:

•

education beyond high school is now more critical than ever before and only

ten percent of Hispanic students complete a bachelor's degree;

•

first generation college students are nearly twice as likely not to complete

college as those students with college-educated parents, and lower-income

students are seven times more likely not to complete a bachelor's degree than

upper-income students;

•

students are not academically prepared for college, as evidenced by the

growing number of students enrolled in noncredit, remedial courses offered

by state colleges and universities;

•

the best predictors of college completion are not a student’s grades or SAT

scores, but the difficulty of the high school courses a student is required to

complete;

•

in the transition from high school to college, there is a need to emphasize

academic preparedness rather than credit-hours alone;

•

the need exists to allow students to earn an associate's degree or two years of

college credit toward a bachelor's degree and a high school diploma simulta-

neously;

•

high school faculty can act as advisors to assist students in completing an

academic plan and can monitor their progress to help them overcome barri-

ers to success;

•

experiencing the rigor, depth and intensity of college-level work during high

school can help underachieving, average and outstanding students build con-

fidence in their ability to succeed in college; and

•

this initiative could develop a unique vision and learning environment that

could dramatically increase the possibility that our most needy students can

truly meet the mandates of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

The memorial additionally requests that the results of this study be presented to the Legislative

Education Study Committee by September, 2005.

Significant Issues

PED indicates that the Internet web site for the Early College High School Initiative describes

“Early College High Schools” as small schools where students can earn a high school diploma

and an associate’s degree or two years of college credit towards a bachelor’s degree.

1

Students

start college work based on performance and all students prepare to complete a bachelor’s de-

1

http://www.earlycolleges.org/

House Memorial 33/aHEC -- Page 3

gree. As of 2004, there were 46 “Early College High Schools” open in 19 states with over 8,000

students enrolled. All have connections with either two-year or four-year postsecondary institu-

tions and seven states have statewide early college initiatives. The web site emphasizes the value

of this program for minority students and its efforts to decrease the gap between high school exit

standards and the preparation needed to succeed in college courses. The Early College High

School Initiative is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in partnership with the

Carnegie, Ford and Kellogg Foundations.

PED adds that The Early College High School Initiative focuses on young people for whom a

smooth transition into postsecondary education is problematic. They include students who lack

the academic preparation needed to meet high school standards, students for whom the cost of

college is prohibitive, students who are English language learners and young people who must

balance school, work and family obligations. As an alternative to traditional high school educa-

tion, “Early College High Schools” combine high school and college. They offer young people a

new kind of learning institution that:

•

inspires students to stretch themselves intellectually, making it more likely

that young people graduate high school and gain a postsecondary credential;

•

enables high school seniors to focus on their studies in high school rather

than get tangled in the maze of college and financial-aid applications;

•

saves tuition dollars for students and their families, making college more af-

fordable; and

•

offers a path to college that includes substantive guidance and coaching from

adults through the first two years of postsecondary education.

In New Mexico, the Albuquerque Technical-Vocational Institute has indicated its intent to open

an “Early College High School” in partnership with the Albuquerque Public Schools Career En-

richment Center in the fall of 2005.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

PED suggests that the department’s performance measures include a Middle College Dropout

Prevention Program as one of its education reform initiatives. The Middle College Program has

many similarities to the Early College Program and the results of the proposed study may pro-

vide valuable information for the improvement of related PED programs.

BFW/yr