ECC offers early start to freshmen who need help

Aiming to give incoming students a better chance at success, Elgin Community College's Alliance for College Readiness will launch a pilot summer bridge program July 15.

Up to 45 recent high school graduates who qualify for remedial college classes in English, math, or reading can participate in the free program, funded by a grant from the Illinois Community College Board.

Students enroll in two classes - a one-credit "College 101" class that prepares students for the rigors of college life, and a noncredit reading or math class, depending on which subject they need the most help in, said Alison Douglas, director of the Alliance.

Participants do not have to be ECC students, Douglas said.

Each class is team taught by an instructor from an area high school, an ECC faculty member and a reading specialist.

At the end of the three-week program, students will retake placement tests in their chosen subject, Douglas said.

By scoring better on the placement tests, incoming ECC students could pass out of remedial courses.

"If they're not enrolling at ECC, we're hoping this program will still give them the skills to go to University of Iowa, NIU, etc., and retake their placement tests - doing better than they would have done without the course," Douglas said.

Alliance members hope that collaborative teaching method will help high school and college instructors to more readily identify skill gaps, said Polly Nash, ECC's director of school partnerships.

The Alliance for College Readiness was formed in 2006 by a group of Elgin Area Educators, seeking to redefine exactly what "college ready" means.

The bridge program is the second Alliance program to involve area students.

This spring, the Alliance invited 120 area high school freshman to ECC. These students were identified as being possibly college-bound. The alliance plans to invite the students back to participate in a number of events as they progress through high school.

As of Monday, eight students had been accepted into the bridge program, Nash said. Officials now are reviewing the paperwork of several more, she said.

Students are being accepted through Monday for the three-week pilot program, which begins with an orientation session July 14 at the ECC's main campus, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Classes begin July 15 and are held from 9 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. each Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

For more information about the program or to register, contact Wendy Chen at (847) 214-7379.