Importance of Wrap-Around Support Services
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Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 3114] What's needed to make integrated models work?
From: Jackie A. Taylor jackie at jataylor.net
Date: Thu Feb 26 13:32:45 EST 2009
Hello Everyone,
So far I've heard that funding, strong support at the state level,
champions, and professional development are all important to make
integrated teaching models like I-BEST work. What else is key? For
example, Sandy Goodman mentioned gearing up counseling services for
career planning with the Transition to College and Careers model at the
New England Literacy Resource Center.
How important are support services? What kinds of support services does
your program need and what does this look like in practice?
What have you found necessary to make integrated models like I-BEST
work?
Jackie
Jackie Taylor, jackie at jataylor.net
Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 3118] Re: importance of wrap around support services
From: Ward, Kim kward at tacomacc.edu
Date: Thu Feb 26 19:37:18 EST 2009
Hi Jackie, thanks for another great question. Wrap-around support
services have been key to making this work on our campus. It doesn't
matter how transparent we try to make our processes on campus, our basic
skills students still struggle when it comes to navigating the systems.
We fund a half time student support specialist who dedicates 20 hours
per week to providing comprehensive wrap around services for I-BEST or
potential I-BEST students and honestly, 20 hours a week isn't enough.
This position works with students from intake through completion of
I-BEST and beyond. I've heard the term "intrusive advising" used before
and this is how I look at what this position provides. Our student
support specialist is the single point of contact for all students
interested in I-BEST. She conducts a thorough intake for students
interested in the programs to determine if it's a good fit. Once
determined, she helps the student navigate systems such as financial
aid, book store purchases, assessment testing, and even educational
planning post I-BEST. She follows up with instructors throughout the
quarter to ensure students are making progress, and checks in
periodically with the students to make sure they are on track. She
helps plan quarterly student schedules and makes sure everyone gets
registered for the classes they need. She also helps connect students to
additional support services on campus and in the community as needed.
I'm sure I have left out several other important tasks but you get the
idea. Providing wrap-around support services is a work in progress for
us. We still have several other areas we would like to improve upon,
employment services for one. We are doing what we can right now with the
resources available, but I will continue to look for ways to expand this
piece.
Kim Ward
Tacoma Community College
kward at tacomacc.edu
253.566.6048
