Description

Project Access, funded by the Office of Special Education in 1996, is a model demonstration transition project located on the campus of Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland. The primary purpose of this project is to improve the delivery and outcomes of postsecondary education for individuals with disabilities. Project Access has three goals, each of which is accomplished through a different set of activities. The first goal, improvement of each student’s potential for successful postsecondary experiences, is achieved through the Summer Institute; social events on the Howard Community College campus; an annual college fair for students with disabilities; and in-service training for Howard County Public School counselors and special educators. The second goal, the accommodation of diverse learning styles in a range of academic settings, is accomplished through provision of staff development and ongoing support and consultation to college faculty, staff, and students; a study skills course developed in accordance with the unique learning styles of students with disabilities; and additional educational assessments. The third goal, the transfer of student accommodations to the employment setting, is achieved through development of an assistive technology lab to train students and area employers in the provision of reasonable accommodations through computer technology, and through the provision of enhanced career counseling and job placement services. Seven culturally diverse Peer Mentors/Tutors, a carefully selected group of college students with disabilities who have at least a 2.5 GPA, are available year-round to provide mentoring and tutoring to Project Access participants.

According to the guidelines set forth in the grant, all students who participate in Project Access must have a disability documented by an IEP or a Section 504 plan. Additionally, all students should be referred by a teacher or guidance counselor at their respective high schools as having the requisite academic potential and motivation to attend college. The nature of the student’s disability and/or the accommodations that he/she receives are not limiting factors in the student’s acceptance into the project. Project Access is funded to accommodate 50 new students each year, so that 150 students will be served during its three-year funding cycle. Students may be completing the ninth, 10th, 11th, or 12th grades when they enter the Summer Institute.

The Project Access Summer Institute provides instruction to participants in every academic area that would facilitate their success on a postsecondary level. Students receive intensive instruction in writing, reading, mathematics, study skills, college survival skills (improved understanding of disability, self-identification skills, definition of "reasonable accommodation," availability of reasonable accommodations, self-advocacy skills, learning to self-monitor progress after receiving reasonable accommodations), use of the Internet for academic purposes, preparation of written work for publication, career development (self-determination skills, development of realistic and achievable goals), and public speaking. Students tour four postsecondary settings to enhance their knowledge of their options after high school.

Project Access demonstrates its success as a transition model by producing outcomes that are in accordance with those set forth in the grant. As of March 1998, the overall percentage of Project Access high school graduates currently attending college was 79%, 82% of the high school students in the project had achieved a GPA of 2.0 or better, 80% of the college freshman students who received tutoring and who remained in the course successfully completed their courses with a grade of C or better, and of the 15 students who attended the Summer Institute and started college in the fall of 1997, all were still attending.

 Evidence of Success

• 19 participants of the 1997 Project Access Summer Institute had just graduated from high school; 15 of these students continued on to college after attending the Summer Institute. The overall proportion of Project Access high school graduates currently attending college is 79%.
• 23 out of 38 students who attending the Summer Institute received a minimum of a "C" in each course. The overall proportion of Project Access high school graduates who received a minimum of a "C" in each course was 61%.
• 31 out of 38 high school students in the Project Access program achieved a GPA of 2.0 or better. The overall proportion of Project Access high school students was 82%.

• Of the college freshman students in the Project Access program who remained in their college courses, 80% completed their courses with a grade of "C" or better. Therefore, grades of "C" or better were achieved by 43 of 54 courses taken by the 12 students attending Howard Community College.
• 100% of the 15 students who attending the Project Access Summer Institute and started college in the fall of 1997 are still attending college.
• 100% of the participants found the faculty development workshops to be beneficial.
• 100% of Project Access students received a battery of assessments to provide better information regarding learning styles, more effective learning strategies, and appropriate accommodations.

• 100% of the 19 students who participated in the Summer Institute during the summer after their senior year completed a series of assessments and received comprehensive career counseling. Fifteen of these students worked with a counselor to complete an accommodations plan that would be effective either at the post-secondary level or in the workplace.
• 100% of the employers who attended the ADA/workplace accommodation workshop indicated on the workshop evaluation that it enhanced their understanding of the ADA and its implications.

Academic Progress Assessment:

• 75%, or 9 of the 12 college freshman currently attending Howard Community College, received a GPA of 2.0 or better.
• 100% of the students receiving failing mid-term grades were contacted and counseled by the Project Access counselor. Several met with the counselor on more than one occasion, and all were counseled to increase the academic support services they were receiving.
• 94% of the students rated the College Fair as being successful and helpful.
• Of the students being tutored during the academic year, 100% indicated that the tutoring helped them to success in their classes.
• 100% of the tutors were evaluated as satisfactory or above.
• 85% of the students agreed or strongly agreed that they had benefited by participating in the program; 6% of the students were neutral about their experience; and 9% were not satisfied. The program achieved the stated goal of 85% satisfaction.

 Success Story

"Student Success Story" by Alison Brown

When I turned four, my mother requested that I be tested by the school system for a learning disability because I was writing words from right to left, last letter to first letter. I had taught myself some sight words, and I could spell any word that I could read. However, the school personnel saw no reason to test me. When I was five, my mother had me tested for the purpose of skipping kindergarten, so that I would not be totally bored with school as my older sister was. Although I was reading on a 1/2 level, I was not allowed to skip. In kindergarten, I was labeled "gifted and talented" based on an IQ test. By October of first grade, I was failing everything, but I was still not tested for a learning disability. In desperation, my mother withdrew me from public school to home school me.

In second grade we moved to another state and I again enrolled in public school. I was kept in from all recesses to finish paperwork that I just could not do. The teacher told my mother that I did not even know the short vowel sound that I had known when I was four, so she withdrew me again and home schooled me.

Home schooling was tedious because my mother had no expertise in learning disabilities, but through many different approaches she taught me standard schoolwork, and I learned life skills through hands-on activities and experiences. In seventh grade, I went to a small private school, but it also provided no individualized help. In eighth grade, I returned to public school where my mother requested that I be tested for a learning disability. The school system refused to test me because I was not failing any subjects, thanks to my mother’s tutoring, and I was not a discipline problem. In ninth grade, I went to high school and was tracked in the slow classes. In 10th grade, I went out-of-district to an alternative public high school, where finally a guidance counselor took some interest in my case. She could tell from privately obtained test scores that I should be achieving at a much higher level, and advised my mother about additional private testing. In 11th grade, the public school system finally recognized the private test results, labeled me as learning disabled, and I finally got an IEP. By this time, I had learned many coping and compensating skills. However, with my accommodations, I was able for the first time to earn As and Bs in school. Unfortunately, this came too late to bring my GPA up sufficiently to qualify for any college scholarships.

In 12th grade, I learned about Project Access and attended the summer after I graduated. I eased my transition into Howard Community College, where I had been accepted into the Rouse Scholars Program. Through Project Access, I became acquainted with the technology, programs, and tutoring that would be available to assist me in succeeding as a student. The Summer Institute acquainted me with the college campus and facilities, thus eliminating the anxiety of the huge step of going to college. The most valuable part of the program was the one-on-one mentoring of Donzella Curtis, who gave me specific strategies for learning from books and lectures.

Armed with the knowledge and preparation of Project Access, I became self-confident about this next stage in my life. After three semesters of 17 to 20 credits each, my GPA is higher than it ever was in high school, and I am looking forward to graduating in May. I believe that my success is due in large part to Donzella and to the Project Access Summer Institute.

 Products

Project Access Summer Institute: Creative Written Expressions • Student authors under direction of Kristen Richey • 1997, 1998 • Free

Back to 1999 Directory Home Page

Back to TRI Home Page