Strategy & Collaboration High School to College Pathways

​​​​​​​​High School to College Pathways

The HECC works with numerous state, campus, and community partners to foster improved and seamless pathways during the important transition years of grades 11-14 as students move from high school to college or career.

Current initiatives help high school students plan for and afford college success, best prepare academically for college coursework, access quality college credit while in high school, and benefit from academic alignment so they enter college ready to succeed. In addition to the res​ources below, find out about financial aid investments and initiatives, additional equity initiatives, Oregon's GED high school equivalency program, and transfer student initiatives​.

PARTNER UPDATE: ODE Releases Community-Informed Recommendations for Equitable Graduation Outcomes (SB 744 Report)

The Oregon Department of Education (ODE) announced in a September 1, 2022 press release a report to the Oregon Legislature and State Board of Education focused on community-informed recommendations for equitable graduation outcomes. The full final report and supporting appendices can be accessed below.

• Community-Informed Recommendations for Equitable Graduation Outcomes: Senate Bill 744 Report 
  

The report developed in response to legislative request contains a summary of the department’s engagement process and feedback, a review of current Oregon diploma require​ments, a review of graduation data and essential skills, a scan of nationwide diploma requirements and trends, and determinations and recommendations to inform future graduation policy decisions. Input from postsecondary education partners is represented in Appendix F: Postsecondary Input on Requirements for the Oregon High School Diploma, summarizing the results of the HECC survey of postsecondary education partners conducted in spring 2022. The report also includes an analysis of student outcomes in Appendix H, Postsecondary Outcomes of Oregon’s Recent High School Graduates.

College Outreach, Partnership, and Mentoring

The HECC leads mentoring, outreach, and financial aid programs and convenes partners to prepare students for access and success in college and career.

• ASPI​RE: The ASPIRE mentoring program assists students in high school to get on track for postsecondary education success. ASPIRE provides participating schools and community-based organizations with volunteer recruitment and training materials, and assistance to build a community-based mentoring program.
  
• The HECC Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC) administers numerous student financial aid programs for the state of Oregon. To help individuals better understand their financial aid options, OSAC provides in-person financial aid presentations, webinars, mentoring, publications and other resources. 
• FAFSA+​: OSAC works to increase FAFSA completion rates by providing schools with the data and resources needed to target outreach efforts and support students in this process.
  

Academic Pathways and Alignment

The HECC works to promote and coordinate student pathways and academic alignment from high school to college, including coursework and academic assessment.

• Career and Technical Education (CTE) ​programs and opportunities in Oregon link high schools and community colleges to labor market demand and provide students of all ages with technical, academic, and job skills needed for success.​
• College Course Placement: Learn about course placement at Oregon public colleges and universities, including how assessment through Smarter Balanced testing can help students in college.
  
• Career Pathw​ays at Oregon community colleges offer a series of connected education and training programs and student support services to help secure a job or advance in a demand industry or occupation.
  

Recent Legislation to Improve High School to College Pathways

The Oregon Legislature has entrusted the HECC with research and analysis on numerous higher education policy questions related to improving student pathways from high school to college. For more information, you may view HECC reports to the Legislature and information on the results of recent Legislative Sessions.​​​
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For More Information

• Plan and Pay for College​
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• Commission Meeting Information
  
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