Priority 3 Remove Barriers to Postsecondary Access, Attainment The U.S. Department of Education has identified a number of significant factors associated with barriers to postsecondary access and completion, including: • The U.S. Department of Education has identified a number of significant factors associated with barriers to postsecondary access and completion, including:
The convening participants articulated a broad vision that aligns with many established College Promise programs nationwide, but added to this vision by calling for a system that enables short-term and stackable credentials in a highly coordinated and intentional system of delivery that centers around the student experience while minimizing bureaucratic hurdles. They also envisioned a comprehensive support system for high school students and adult learners seeking to enter or re-enter postsecondary educational systems. In addition, they advocated for much more transparent, coordinated, and student- centered programs, services, resources, and policies, such as:
• Delayed college enrollment • No high school diploma • Part-time college enrollment • Financially independence
• Caring for dependents • Single parent status • Full-time work while in college
Low-income and first-generation statuses are often embedded in each of these non- completion factors, and sometimes stand alone as singular factors that drive non- completion among adults who may aspire to complete a postsecondary credential. Applying to postsecondary educational institutions, and state and federal aid systems, creates an additional barrier and acts as a set of interrelated barriers that inhibit access, retention, and completion, particularly among individuals with limited to no social capital or support system. Washington ranks 48th in the nation of the immediate college-going rate of high school graduates, and many adult learners face geographic access barriers that prevent them from pursuing postsecondary credentials. In addition to these barriers are: • Considerations related to the scale and availability of hybrid or online programs • Flexibility to pursue stackable short-term credentials • Alignment with student interests and regional economic and workforce needs
• Coordinated College in the High School offerings • A centralized, statewide credential tracking system
• Statewide standards for, and scaling stackable micro- and short-term credentials • A statewide system for prior learning assessment and competency-based educational frameworks Competency-based educational frameworks also incentivize post-traditional learner access and attainment by building a closer alignment between the pace of their educational experience, the skills that an individual may have already developed through work or other activities, and vocational interests and goals. Suggestions include: • Incentivize and invest in innovative industry, higher education, and community partnerships that lead to access and learner success • Provide comprehensive and multilingual student and family support systems on a coordinated statewide scale
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