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ABE-to-College Transition Program
Sumner Adult Education
RR 1, Box 42
East Sullivan, ME 04605
Tel: (207) 422-3889
Marty Duncan, Instructor
Email: Martyd@gwi.net
Sumner Adult Education has been a pioneer in the development of the ABE-to-College
Transition Program. Prior to receiving a grant from the Nellie Mae Education
Foundation (NMEF), Sumner provided a college transition course for adult
learners., Funding from the NMEF since 2000 enabled Sumner to expand their
program and develop a model that has been replicated by many of the programs
that participate in the ABE-to-College Transition Cluster.
The factors that make this program successful in helping adults transition
to and persists in college are:
- Strong administrative support for the program
- Collaboration with the University of Maine at Ellsworth that has developed
into a partnership that is mutually beneficial for both the University
and the Sumner Adult Education
- Collaboration with the Maine Educational Opportunity Council; the
program counselor is also a counselor for the MEOC
- Creative curriculum and instruction
- Teamwork and stability; the program instructor and counselor have
worked as a team coordinating the program for several years
- On-going evaluation and program development
Administration
Roger Woodworth, the Director of Sumner Adult Education has provided the
program strong support. He developed a partnership with the University
of Maine at Ellsworth that allows Sumner to run the college transition
program at the University of Maine satellite site in Ellsworth. The university
accepts the Sumner ABE-to-College program as a part of the continuum of
services it offers to adult learners. The students who attend the Sumner
ABE-to-College Transition program are already a part of the college culture.
This directly and positively impacts the student retention, the rate of
completion of the program and long-term persistence in college.
Curriculum and Instruction
The program's coordinator and instructor is Martha Duncan. She has worked
on developing and revising the curriculum for the ABE-to-College Transition
Program since the program's inception. She is a creative, talented and
dedicated teacher with extensive teaching experience in both Adult Basic
Education and at the college level. In addition to being the instructor
for the ABE-to-College Transition program, she teaches an introductory
college level writing course at the University. She knows the entrance
requirements of the University, and her core curriculum reflects those
requirements. The students are prepared to enter college level courses
rather than spend time in developmental, non-credit bearing courses.
Counseling
The program counselor, Sally Daniels, also works for the Maine Opportunity
Council (MEOC). The goal of the MEOC is to help adults enter and persist
in college. Sally is expert in the field of financial aid. She knows the
University of Maine system and the range of programs offered. All of the
students in the ABE-to-College Transition program apply to the University
of Maine and file their financial aid forms during the first three weeks
of the course. All of the students that complete the transition course
enter either the University of Maine or another post-secondary institution.
Sally has developed an exemplary mentoring program that supports the transition
program graduates in their first college semester. She maintains contact
with the transition course graduates throughout their college tenure.
Evaluation
The Sumner Adult Education ABE-to-College Transition program has a rigorous
evaluation process that involves students on an ongoing basis. They get
formal feedback on curriculum, instruction, counseling, and mentoring.
This evaluation is used for program development.
Collaborating Colleges:
University of Maine, Ellsworth Center
http://www.maine.edu/ellsworth
Eastern Maine Community College
http://www.emcc.edu
Read an article about the program
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