Embedded Files
The foundational work of the Student Collaboration Group addressed the 6-year Breakthrough program model from rising 7th through 12th grades. This work led to the creation of the initial student standards.
In 2022, we began the process of expanding upon this work by building additional standards for postsecondary success work. The College Success Pilot project group worked to develop these standards that were released in draft form in fall 2024.
Each standard includes specific 'quality indicators' which map to that specific standard.
The document above outlines Breakthrough Collaborative's Postsecondary Success Student Standards. These standards were developed by a group of affiliate staff and National Office staff, led by a National Office staff member and funded by the ECMC and Jack Kent Cooke Foundations. This group was called the "College Success Pilot Project work group."
The color-coding represents the National Office's ordering of the student standards into tiers. All standards matter, but we know it's not reasonable/feasible to focus on everything at once. Just like we think of bite-sized, actionable growth for our Teaching Fellows and students, that's how we want to think about and support progress toward standards. To that end, we've come up with a system of prioritization. This prioritization system will also help the National Office to tackle areas of growth/need in terms of resources. Think of the tiers like an "order of operations" for affiliates & the National Office - we want to solve the whole problem, but we need a place to start! In some cases, the National Office made choices based on need, but in many cases, there's an if/then logic to the standards, so a priority order was clear.
Postsecondary Success Standards Project Timeline
Planning Phase
Create Postsecondary Success (PSS) Standards project plan
Solicit input from NO colleagues and AC on standards and project plan
Prepare for National Conference (NC) session
Socialization/ Initial Stakeholder Input
Present standards/plan at National Conference
Prepare for individual feedback from affiliates (1:1 calls, Spring Training)
Present and gather affiliate input at Spring Training
Input Review and Survey Prep
Review feedback from Initial Stakeholder Input phase
Draft Collaborative Standards Assessment (CSA) Questions/Benchmarks and Resources for pilot year
Prepare resources for pilot Postsecondary Success CSA administration
Affiliate-specific Input, Standard Finalization and Pilot Survey Administration
Hold 1:1 calls with each affiliate
Administer Postsecondary Success CSA questions
Incorporate input and finalize PSS standards at National Conference
Survey Data Analysis
Analyze PSS CSA question responses and share data
Identify 1-2 resource needs based on PSS CSA data
Iteration and Resourcing
Create 1-2 new postsecondary success resources based on the needs identified in the 2025 CSA data
Reflect on pilot PSS CSA process and iterate for Collaborative-wide administration
Postsecondary Success Standards Project: Key Resources
PSS Collab Standards FAQ DocPostsecondary Success Collaborative Standards Project FAQ
Slides_Zooming in on the Strategic Plan: Collaborative Standards for Postsecondary Success.pdf2024 National Conference Session Slides:
"Zooming in on the Strategic Plan: Collaborative Standards for Postsecondary Success"
2024 Breakthrough Virtual Spring Training: "Breakthrough's College Success Pilot:
Building the Foundation for Post-secondary Success across the Collaborative" Recording (Passcode: 7gR=pL4S)
Supporting Students Through College Literature Review (Nov 4 2022).pdfSupporting Students Through College Literature Review
Breakthrough College Success Toolkit Version 1_Updated 10.5.23College Success Toolkit
College Success Pilot Affiliate ProfilesProfiles of Affiliate College Success Programs
Breakthrough Collaborative College Success Pilot Project Contributors:
College Success Pilot Project Group Members:
Sam Geary, College Access and Success Manager at Breakthrough's National Office
Amee Naik, former Managing Director of Programs at Breakthrough Greater Boston
Diane Gomes, Senior Director of College Success at Breakthrough Greater Boston
Jesenia Gervacio, Senior Director of High School Programs at Breakthrough Greater Boston
Andrea Guengerich-Harper, Chief Program Strategy Office for Breakthrough Central Texas
Mayra Ortuño, College Completion Program Manager at Breakthrough Houston
Beth Onofry, former Executive Director of Breakthrough New York
Olivia Nuñez, former Chief Program Officer at Breakthrough New York
Shane Brent-Maldonado, former Director of Persistence Programs at Breakthrough San Francisco
Paola Bustos, Director of High School & Postsecondary Programs at Breakthrough San Francisco
Elizabeth Eusebio, former Executive Director at Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano
George Mailat, former Director of College Access and Completion at Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano
Luciana Benzan, former Director of College Access and Completion at Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano
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