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Sharing Practices

Featured from the 2026 INCEP Convening

Featured Practice

Brie Dillman | IU Indianapolis

ElevateEd is a student-centered initiative working to make college credit information more transparent and actionable for Indiana students and families. This work builds directly on what INCEP has helped move forward through its support of CELL's state transfer tools and related policy work. But transferability and applicability are not the same thing, and that distinction rarely gets enough attention at the student level. A credit can transfer and still fail to count toward a student's intended major or reduce their time to degree in any meaningful way. Students and families are often left without the context to ask the right questions or compare their options in a way that reflects the actual opportunity cost.

ElevateEd is in the early stages of developing resources that help students move beyond "will this credit transfer?" toward "will this credit work for me?" We're focused on making that information accessible and engaging, particularly for students who are the first in their families to navigate these decisions.

At the Indiana Early College Summit, we started exploring how student voice and family-facing tools could complement the institutional and policy work INCEP members are already doing. In this roundtable, we want to hear how practitioners are currently directing students and families. Who are you sending them to? What information keeps coming up in those conversations that students and families don't have easy access to? And why is course mapping data so rarely shared upfront, when it's often the most relevant piece of information a student needs to make a real decision?

Featured Practice

Jessica Geiger| Indiana University

As dual credit opportunities continue to expand, we know that students need more than

academic preparation to succeed. They must also be ready for the increased independence and expectations that come with college-level coursework. Self- advocacy, communication with instructors, informed decision-making, and knowing when to seek help are often just as important as mastering the course content itself.

This roundtable will introduce Indiana University’s ACP Advising Toolkit, a collection of practical resources designed to support advising conversations with students and families before, during, and after enrollment in dual credit coursework. The toolkit includes counselor reference materials, student-facing resources, and family communication tools that address key topics such as college readiness, academic responsibility, help-seeking

behaviors, early intervention strategies, and the realities of earning college credit while still in high school.

Rather than focusing solely on enrollment processes or transfer credit, the toolkit is intended to help students better understand what success in a college-level course looks like and to encourage the habits and behaviors that support that success. The resources are intentionally concise, printable, and adaptable for use in individual advising meetings, classroom presentations, family outreach, and scheduling conversations. By providing

consistent messaging and actionable tools, the ACP Advising Toolkit helps counselors support informed decision-making, promote student readiness, and encourage successful participation in college-level coursework.

Resource: ACP Counselor Toolkit

Featured Practice

Rachel Meyers| Purdue University Northwest

Supporting College Readiness Through Innovative CEP Student Engagement Initiatives

This session will highlight innovative CEP student engagement and college readiness initiatives at Purdue University Northwest (PNW). The presentation will focus on strategies designed to help CEP students feel informed, connected, prepared, and confident as they begin navigating college-level expectations and planning for post-secondary success.

Participants will learn about PNW Jump Start presentations, an outreach initiative that introduces students to dual credit and key college readiness concepts. Through an interactive, game-based format, students engage with topics such as academic/financial expectations, important deadlines, college resources, the Core Transfer Library, etc. The session will explore how gamification and interactive delivery methods can increase participation and student engagement.

The presentation will also introduce PNW?s CEP Quest to Unlock College Success. This will be a newly launched pilot initiative beginning in Fall 2026. CEP Quest is designed as a student-centered engagement model that encourages participation in college readiness and exploration activities throughout the academic year. Students can earn digital badges and recognition through experiences related to academic preparedness, campus engagement, and postsecondary planning.

Because CEP Quest is currently in its pilot phase, we will talk briefly about the program? vision, design process, implementation strategies, and anticipated outcomes rather than formal assessment data.

In addition, the session will highlight PNW?s CEP Scholarship Recognition initiative, which celebrates CEP student achievement while promoting college-going momentum and strengthening school partnerships.

Attendees will leave with practical ideas for developing student engagement initiatives, incorporating gamification and recognition into college readiness programming, and supporting students as they transition from high school to higher education.

Featured Practice

Kevin Mowrer| Vincennes University

The surge in demand for the Indiana College Core (ICC) certificate has transformed the landscape of early college programming. As high school students increasingly aim to secure these 30 foundational credits before graduation, the pressure on administrative workflows and student support systems has intensified. Transitioning students into this

rigorous academic pathway requires more than just scheduling; it demands a structured, intentional onboarding process that ensures students understand the implications of the ICC, the expectations of collegiate-level work, and the importance of long-term academic planning.

In this roundtable, I will share the strategies we have developed at Vincennes University to streamline the onboarding experience. Our practice centers on a "Core-Ready" orientation framework. This model replaces traditional, passive informational sessions with an interactive, milestone-based approach. We utilize a customized digital roadmap that tracks progress, clarifies dual-credit nuances, and engages students in a goal-setting exercise

early in their journey.

I will outline how we integrate peer-led sharing into this onboarding phase to lower anxiety and clarify the expectations of the certificate program. Participants will gain actionable tools to enhance their own onboarding cycles, regardless of their institution's size. By attending this session, you will:

• Identify key intervention points during the application and pre-registration phase where students often face confusion.

• Explore methods for scaling personalized advising sessions to accommodate rising ICC demand.

• Learn how to incorporate peer-to-peer support structures that foster student ownership of their ICC completion.

• Leave with a template for a "Core-Ready" orientation checklist that can be adapted to your specific campus resources.

This roundtable is designed to be highly collaborative. I encourage participants to bring their current onboarding challenges to the table so we can crowdsource solutions and standardize effective practices across the state.

Together, we can ensure that every student pursuing the Indiana College Core starts their journey with clarity, confidence, and a clear path to completion.

Featured Practice

Dr. Cassandra Shipp| Clark Pleasant CSP

I will share year-long early college activities for students and collaboration with higher education institutions. Retention and recruitment of credentialed instructors, strengthening community understanding and support for a college-going culture, and instilling in students a consistent work ethic that frames college as an expectation rather than a distant aspiration.

The participants can gain some ideas to take back to the high school on how to collaborate with the higher institution partnered with for dual credits. As well as, the partnerships enhance curricular coherence, strengthen student advising, and provide authentic exposure to postsecondary expectations and opportunities. By intentionally bridging high school and college experiences, WCHS reduces barriers, builds confidence, and increases persistence for students pursuing college credit and credentials.

Central to this work is our shared belief that every Warrior has the capacity to grow, not because they are deficient, but because they possess untapped potential. We operate from the mindset that our response determines our outcome. This philosophy guides how staff support students through challenges, how systems respond to data, and how the school continuously improves its practices. Growth at Whiteland is not compliance-driven or deficit-based; rather, it is rooted in purpose, intention, and collective responsibility.

Through the Early College model, the high school creates the conditions for students to see

themselves as capable scholars, develop the skills necessary for postsecondary success, and pursue ambitious goals with confidence. Improvement is not framed as a mandate, but as a shared opportunity, one that empowers students and staff alike to learn, grow, and thrive together.