Pre-Conference Events

Concurrent Enrollment Advising:  A deep-dive into newly charted waters!

9:00 am – 4:00 pm, Lunch included

Audience: Professional academic advisors and CE practitioners who have advising responsibilities within concurrent enrollment populations. All levels of advising experience are welcome.

Concurrent Enrollment advising is complex!  Is it teaching?  Is it coaching?  Is it collaborative?  Is it prescribed? Is it transactional?  Is it transformational? The answer is yes!

This full-day workshop is intended for advising practitioners focused on the special population of high school age students.  Presented by a team of experienced advising professionals from around the country, the workshop will explore long-established and well-studied professional advising theories, and examine emerging approaches and resources applicable for the unique population of concurrent enrollment students. Participants should come prepared to learn, teach, collaborate, and laugh with colleagues who share common concerns, challenges, and successes. Advising at its core is a student-focused activity.  Join us and be ready to develop tools that will keep a positive student experience at the center of your professional advising practice!

Basics Boot Camp (formerly CE 101 & 201)

9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Lunch Included

Audience: Staff new to the field or new to their position, or individuals interested in starting a concurrent enrollment program.

This pre-conference workshop is ideal for those new to the field of dual and concurrent enrollment or those who have been working in the field for less than two years. The workshop content gives attendees an overview of the field as well as the how-to's and why-to's of building and running a quality program. Multiple program models are discussed but this workshop primarily focuses on concurrent enrollment programs, the most complex and complicated program type to build and manage. This workshop is valuable to both secondary and postsecondary attendees but most information will be framed for new program staff at a postsecondary institution.

Accreditation Institute

9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Lunch included

Audience: We welcome all program partners, including college & university administrators, deans, program directors/staff, faculty liaisons, and secondary partners such as superintendents, principals, high school teachers, and school counselors.

Join NACEP in Orlando, Florida, for our one-day Accreditation Institute focused exclusively on NACEP’s National Standards for Quality for our Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) and College-Provided Faculty Model (CPF) endorsements. This institute is tailored more for established programs seeking re-accreditation (in the upcoming 2025-2026 & 2026-2027 cycles), but welcomes those seeking to learn more. It's imperative for teams from your institution/program to participate, ideally with a minimum of two members.

What to expect? The institute will leverage a number of NACEP’s guides and resources, and review the required materials essential for the accreditation application process, preparation, and submission.

How to prepare? For further details about the accreditation application process and required materials, please refer to the Application Process & Resources and Accreditation Institute webpages.

Don't miss this opportunity to equip your program with the knowledge and tools necessary for accreditation success. We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!

State Policy Workshop

8:00 am - 12:00 pm, Lunch not included

Audience: This workshop will be most relevant to participants from state agencies and system offices with some foundational knowledge of and experience with concurrent enrollment as well as day-to-day practitioners interested in policy.

NACEP's annual pre-conference State Policy Workshop brings together leaders from across the country to discuss current national and state policy trends and advocacy efforts. This year’s workshop will provide attendees an orientation to the state and federal policy levers in play in K-12 and Higher Education and how they can and should improve equitable program growth, student outcomes, and sustainability. The workshop will focus on equipping participants to contribute to policy developments that drive practices in the field of concurrent enrollment, dual enrollment, and early college. Given the content of the workshop, it is likely most relevant to day-to-day practitioners interested in policy and participants from state agencies and system offices with some foundational knowledge of and experience with concurrent enrollment.

Student Suicide Prevention and Personal Mental Health Workshop

9:00 am - 12:00 pm | Lunch not included

Kimberly Ellis, Certified QPR Trainer | KEllis@tcsg.edu

Special Populations/Career Services/Equity Coordinator

Office of Technical Education, Technical College System of Georgia

Student and staff mental health remains a top priority for colleges and high schools across the nation. This workshop offers important training in suicide prevention as well as practical solutions for education professionals to help prioritize self-care and manage stress.

Suicide attempts among America’s youth have soared during the pandemic. Get the tools you need to help address this growing crisis. Many people are afraid to talk about suicide or feel they need to be a counselor in order to do so, but anyone can save a life!  This empowering course focuses on prevention and gives you the skills to be able to ask vital questions and save a life. QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help someone in crisis. Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help. Attendees who complete the workshop receive QPR Gatekeeper Certification.

As an added bonus, this session will also offer ways to practice self-care and stress management on a daily basis.  Our world has drastically changed, presenting a variety of new stressors and challenges. In this “new normal” the way we work, serve students, and even basic daily activities can heighten anxiety and stress.  This fun and engaging session that will help you look at your daily routine and stress in a different way while exploring quick and easy tactics that you can use every day to combat stress at home and work.

Program Evaluation Workshop

9:00 am - 12:00 pm, Lunch not included

Audience: This workshop discusses the more advanced elements of program analysis. It is good for researchers and/or program staff with a year or more experience with program management within an established dual or concurrent enrollment program. 

Concurrent enrollment programs benefit from conducting regular high-quality program evaluations to inform program improvement. Because of the added scrutiny that concurrent enrollment faces, programs can display greater accountability through evaluation and by sharing results with stakeholders. This workshop is intended for institutional researchers and concurrent enrollment managers with or without evaluation and research experience to share different methods and approaches to evaluate program effectiveness and student success. The workshop will include examples of research and evaluation approaches that institutions have used to drive program improvement and align with NACEP accreditation standards. Register early as space is limited to foster effective engagement and collaboration.

• Designed for dual and concurrent enrollment program staff and institutional researchers alike, this workshop shares methods and tools to evaluate program effectiveness and student success. 
• Led by members of the NACEP Accreditation and Research Commissions, attendees will learn about methods and tools to evaluate program effectiveness. 
• The workshop includes examples that align with NACEP accreditation standards and provides an opportunity to plan for continuous program improvement for all programs.

Audience: Attendees from both K12 and postsecondary institutions are encouraged to participate either individually or as a partnership.

In this workshop, CCRC will share models of effective practice, data tools, and practice assessments from research on colleges and K-12 schools that are rethinking dual enrollment as an on-ramp to college and career pathways after high school for students from underserved groups. In this emerging approach to DE, which we call “dual enrollment equity pathways” or DEEP, colleges and their K-12 partners broaden the benefits of DE through:

• DEEP Outreach: Reaching out to underserved students and families to encourage and support them to participate in DE,
• DEEP Alignment: Aligning DE course offerings to bachelor’s and career-technical associate degree and apprenticeship programs in high-opportunity fields,
• DEEP Advising: Helping every DE student with career and academic exploration, advising, and planning, and
• DEEP Support: Delivering high-quality instruction with proactive supports to build DE students’ confidence as college learners.

During the workshop, participants will use research-based tools for benchmarking their practices against the DEEP model and reflect on strengths. Participants will also identify and prioritize areas for investment and improvement in their DE programs. Participants will learn how college-K-12 DE partnerships in diverse local contexts have implemented DEEP practices, as well as the leadership strategies, performance evaluation methods and metrics, and business models they are using to scale and sustain DEEP.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be ready to communicate the purpose and direction of their work to strengthen DE. Participants will be equipped with the tools to engage their respective school, district, and college partners in co-designing and implementing reforms aimed at advancing college and career success for their students—and supplying talent to support economic vitality in their communities. 

Navigating Dual Enrollment Options and Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

1:00 pm - 4:00 pm | Lunch not included

Audience: Counselors, dual enrollment coordinators and instructors/teachers

Providing options for students with disabilities to participate in dual enrollment is a wonderful educational opportunity, and an important step to increasing equitable program participation, so how do we help prepare our students to navigate the process successfully? Reasonable accommodations may vary, while FERPA guidelines and a lack of information about the differences between high school and college can be a stumbling block for both students and parents. This discussion provides important strategies for fostering positive relationships, understanding the stereotypes applied students with disabilities, increase student advocacy, parent information, and ways to promote dual enrollment for students with disabilities. Attend this session to participate in open and honest discussions, explore real life scenarios, learn about promising practices, and elevate changes in our mindset to help promote equal access and opportunities for students with disabilities.