Update on Golden State Pathways

Regional Technical Assistance Centers for the Golden State Pathways Program (GSPP) were named last month by the California Department of Education (CDE). The Tulare County Office of Education will serve as the Lead Technical Assistance Center and coordinate efforts in collaboration with CDE staff.

The Technical Assistance Centers will be supporting potential applicants for the GSPP planning and implementation grants; those RFAs are expected later this winter.

GSPP seeks to develop or expand college and career pathways in high-wage, high-skill, high-growth areas. It requires that the pathways provide opportunities to earn at least 12 units of early college credit—a goal that is also embedded in the Governor’s Multi-Year Roadmap for Community Colleges and Vision 2030.

Building these pathways will require robust, effective partnerships. The $500 million for GSPP is a sizable investment, and it’s likely that the planning and implementation grants will be large enough to appropriately support the work of all partners involved, including colleges.

A Head Start on GSPP

Existing efforts to expand and strengthen College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) dual enrollment can serve as a springboard for GSPP. CCAP aims to embed dual enrollment in seamless pathways, and high school/college partnerships that received dual enrollment grants may have a head start.

Note that the CDE just announced the second RFA round for CCAP and Middle College and Early College (MCEC) grants. Applications will be available February 1, with a due date of March 29.

Although details aren’t available yet, CDE initially estimated a late winter release for GSPP planning and implementation grant RFAs. High school/college partnerships could consider formulating their dual enrollment grant applications with an eye to the related GSPP criteria described in the original legislation (see points a-d in the CDE’s GSPP overview).

New Resource Hub from Fast Forward California

Find GSPP and dual enrollment resources in a new online hub: FastForwardCA.org offers insights and tools you can use to bring education and workforce systems together for student success. A joint initiative of Career Ladders Project, The Education Trust—West, and the Linked Learning Alliance, Fast Forward California aims to make good on this historic statewide investment, with coordinated support for driving equity and prosperity.