Page 21 - New York Statewide Smart Scholars Overview and Profiles

“Middle Early College . . . set the foundation that I have been building on. They have helped
open doors I couldn’t have done alone, and have exposed me to a lot of different areas of
opportunity through various means outside of what a “traditional” high school could have. With
my degree I was able to land a job within a bank where my Bank Manager was a Mentor who
partnered with our school, and have been in the Banking industry ever since.”
Edgardo Vega, BMECHS (2007) and ECC graduate (2008)

MECHS is a member of the Middle College National Consortium (MCNC), which offers
yearly professional development and the opportunity for students to attend a national
student conference. MECHS is also continuing to grow and expand. We are currently in
the planning stages to create a STEM Track to offer more choices that appeal to
student interests.

The Smart Scholars grant has enabled MECHS to expand our partnership with
D’Youville College, and develop a partnership with Buffalo State College. Smart
Scholars funding has also given MECHS @ Buffalo the opportunity to continue our rich
professional development focusing on Literacy across the curriculum and
implementation of the Common Core Standards that prepare the students for their
college course work. We work closely with experts from Columbia Teachers College to
provide this rich Professional Development.

We have also participated in a national pilot called EPIC through MCNC and David
Connelly, author of the College Knowledge series, which has given us an opportunity to
incorporate the Common Core Standards through designated tasks in the areas of ELA
and Math.

Since the first cohort of students graduated in 2007, there have been a total of 125
students completing the degree within the time frame, which is 34% of the students.
The Erie Community College averages 19% of the students graduating within the two
years. As you can see, we have done well in comparison to the college.

Middle Early College High School
minds hard at work. Ninth grade
students working out math
problems in teacher Ken
Cochran’s classroom.