Jumpstart Summer Academy Gives Medgar Evers College Freshmen a Bridge to First-Year English and Math Success

By David Gil de Rubio

Three years in the making, the Medgar Evers College Jumpstart Summer Academy recently completed its inaugural six-week program. The academy is designed to help incoming freshmen successfully complete first-year math and English/language arts courses. Data from Complete College America (CCA) show that students who do not successfully complete first-year math and English face a greater risk of not earning a degree. At Medgar Evers College, students need a Proficiency Index (PI) score of 60 or higher for entry into the standard freshman-level math course and 65 or higher for English. According to CCA data, 71 percent of minority students are likely to enroll in developmental courses, compared with 51 percent of their white counterparts.

The proposal for the Jumpstart Summer Academy was introduced three years ago as a way to address these academic gaps. Following approval by the New York State Legislature, the program launched this summer. For Dr. Jesse Kane, Medgar Evers College Senior Vice President of Student Success and Enrollment Management, the academy helps remove academic and practical barriers before students begin their first fall semester on campus.

“The Jumpstart Summer Academy is intended to give our students an opportunity to get ahead on their math and/or English requirements,” Kane explained. “These courses continue to be a significant barrier for many students in their first year. The data show that too many of our first-year students are not successfully completing math and English. We also see the impact on student success and degree attainment when students complete first-level math and English within the first 30 credits of their college experience.”

A key part of the Jumpstart Summer Academy is addressing the obstacles that might otherwise prevent incoming freshmen from participating or succeeding. Participants receive financial support covering up to six credits—three credits in math and/or three credits in English—as well as required books and course materials. The program also provides MetroCards for transportation to and from in-person classes at Medgar Evers College, a summer learning stipend, supplemental instruction, and personalized tutoring services.

Participants also receive personalized support through campus resources such as Freshman Year Programs, A.C.E.S.S. Center, Student Life, Counseling Services, and Transition Academy. Kane noted that these nonacademic challenges are often overlooked when institutions consider the factors that influence student success.

“Many times, the reasons students don’t do well have nothing to do with their ability to do the work—it’s about trying to manage everything else,” Kane said. “What we do is build on other things we’ve done at Medgar Evers College to help eliminate those obstacles. We’re saying that we know you can do well, but we’re also going to address some of the competing priorities students face today that may not have existed for students years ago.”

“Students have to work and have other obligations,” Kane continued. “If we can eliminate some of those barriers, we can give them the space to focus. We provide economic support, cover instructional materials such as textbooks and other supplies, and provide MetroCards. We also provide funds to help offset the income students might otherwise lose by choosing the program over work. If we can give students that support and they can give us six weeks to focus on the program, we know they can do well.”

One of the students who participated in the Jumpstart Summer Academy is Bresilia McCorkell, a graduate of Clara Barton High School for Health Professions who will enter Medgar Evers College as a biology major in the fall. Although she was initially hesitant to give up part of her summer vacation—and was apprehensive about the academic demands of college—McCorkell said she was glad she followed her mother’s encouragement to participate.

“I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go because I’d just graduated high school and was looking for some time to rest,” McCorkell said. “Then I realized that I could get credits, plus I’d get a stipend. That really motivated me to go ahead and do it. When I heard I was going to college, I was a little scared. I thought college would be so much harder, but my teachers reviewed things we had learned in high school, so it wasn’t as difficult as I expected. I became comfortable with it. I didn’t even realize the work was becoming more advanced because everything felt manageable. They knew how to build on what we learned in high school and take it to the next level.”

With 108 students enrolled in the inaugural Jumpstart Summer Academy, Kane said he is encouraged by the turnout and confident that the program will pay dividends for the incoming freshmen who participate.

“While the Jumpstart Summer Academy doesn’t guarantee success, it does remove many of the barriers that might prevent a student from being successful,” Kane said. “The program gives students an opportunity to begin their freshman year having already completed these major gateway courses—and, hopefully, puts them in a stronger position to persist and earn their degree.”