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Partnership for Excellence
(PFE) Proposal
Project Proposal Title: FAST
Program (Fast Admissions to Law
School & Skills Training)
Department/Area: Legal Assisting/Paralegal
PFE Goal : Degrees and Certificates (A.A. Degrees
in Legal Assisting/Paralegal & Paralegal Certificates), Workforce
Development (better trained paralegals), and Basic Skills Improvement
(computers, internet, and information literacy)
Total Funds Requested: $20,000 (two year budget)
1. PFE Goals: Degrees and Certificates. This new program/curriculum
for the Paralegal Studies program has three goals.
The First Goal is to increase the number of students who
obtain admission to Law School following the completion of their
Paralegal Studies.
The Second Goal is to prepare better trained paralegals
for the workforce through a focused Basic Skills Training Program
- (BSTP) tailored for the Paralegal Studies student.
The Third Goal is to increase the number of Paralegals
who graduate with an Associates Degree in Legal Assisting/Paralegal.
The skills training will include basic computer skills, "word
processing", "internet", and "information
literarcy". Currently there is no Basic Computer Skills training
at Mission College. (see the PFE Proposal on Basic Skills Training Program
(BSTP).
The skills training will include learning operating systems, file
management, word processing, internet navigation, and information
technology literacy (i.e research of databases, and internet library
competency skills).
Skills training will also include academic strategy courses/curriculum
such as study techniques, test taking, listening and notetaking,
sentence errors, spelling improvement, college vocabulary, memory
techniques, pre-writing skills, college thinking skills, and individualized
learner skills.
2. How will the PFE funding increase student success: The purpose of FAST it to provide a fast track
program for our Paralegals to both complete their Associates Degree,
and then to obtain admission to Law School, and secondly to train
ALL of our paralegals in Basic Skills which will improve their
chances in obtaining meaninful employment in the legal field of
their choice following graduation with their Paralegal Certificate,
and thirdly, to increase the number of Paralegals who obtain their
Associates of Arts Degree in Legal Asssisting/Paralegal.
Currently, approximately 15-25% of our Paralegals graduate with
their A.A. degrees. The remaining 75% only obtain their Paralegal
Certificates.
Informal studies demonstrate that only 40 - 60% of paralegal
graduates obtain meaninful paralegal employment. (MPE). (Meaningful
paralegal employment is defined as $25,000 or more salary per
year with 80% satisfaction with employment). The reason MPE is
so low is that Paralegals still in many instances lack confidence
and BASIC WORK FORCE SKILLS which in today's market are computer,
internet, and information literacy skills in large part.
Currently our Paralegals do not obtain their A.A. degree because
they see no "end product" in doing so. (What does an
A.A. degree do for me? is the predominant question)
However, Paralegal Students who obtain their A.A. degree in Legal
Assisting/Paralegal Studies by completing the certificate program,
and Plan
B requirements of the A.A. can then qualify for admission
to either San Fernando Valley College of Law (SFVCOL),
or Glendale University College of Law (GUCOL).
The scope of this project is to provide the curriculum
and training to our Paralegal Students to first promote graduation
from Mission College with an Associates Degree in Legal Assisting/Paralegal,
second to increase workforce employment in the paralegal field
with "higher starting salaries an greater overall job satisfaction)
and to provide a "fast track" to law school admissions
and becoming an attorney.
There are seven elements to this curriculum and training:
1. Lower division
general education (to meet the A. A. Requirements). These
classes already exist both "in person" on campus, and
online. No extra costs or budget is required.
2. Increased skills in English (reading and writing) -
English Comp (English
101) This class already exists both "in person"
on campus, and online. No extra costs or budget is required.
3. Increased skills in Logic - Philosophy
9 - Symbolic Logic - this is required to assist students in
obtaining higher scores on the LSAT (which requires an intimate
knowledge of logic, and games. This class already exists both
"in person" on campus, and online. No extra costs or
budget is required.
4. "Hands on" clinical experience through a Paralegal Internship which
gets the law student "working in the field immediately"
. This course has been submitted to the curriculum committee for
acceptance and should be integrated as a part of our Paralegal
Studies program and available to paralegal students for the Spring
2001 semester. No extra costs or budget is required.
5. Preparation for the Law School Admissions Test ( LSAT ) To obtain admissions to
Law School ( SFVCOL or GUCOL ), Mission College Paralegal Students
will need to score a minimum of 138 (out of 180) on the LSAT.
Students must receive an extensive preparation course on how to
take the LSAT in order to perform "well" on this exam
to obtain law school admission. This LSAT preparation will be
integrated throughout the FAST curriculum to ensure students an
integral element of the FAST curriculum. This course needs to
be developed, and we will need test preparation "experts"
to provide training to the FAST program. These costs will be included
in the PFE budget for this proposal.
6. Form a learning community approach to this new curriculum/program
- Both English 101 and Philo 9 instructors, David Jones and Doug
McFerran together with David Jordan, and experts in the LSAT preparation
will put together materials in law which will cover the English
composition, logic, and games components of the curriculum. The
learning community approach has been shown to increase retention
and success in programs.
7. Basic Skills Training - increase the skills competency
in the areas of computer, internet, word processing, operating
systems, file management, and information literacy (researching
databases, and library information competency and literacy).
3. Proposed Budget : $20,000 (two year budget)
*** note: (this is an overlapping project with the PFE proposal
on Basic Skills Training Program - since one element of this program
is Basic Skills Training, and therefore PFE moneys spent on the
Basic Skills Training Program need to be duplicated for this PFE
proposal. Both programs will work together synergistically.)
4. Project Objectives & Completion Dates:
a. Increase students taking lower
division General Education - Goal - 25% increase or 25
students enrolled either "in person" or "online"
in lower division GE by June 30, 2001.
b. Increased writing skills
- Goal - 25% increase or 25 students enrolled either "in
person" or "online" in English
101 by June 30, 2001.
c. Increased logic skills
- Goal - 25% increase or 25 students enrolled either "in
person" or "online" in Philo
9 - Symbolic Logic by June 30, 2001.
d. Increased "hands on work experience"
- Goal - 25% increase or 25 students enrolled and working on "law
projects with assigned participating attorneys" in the Paralegal Internship course
(scheduled to commence Spring 2001 semester - this course is now
going through the Curriculum review process) by June 30, 2001.
e. LSAT preparation - prepare curriculum
to address the LSAT preparation. The LSAT element of this program
will include an approved course to be submitted and approved through
the Curriculum Committee in Spring 2001, and commenced and implemented
for the Fall 2001 semester.
f. Basic Skills Training - prepare curriculum
to address the Basic Skills Component. This will dovetail into
the PFE proposal for Basic
Skills Training Program (see BSTP) . This element will include
an approved course to be submitted and approved through the Curriculum
Committee in Spring 2001, and commenced and implemented for the
Fall 2001 semester.
g. Increase number of Paralegal Students
who obtain their A.A. Degree in Legal Assisting/Paralegal:
15% increase (May 2001 graduation), and 25% increase (May 2002
graduation) in the number of A.A. Degrees in Legal Assisting/Paralegal
over the prior years number of A.A. degrees.
5. Method(s) of measuring project outcomes: Entrance and
exit exams ("before" and "after") of the entire
Paralegal Program will show the improvement in english writing
skills, logic, "hands on work experience", LSAT preparation,
and Basic Skills Training.
Signatures:
Name: David Jordan (telephone) 818/364-7720 (email)
abogado@pacbell.net
Signature _________________________
Chair : _________________________
Administrator: ______________________
updated: 10/17/00 at 8:43 am