The Early Alert Process

What is Early Alert?

** Please note that much of this material was developed by Shannon Ketcham, lead of the Early Alert Team. 

Early Alert is the easiest way to connect students to college and community resources. Rather than needing to know who to contact or all the support available, Early Alert is a "one-stop" reporting system for all of the following student concerns: class attendance, behavior, test/quiz scores, assignment completion, class participation, food and/or housing insecurity, mental health services, personal issues (e.g. financial; health; family; etc.) and more. 

Early Alert has been through several iterations at the college, but it continues to grow in faculty and staff usage. - even students can now submit an alert. The goal is ensuring that students have all the resources necessary for success. 

 

How Do I Submit an Early Alert?

The link to SCC's current reporting system Links to an external site., using Maxient, is located on the Employee Portal page. The image below provides a visual. 

 

Once you access the form, you will be asked to provide information about yourself, the student, and the reason for your concern. 

For an overview of the process, see the document Faculty & Staff Quick User Guide (Reporting Student Conduct & Early Alert Issues) 2021-1.pdf Download Faculty & Staff Quick User Guide (Reporting Student Conduct & Early Alert Issues) 2021-1.pdf.

One of the best ways to ensure a successful alert process is to inform the student about it. Letting them know to expect a call makes them more likely to answer the phone or return an email. You could also include information in your syllabus or other student-facing materials about the process and your use of it. 

 

What happens after I submit an Early Alert?

The centralized approach offered by the Early Alert team is to outreach and discuss with students available pathways and support resources/services on campus. While we cannot force a student to accept our help, our goal is to provide holistic student support that leads to student success.

Below is a breakdown of the Early Alert process from start to finish of the referral.

1. Once an Early Alert is submitted, a member of the Early Alert team will be assigned (typically within 24 hours of receipt) to reach out to the student. The team member will be based on the area of concerns/recommendations provided in the referral and/or if there are specific student groups in CTCLink that the student is identified with (e.g. Running Start; Student Veteran; etc.).
2. Once assigned, the Early Alert team member will attempt to contact the student by phone and by email (if unable to reach by phone) typically within 24-48 hours of assignment.
3. If the student does not respond to initial contact attempt(s), the Early Alert team will typically allow one week from date of initial referral/contact to allow adequate response time from the student. The team member assigned will attempt a second round of contact by phone/email with that student to ensure turnaround in outreach.
4. If the Early Alert team member makes contact with the student, they will offer relevant resource information and services to help ensure student success based on the areas of concern reported. Additionally, a final email and campus resources summary letter is sent to the student to ensure they have access to information on available campus resources/services.
5. If the Early Alert team member is unable to make contact/student does not respond to contact, a final email and campus resources summary letter is sent to the student to ensure they have access to information on available campus resources/services.
6. A final notification of the referral/case status will be sent to the reporting/referring party upon closing the referral. This notification will come from the Maxient system and will provide a case status note in the email. Typically, there is no additional action required/needed of the referrer.  

 

Who Can I Contact for More Information?

The Early Alert team meets every week to discuss concerns and review referrals, and you can reach out to Shannon Ketcham for more information (Shannon.Ketcham@scc.spokane.edu).