Metrics of Student Success
This document is for discussion purposes only.
Metric / Notes / Possible Advantages / Possible Disadvantages….Student Achievement / Retention/persistence / Retention is staying in a class; passing the class might also be referred to as “completions”. Persistence is a student enrolling in courses the next semester. / All of these are getting intense pressure from advocacy groups and certain stakeholders within the CCC system / If tied to funding, then very easy for us to rig, at the expense of rigor and integrity.
If tied to funding, then we could be under increased pressure to pass more students in our classes.
Completions / This is “retention” with a passing grade.
Benchmarks / Refers to completions of key classes, earning a certain number (and kind) of units, completing basic skills classes, moving to the next sequential class.
Grades / I perceive that there is not much attention on grades because people just want students to complete courses, rather than worrying about what grade they earn. / Already in place / Grade inflation?
Student Learning …leads to… / Objectives, as defined by MPC faculty and Curriculum Committee / These are predominantly defined by MPC faculty
Attainment of objectives is associated with grades / Provides a place to articulate rigor and expectations; designed entirely by faculty / Do all instructors follow the COR objectives? Is more strict adherence to the COR needed? Do we need language in evaluations about this?
Assessment of SLOs, as defined by MPC / This is one component that is solely defined by MPC faculty.
Serves as a basis for improvement during program review, planning, and resource allocation processes. / Provides a place to articulate rigor and expectations; designed entirely by faculty.
Could also be a metric if funds are available properly evaluate. / Negative connotations
What else could we use? / Student goals? / Difficult and impractical to keep track of
Program Review – in the broadest sense – is the process by which we try to improve all of these
Notable References
The CCC Chancellor’s Office Task Force on Student Success, created in response to CA Senate bill 1143.
http://www.cccco.edu/ChancellorsOffice/TaskForceonStudentSuccess/tabid/1894/Default.aspx
Take a look at the ‘Agendas’ and ‘Reports and Resources’ links for information on what is driving this effort.
Vision 2020: a Report of the Commission on the Future of the CCLC (Community College League of California)
http://www.cccvision2020.org/
Summary of recommendations: http://www.cccvision2020.org/Portals/0/Documents/COTFRecommendations.pdf
The actual report: http://www.cccvision2020.org/Portals/0/Documents/COTFReport.pdf
Calls for increased accountability; advocates “achievement milestones to evaluate institutional and program effectiveness”; calls for the creation of “an additive, categorical incentive funding model that distributes money based upon improvements in institutional and student performance as measured by completion of momentum points linked to student success” (momentum points refers to things like completion of key classes (think basic math and English), a certain number of units, etc…).
The California Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO): http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/
Specific recommendations for higher education for the 2011-12 budget: http://www.lao.ca.gov/laoapp/budgetlist/PublicSearch.aspx?PolicyAreaNum=31&Department_Number=-1&KeyCol=0&Yr=2011
Some of these are very surprising and impact the heart of the CCC mission. The ASCCC apparently thinks of the LAO as “evil”. You can see why here.
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges : http://www.asccc.org/
Spring 2011 Resolutions:
http://www.asccc.org/sites/default/files/Executive%20Committee%20Final%20Resolutions_0.doc
Resolutions dealing with student success (click the link to read the entire resolution):
5.01 Metrics and Performance Based Funding
Whereas, Senate Bill 1143 (Liu, 2010) called for a task group to identify metrics for performance based funding, and the group is well on its way in developing such metrics;
[more whereas clauses]
Whereas, The new law makes it clear that performance based funding will be developed with or without the support of faculty;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges participate in discussions regarding performance based funding asserting that any such proposed funding modifications should be additive and above base funding;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges advocate for development and consideration of metrics that are intended to incentivize the provision of student support services as such services are necessary to ensure the success of all students as well as academic progress and completion metrics; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges assertthat the best approach to increase all measures of students success is to support students in meeting their goals and that colleges should be incentivized to ensure the provision of such services.
5.02 Incentives to Encourage Effective Student Behaviors for Success
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge local senates to identify and, where possible, implement incentives that encourage students to engage in academically sound behaviors that would increase the likelihood of success in college; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support the use of academically sound incentives that would benefit the most students and increase the likelihood of students completing courses, obtaining degrees and certificates, and preparing for transfer.
Advocacy Groups and Private Institutions
Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy at Sacramento State
This is Nancy Schulock's organization
Policy Brief added March 2011: Performance Incentives to to improve Community College Completion
An example of a Schulock Presentation
Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin
This is Kay McClenney's organization
Their most pertinent initiative: Achieving the Dream
An example of a McClenney Presenttion
Complete College America
Established in 2009, this nonprofit was founded to focus solely on dramatically increasing the nation's college completion rate.
American Graduation Initiative
President Barack Obama in the White House
"In the coming years, jobs requiring at least an associate degree are projected to grow twice as fast as jobs requiring no college experience. We will not fill those jobs -- or keep those jobs on our shores -- without the training offered by community colleges." -- President Barack Obama
Two goals: by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world, and community colleges will produce an additional 5 million graduates.
Fred’s presentation showing why this issue is important