Achieving the Dream Core Team/Strategic Plan Goal Two Meeting
December 3, 2014 - 3:00 pm, SC213, Student Center Haverhill
Minutes
Attendees: B.Heineman, D. Perez, R. Lizotte, J.Abreu, C.Cohen, P. Dulchinos, T.Fallon, M. Farrell, T. Favara, L Gagnon, L. Glenn, E. Gonzalez, K. Kortz, L. Murphy, L. Nadeau, G. Nash, J. Rogers, P. Schade, M. Yeager, G. Young and D. Bertolino
Recorder: D. LaValley
Guests: ATD Coaches: Kent Farnsworth, Terri Manning
1. Welcome ATD Coaches ( Kent Farnsworth, Terri Manning) - Dawna Perez
Dawna welcomed the coaches for our yearly visit. Introductions of the Core Team.
2. “Guided Pathways” Article (Davis Jenkins, Community College Research Center)
– Terri Manning
Dawna stated that although we didn’t receive the FIPSE Grant, it was geared toward developing guided pathways. Terri initiated discussion in regards to the article, “Guided Pathways.”
· Terri – This is the next wave that is coming to community colleges. It is a structured pathway for student success and supports. “In the guided pathways model, developmental education is redesigned as a critical part of the “on-ramp” to a college-level program of study, with the goal of helping students successfully complete the critical introductory college-level courses in their initial field of interest. For many if not most students, developmental education consists of co-requisite coursework designed to scaffold students’ success in critical college-level courses. For students who need an extended pre-requisite approach, developmental instruction maintains high college-level expectations while providing more intensive support, and is contextualized to students’ program of interest.”
· Grace – It is the way we will be advising students. After program review, we created a General Studies/Individualized Option meant for students who come in with a focused program in mind but one that is not offered at NECC (like architecture). We will customize the academic plan carefully so those students can transfer to a four-year institution with strong preparation of transferable credits. The hallmark will be Degree Works. This option was voted on by the Academic Affairs Committee yesterday. Pathways for liberal arts is not ready.
· Bill – Next stage is to build more structure into the Liberal Arts.
· Kent – Recommendations in the article include “meta-majors”- Students who do not have a specific major in mind are required to choose an “exploratory major” or “meta-major” in a broad field of interest. Taking Liberal Arts and breaking down into sections. What do you think of this approach?
o Grace – This is what we are working towards.
o Bill – Interesting, not just structured pathways, but structured students built in.
· Kent – Cohort students start here in that “meta-major”. No new students in general studies. ESL moving them out of that track and putting them into their real majors and coding them as well so reports can be pulled.
Terri – Miami Dade has gone to a 3 tiered advising model. The moment students apply for admission to the College, they are assigned to a pre-college adviser, who is the main point of contact through orientation. At orientation, there is a transition to the assigned senior adviser.
Once students reach the 25% program completion benchmark, then they are transitioned
to an expert in academic affairs (coach and mentor) from the pool of department chairs, faculty and staff members. Centralize more of these students in “meta-majors”. Students are confused as they see a list of 3000 courses. They don’t know anything about these courses. They all have a Degree Works plan on file by the end of the first semester.
· Terri- Is this something we want to explore?
o Grace- We are doing some of that and the structure is being worked on. Faculty are being trained.
· Terri - You are really trying to intervene in their lives. When you launch into a meta-major, there are team meetings, you bring in speakers in various professions. You are getting students exposed to as much opportunities as possible. Summer boot camp is 3 weeks long and then they are tested in their development. They are mandating what is best for students because they know best. Some of the students have made Honors English from boot camp.
o Josh – What is the criteria at MDCC to register on their own?
(12 credits, 2.0 in certain majors (human services, general studies health)
· Lane – We are mid-stream in this. We have built a lot around access and how we feel we were being student centered. In non-credit/adult learning we have some things in motion.
· Grace- We have Degree Works where you can see the planner.
Terri – What is the percentage of those using Degree Works?
· Mary – In the Division of Health Professions is a slow adoption of Degree Works because most health programs are lock-step and there are a few, if any options in some of the programs. She has urged all faculty to use Degree Works, nonetheless.
How we are going to get you from where you are to a career? It is more about the college biting the bullet as we know what is good for students.
· Student Services has a set of procedures and processes. Some of it is organically happening through CSS and not all students yet take CSS, but we are not getting near enough participation on NECC system, Blackboard and Degree Works.
· Trish—we finally have a reading and writing class now where they are taught together instead of separately.
Kent --One reason why a discussion on pathways is important is that although the strategies we have done over the years show impressive progress, some gatekeeper courses have been relatively flat.
You are above the curve on ATD and doing very well. The truth is none of us are doing well out of those gatekeeper courses. What is the next bump activity; next level of engagement; no one has figured it out? Restructure the length of courses—Pedagogy structures more like we are doing math right now. Those are the kinds of things we have to explore. We are moving up to a new level.
3. New Math High School GPA State Regulation – Donna Bertolino/Grace Young
Donna stated that 82% of students do the Accuplacer test for Math, etc. A year ago the BHE decided to authorize new criteria into the math assessment. The reason for the change is they are not happy with where Accuplacer places students, sometimes too low.
· Statewide pilot Spring 2015 using high school GPA to place students in their courses. Overall high school GPA will be used.
· Institutions do have some flexibility with this (note page 2 of handout)
· Starting with 2014 graduates, those with a higher than 2.7 GPA will be placed into entry college level math course. Lower than 2.4 will take Accuplacer for placement.
· GPA is accepted up to 3 years from graduation
· Our criteria still asks students to take Accuplacer to see if there is a difference.
· Challenge: high school transcripts are not all on the 4.0 scale and not all are weighted.
Tina has not found it to be extra work. Take developmental students (cream of the crop) you might see a 15% drop in the data when you get grades at end of semester.
Terri saw a 10% drop. She asked if we have a schedule ready as she couldn’t accommodate everyone as they didn’t think it would be as successful. Cautioned to anticipate next fall that enrollment will go down as you lose the developmental students.
Bill stated this issue is on the agenda as they are looking for policy from us. (last slide on page 2).
· All math course placements expire in 1 year in Accuplacer. Graduation GPA will be accepted up to 3 years. Should we change the policy for fall placements?
Kent stated, if you are enrolled, those time lines apply. You just can’t wait it out.
Some of the groups, like men who take a year off may fall harder. If we are creating a culture of advising on campus, insist that everyone does it the same way. If a student comes in with a GPA below 2.7 they need to take math. They have 2 semesters to take a math class.
· Aren’t we allow to develop a policy? (Grace)
You must take a math course within the first two semesters at NECC. Strongly recommend take it in the first semester. Bill asked Donna and Grace to write up something like that and let’s circulate.
4. Other Business
None.
2