Completion & Pathways: Moving from Buzz-Words to a - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

• Dr. Rob Johnstone

The Research and Planning (RP) Group

ACCCA 2013 Annual Conference Monterey, CA February 20. 2013

Completion & Pathways: Moving from Buzz-Words to a Student-Centered Approach

Acknowledgements

• Much of the content in this presentation was developed

under the umbrella of Completion by Design by a host

• f national partners in addition to RP, including:
• Community College Research Center (CCRC)
• Completion by Design Assistance Team (CDAT)
• JBL Associates
• Public Agenda
• WestEd
• The work is also informed by other RP national projects

such as the Aspen Prize for CC Excellence and Bridging Research, Information & Cultures (BRIC)

• RP-specific infographics were primarily designed by

Greg Stoup, Vice President, The RP Group

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

Agenda

• Discuss the context of completion
• Outline the Completion by Design (CbD)

initiative

• Visualize the Student Experience
• Explore the Loss-Momentum Framework
• Analyze relevant completion data
• Engage with the principles for redesign

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

The Completion Agenda and the Completion by Design Initiative

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

A Brief Discussion on the Completion Agenda

• National movement – White House, Aspen

Prize, Complete College America, Dept. of Ed, IPEDS, Access to Success, Foundations (Gates, Lumina)

• California angle: Student Success Task

Force, ARCC

• Often takes a less “complete” view of

completion

• Need for nuanced view

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

The Challenge of Completion

For Colleges:

Financial

Incentives aligned with

access, not completion

Under-resourced

Innovations tend to be

isolated

Change is hard, even

when the will is there For Students:

Easy to enroll, easy to

drop out

Many enter without a

clear plan, and need developmental education

Lack of confidence,

financial resources and family support

Completion By Design

Signature initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success Strategy Goal: Significantly raise community college completion rates for most students (focus on low-income students under age 26) Three cadres selected to lead CBD implementation in Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio 9 colleges/campuses: 5 in NC, 3 in OH, 1 in FL 3 phases

• Planning (12 months)
• Implementation (24 – 30 months)
• Scaling and Adoption (24 months)

Redesign Systems & Practices for Student Success

Analyze and understand the common barriers and

momentum points that students experience

Implement and integrate proven and promising

practices to provide students with the quickest, straightest path to completion

Create the conditions for change by empowering

interdisciplinary, cross-campus delegations of faculty, staff and administrators

Build infrastructure for continuous improvement

Intermediate Objectives

Raise the number and percentage of students who enter

a program of study, and shorten the period between when students first enroll and when they enter a program

Increase completion rates for students who have entered

a program of study, and shorten the period in which they achieve completion

Ensure that academic programs prepare students for a 4-

year college or university, and that career-technical programs help prepare students for entrance into and/or advancement in the labor market

The Planning Year (7 months)

1.

Reviewed analyses around completion data and request additional ad hoc studies

2.

Built current pathways for student populations

3.

Built optimized pathways for student populations

4.

Identified the gaps between the two pathways

5.

Prioritized based on areas of highest leverage and impact as well as integration with existing efforts

• Received ample time, space, and support
• Engaged stakeholders through focus groups as

well as numerous planning efforts

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

The Student Experience

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

Exploring the Preventing Loss, Creating Momentum Framework

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

Loss & Momentum Framework

CONNECTION

Interest to Application

CONNECTION

Interest to Application

ENTRY

Enrollment to Completion of Gatekeeper Courses

ENTRY

Enrollment to Completion of Gatekeeper Courses

PROGRESS

Entry into Course

• f Study to 75%

Requirements Completed

PROGRESS

Entry into Course

• f Study to 75%

Requirements Completed

COMPLETION

Complete Course

• f Study to

Credential with Labor Market Value

COMPLETION

Complete Course

• f Study to

Credential with Labor Market Value

POLICIES PRACTICES PROGRAMS PROCESSES

PROGRESS ENTRY COMPLETION CONNECTION

Students never apply to college Students delay entry into college College counseling patterns that lead to:

• under enrollment
• little program-

specific guidance

• missed financial

aid opportunities

Unstructured programs / too many choices Extended onramps delay entry to programs of study Students fail to enroll/pass Gatekeeper courses Poor work- school balance Part-time enrollment forcing long completion times Progress not monitored / feedback given Life events / “Stop out or drop out” Transfer without credential Students accumulate credits (& debt) not aligned with completion Never complete college level math Credential doesn’t support needed wage & aren’t stackable

Completion by Design Framing Model

Some Known Loss Points

Poor academic preparation

PROGRESS ENTRY COMPLETION CONNECTION

foster college- going norms in High School expand awareness

• f college programs

and requirements dual enrollment & AP credit

Completion by Design Framing Model

Momentum Strategies

take placement test in high school educational planning in high school aggressive financial aid support accelerate entry to POS shorter, faster, cheaper course design effective academic catch-up programs mandatory intrusive advising focused on programs of study programs to incentivize optimal attendance student progress to completion monitored & feedback provided accelerated competency- based programs emergency aid for students remove barriers to graduation Learn & Earn and Career Pathway programs incentives to transfer with credentials mandatory intrusive advising toward certificates degrees & transfer

First Time Student Successful Completion

Discussion

• What are some of the key points of

interaction, either loss or momentum points?

• Which pathways would you like to

strengthen for your students?

Exploring Completion Data

Based on the work of Community College Research Center (CCRC) and Davis Jenkins

Irvine Valley Completion & Pathways Presentation

The Cohort

• First-time-in-college (FTIC) cohort
• FTIC Broken Down By Starting Program Level:

– Non Credit Vocational – ESL – ABE – ASE / GED – Dual Enrollment – Developmental – College-Ready – No Placement Info – Other

• Example: FTIC for 2005-06: 3,094 students

2005-06 FTIC Cohort by Starting Program Level

CBD Performance Measures

• 5-year highest educational outcomes:

– Certificate < 1 yr. – Certificate ≥ 1 yr. – Associate degree or bachelor’s degree at the starting institution – Transferred to 4-year institution with award – Certificate, associate, or bachelor's (from another inst.) – Transferred to 4-year institution with no award – Still enrolled at college in Year 5 with 30+ college credits

Cohort Outcomes by Starting Program Level

Cohort Outcomes by Developmental Ed Status

Students Need to “Get with the Program”

• To earn a credential, students must first enter a

coherent college-level program of study

• Many community college students enroll without

clear goals for college and careers

• CCs offer lots of programs, but most offer little

guidance to help students choose and enter a program

• Often not clear whether students are actually in

a program

Key Intermediate Milestone: Entering a Program of Study

• Concentrator – completes at least 9 semester

college credits (~3 courses) in a single CIP program area

• Non-concentrator – attempts but does not pass

at least 9 college credits in a single program area

• Non-attempter – does not attempt at least 9

college credits in a single field

Outcomes by Concentrator Status

Outcomes for LAS Concentrators

Outcomes by CTE Concentrators

Discussion

• What do these graphs tell you about

completion in the community colleges? What surprised you?

• Have you collected similar data at your

college? If so, what have you found?

• Has the concept of programs of study

been discussed at your college? If so, in what context?

The Case for Collecting Intermediate Milestones

• While ultimately completion rates are of

critical importance, the long delay time to measure them (5 years) suggests a need for intermediate milestones to measure progress

• CBD uses a set of 9 cadre-wide KPIs to

measure intermediate milestones

• KPIs are broken out by stage of the Loss-

Momentum Framework

KPIs at the Entry Stage

• Percentage of students coming directly from

high school that place below college level

• Percentage of students who start below

college level and complete recommended remediation within 1 year

• Percentage of students who pass required

entry-level math and English within 1 year and 2 years on first attempt

KPIs at the Progress Stage

• Percentage of students persisting fall term

to fall term

• Percentage of students earning 12 college

credits in 1 year, or 24 in 2 years

• Percentage of students who enter a

program of study (concentrate) within 1 year and 2 years

KPIs at the Completion Stage

• Percentage of students who receive a

positive outcome within 5 years

• Percentage of students earning excess

college credits beyond 2-year degree requirements

• Average number of excess credits

Discussion

• Do you measure similar pathway-type

intermediate milestones or KPIs at your college? If so, which ones and what have you found?

• What other pathway milestones / KPIs

can you consider measuring?

CbD Design Principles

Extracted from presentations by Johnstone and Davis Jenkins (CCRC) and WestEd’s Changing Course

Program Pathway

CONNECTION

From interest to enrollment

ENTRY

From enrollment to entry into program of study

PROGRESS

From program entry to completion of program requirements

COMPLETION

Completion of credential of value for further education and (for CTE) labor market advancement

Enter Program

• f Study

Complete Program

• f Study

Consider College Education

Pathway Redesign Process

CONNECTION

From interest to enrollment

ENTRY

From enrollment to entry into program of study

PROGRESS

From program entry to completion of program requirements

COMPLETION

Completion of credential of value for further education and (for CTE) labor market advancement

• Market program

paths

• Build bridges from

high school and adult ed. into program streams (e.g., strategic dual enrollment, I- BEST)

• Help students

choose program pathway and track entry

• Build prescribed

“on-ramps” customized to largest program streams

• Clearly define

and prescribe program paths

• Monitor students’

progress and provide feedback and supports JIT

• Incentivize

progress

• Align academic

program outcomes with requirements for success in further education and (for CTE programs) in the labor market

START HERE STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4

Status Quo Pathway Design

(example AA in LAS or Gen Studies)

• AA requirements not aligned with requirements for

junior standing in a major at transfer institutions

• Lack of clear pathways to transfer in a major for cc

students; many choices

• Students progress toward AA and transfer not

tracked; little on-going guidance, support

• No mechanism to inform choice of major pathway
• Dev ed narrowly focused on math and English, not

customized to particular paths

CBD Pathway Principles

• 1. Accelerate Entry into Coherent Programs of Study

Provide a structured, efficient, and prescriptive student progression experience Clear sequence of courses that lead to completion

• 2. Ensure Students Know Requirements to Succeed

Ensure students understand assessment & placement process and importance of preparation Clearly communicate requirements for degrees & certificates and the path to achieving them

CBD Pathway Principles

• 3. Minimize Time Required to Get College

Ready

Clearly map out program requirements and sequence Prescribe course of study for students based on goals and level of readiness

• 4. Customize and Contextualize Instruction

Use program-specific content to make developmental education relevant and engaging Use of experiential learning

CBD Pathway Principles

• 5. Integrate Student Support with Instruction

Embed student support within instruction where appropriate Ensure student support serves students who most need it

• 6. Continually Monitor Student Progress and

Proactively Provide Feedback

Monitor and celebrate student progress toward goals and provide prompt and tailored feedback Use data on student progress to inform planning and creation of safety nets

CBD Pathway Principles

• 7. Reward Behaviors that Contribute to

Completion

Potential for monetary incentives to encourage progress / completion Also consider non-monetary incentives such as recognition of progress

• 8. Leverage Technology to Improve Learning

and Service Delivery

Use technology to monitor and celebrate progress Use of technology within curriculum

Ideal Pathway Design

• Program learning goals clearly defined and aligned

with the requirements transfer with junior standing in major and (for CTE programs) career advancement

• Program pathway well structured and prescribed,

with electives only as needed to achieve learning goals

• Students’ progress toward meeting requirements is

monitored and feedback/support provided “just-in- time”

• “On-ramps” to help students choose a program of

study and customized to accelerate entry into specific program streams

Discussion

• What are some of the key features of

an coherent pathway for your students?

• As you think about the design

principles, where might you start with action steps that lead you to a more coherent pathway for your students?

Find Out More

Completion by Design www.completionbydesign.org CONTACTS: Rob Johnstone, Senior Research Fellow rjohnstone@rpgroup.org Priyadarshini Chaplot, Director of Professional Development and Senior Researcher pchaplot@rpgroup.org