Requisites Review SCC CIC Fall 2016 Sources Guidelines for Title 5 - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Requisites Review

SCC CIC Fall 2016

Sources

Guidelines for Title 5 Regulations Section 55003 Policies for Prerequisites, Corequisites and Advisories on Recommended Preparation Adopted by the California Community Colleges Board of Governors March 2011 Good Practice for the Implementation of Prerequisites Academic Senate for California Community Colleges Spring 1997 RSCCD AR 4260 Course Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Advisories

Introduction

• Prerequisites are an essential tool in the construction of curriculum for

courses in which student success is highly dependent on previously acquired knowledge or skills.

• Applied overzealously, prerequisites which go beyond needed skills will

unnecessarily limit students’ access to courses and inhibit their ability to make normal progress toward fulfilling their educational potential and may drive qualified students away causing financial loss to the college.

• Used laxly or not at all, weak or non-existent prerequisites do not inform

students of skills needed to succeed in their courses. Instructors will find course goals hard to achieve when precious class time is needed to teach such unprepared students. In fact, these situations often create pressures to reduce academic standards. The tendency of unprepared students to drop out will create unfilled seats for which the college will generate no income and make it seem that the instructional program is weak and ineffective.

Levels of Scrutiny

• 1. Standard co/prerequisites

Identify three campuses of UC or CSU that offer the equivalent course with the equivalent prerequisite in order to demonstrate that, in fact, the prerequisite in question is a usual, customary, and reasonable one

• 2. Sequential within and across disciplines

Document the content review by including in the course outline a list of the specific skills and knowledge a student must possess in order to be ready to take the course

• 3. Courses in communication or computation skills

as co/prerequisites for courses other than another skills course

The additional scrutiny of such prerequisites must include collecting data according to sound research principles. The approved research methods are:

– the extent to which students who are or have taken the prerequisite of course believe it is necessary; – a comparison of the faculty member’s appraisal of students’ readiness for the course to whether the students had met the prerequisite; – a comparison of the students’ performance at any point in the course with whether the student had completed the proposed prerequisite; – a comparison of student performance in the course to their scores on assessment instruments in the manner required to validate an assessment instrument and cut scores for the course in question

PREREQUISITE VALIDATION STUDY

Target Course: ECON 120 Prerequisite: MATH 060

The following is statistical data on the validation of the following course prerequisite: Successful completion of MATH 060 as a prerequisite for ECON 120.

ECON 120 First Attempt GRADE * Completed MATH 060 Crosstabulation Count Completed MATH 060 Total 1 ECON 120 First Attempt GRADE 673 121 794 1 1284 165 1449 Total 1957 286 2243

Chi-Square Measurement: The Chi-Square measurement tests the hypothesis (null hypothesis) that there is “no difference” between the expected frequencies and the observed frequencies of two

• variables. An alternate interpretation of the null hypothesis is that the variables are
• independent. In order to reject the null hypothesis and conclude that the two

variables are statistically dependent, the Chi-Square value must be greater than 3.84. To ensure the validity of the Chi-Square test there is a minimum frequency threshold for a 2x2 table that should be obeyed. If any of the observed frequencies in the cross- tabulation table are 5 or below then the validity of the Chi-Square measurement is questionable. CHI-SQUARE = 6.842 REJECT NULL HYPOTHESIS

Chi-Square Tests Value df

• Asymp. Sig. (2-

sided) Exact Sig. (2- sided) Exact Sig. (1- sided) Pearson Chi-Square 6.842a 1 .009 Continuity Correctionb 6.500 1 .011 Likelihood Ratio 6.696 1 .010 Fisher's Exact Test .010 .006 Linear-by-Linear Association 6.839 1 .009 N of Valid Cases 2243

• a. 0 cells (.0%) have expected count less than 5. The minimum expected count is 101.24.
• b. Computed only for a 2x2 table

Fisher’s Exact Measurement:

• The Fisher’s Exact measurement can be used as an alternative to the Chi-Square

measurement when a large sample is difficult to obtain. In order to reject the null hypothesis and conclude that the two variables are statistically dependent, the Fisher’s Exact value must have a P-value that is less than the standard .05.

• FISHER’S EXACT = .010

REJECT NULL HYPOTHESIS Percent increase:

• Percent increase is measured by subtracting the percent success before adjusting

for the prerequisite from the percent success after adjusting for the prerequisite. For the study percent increase to meet the percent increase criteria there must be a difference greater than or equal to 10% in the positive direction.

• PERCENT INCREASE:

FAILED CRITERIA

• 1449/2243 = 64.6% Before Prerequisite
• 165/286 = 57.7% After Prerequisite

Summary

• A total sample of 100, with at least 20 students in the non-

successful group for the target course is recommended. In this case the total sample is sufficient (2243), with the number in the non-successful group above the recommended level (794). Both the chi-square test and the Fisher’s Exact test reject the null hypothesis that success in MATH 060 is independent of success in ECON 120. Unfortunately, MATH 060 failed the Percent Increase

• criteria. Even though the two variables are statistically

dependent upon one another, the affect this relationship has on student success is in the negative direction. Conclusion

• The data does not support MATH 060 as a prerequisite of

ECON 120 at this time.

• 4. Program co/prerequisites.

(Note: Co/prerequisites defined for the program that are mandated by outside accrediting or licensing agencies, other than skills prerequisites, should be documented and attached to this form.)

• 5. Health and Safety

The faculty in the discipline and the curriculum committee determine that students who lack the prerequisite might endanger themselves or others. Attach narrative justification

• 6. Recency and other measures of readiness

(miscellaneous) Such prerequisites also require collecting data according to sound research principles as discussed in number 3

• 7. Legally Mandated Training

Limitations on Enrollment

Performance Courses

The College may establish audition or try-out as a limitation on enrollment for courses that include public performance or intercollegiate competition such as, but not limited to, band orchestra, theater, competitive speech, chorus, journalism, dance, and intercollegiate athletics provided that:

a.

For any certificate or associate degree requirement which can be met by taking this course, there is another course or courses which satisfy the same requirement; and b. The College includes in the course outline of record a list of each certificate or associate degree requirement that the course meets and of the other course or courses which meet the same requirement. c. Limitations on enrollment established as provided for performance courses shall be reviewed at least every six years to determine whether the audition or try-out process is having a disproportionate impact on any historically underrepresented group and, if so, a plan shall be adopted to seek to remedy the disproportionate impact. If disproportionate impact has been found, the limitation on enrollment may not be printed in subsequent catalogs or schedules nor enforced in any subsequent term until such a plan has been endorsed by the department and the college administration and put into effect.

Honors Courses A limitation on enrollment for an honors course or an honors section of a course may be established if, in addition to the review by the faculty in the discipline or department and by the Curriculum and Instruction Council as provided above, there is another section or another course or courses at the College which satisfy the same requirements. If the limitation is for an honors course and not only for an honors section, the College must also include in the course outline of record a list of each certificate

• r associate degree requirement that the course

meets and of the other course or courses which meet the same associate degree or certificate requirement.

Blocks of courses or sections

Blocks of courses or blocks of sections of courses are two

• r more courses or sections for which enrollment is

limited in order to create a cohort of student. Such a limitation on enrollment may be established if, in addition to review by the faculty in the discipline or department and by the Curriculum and Instruction Council as provided above, there is another section or another course or courses which satisfy the same requirement. If the cohort is created through limitations on enrollment in the course rather than limitation on specific sections of courses, then the College must include in the course

• utline of record a list of each certificate or associate

degree requirement that the course meets and of the

• ther course or courses which satisfy the same associate

degree or certificate requirement.

Assessment Processes as Prerequisites

The steps required to use an assessment process for placement advice are sufficient to meet the research requirements to establish that assessment process as a prerequisite [Title 5 §55202(c)]. To fully implement an assessment process requires 1)that any instrument used be on the Chancellor’s Office approved list, 2) local validation of cut-off scores 3) the use of multiple measures 4) checking for disproportionate impact on historically underrepresented groups and, if found, implementing a plan to ameliorate the disproportionate impact [Title 5 §55524

Review of Requisites (AR4260)

• As a regular part of the curriculum review process or at

least every six years, except that the prerequisites and corequisites for vocational courses or programs shall be reviewed every two years, the faculty shall review each prerequisite, corequisite, or advisory to establish that each is still supported by the faculty in the discipline or department and by the Curriculum and Instruction Council and is still in compliance with all other provisions of this policy and with the law. Any prerequisite or corequisite which is successfully challenged under subsections (1), (2), or (3) of Title 5, Section 55003(p) shall be reviewed promptly thereafter to assure that it is in compliance with all other provisions of this policy and with the law.

Instructor's Formal Agreement to Teach the Course as Described. Each college shall establish a procedure so that courses for which prerequisites or co-requisites are established will be taught in accordance with the course outline, particularly those aspects of the course outline that are the basis for justifying the establishment of the prerequisite or co-

• requisite. The process shall be established by consulting collegially with

the local academic senate and, if appropriate, the local bargaining unit.

FAQ

We have prerequisites already. Why the changes? Recent changes in Title 5 require that, if a course has a prerequisite, it must be necessary for success in the target course. Furthermore, we must ensure that the prerequisite is equitably and fairly enforced, and that it ahs been approved in a separate action by the Curriculum & Instruction Committee. Can an instructor sign a student into his or her class without the student’s completing the course prerequisite?

• No. The purpose of prerequisite enforcement is to make sure students have the necessary

background to be successful in the course. An instructor’s signature to waive a prerequisite is in violation of Title 5 Regulations. What if I, as the course instructor, do not want the prerequisite enforced? Individual instructors cannot arbitrarily change prerequisites or enforce other enrollment standards that are different from those approved by the department and Curriculum & Instruction Committee. Title 5 requires uniformity among sections of the same course. What is a student wants to “waive” the prerequisite” WAVIERS ARE NOT LONGER ALLOWED. If the course has an approved prerequisite, it must be enforced.

Will prerequisites impact course enrollment?

• Yes. If the student has not satisfactorily completed the prerequisite, he or she will not be allowed

to enroll in the course. Present practices allow students just entering a sequence to enroll at the level they choose; therefore, you may see a reduction in your enrollment if you establish an enforceable prerequisite. How should colleges monitor prerequisites and corequisites for any disproportionate impact? Title 5, section 55003(l)(2) ties the establishment of prerequisites with the student equity plan provisions of section 54220 to ensure that prerequisite requirements in precollegiate reading, written expression or mathematics do not have a disproportionate impact on particular groups of student in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age, or disability. Section 54220 delineates the requirements for college student equity plans and identifies five broad areas that colleges are required to address: (1) access, (2) retention, (3) degree and certificate completion, (4) ESL and basic skills completion, and (5) transfer. The Chancellor’s Office plans to issue further guidance on this issue in the future. The Academic Senate’s paper Student Equity: From Dialog and Access to Action provides a thoughtful approach regarding data collection and analysis to address this question. Are there any reporting requirements that colleges need to meet in the title 5 regulations adopted by the BOG in March 2011? Yes, there are. Title 5, section 55003(i) requires colleges to report by August 1st of each year all prerequisites, corequisites, or advisories established during the prior year. Districts are also required to specify the level of scrutiny used to establish the prerequisite, whether content review only or content review with statistical validation. The CCCCO Curriculum Inventory is being updated to allow colleges to report this information annually. This information will also be used to update the BOG on the impact of the prerequisite regulatory changes.