Dr. Rob JohnstoneThe 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 of 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 DesignSignature initiative of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Postsecondary Success StrategyGoal: 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 Ohio9 colleges/campuses: 5 in NC, 3 in OH, 1 in FL3 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 studies2. Built current pathways for student populations3. Built optimized pathways for student populations4. Identified the gaps between the two pathways5. 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
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
of Study to 75%
Requirements
Completed
PROGRESS
Entry into Course
of Study to 75%
Requirements
Completed
COMPLETION
Complete Course
of Study to
Credential with
Labor Market
Value
COMPLETION
Complete Course
of Study to
Credential with
Labor Market
Value
POLICIES
PRACTICES
PROGRAMS
PROCESSES
PROGRESSENTRY COMPLETIONCONNECTION
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
PROGRESSENTRY COMPLETIONCONNECTION
foster college-
going norms in
High School
expand awareness
of 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
StudentSuccessful
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
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
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
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
CONNECTIONFrom interest to
enrollment
ENTRYFrom enrollment to entry
into program of study
PROGRESSFrom program entry to completion of program
requirements
COMPLETIONCompletion of credential of value for further education and (for CTE) labor market
advancement
Enter Program of Study
CompleteProgram of Study
ConsiderCollege
Education
Pathway Redesign Process
CONNECTIONFrom interest to
enrollment
ENTRYFrom enrollment to entry
into program of study
PROGRESSFrom program entry to completion of program
requirements
COMPLETIONCompletion 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 HERESTEP 2STEP 3STEP 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 MoreCompletion by Designwww.completionbydesign.org
CONTACTS:
Rob Johnstone, Senior Research [email protected]
Priyadarshini Chaplot, Director of Professional Development and Senior [email protected]
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