Describing Course Prior to Transfer Course Level

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Describing Course Prior to Transfer Course Level

• Patrick Perry
• Vice Chancellor of Technology, Research, Info
  Systems
• California Community Colleges

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What is Course Prior to Transfer Course Level?

• It is the course level, in terms of number of
  levels below the transferrable level
• How many levels below transfer level is this
  course?
• It is used primarily for basic skills
• but can be used for non-basic skills,
  degree-applicable courses
• It is used only for English, writing, ESL,
  reading, or mathematics (TOP codes)
• Can be used for credit or noncredit courses

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MIS Data Element CB21

• CB21Course Prior to College Level
• Chancellors Office MIS system collects all
  course info each term
• Courses are coded for identification purposes
• TOP code, credit status, transfer status, units,
  basic skills status, SAM/voc code, etc.

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MIS Data Element CB21

• Last changed in 1994
• Defined number of codeable levels at 5 (xfer
  4 below)
• Is used across math/English/reading/writing/ESL
• Has little curricular definition of levels

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MIS Data Element CB21

• Is used for a lot of accountability reporting
• Which in turn is used to justify investments and
  expenditures in basic skills
• ARCC Technical Advisory Group defines metrics
  for mandated reports
• Is necessary to show student progress through
  basic skills curriculum
• 4321transferrable

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What CB21 is used for

• Basic Skills Improvement Rate (ARCC)
• Credit courses only
• Completed (A,B,C,CR) any math/Eng basic skills
  course at 2 or more levels below
• Within 3 years, successfully completed a higher
  level basic skills course of same discipline
• Anywhere in the system
• Current data range 24-62, avg 49.

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What CB21 is used for

• ESL Improvement Rate (ARCC)
• Credit ESL courses only
• Completed (A,B,C,CR) any ESL course at 2 or more
  levels below
• Within 3 years, successfully completed a higher
  level ESL course
• Anywhere in the system
• Current data range 0 to 81, avg. 42

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What CB21 is used for

• Proposed Basic Skills Supplemental Report Basic
  Skills Progress Rate
• Track freshmen forward 8 years that attempted any
  basic skills course any time
• Report by the lowest level of math/English/ESL
  ever attempted (gt4 levels below transferable
  level 3, 2, 1 levels below CR, NC).

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Basic Skills Progress

• For the aforementioned cohort
• Percent who completed any degree-applicable or
  transfer level math/Eng/ESL (in same curricular
  lineage)
• Percent that eventually earn a degree/certificate,
  and/or transfer/transfer prepared

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Percent of Assessed Students Recommended for
Placement

• into levels of credit basic skills
  math/English/ESL courses (as defined by CB 21) in
  a given year
• done by annual survey of colleges

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Coding CB21

• Normally done at campus
• Saved in local ERP system (Datatel, Banner,
  Peoplesoft, etc)
• Sent to System Office end of term by local MIS
• Reports run thereafter (ARCC)
• Resubmission always allowed and welcome

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Problems arise when

• Miscoding (wrong TOP, credit, basic skills
  status)humans and transference
• Recoding term to term without change in actual
  curriculum (solved with unique_id)
• Ambiguity of data element codes College Xs 3
  levels below math is different than College Ys 3
  levels below math
• We need a rubric as to what these mean across
  campuses for each discipline

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Establishing a Rubric

• Is not standardization
• Does not drive curricular changes
• Is not common course numbering or articulation
• IS a mapping exercise designed to maximize our
  ability to show student progress AND your good
  work

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Rubric Math

• Currently, CB21
• Aprereq. for transfer math (Intermediate
  Algebra)
• Bprereq./prep. for A (Algebra I/Elem.
  Algebra)
• Cprereq./prep. For A/B (Arithmetic)
• Ygt3 levels below transfer level (N/A)

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Rubric English

• Currently, CB21
• Aprereq. for transfer Eng. Comp. (Subject A)
• Bprereq./prep. for A (Not available)
• Cprereq./prep. For A/B (Not available)
• Ygt3 levels below transfer level (Not available)

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Rubric Writing, Reading, ESL

• Not addressed at all

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Your Assignment

• Is to create a mapping rubric for each of the
  disciplines that encompass transfer/course prior
  to transfer levels
• Has uniform and understandable curricular
  definitions (course or SLO) for each level in
  each discipline
• Try to retain existing data element (transfer 4
  other BS levels)

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Things to Consider

• If you code every basic skills class at 4 levels
  below, you will have few improvements
• It pays to have a full progression sequence
  using as many levels as are available to show
  differentiation

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Things to Consider

• However, levels must mean the same thing across
  campuses
• Student movement does not preclude you from
  getting credit for success elsewhere
• provided your neighbor is coding properly and
  uniformly as well

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Things to Consider

• If your progression has more than 4 steps
• Keep as many as you can, but some may have to be
  coded at the same level
• You may have 7 levels of ESL, your neighbor has 3
• If we allowed everyone to code their own number
  of levels, colleges would be advantaged/disadvanta
  ged based solely on their curricular segmentation

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Things to Consider

• Dont forget to properly code your transferrable
  courses as suchthis is also a valid and
  high-order outcome of student progress

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What we are NOT Talking About

• Basic Skills Status coding, maximizing
• Degree-applicable status, what is college-level
  or not
• Noncredit
• This is ONLY about creating a rubric for levels
  below transfer in 5 disciplines

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Making Changes

• The results of your work will provide new clarity
  to this data element
• System Office/ASCCC will promote workshops on the
  new meanings and how to use the rubric
• Subsequent MIS submissions will be superior
• Success Rates should reflect accurately and
  uniformly

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Making Changes

• All MIS data must be submitted through your
  normal MIS data submission process
• Contact your CISO change usually made in your
  ERP system
• Setup a formalized coding process for courses
  each term
• Wed love to do it centrally, butthere are
  150,000 courses a year

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Take off Your Departmental Hats

• You are now working at 30,000 feet
• How it works at your college in your department
  is secondary to this systemwide exercise
• Because the SYSTEM will benefit
• And the STUDENTS will benefit

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THANK YOU

• This is an extremely important task.
• YOU are the people that know this best.
• Your assistance is greatly valued.