National Landscape

1
National Landscape

• Growing concern about persistence success
• National figure 45 retention rate,
  year-to-year
• Recognition that K-12 college need to
  articulate better
• 49 of high school graduates need remediation in
  college

2
State of Oregon

• CC students who return for second year 44 (top
  states62)
• of Students who complete a BS/BA in 6 years
  55 (top states64)
• 4-year students who return for a 2nd year 76
  (top states82)
• Chance of enrolling in college by 19 33 (top
  states53)
• Certificates, degrees, awarded per 100
  undergraduates 16 (top states20)

3
State Board of Ed Responses

• Fix the AAOT
• Implement the OTM
• Expand early college programs (AP, IB
  dual-credit)
• Align PK-20 ensure seamless transferability
• Track student success completion K-16

4
Growing Understanding of Best Practices to ensure
persistence, derived from

• CCSSE
• Noel-Levitz
• National Resource Center--FYE
• On Course
• Achieving the Dream

5
Freedom to Fail vs. the Right to Succeed

• Taking Note of National Strategies for Retaining
  Students and Helping them to Reach their
  Goals(Achieving the Dream Valencia CC and LACC)

6
Valencia Community College Achieving the Dream
Proposal

• Goals are to
• 1) close the academic performance gaps among
  students from different ethnic and socio-economic
  backgrounds employing and bringing up to scale
  the use of learning communities and student
  success skill mastery strategies, implemented by
  teams of faculty and student affairs staff 2)
  strengthen the Colleges systems of gathering,
  analyzing, and utilizing qualitative and
  quantitative data to make decisions regarding the
  services provided and strategies employed in
  terms of their impact on the outcomes of
  students and 3) strengthen communications with
  and involvement of stakeholders from minority and
  low income communities

7
"Achieving the Dream" Goals

• Provides planning and implementation grants to
  colleges and state policy efforts
• Helps colleges develop and implement strategies
  to improve student success and build a culture of
  evidence to support decision making
• Conducts research on effective practices for
  student achievement at CC's
• Works to influence public policy so it supports
  CCs' improvement efforts

8
Achieving the Dream Strategies

• Developmental Education
• Refining Course Placement
• First Year Experiences
• Instructional techniques such as collaborative
  learning and learning communities
• Advising Services
• K-14 Strategies working with local high-schools
  to align curricula offering College Success
  classes in high school developing summer College
  Prep courses for high school students.

9
Guiding Students Choices

• Freedom to FailStudents take whatever courses
  they want to--freedom to "explore"!  Lane is open
  admission so let students take as many courses as
  the law allows!

• Right to SucceedStudents take courses
  appropriate for their preparation and those that
  help them reach their stated goals in a timely
  manner. 

10
Orienting Students for Success

• Freedom to FailSome students go to an advisor
  or counselor for help with their educational and
  life goals.  But we don't want to force
  anyone--they  can just sign up for courses on the
  first day of class!

• Right to SucceedAll students go through
  Orientation and Advising geared to their
  educational goals.  Up-front services prevent
  last-minute registration (and subsequent
  drop-out).

11
Learning in Community

• Freedom to FailLearning communities are
  developed on a "boutique" model, with classes
  that some students hear about through word of
  mouth or a poster.  No one is required to take
  them.

• Right to SucceedFirst Year Learning Communities
  are offered college-wide for hundreds of new
  students each year, offering an integrated menu
  of academic and life-skills classes that gear
  students up for continued success.  Students are
  then encouraged to take other learning
  communities throughout their careers.

12
Supplemental Studies and Tutoring

• Freedom to Fail  Students stumble upon tutoring
  services.  Most think tutoring is for
  underachievers.   

• Right to SucceedAll students are encouraged to
  access supplemental studies and tutoring services
  for all of their classes--especially "gatekeeper"
  ("graveyard") classes.  The message is out there
  that supplemental studies and tutoring are where
  the super-achievers hang out.

13
Provide a Seamless Experience

• Right to SucceedEarly Warning Systems, Mid-Term
  Grade reports, and Intrusive Advising provide
  students with consistent and timely feedback and
  motivation to do mid-course corrections rather
  than waiting to fail and go into debt. 

• Freedom to FailStudents are free to keep
  failing classes and paying for re-takes--at least
  until they are called out by Financial Aid. 
  Instructors are not aware of this counselors and
  advisors hear about the failures only once
  students do badly enough to be placed on
  probation. 

14
Require Appropriate Course Placement

• Freedom to Fail"I know the placement test
  placed me in Reading 80, but I saw this really
  cool 200-level class called "Literature of the
  Social Psychology of Ecobiological Mathematics"
  and there aren't any prerequisites. I can't wait
  to take that. I'll take Reading 80 later."

• Right to Succeed"I tested into Writing 95 and
  so right after my Advising Session I registered
  for that.  It's part of the Fast Lane to Success
  learning community.  When my reading and writing
  skills are college-ready, I'll tackle that
  interesting sophomore-level class."

15
Offer Multiple Learning Opportunities

• Freedom to FailStudents learn about academic
  material in their academic courses.  Skill
  development for success in college is reserved
  for extra-curricular activities like teams and
  clubs that students choose to be in.

• Right to SucceedSkill development for college
  success is integrated into courses across
  campus.  Material students learn in advising and
  orientation is understood and reinforced by
  instructors and in tools such as a portal, an
  e-portfolio and a dynamic educational plan.

16
Technology a Key for the 21st Century

• Freedom to FailNot everyone has access to
  technology.  Students who are interested in using
  computers can take those classes. 

• Right to SucceedSkill development in
  technological and information literacy is built
  into the First Year Experience.  E-Portfolios and
  use of a dynamic portal system allow constant
  interaction with computers and the internet. 
  Opportunities to improve skills are built into
  curricular and co-curricular activities.

17
Who's Responsible?

• Freedom to FailNo one person or group is
  responsible. It's a consequence of a pervasive
  culture reluctant to "make" students do what they
  "don't want to do" a "silo" culture where
  Instruction and Student Services staff don't
  collaborate and communicate often enough or
  effectively academics and services that are not
  integrated at all levels of students' experience.

• Right to SucceedEveryone is responsible for
  ensuring that students' "right to succeed" is
  ensured and exercised  Students take
  responsibility for their plans and goals faculty
  and staff have high expectations of students but
  also provide the guidance and services that put
  students on the right pathway at the right time.

18
Six Best Practices Identified by SAGA

• First-Year Experiences
• Academic Advising
• Learning Communities
• Supplemental Learning
• Early Warning Intervention Systems
• Supportive Learning Environment

19
SAGA Projects

• Track retention success rates (IRAP)
• Fall Kick Off
• SOAR
• Investigate placement mechanisms
• Investigate pre-requisites
• Enhance and streamline advising
• Learning Communities such as Fastlane to Success
• Identify students who need help Back on Course
  Beyond the Field
• Promote College Success courses such as
  Everything You Always Wanted to Know About
  College

20

• Back on Course
• Beyond the Field

21
Connect the nine dots using only four lines. The
lines must be connected end-to-end
22
(No Transcript)
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Connect the dots and then color in the picture.
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Everything you always wanted to know about
college before you start

• Aimed at easing the transitional shock between
  credit and non-credit courses
• Goal is to develop an integrated student by the
  time they start credit courses
• Create a system so students are familiar with
  resources assistance
• Help students feel entitled to be, and
  comfortable on the college campus
• Help students navigate the college website

25
SAGAs Future Goals

• Promote core abilities writing, critical
  thinking, problem-solving across disciplines
• Further evaluate placement pre-requisite
  practices
• Expand LCs FYE
• Expand and streamline advising
• Create year-round orientation system
• Promote and expand college success courses
  supplemental learning