california state university, sacramento levers of change: role of financial aid and institutional...

California State University, Sacramento

Levers of Change:Role of Financial Aid and

Institutional Reform in Promoting Student Success at

California Community Colleges

Nancy ShulockPresentation to College Access Foundation

San Francisco, CAMay 20, 2008


Key Points

California has a serious education problem Community Colleges are key to solving it –

degree completion must increase Financial aid is a key part of solution, but… Institutional reforms, coupled with aid, can

lead to systemic change


Percent of Adults with an Associate Degree or Higher by Age Group—Leading OECD Countries, the U.S., and

California

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Canada Japan Korea Spain France U.S. California

Per

cent

of

Adu

lts w

ith A

ssoc

iate

Deg

ree

or H

ighe

r

Age 55-64 Age 45-54 Age 35-44 Age 25-34

Source: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Education at a Glance 2007; Not shown on the graph are Belgium, Norway, Ireland and Denmark, which also rank ahead of the U.S. on attainment among young adults (attainment is increasing for younger populations as in the other countries)


California’s Performance is Lagging

Preparation35th and 49th in high school students taking advanced math

and science

Bottom 1/5 in 8th graders scoring “proficient” in all subject areas of the NAEP

Participation11th in percent of 18-64 year olds enrolled in college

40th in direct to college from high school

48th in full-time college enrollment

Completion46th in degrees per 100 undergraduates enrolled


California Community Colleges:Size and Governance

109 community colleges in 72 districts 2.6 million students per year – most part-time Over 70% of public undergraduates Locally elected boards – collective bargaining Weak state-level governance Highly regulated Highly politicized and resistant to change Multiple missions Low funding/lowest fees in the nation


0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

CCC CSU UC

Latino, Black, Native American Students All Other Students

1,094,650

344,472

162,975

Community Colleges Enroll Most Undergraduates – and Large Portion of Latino and Black Populations


520,407 Students

Policies toPromote Access

314,034 Students

206,373 Students

Policy Barriers to Completion

Incoming CCC Students

1999-2000

238,352 Students

75,682 Students

Non-Degree-Seekers: 40%

Degree-Seekers: 60%

Job Skills: 49%

Basic Skills: 9%

Personal Enrichment: 42%Complete

Certificate, Degree or Transfer within 6 Years: 24%

Do Not Complete within 6 Years: 76%


Highest Completion Among Degree-Seekers

Transfer, 18%

AA/AS, 4%

Certificate, 2%

No Completion, 76%


Completion Rates Worse for Certain Groups

33% for Asian students27% for white students18% for Latino students15% for black students

27% for students age 17-19 21% for students in their 20s18% for students in their 30s16% for students age 40 or older


Enrollment Patterns Matter – Especially Full-Time

Figure 8: Certain Enrollment Patterns are Related to Higher Completion

0%5%

10%15%

20%25%30%

35%40%

45%50%

Full T imeMajority of

Terms

ContinuousEnrollment

OrientationCourse

Drop <20%Courses

Register Late<20% Courses

Perc

ent C

ompl

etin

g C

ert/D

egre

e/T

rans

fer

Followed Pattern Did not Follow Pattern


Financial Needs Are Great

Serious affordability problem – despite low fees Fees only 5% of college costs Low rates of financial aid receipt

About 25% - mostly just BOG fee waiver Only 11% receive Pell grants (mostly full-time) 100,000 eligible students apply but do not get Pell

State Cal-Grant program does not meet needs Remaining need after all aid

58% of CCC students

$5,097


Students Work too Much

Full-time attendance increases engagement, social integration

Working > 15-20 hours = lower GPA, fewer credits, less persistence

81.5% of CCC students work, 43% full time Average 32 hours per week


Time to Completion for CCC Students

Full-Time Completers

Part-Time Completers

Years to Completion 3.1 3.5

< 1 Yr 1.0% 2.7%

1 to 2 Yrs 14.2% 14.8%

2 to 3 Yrs 35.1% 18.4%

3 to 5 Yrs 40.9% 45.0%

> 5 Yrs 9.1% 19.2%

Source: IHELP analysis of 1999-00 cohort of first-time CCC students; represents time to completion for students who completed a certificate, degree, or transfer within 6 years; “full-time” defined as students who enrolled in 12+ units in the majority of terms they attended.


Policy Reforms are Needed

State policy

System policy

Institutional policy and practice


Successful Student Behaviors that Could be Encouraged by Financial Aid Conditions

Complete FAFSA (for federal aid) Enroll in orientation/college success course Meet with counselor, make academic plan Take assessment tests on initial enrollment Enroll for a minimum number of units Register for courses on time Maintain continuous enrollment Make forward academic progress


Reforms to College Financial Aid Practices That Would Increase Student Success

Incentives to students for completing FAFSA Financial aid application linked to enrollment process Services and materials in multiple languages More evening office hours; experienced staff at front desk More staff support for FAFSA follow-up Collaboration among faculty and student services staff Better information to students

Loans; benefits of full-time


Reforms to Other College Policies/PracticesThat Would Increase Student Success

Assess all degree-seeking students for college readiness Encourage early enrollment in remediation Require orientation class for all degree-seekers Require students to declare program goal by certain point Lay out clear pathways to credentials Give all students academic plans Institute “early alert” system Enact policies to encourage good academic patterns (timely

registration, course add/drop, book vouchers/loans)


Theory of Change

Financial aid grants leverage institutional change at campus level

Campuses push to remove system constraints

System understands need for state-level policy changes

california state university, sacramento levers of change: role of financial aid and institutional...

Documents

california state university

students age

california source

black students

latino students

students policies

asian students

white students