Identifying Promising Practices

Promising Practices

for Community

College Student

Success

A FIRST LOOK

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What the Data Say90% of entering students strongly agree or agree that they have the motivation to do what it takes to succeed in college.

85% of entering students strongly agree or agree that they are academically prepared to succeed in college.

79% of entering students aim to complete an associate degree; yet nationally nearly half of entering students leave college before their second fall.

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Data Do Reflect Reality

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Our Practice: What Lies Between

Student Expectations

and Aspirations

Student Success

and Completion

Promoting Learning

that Matters

5

Bridging the Gap – Practices that Work

Student Expectations

and Aspirations

Student Success

and Completion

“Best” Practices

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Identifying & Promoting High-Impact PracticesTo help colleges identify what should be in the “Black Box of Student Engagement”

• Large-scale 3-year national research effort funded by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

• Using 13 practices currently identifying as Promising Practices

• Multiple sources of data – quantitative and qualitative

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Bridging the Gap – Practices that Work

Student Expectations

and Aspirations

Student Success

and Completion

Planning for Success

Initiating Success

Sustaining Success

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Promising Practices for Community College Student Success Planning for Success: Assessment and Placement, Orientation,

Academic Goal Setting and Planning, and Registration before Classes Begin

Initiating Success: Accelerated or Fast-Track Developmental Education, First-Year Experience, Student Success Course, and Learning Community

Sustaining Success: Class Attendance, Alert and Intervention, Experiential Learning beyond the Classroom, Tutoring, and Supplemental Instruction

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Center for Community College Student EngagementSurvey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE), • administered during the 4th and 5th weeks

of the fall term• focuses on students’ experiences from

the time they decide to attend through the end of the first three weeks of the term

Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), • administered in the spring term • gathers information from students about

their overall experiences at the college

Community College Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (CCFSSE), • administered in conjunction with CCSSE

to all faculty teaching credit courses• gathers information on instructors’

perceptions of student experiences and about teaching practices and use of professional time

Community College Institutional Survey (CCIS), • collects information on identifying and

promoting high-impact educational practices in community colleges

• gathers information about whether and how colleges implement a variety of promising practices

Planning for Success: Selected

Preliminary Findings

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Assessment and Placement82% of entering students who tested into developmental education report their colleges REQUIRED them to enroll in developmental courses during their first term. (2010 SENSE Cohort Data)

38% of students report using materials provided by college to help prepare for the assessment test. (2011 SENSE Promising Practices Data)

44% of colleges report offering some form of assessment test preparation, but just 13% require all students to use. (2011 CCIS Data)

Data Disconnect? Can more students test out of developmental education?

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Orientation

Entering students who attended an on-campus orientation prior to the beginning of classes

Entering students were not aware of a college orientation

Colleges reporting they require ALL first-time students to participate in orientation.

Data Disconnect? Does orientation matter?

45%

19%

38%

Preliminary High-Impact Analysis: Orientation Increases Student Engagement!47.2 47.7 47.7 47.0

49.9

43.5 41.6 43.3 43.6 43.6

Orientation No Orientation

Source: 2011 CCSSE data

Initiating Success: Selected Preliminary

Findings

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Accelerated/Fast-Track Developmental Ed42% of colleges report offering accelerated or fast-track developmental education programs and 13% say they require for all first-time developmental students.

26% of developmental students report enrolling in accelerated or fast-track developmental courses.

Data Disconnect? Could more students not only test up or out of developmental education, but also move through developmental education more quickly?

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Student Success Courses83% of colleges report offering student success courses and 15% make them mandatory for all first time students.27% of entering students report enrolling in a student success course.

Learning Communities56% of colleges report offering learning communities, but just 1% them mandatory for all first time students.13% of students report enrolling in an organized learning community.

Preliminary

analyses: students

enrolled in student

success courses

and learning

communities have

higher engagement

scores!

Sustaining Success: Selected Preliminary

Findings

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Tutoring and Supplemental Instruction85% of entering students report never using tutoring services by the end of the first 3 weeks. And, among same group 69% say they never participate in Supplemental Instruction during same time period.

87% of colleges report offering supplemental Instruction, but just 14% make it mandatory for developmental education students.

Data Disconnect? Are students getting the academic support they needto succeed?

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It’s Not Just About Having the Most InnovationsThe effectiveness of educational practice dependson…

Quality of implementationSpecific design of the practice

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Design Principles for Effective Practice

A strong start Clear, coherent pathways Integrated support High expectations and high

support Contextualization Intensive student engagement Design for scale Professional development

The Three R’s

• Redesign Student Experiences

• Reinvent Institutional Roles

• Reset System to Meet Students’ Needs, Communities and the Nation

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From Promising to High-Impact Practices

Student Expectations

and Aspirations

Student Success

and Completion

Next StepsWhat practices – or combination – are linked

to increased engagement levels?

What components of the practices are the most important for student success?

CCSSE &SENSE

BenchmarksAnalysis

FocusGroups

CCSSE &SENSE Item

Analysis

Self-reported student

outcomes

Matched student-record

outcome data

ICCCIKickoff Meeting

May 23, 2012Angela OrianoAssociate DirectorCenter for Community College Student Engagementoriano@cccse.org512.475.6526