Satisfactory Academic Progress and the Community College

Vera Senese, Compliance Officer, City University of New York

Gail Baksh-Jarrett, Senior Director of Enrollment and Student Financial Services, LaGuardia Community College

Satisfactory Academic Progress and the Community

College

SAP & The Community College This session will cover the federal statutory

and regulatory requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress and the unique challenges of applying them at a Community College.

Community Colleges have different populations, constraints and issues than senior colleges, graduate and proprietary schools. This session will go into depth as to how a large New York City community college (LaGuardia) implements SAP.

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SAP & The Community College To be eligible for Federal Student Aid funds a student must

make satisfactory academic progress and your school must have a published policy for monitoring that progress.

Satisfactory Academic Progress citations can be found in:

HEA Section 484(c)

34 CFR 668.16(e)34 CFR 668.32(f)32 CFR 668.34

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SAP & The Community CollegeYour policy must be at least as strict as your SAP

standards for students in the same program(s) who are not receiving federal aid.

The policy must apply consistently to all educational programs and all students within categories

You must check SAP at the end of increments that can’t be longer than half the program or one academic year, whichever is less.

If your policy permits appeals and probation, it must explain the circumstances and procedures that apply.

Your policy should also explain the process whereby a student can re-establish eligibility.4

SAP & The Community College

Regulations require that your progress standards include specific policies defining the effects of course incompletes, withdrawals, repetitions and non-credit remedial courses on SAP. Your publications must include your college’s policy on repeating courses that were previously passed and your “F” grade policy.

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The policy must contain both a qualitative (grade-based) and a quantitative (time-based) standard used to check SAP.

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Qualitative Standard Students must have a minimum grade

point average of a C or its equivalent consistent with the requirements for graduation as defined by the institution at the end of the second academic year. (If your school does not have letter grades, it must define the equivalent of a C average.)

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Quantitative StandardSet a maximum time frame expected to finish the program – can not exceed 150% of the published length of the program measured in academic years or terms or credit hours.

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Your policy must also address:

Change of majors and transfer creditsRepeated courses, withdrawals,

incompletes, remedial and ESL coursesProbation & AppealsRe-establishing SAP and waivers

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CUNY’s SAP PolicyQualitative QualitativeCum. Credits GPA

0 – 12 1.5 a. 150% cap

13- 24 1.75 b. Regular Standard

25 + 2.0 c. Conditional Standard

All students (whether aid recipients or not) are measured against the SAP standard at the end of the spring term to determine their eligibility for receipt of Title Iv aid for the upcoming year.

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CUNY’s SAP Policy – Title IV Progress Chart

Credit Accumulation 15 30 45 60 75 90

Required Cumulative Credits

10 20 30 40 50 60

Conditional Standard 0 6 19 32 45 60

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LaGuardia Community College - CUNYInstitutional Profile Fall 2008

Credit Enrollment 15,540

Major Areas of Study Allied Health 25%Business 27%Liberal. Arts 33%Technology 15%

Race Hispanic 35%Asian 21%

Black 17%White 12%Other/Unknown 15%

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Institutional Profile Fall 2008 (cont’d)

Gender Female 61%

Male 39%

Age 17 to 2252%

23 to 2925%

30 + 19%

U.S. Born 43%

Foreign Born 57%

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Institutional Profile Fall 2008 (cont’d)

Native Languages 117

Awarded Aid 50%

Attending Full-Time 55%

Attending Part-Time 45%

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Federal Satisfactory Academic Progress

Title IV Recipients

Fall 2008 Fall 2009

Not Making Progress 459 500

Did not return 363 392

Return 96 (21%) 108 (22%)

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Early Alert Program - Black Males

Identify At-Risk Students - Selective Population Student Progress Reports - Faculty Intervention – Tutoring, Advisement, Study Hall

No. of Students Fall 2008 Spring 2009

Total Students Enrolled

Total At-Risk

% At-Risk

782

259

33%

854

281

33%


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Early Alert Program - Fall 2008

WITHDRAWAL INTERVENTION

Prior to the official withdrawal date advisors take to the streets (Atrium)

SUMMARY Total Students 72 Total Surveys

Returned 47

1. Given the conversation you just had, are you going to withdraw from one or more classes?

A – Yes = 27 students B - No = 29 students

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Early Alert Program - Fall 2008 (cont’d)

2. a) Were you planning to visit an advisor to discuss

withdrawing from class?

A – Yes = 13 students

B – No = 29 students

b) Was the conversation useful to you?

A – Yes = 47 students

B – No = 0 students

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Spring 2009Total Students 198 Total Surveys Returned 160

Did you benefit from this session the way you wanted (or expected)? Yes = 154 No = 06

Did you learn something new during your time in this session? Yes = 153 No =07

Did this session motivate you to take action? Yes = 123 No = 37

Should this session have been conducted differently? Yes = 7 No = 152 N.R. =1

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Fall 2009

Total Students 183 - Total Surveys Returned 127

Did you benefit from this session the way you wanted (or expected)? Yes=120 No=7

Did you learn something new during your time in this session? Yes=118 No=9

Did this session motivate you to take action? Yes=117 No=10 What action will you take? Ask questions, don’t be scared. Taking action to

not lower GPA.


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Fall 2009 (cont’d)

If you experience academic difficulty in a future semester, how likely are you to seek out help earlier in the semester? (Circle your response)

Not at all =1 somewhat unlikely =8 unsure/no response =14 somewhat likely=33 very likely =71

Should this session have been conducted differently?

Yes=26 No=101

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Documents

Satisfactory Academic Progress and the Community College