Texas Completion by Design

June 2012

Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

CBD PanelAlamo Colleges – Dr. Jo-Carol Fabianke

Dallas Co. Community College District – Audra Barrett

El Paso Community College – Steve Smith

Lone Star College System – Juanita Chrysanthou

South Texas College – Kristina Wilson

What is CBD?Five year community college reform effort aimed to help more low-income young adults complete more quickly and with greater rates of success

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will provide nearly $40 million over five years to four states

The largest investment to date in higher education for the Foundation

Who is CBDAfter a rigorous application process, only four grants were awarded in the nation:

Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, TexasLone Star College System is the Managing Partner for the Texas cadre

Texas CBD Cadre

Alamo CollegesDallas County Community College DistrictEl Paso Community CollegeLone Star College SystemSouth Texas College

Collective Impact

289,000 Students = 1/3 of all TX community college

students

State Partners

State Advisory Board - Policy

• Transfer and Articulation• Outcomes Based Funding• Developmental Education• Financial Aid• Assessment/Diagnostics• Progress and Completion Best Practices

Dr. Richard Rhodes, Council Chair Austin Community College

Dr. Armando Aguirre University of Texas at El Paso

David Anthony Raise Your Hand Texas

Rose Benavides Starr Co. Industrial Foundation

Jo Ann Brumit KARLEE Manufacturing Solutions Provider

Dr. Richard Carpenter Lone Star College System

David Crouch Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas

Dr. Curtis Culwell Garland ISD

Martha Ellis UT System

Bruce Esterline The Meadows Foundation

Dr. Rey Garcia TACC

George Grainger Houston Endowment

Bill Hammond Texas Association of Business

Jack Jones Temple College / Jones & Harrell, P.C.

Dr. Daniel P. King Pharr-San Juan-Alamo School District

Sandy Kress Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Adair Margo Adair Margo Art Gallery

Kay McClenney CCLP

Richard Moore TCCTA

Jeff Moseley Greater Houston Partnership

Dr. Wynn Rosser Greater Texas Foundation

Jeanne Russell San Antonio Mayor's Office

Ex Officio Members

Dan Branch Texas House

Judith Zaffirini Texas Senate

Raymund Paredes THECB

Andre Alcantar TWC

The Challenge of Completion

For Colleges:Financial Incentives aligned with

access, not completion Under-resourced

Innovations tend to be isolatedChange is hard, even when the will is there

For Students:Easy to enroll, easy to drop outMany enter without a clear plan, and need developmental educationLack of confidence, financial resources and family support

QuestionHow can a community college raise completion rates for large numbers of students while containing costs, maintaining open access and ensuring quality?

AnswerDevelop strong completion pathways, defined as integrated policies, practices and programs designed to maximize students’ progress from start to finish.

Gates Foundation Pathway Principles

1. Accelerate Entry into Programs of Study2. Minimize Time to College-Ready3. Ensure Students know Requirements4. Customize/Contextualize Instruction5. Integrated Student Supports with Instruction6. Monitor Student Progress and Provide Feedback7. Reward Completion Focused Behaviors8. Leverage Technology to Improve Learning

Supporting Student Success:PREVENTING LOSS, CREATING MOMENTUMa system designed for student completion

JOBS

How?Analyze and understand the common barriers and milestones that students experienceImplement and integrate proven and promising practices to provide students with the quickest, straightest path to a degreeCreate the conditions for change by empowering interdisciplinary, cross-campus delegations of faculty, staff and administratorsBuild infrastructure for continuous improvement

Planning PhaseInterdisciplinary, cross-functional teamsData Analysis

Target Student GroupsApplied Inquiry FrameworkEngagement

Faculty, Staff, StudentsInventory of Promising Practices

Bubble ChartsPriority StrategiesModel Pathways

CCRC Pathway Analyses

1) College “scoreboard” student completion rates

2) Program of study entry/completion patterns-Characteristics of concentrators vs. non-concentrators

-Program entry/completion rates by field

-Timing of program entry

3) Pathways of program completers-Courses most frequently taken by program completers

-“Stacking” of credentials

4) Trends in awards by field (IPEDS)

Student Groups

Target Student Groups Alamo DCCCD EPCC LSCS STC

First Time In College (sub-groups) 15,785 9,000 10,432 7,063 2,790

30+ Credit Hours (currently enrolled) 1,843 6,585 1,451 21,829 n/a

Dual Enrollment n/a n/a n/a n/a 10,458

Business Concentrators n/a n/a n/a 6,130 n/a

Applied Inquiry Framework

CYCLE OF EVIDENCE-BASED IMPROVEMENT

Stage 1 – Explore how to improve outcomes

Stage 2 – Gather meaningful evidence Stage 3 – Discuss evidence broadly Stage 4 – Use evidence to inform change

Stage 5 – Measure the impact of change

Sample BubbleConnection Entry Progress Completion

Automatic Graduation

Reverse Transfer

Mandatory

Orientation

Early Placement

Testing, Prep and

Remediation Accelerating Students through

Developmental Education

Getting Students into a program

of study

Streamlining programs,

course options and core

curriculum

Aligning programs and services with

workforce, career and

transfer pathways

Using technology for a comprehensive advising, tracking and degree planning system (dashboard)

Institutional alignment of completion strategies and resources

Mandatory Education

Plan

Alumni Developme

nt

K-12 curriculu

m alignment

Accelerated learning

Student monitoring system

(milestones, early alert, audits)

Financial Planning and Incentives

Mandatory Student success course

Student Engagemen

t: faculty advising,

etc.

Incentivizing completion at institutional and state level: engagement, communication and messaging

Packaged degrees

aligned with transfer, dual enrollment,

career

College-going

culture

Dual enrollment

Priority registration; automatic scheduling

Universitycurriculu

m alignment

Top 5 Priorities  Cadre Top Five Priorities and Alignment with CBD Principles  Program of Study

(P1, P2, P8)Mandatory Advisement & Pre-Assessment Prep (P3,

P6)

Enhanced Engagement

Strategies (P3, P7)

Curriculum Alignment & Coordination

(P4, P5)

Auto Degree & Reverse

Transfer (P6, P7, P8)

Alamo Success course;Career Pathways

Early student alerts; pre-assessment/orientation; Mandatory declaration of a major in the first semester; intrusive/proactive advising and monitoring

Professional DevelopmentOngoing faculty, staff and student engagement

Accelerated courses; flexible scheduling; integrated basic skills; sequencing of core curriculum

 

DCCCD Learner Relationship Management (LRM) system; Acceptance letter link to orientation; success course

Faculty Advising Professional Development; Use of existing / enhanced technology

Streamline Core Curriculum  

EPCC Career; Exploration; LRM; success course; Informed Intent

Early student alerts; case management system; Intrusive/proactive advising

Professional development 

Clarifying Core; Streamlining selections

 

LSCS Success course; Default Schedule; Core; Guided pathways

Mandatory Advising; Early Alert; Degree Audit; pre-assessment orientation

Use of technology; professional development; faculty mentoring/advising

Accelerated courses; stackable credentials; workforce alignment

 

STC LRM; Career Skills Interest Inventory 

Redesign Advising; Degree Plans; Career Skills Inventory; Dual Enrollment

Professional Development; Use of Technology

Accelerated DE; Integrated Curriculum Module

 

Model Pathway

CONNECTION ENTRY PROGRESS COMPLETION

Terry’s Current Journey

Terry’s Future Journey

• Attends a HS without college prep curriculum

• Confused by FAFSA; family & school don’t help; doesn’t complete FAFSA

• Graduates HS and gets a low-wage retail job; delays enrollment for a year; finally enrolls in local community college, but part-time

Underprepared, underfunded, enrolled

part-time

• College placement test requirements force 3 semesters of developmental education courses

• Lack of advising leads to unstructured, part-time enrollment

• Lecture-based gatekeeper courses create disengagement , boredom, and surface-level learning at best

Undirected and barely “college ready”

• Self Advising leads to extra courses/excessive credits and inability to access needed college supports

• Semester-based learning model constrains accelerated progression

• Over-enrolled courses and heavy workload lead her to “stop out” for a semester

Stop-out risk

• Loses job and re-enrolls, continues to struggle

• Graduation fees present financial and administrative barrier to graduation

• Lack of career advising leads to low-wage retail work again even after obtaining a credential

Lucky to cross the finish line after 5-years

Tale of Two Terrys• 10th grade• B-student• Low-income family• Dreams of becoming a teacher• Starts at a community college

Prepared, supported, enrolled full-time

Academically caught up and ready to roll

On track in an accelerated program of

study

A well-connected graduate in

2-years ready to continue learning

• Attends a PS aligned HS with college prep curriculum

• HS supports student to complete FAFSA before graduation

• Financial aid enables her to enroll full-time

• Chooses to begin at a high-quality community college close to home at significantly lower cost

• Diagnostic assessment allows for targeted developmental education during the summer and supplemental instruction during the first semester

• High-quality digital courseware in gatekeeper courses provides more diverse and deeper learning opportunities; results in higher student engagement and improved learning outcomes

• Intrusive advising steers her into a coherent program of study

• Learner Relationship Management system alerts her when at academic risk so she can course correct and enables a useful social network of support

• Innovative competency-based learning options allow her to complete many courses at her own pace

• Contextual learning supports career relevant work experience

• Degree audit system automatically confers credentials, including a certificate along the way to the degree

• Intrusive advising helps her “match” to the right 4-year institution

Panel Discussion

1. What is different about Completion by Design, as compared to other completion initiatives you have been doing in Texas? How is it building on previous initiatives/successes?

2. How did you look at the data differently for CBD?

3. How difficult will it be to create a culture where all faculty and staff see themselves as Completion Advocates? What have you learned so far from the planning work?

4. What will be the main features of your pathways? How will the student experience be different as a results of the CBD work?

Inquiries

Amy WelchState Director, Texas Completion by Design

Government Affairs & Institutional AdvancementLone Star College System

amy.m.welch@lonestar.edu

www.texascompletion.comwww.completionbydesign.org