2009 School Characteristics and Student Achievement Outcomes

22000099 AAnnnnuuaall RReeppoorrtt RReevviieeww:: SScchhooooll CChhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss aanndd

SSttuuddeenntt AAcchhiieevveemmeenntt OOuuttccoommeess

SSuummmmaarryy ooff SScchhooooll aanndd SSttuuddeenntt CChhaarraacctteerriissttiiccss

1

Analysis of the 2009 Annual Report Accountability in higher education is a familiar topic in public discourse today. It is an essential element in ensuring quality in higher education and in equipping students with the skills necessary for work in our global society. In its 2006 report, A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education, the Commission on the Future of Higher Education acknowledged the need for “a higher‐education system that gives Americans the workplace skills they need to adapt to a rapidly changing economy (p. xi).” The Commission went on to state that student achievement “is inextricably connected to institutional success,” marking accountability in our institutions of higher education as an issue of paramount importance (p. 4). In addition, in its report Accountability for Better Results: A National Imperative for Higher Education, the National Commission on Accountability in Higher Education found that accountability in higher education is necessary “to give us dependable, valid information to monitor results, target problems, and mobilize the will, resources, and creativity to improve performance” (p. 7). ACCSC concurs with these sentiments and remains committed to student achievement assessment and accountability for its accredited institutions as a means to ensure the delivery of quality education and the success of students. The mission of ACCSC is to serve as a reliable authority on educational quality and to promote enhanced opportunities for students by establishing, sustaining, and enforcing valid standards and practices that contribute to the development of a highly trained and competitive workforce through quality career oriented education. One of the many ways that ACCSC verifies the effectiveness of its work is through detailed analysis of its schools’ characteristics and performance and through the development and enforcement of its student achievement accountability standards. The Commission recently completed its analysis of the 2009 Annual Report of ACCSC‐accredited institutions and found once again that its schools continue to demonstrate significant institutional and student success through their rates of student graduation and employment attainment. These data are important indicators and are used by ACCSC to better understand its accredited institutions and the trends associated with career education as well as to develop the Commission’s accountability standards. The information contained in this report is a summary of the key data points from the 2009 ACCSC Annual Report and provides detailed information pertaining to ACCSC school characteristics, student characteristics, program characteristics, and student achievement rates and trends.


The Schools and Students Overall, the analysis of the 2009 Annual Report data shows that ACCSC‐accredited institutions continue to grow in terms of student population but remain consistent with respect to student demographics. Based upon data submitted in the Annual Report, ACCSC‐accredited institutions and their students show the following characteristics:

• 61% of the schools had 300 or fewer students as of June 30, 2009. Average enrollment as of June 30, 2009 was 333 students, up from 292 in 2007 and 300 in 2008.

• The majority of institutions are in metropolitan areas with populations of at least 250,000. • Half of the students are under the age 25 and 32% of the students are in the age group 25‐34. • Student population is evenly distributed with regard to gender. • 58% of classified students represent ethnic minority groups. • 91% of enrolled students have a high school diploma or equivalent and/or some postsecondary

education while only 9% of enrolled students have no high school diploma or equivalent.

These figures show that ACCSC‐accredited institutions continue to provide training in small school formats and serve a large percentage of non‐traditional and ethnic minority students in urban and suburban settings. The Programs With respect to the types of programs offered by ACCSC‐accredited institutions, schools submitted summary information for 5,423 programs in over 120 different occupational areas. Key characteristics include the following:

• 44% of ACCSC‐accredited institutions offer a degree program; 32% of all programs offered at ACCSC‐accredited institutions are degree programs (a 1% increase from 2008).

• Of the 1,723 reported degree programs, 1,255 are associate degrees (73%), 427 are baccalaureate degrees (25%), and 41 are master’s degrees (2%).

• 69% of students are enrolled in non‐degree programs, 22% of students are enrolled in associate degree programs, 8% of students are enrolled in baccalaureate degree programs and 1% of students are enrolled in master’s degree programs.

The Commission continues to see a steady increase in the number of programs reported each year as member institutions assess program offerings and adapt to the changing needs of prospective students and to meet the needs of community employers. An integral part of the increase in program offerings has been the increase in the number of institutions offering degree programs. The overall percentage of ACCSC degree granting institutions has increased to 44%, an 8% increase over the last two years.

2


219,721 220,419

259,000

185,000

190,000

195,000

200,000

205,000

210,000

215,000

220,000

225,000

230,000

2007 2008 2009

Enrollment as of June 30, 2009

Based on 754 Annual Reports



300 or Less Students62%

301‐600 Students22%

601‐900 Students10%

901 + Students6%

Institution Size By Student Enrollment ‐ All Schools2009 Annual Report

Based on 775 Annual Reports Submitted

Average Enrollment = 333 Students

3


4

Metro Level A ‐ 1 Million or Greater

32%

Metro Level B ‐250,000 to 999,999

27%

Metro Level C ‐100,000 to 249,999

18%

Metro Level D ‐ Less than 100,000

5%Urbanized Area ‐50,000 or Greater

6%

Urban Cluster ‐2,500 to 49,999

8%Rural Area ‐ All

Others4%

Distribution of All Schools by Population Area2009 Annual Report Data

Based on 775 Annual Reports Submitted

Average Reported Household Median Income = $46,370Average Reported Unemployment Rate = 9.6%

1508483462468

425318338

210182

233122130

96110

69697868

31185

0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600

Allied HealthBuilding & Industrial Trades

Automotive/Motorcycle/MarineBusiness & Business Related

Information TechnologyBeauty & Skin Care

Holistic Arts & SciencesArt‐Commercial & Inductrial

Culinary ArtsLegal & Security

ElectronicsNursing & Health Aide

Architecture, Engineering, & DraftingAviation

Fashion & Interior DesignRadio, Television, Motion Pictures

Heavy Equipment Operator & Truck …Specialized Fields

Art‐FineVeterinary Science & Animal …

Other Program Areas

Distribution of Programs by Field2009 Annual Report


5

Under 2550% 25‐34

31%

35‐4413%45 & Over

6%

Distribution of All Students By Age2009 Annual Report Data

Based on 259,000 Reported Students

Male129,10950%

Female130,12750%

Distribution of All Students By Gender2009 Annual Report Data

Based on 259,000 Reported Students


6

White/Non‐Hispanic42%

Hispanic28%

Black/Non‐Hispanic25%

Asian/Pacific Islander4%

Native American/Alaskan

1%

Distribution of All Students By Ethnicity2009 Annual Report Data

Based on 225,433 Reported and Classified Students

Certificate / Diploma68%

Associate Degree23%

Baccalaureate Degree8%

Master's Degree0.8%

Distribution of Programs By Credential2009 Annual Report Data

Based on 5,423 Program Enrollment Summaries Submitted

Total Percentage of Programs Offering a Degree = 32%


7

Offers a Degree Program44%

Does Not Offer a Degree Program

56%

Percentage of Schools Which Offer Degree Programs2009 Annual Report

Based On 775Annual Reports

1

10

303

12

15

35

362

32

74

129

267

369

384

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

Master of Fine Arts

Master of Business Administration

Master of Science

Bachelor of Professional Studies

Bachelor of Applied Science

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Science

Associate of Arts

Associate of Applied or Specialized Business

Associate of Specialized Technology

Associate of Science

Associate of Applied Science

Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS, OAD, SAD)

Distribution of Degree Programs By Credential2009 Annual Report

1,255 Associate Degrees

427 Baccalaureate Degrees

41 Master's Degrees

Based on 1,723 Total Reported Degree

Programs


8

46

134

2,176

513

918

1,696

1,049

17,471

3,367

1,268

6,041

10,678

14,684

20,371

178,588

0 40,000 80,000 120,000 160,000 200,000

Master of Fine Arts

Master of Business Administration

Master of Science

Bachelor of Professional Studies

Bachelor of Applied Science

Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Fine Arts

Bachelor of Science

Associate of Applied or Specialized Business

Associate of Arts

Associate of Specialized Technology

Associate of Science

Associate of Applied Science

Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS, OAD, SAD)

Non‐Degree

Distribution of Student Enrollment By Program Credential 2009 Annual Report

22% ‐ Associate Degrees

8% ‐ Baccalaureate Degrees

1% ‐Master's Degrees

70% ‐ Non‐Degree Programs

Based on 5,423 Total Reported Programs259,000 Students

SSttuuddeenntt AAcchhiieevveemmeenntt

Student Achievement Outcomes The Commission first promulgated the quantitative student achievement standards in 1998 based upon several studies conducted by the Center on Education and Training for Employment at the Ohio State University. During 2002, the Commission engaged in a comprehensive study of the student achievement requirements promulgated in 1998 and the associated processes of data collection and verification. The Commission continues to review comparative data and make adjustments to the methodology for the analysis of student achievement outcomes in order to ensure sound data collection and analysis. Based on the analysis of 2006‐2008 Annual Report data, the Commission promulgated revised student outcomes and achievement data on July 1, 2010. In addition to updating the student achievement benchmarks to reflect the most recent data, the Commission modified the program length categories for graduation rate benchmarks. The intent of these changes is to create program length groupings that exhibit less variability, to establish benchmark graduation rates that more closely align to the programs being evaluated, and to take into account the fact that program length has the strongest statistical relationship to expected levels of graduation.

ESTABLISHED BENCHMARK GRADUATION RATES

Program Length in Months

Average Rates of Graduation Demonstrates Acceptable Student

Achievement

Standard Deviation

Established Benchmark Graduation Rates*

1‐3 92% 8% 84%

4‐6 82% 13% 69%

7‐9 69% 14% 55%

10‐12 69% 15% 54%

13‐15 61% 16% 45%

16‐18 59% 17% 42%

19‐24 56% 20% 36%

25‐35 55% 22% 33%

36+ 47% 15% 32% * If a school reports a lower graduation rate for a program, that program will be subject to additional monitoring or reporting as deemed appropriate.

ESTABLISHED BENCHMARK EMPLOYMENT RATE

Program Length in Months

Average Rate of Employment Demonstrates Acceptable Student

Achievement

Standard Deviation

Established Benchmark Employment Rate*

All Programs 82% 12% 70% * If a school reports a lower employment rate for a program, that program will be subject to additional monitoring or reporting as deemed appropriate.

9


10

Analysis of the 2009 Annual Report Data: The graduation and employment rates reported by ACCSC‐accredited institutions in the 2009 Annual Report are consistent with the data reported for previous years. For the Period 2005‐2009, the annual average rate of graduation has been between 65% and 68% and the annual average rate of graduate employment attainment has been between 79% and 81%. The analysis of graduation rates continues to show that program length has a strong influence on program graduation, i.e., as length increases graduation rates decline. This correlation is consistently the most substantial and significant relationship found in the Commission’s student achievement data and allows the Commission to evaluate programmatic performance within a context of program length comparability. While graduation rates of program lengths of less than 24 months varied 2% or less over the five‐year period, the graduation rates of programs longer than 24 months in length have decreased 5%, contributing to the 3% decrease in the graduation rates for all programs during the past five years. The increasing number of longer programs and their corresponding student achievement outcomes is an area that the Commission intends to monitor with keen interest. Although the average employment rate over the last five years has not varied significantly (79%‐82%), the 2009 average employment rate of 79% is the lowest average rate for the five‐year period. The Commission continues to monitor the impact of current economic conditions on graduate employment. Overall, the student graduation and graduate employment attainment rates demonstrate that ACCSC‐accredited institutions graduate a significant number of students and that a significant number of students attain training‐related employment after graduation.


11

66% 65% 65%

17% 18% 18%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2007 2008 2009

2007‐2009 Average Graduation Rates ‐ All ProgramsAnnual Report Data

Average Completion Rates ‐ All Programs

Standard Deviation

N=3,493Programs

N=3,484Programs

N=3,272Programs

86%

70%

63%58%

48%

11%14% 15%

18% 20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

1‐6 Mos. 7‐11 Mos. 12‐17 Mos. 18‐23 Mos. 24+ Mos.

Average Graduation Rates By Program Length Groups2009 Annual Report Data

Average 2009 Graduation Rates By Program Length Groups

Based on Data Reported for 3,493

Programs

N=254

N=1,294

N=1,152

N=493

N=254

Average Program Length = 13 Months

Average Graduation Rate for All Programs = 65%


12

85% 85% 86%

12% 14%11%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

2007 2008 2009

2007‐2009 Average Graduation RatesPrograms 1‐6 Months in Length

Annual Report Data

Average Graduation Rate ‐ Programs 1‐6 Months

Standard Deviation

N=316 N=285 N=254

69% 69% 70%

14% 14% 14%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2007 2008 2009


Annual Report Data

Average Graduation Rate ‐Programs 7‐11 Months

Standard Deviation

N=1,360 N=1,307 N=1,294


13

63% 63% 63%

15% 16% 15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2007 2008 2009


Annual Report Data


Standard Deviation

N=1006 N=1051 N=1152

59% 58% 58%

18% 19% 18%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

2007 2008 2009


Annual Report Data


Standard Deviation

N=487 N=386 N=493


14

53%47% 48%

16% 18% 20%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

2007 2008 2009

2007‐2009 Average Graduation Rates Programs 24 Months and Greater in Length

Annual Report Data

Average Graduation Rate ‐ Programs 24+ Months

Standard Deviation

N=183 N=249 N=296

81% 81% 79%

14% 14%19%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

2007 2008 2009

2007‐2009 Average Employment Attainment RatesAnnual Report Data

Avg. Employment Rates ‐ All Programs

Standard Deviation

N=3,412Programs

N=3,493Programs

N=3,484 Programs

Contact Michale S. McComis, Ed.D., Executive Director, or

Juanita L. Gurubatham, Ph.D., Director, Institutional Review and Development

with any questions about the information contained in this report.

ACCSC

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges 2101 Wilson Blvd., Suite 302

Arlington, VA 22201 703.247.4212 tel 703.247.4533 fax [email protected] www.accsc.org

Documents

2009 School Characteristics and Student Achievement Outcomes