CORNERSTONES OF COMPLETION:STATE POLICY SUPPORT FOR ACCELERATED, STRUCTURED PATHWAYS TO COLLEGE CREDENTIALS AND TRANSFER

Lara K. CouturierFebruary 22, 2013

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LUKE AND JACKSON LOVE HAWAI’I

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POSTSECONDARY STATE POLICY NETWORK

[2004]

[2009]

[2011]

—15 States—

White Black Hispanic Low Income High Income

50%

38%

50%

23%

64%71%

63% 62%55%

84%

Percentage of high school graduates immediately enrolling in college, 1972-2009

19722009

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Note: Data for black, Hispanic, and low-income represent two-year moving average because of small sample sizes.Source: NCES, Condition of Education (2010) and Condition of Education (2011).

COLLEGE-GOING IS ON THE RISE FOR ALL STUDENTS . . .

BUT COMPLETION RATES REMAIN STUBBORNLY LOW

Sources: USDOE 2011, MDRC 2012, Bailey 2009

“On average, developmental education as it is now practiced is not very effective in overcoming academic weaknesses.”

—Thomas Bailey, Community College Research Center, 2008

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TRENDS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE REFORM

AN EMERGING CONSENSUS

CONNECTIONFrom interest to

enrollment

ENTRYFrom enrollment to

entry into program of study

PROGRESSFrom program entry to completion of program

requirements

COMPLETIONCompletion of credential of value for further education and (for CTE) labor market

advancement

• Market program paths

• Build bridges from high school and adult ed. into program streams (e.g., strategic dual enrollment, I-BEST)

• Help students choose program pathway and track entry

• Build prescribed “on-ramps” customized to largest program areas

• Clearly define and prescribe program paths and course learning outcomes

• Monitor students’ progress

• Align academic program outcomes with requirements for success in further education and (for CTE programs) in the labor market

Source: Davis Jenkins, CCRC

THE STRUCTURED PATHWAY

STATE POLICY AND COMPLETION BY DESIGN: A PLATFORM FOR STRUCTURED PATHWAYS

• Policy goals are primarily two-fold:

• Support college reform efforts by changing policy to be more supportive

• Scale to other colleges in the state

• Policy recommendations are based in research and align with work of the colleges and their design principles

• Each state lead organization developed a workplan customized to cadres’ needs and local context

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: INTENSIVE STUDENT SERVICES

STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE

• Proactive advising• Mandatory orientation• Educational planning• Early program declaration

“I formed a relationship with my counselor. She’s just on me, like, checking up on me here and there. If you don’t have a relationship with your counselor, you’re not going to make it.”

—Student Voice (RP Group 2013)

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT

STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE

• Reduce high stakes• Multiple measures• Change testing conditions• Diagnostics

“[The woman at the test center] said, ‘It doesn’t matter how you place. It’s just to see where you are.’ Looking back, that’s not true. It’s really important.”

—Student Voice (West Ed, 2010)

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: CURRICULAR REVIEW & ALIGNMENT

STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE

• Collaboration between 2- and 4-year faculty

• Agree upon cores for broad program streams

• Ensure courses count toward credentials and/or transfer to a major

“You can get by two semesters without declaring, but after that you’re just wasting time kind of wandering around with credits that won’t transfer.”

—Student Voice (Public Agenda 2012)

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: USE LABOR MARKET INFORMATION

STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE

• Use LMI to design programs

• Use LMI to counsel students on program choice

• Leverage real-time LMI

“I think more information like [online resources about jobs] and real-time statistical data like that… If you want to be x, y, or z or you want to major in business, these are the kinds of jobs that you can get in business. More careerpaths versus ‘I’m going to get my degree in business.’”

—Student Voice (Public Agenda 2012)

CORNERSTONES OF COMPLETION

IMPLICATIONS & FUTURE STEPS

• A lot is happening, research base is growing dramatically. Can make evidence-based recommendations, but still thin—need more!

• Appetite for bold ideas, big changes

• Growing areas of focus:

– Assessment and placement

– Student supports

– Faculty leadership

• This work is hard, but critical. We need to test, refine, collaborate

• Where does student success begin? With everyone, everywhere

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LARA K. COUTURIERlara@jff.org

TEL 617.728.4446 FAX 617.728.4857 info@jff.org

88 Broad Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02110

122 C Street, NW, Suite 650A, Washington, DC 20001

WWW.JFF.ORG

QUESTIONS

• How many of your colleges are pursuing what you would describe as holistic reform, much like the goals of structured pathways?

• If you could choose one of these policies for your state to pursue in the name of the completion agenda, which would it be?

• In your state, which of these policy recs do you see as being the the hardest to implement? Why? How can the challenges to implementation be overcome?

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STRUCTURED PATHWAYS: A SYSTEMIC, HOLISTIC LOOK AT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

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REDESIGN AT SCALE

Source: Bailey, 2010