CTAG Report Final 12-12 (3) (1)

8/12/2019 CTAG Report Final 12-12 (3) (1)

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DECEMBER2013

CLOSINGTHEACHIEVEMENTGAPTASKFORCE

FINALREPORTANDRECOMMENDATIONS


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ReportoftheClosingtheAchievementGapTaskForce

Page2

MEMBERSHIPLISTING

JudyAckerman ShakennaAdams MariaAdams*

KeciaAddisonScott NaanaAkoAdjei ChristopherAnkney

BrianBaker DanaBaker EricBenjamin*

DianaBenson KimBishop ArleneBlaylock

AnnellBond* DebraBright* MarciaBronstein

KimBrown* MonicaBrown* IvonneBruneauBotello

HenryCaballero* KarenCallender CarolynCamacho

FranciscoCaragena DerekCarter CinderCooper

EverettDavis AngelaDawson FabianDrain

EnasElhanafi MichaelFerby SharonFechter*

BerthaFlores MariaGarcia AdaGarciaCasellas

EvelynGonzalez JeriGresham JenniferHatleberg*TonyHawkins* NancyLawrenceHill CaraHoppe

DelHornbuckle* DiegoUriburu WindyJeffersonJackson

ShannonKahle GloriaKalotra MargaretLatimer

LucyLaufe JuanLlajaHerrera Susan Madden*

AlanMarroguin TonyaMason* CliftonMcKnight

PedroMejia JackieMiddleton DarrylMisher

CarolMoore CarlosMoya MarcosMoya

ForrestOfford EllenOlmstead CarolinaPena

KennethNelson KarenPenndeMarnez* DeborahPreston

JasonRivera* LindaRobinson EugeniaRobinson

ElenaSaenz* MichelleScott KarlaSilvestre

DarrenSmith HildaSmith* ZeporiaSmith

JamesSniezek ClemmieSolomon* MariaSprehn

JaneSsemanda AnestineTheophileLaFond* IsaiahWallace

TimothyWarner LauraWhite MattWilson

NormaWinffel* KathrynWoodhouse* MargoWoodwardBarnett

TeresaWright SuniZabala GilbertoZelaya

*SteeringCommitteeMembers

ThemeGroupLeader


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CONTENTSExecutiveSummary............................................................................................................................................ 4

ClosingtheAchievementGapRecommendationsSummary............................................................................. 5

Introduction........................................................................................................................................................ 7

CompletionandTransferDataforAfricanAmericanandLatinoStudentsatMontgomeryCollege............8

TheClosingtheAchievementGapTaskGroups............................................................................................... 11ClosingtheAchievementGap:OnlineResources............................................................................................ 12

ClosingtheAchievementGapSteeringCommittee......................................................................................... 12

OperationalRecommendationsforClosingtheAchievementGap.............................................................. 13

OpportunityGap............................................................................................................................................... 13

RecommendationsforClosingtheOpportunityGap:.................................................................................. 14

MontgomeryCollegeStudents......................................................................................................................... 15

LiteratureReview......................................................................................................................................... 15

Recommendations:MontgomeryCollegeStudents.................................................................................... 16

TeachingandLearningCurriculumInsidetheClassroom........................................................................... 17

LiteratureReviewandFindings.................................................................................................................... 17

Recommendations:TeachingandLearningCurriculumInsidetheClassroom...................................... 18

StudentInvolvement OutsidetheClassroom............................................................................................... 19


FocusGroups................................................................................................................................................ 20

StudentInputandFeedback........................................................................................................................ 20

Recommendations: StudentInvolvementOutsidetheClassroom.......................................................... 21

CivicEngagement............................................................................................................................................. 21


Recommendations:CivicEngagement......................................................................................................... 22

CounselingandAdvising................................................................................................................................... 24


Recommendations:CounselingandAdvising.............................................................................................. 24

FinancialAid,GrantsandScholarships............................................................................................................. 25LiteratureReviewandFindings.................................................................................................................... 25

Recommendations:FinancialAid,GrantsandScholarships........................................................................ 26

BenchmarksandOutcomes.............................................................................................................................. 27

LiteratureReviewandFindings.................................................................................................................... 27

NoncognitiveVariablesofSuccess.............................................................................................................. 28

SummaryandAnalysisofData..................................................................................................................... 28

Recommendations:BenchmarksandOutcomes......................................................................................... 34

References........................................................................................................................................................ 35

APPENDIXA SummaryofFocusGroupFindings............................................................................................ 40

APPENDIXBMontgomeryCollegeDegreeProgressAnalysis Fall2008Cohort 4YearsLater...................42

APPENDIXCDevelopmentalEnglish,EN001SuccessonFirstAttemptandThreshold............................. 43APPENDIXDDevelopmentalEnglish,EN002SuccessonFirstAttemptandThreshold............................. 45

APPENDIXEAmericanEnglishLanguageProgram,EL104SuccessonFirstAttemptandThreshold........47

APPENDIXFMath094SuccessRates............................................................................................................ 49

APPENDIXGSurveyofInitiativesandActivitiestoClosetheAchievementGapatMontgomeryCollege...51


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CLOSINGTHEACHIEVEMENTGAPTASKFORCE

FINALREPORTANDRECOMMENDATIONS

EXECUTIVESUMMARYMostAmericansbelievethateducationisthegreatequalizer,theengineofopportunity. Formostofthe

twentiethcentury,ahighschooleducationwasenoughtosustainthemiddleclass. Today,somecollege

attainmentisastandardrequirementtoemployability.TheMontgomeryCollegemissionseeksto

empowerourstudentsandenrichthecommunitybyprovidingqualityeducationtoenrichthelivesofour

students.Wefurtherholdourselvesaccountablefortheresultsachieved. Unfortunately,dataindicatethat

ourAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsachieveatalowerratethantheirpeersdo. Thereisclear

evidenceofanachievementgapbetweenAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsandthewholeofthe

studentpopulation.

Theachievementgapreferstodisparitiesineducationalperformancebetweenhighandlowperforming

studentgroups,knownassubgroups. Measuresoftheachievementgaptypicallycompareperformance

differencesbetweenwhite,Asian,andhigherincomestudentstoblack,Latino,andlowerincomestudents.

TheachievementgapisnotuniquetoMontgomeryCollege;itisalongstanding,nationalchallenge.

Effectivelyclosingthegaprequiresimprovingtheperformanceofallstudentswhileacceleratingthe

performanceoflowperformingsubgroupssotheycatchuptotheirhigherperformingpeers. Research

findsthatavarietyofschool,community,economic,andfamilialfactorscorrelatewiththeachievement

gap,butviewsaredivergentonhowtonarrowthegap. Overthepastdecade,federal,state,andlocal

policieshavemadetheclosingoftheachievementgapatoppriority.MontgomeryCollegehasalsomadeit

apriority.

TheSeniorVicePresidentforStudentServicesandSeniorVicePresidentforAcademicAffairsidentified

ProfessorHildaDecenaSmithandDr.TonyD.Hawkinstoserveascochairsoftwotaskgroupstostudythe

achievementgapissuesforbothLatinoandAfricanAmericanstudentsofMontgomeryCollege. Acollege

widecallforvolunteersresultedinover80volunteerswillingtoaddressthiscriticalissue. Groupswere

establishedaroundsixthemes:

MontgomeryCollegeStudents TeachingandLearningCurriculumInsidetheclassroom StudentInvolvementOutsidetheclassroom CivicEngagement CounselingandAdvising/FinancialAid,GrantsandScholarships MeasurementOutcomesandBenchmarks

Thethemegroupsproceededtostudytheirareasindepth,identifyingbestpractices,exploringsignificant

research,andmakingrecommendationsforsupportingandimprovingthesuccessofAfricanAmericanand

LatinostudentsattheCollege. Theresulting47recommendationsarelistedandfullydescribedinthis


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report. Recommendationsarealignedwitheachofthesixpreviouslymentionedthemes.Inadditiontothe

recommendations,thetaskforceforbothgroupsstronglybelievethattherearesomeexistingcollege

programsandinitiativesthatarepivotalinclosingtheachievementgap. Amongthemare:

DevelopmentalAdvisingModel TheproposedCommunityEngagementCenters AchievingCollegiateExcellenceandSuccess(ACES)program andsomeexistingmentoringprograms

Therecommendationsclearlyaddressthecurrentliteratureonclosingtheachievementgap,theysupport

theMontgomeryCollege2020strategicplan(MC2020),andtheyweredevelopedwiththeintentofbeing

includedintheFY14andFY15initiativesofthestrategicplan.

OncereviewedandacceptedbytheCollege,thetaskforcesuggeststhataclearandevidentchainof

responsibilitybeestablishedandcommunicatedwidely. Thetaskforcefurthersuggeststhedevelopment

ofanimplementationteamtoensureimplementationoftheacceptedrecommendations.

WerecognizethatmuchworkneedstobedoneifMontgomeryCollegeistocontinueitspowerfulroleas

theprincipalarbiterofeducationalopportunityforallthecitizensinMontgomeryCounty. However,we

believethattheriskandeffortarebothworthwhileandthattheproposedrecommendationswillensure

equalopportunitiesfortheeducationalendeavorsofALLourstudents.

CLOSINGTHEACHIEVEMENTGAPRECOMMENDATIONSSUMMARYClosingtheAchievementGap OperationalRecommendations

CreateanofficetohelpleadandoverseetheimplementationoftheservicesrequiredtoClosethe

AchievementGapatMontgomeryCollege.

AssembleacollaborativeboardwithparticipantsfromMontgomeryCollegeandthecommunitytoadvisetheoffice.

ImplementandassesstheserecommendationsthroughClosingTheAchievementGapactiongroups.

Regularlycollect,raciallydisaggregate,andwidelyshareMontgomeryCollegeachievementdatathatis

clearlydelineatedanddifferentiatedbystudentpopulations.

CollaborativelyworkwithandfollowtheprogressofthetwoMCPSClosingTheAchievementGapaction

groups.

AddresourcestoandmaintaintheClosingTheAchievementGaplibraryguides(libguides).

Developmarketingstrategies,scholarships,andpromotionsthroughtheOfficeofInstitutional

AdvancementandtheOfficeofCommunications.

ClosingtheOpportunityGap Recommendations

Purposefully

advertise

all

faculty,

staff,

and

administrator

openings

in

appropriate

media

to

interest

groups

relatedtothetargetpopulation.

CommunicatetotheCollegecommunitythevalueofhavingaworkforcethatreflectsandsupportsour

studentpopulation.

SeekfeedbackfromLatinoandAfricanAmericanfacultyandstaffaboutprofessionaldevelopment,release

time,andcareeradvancementopportunities.

Provideresourcesandreleasedtimeopportunitiesforfacultyandstafftodevelopandimplement

initiativestoeffectivelyclosetheachievementgap.

Provideevaluationtoolsanddataanalysistoassessthesuccessoftheseinitiatives.


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IncreasethepercentageofAfrican/AfricanAmericanandLatinofulltimefacultyaswellasparttimefaculty

toenhancetheapplicantpoolforfulltimefacultysearches.

Establishstudentchaptersofrelevantminorityprofessionalorganizationsrelatedtothestudent

populationsaffectedbytheachievementgap.

MontgomeryCollegeStudentsRecommendations

Establishacomprehensiveandcollegewidementoringprogram.

Developspecialcollegewideprogramstospecificallyaddresstheacademicsuccess,retentionandcompletionofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.

TeachingandLearningRecommendations

Enhancetheculturalcompetenceoffacultytowelcomestudentsofdiverseethnicbackgrounds.

Makenonacademicsupportintrusive.

TrackthesuccessofinterventionsandcohortsthatarecurrentlyinplaceforAfricanAmericanandLatino

students.

TargetcoursesthatareroadblocksforsubstantialnumbersofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsfor

interventions.

StudentInvolvementRecommendations

DevelopandreplicatetargetedcohortgroupsforAfricanAmericanandLatinomaleandfemalestudents.

Createmorecollegecommunitybuildingactivitiestoincreaseschoolpride/spirit.BuildpartnershipswithcommunityorganizationstosupportAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsand

increasetheirawarenessofscholarshipandserviceopportunitiesbeyondcampus.

CivicEngagementRecommendations

Expandpartnershipswithanarrayoforganizationsandbusinessestoincreaseaccess.

Createstrategicallylocatedcommunityengagementcenterstohelpformkeypartnershipsanddirectly

engageresidentstoenhanceaccess.

Engageinaconsistentandintentionaldialoguewithkeycommunityleadersandorganizationstohelp

identifysystemicchangestobetterservethesestudentpopulations.

EnhancetheCollegespresenceatcommunityeventstoincreaseawarenessoftheinstitutionandthe

importanceofpostsecondaryeducationamongAfricanAmericanandLatinofamilies.

Bringthe

community

(e.g.

social

service

providers)

to

campus

to

help

mitigate

socio

economic

barriers

to

success,andforgeoneononeconnectionsthatprovidestudentaccesstopeople(mentors)ofinfluencein

theireducation.

Engagethecommunitytoenhancetheunderstandingofandaccesstocareerandtechnicaleducationfor

allresidentsofthecounty.

Promoteandenhanceservicelearning,internships,andcivicengagementopportunitiesforstudents.

Breakdownbarrierstoaccesstosuchopportunities.

Engagethestudentcommunitythroughtechnology(forexample,socialmedia)tofosterasenseof

connectedness,community,andbelongingtothecollege.

CounselingandAdvisingRecommendations

Utilizeaholisticapproachtocounselingandadvisingstudents.

Adoptanintrusiveadvisingapproach.

Providestudentsopportunitiestoengagewithcounselingfacultyandinstructionalfacultythrough

developmentaladvisingsessions.

FinancialAid,GrantsandScholarshipsRecommendations

IncludeamandatoryfinancialaidplanthatisdonepriortoNewStudentOrientation(currentlyunderway

atsomehighschools)aspartoftheoverallmandatoryeducationplan.

IncludecompletionasafundingpriorityduringtheMCcampaign.

Includeseveraladditionalsourcesofinformation/linksaboutFAFSAandfinancialaidstepsinallwelcome

packagesandinitialcommunicationswithstudents.


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IncludeanactionitemrelatedtoFAFSAateachinformationsession.

Createfocusgroupstobetterunderstandwhysomestudentswaittostartthefinancialaidprocesslate.

Findadditionalwaystoincentivizeallstudentstomeettherequiredfinancialaiddeadlines.

BenchmarksandOutcomesRecommendations

AllocateresourcesfordataanalysisandcoordinationofLatinoandAfrican/AfricanAmericanstudent

matriculation.

TargetinterventionwithDevelopmentalNonCompletersutilizingNoncognitivePredictorsofStudentSuccess.

AnalyzestudentsuccessratesseparatelyforAfricanAmericanandnonnativeAfricanAmericanstudents.

AnalyzesuccessratesofUSeducatedLatinostudentsseparatelyfromthoseofLatinostudentseducated

abroad.

StudytheACCUPLACERtestretestreliabilityforstudentsplacingintoEN002andRD099.

INTRODUCTIONTheMontgomeryCollegemissionclearlystates,Weempowerourstudentstochangetheirlives,andwe

enrichthelifeofourcommunity. Weareaccountableforresults. Thismissionstatementholdstruefor

notjust

aportion

ofthe

community,

but

applies

to

all

ofthe

countys

residents.

Still,

the

evidence

indicates

thatthelivesofourAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsareenrichedataratefarlowerthanthatoftheir

peers. Clearevidenceofanachievementgapexistswhentheplacement,retention,successingateway

coursesandgraduationratesofthesestudentscomparedwiththerestofthestudentpopulationare

examined. Asaresult,oneoftheFY13initiativesintheMC2020strategicplandirectstheCollegeto

develop,implement,andsecureresourcestoencouragemeaningfulstudentengagementopportunities

andreducetheeducationalachievementgapforHispanic/LatinoandAfricanAmericanstudents,especially

males. ThisreportreflectstheculminationoftheworkbytwotaskgroupsClosingtheAchievementGap

forAfricanAmericanStudentsandClosingtheAchievementGapforLatinoStudentswhichexplored

resourcesandbestpracticesinsupportofthesestudents.

Membersofthetaskgroupshavepreparedthisreportandrecommendationsforclosingthegapinstudent

successforAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsatMontgomeryCollege. Thisreportwasprepared

followingaseriesofpresentationsandmeetingswithmembersoftheCollegecommunityfaculty,staff,

administrators,students,andasignificantnumberofexternalrepresentativesandpartners. Theoverall

goaloftherecommendationsinthisreportistofulfilltheFY13initiativeintheMC2020strategicplanto

closetheachievementgap. TheserecommendationsweredevelopedforinclusionintheFY14andFY15

initiativesintheMC2020strategicplan. Animplementationteamwillbechargedwiththeexecutionofthe

recommendationsoncereviewedandaccepted.

IncreasingthegraduationratesofMarylandshighschoolandcollegestudentsisamajorgoalforGovernor

MartinOMalley. Hisaimistoimprovestudentachievementandschool,college,andcareerreadinessin

Marylandby25percentby2015. BysigningtheCollegeandCareerReadinessandCollegeCompletionAct

of2013(CCRCCA),theGovernorandtheGeneralAssemblysettheattainmenttargetforallinstitutions,

establishingwaystoholdcollegesanduniversitiesaccountablefortheirperformanceandfulfillthe

completionagenda. Identifyingthecognitiveandnoncognitivebarrierstosuccesswillgivethesestudents

greateropportunitytotakeadvantageofthebenefitsofhighereducation,improvetheacademic

performanceoftheunderserved,andsupportthebroadergoalsofCCRCCA.


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AccordingtoastudybytheSchottFoundationforPublicEducation(2012),thenationalhighschool

graduationrateforAfricanAmericanmalestudentswas52%comparedtothe78%rateforWhite,non

Latinomales. TheLatinostudenthighschoolgraduationrateisalittlehighernationallyat58%. Thefigures

presentaslightlybetterpictureforhighschoolstudentsinMontgomeryCountywith57%and62%for

AfricanAmericanandLatinomalesrespectively. Thereisstillagapingraduationrateswhencompared

withtheirWhite,nonLatinocounterpartsat81%.

CompletionandTransferDataforAfricanAmericanandLatinoStudentsatMontgomery

College

ThedisparityexistsforAfricanAmericanandHispanicstudentsofMontgomeryCollege. Dataprovidedby

theOfficeofInstitutionalResearchandAnalysisrevealsevidenceinthegraduation,transferandretention

ratesofourstudents.

Figure1:GraduationandTransferRatesofFall20091stTime,FTDegreeSeekingAllMCStudents3years

afterentry

Threeyearsafterentry,firsttime,fulltimedegreeseekingAfricanAmericanandHispanicstudentswere

lesslikelytograduateandlesslikelytotransferthantheirWhiteorAsianpeers(IPEDSGraduationRates

201213Survey).


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Figure2:GraduationandTransferRatesofFall20091stTime,FTDegreeSeekingMaleStudents3years

afterentry

AfricanAmericanandHispanicmalestudentshadthelowestgraduationratethreeyearsafterentryand

thelowesttransferratecomparedtoWhiteandAsianstudentsandallfall2009entrants(IPEDSGraduation

Rates201213Survey).


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Figure3:GraduationandTransferRatesofFall20091stTime,FTDegreeSeekingFemaleStudents3years

afterentry

AfricanAmericanfemalestudentshadthelowestgraduationratethreeyearsafterentry. Latinafemale

studentshadthelowesttransferratethreeyearsafterenteringMontgomeryCollege(IPEDSGraduation

Rates201213Survey).


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Figure4: DegreeProgressofFall2005,2006and2007enteringcohortsafterentry: Graduatedwithan

award

Forthreedifferentcohortgroupsinthreedifferentcohortyearsthedataconsistentlyshowedadistinct

differenceingraduationratesforAfricanAmericanstudentsfouryearsafterentry. HispanicorLatino

studentsinthe2005cohorthadsimilarsuccessasAfricanAmericanstudents,butthesucceedingcohort

groupsweremoresuccessful(StateMandatedPerformanceAccountabilityReport).

Asthesenumbersmakeclear,AfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsattheCollegestruggletostay

engaged,andcompletecollege,andthusrequirespecialattentionasasubunitofourstudentpopulation.

THECLOSINGTHEACHIEVEMENTGAPTASKGROUPSTheSeniorVicePresidentforStudentServicesandSeniorVicePresidentforAcademicAffairsidentified

ProfessorHildaDecenaSmithandDr.TonyD.Hawkinstoserveascochairsoftwotaskgroupstostudythe

achievementgapissuesforbothLatinoandAfricanAmericanstudentsofMontgomeryCollege. Acallfor

volunteerswassentoutcollegewide,resultingintheexpressedinterestsinthetopicfromnumerous

faculty,staff,studentsandadministrators. Additionalmembersweresolicitedfromthecommunity,county

government,andMCPS. Inanattempttobeasinclusiveaspossible,noonewasdeniedparticipationinthe

project. Toroundoutthemembership,otherswereinvitedtoparticipatebecauseoftheirexpertiseand

interestinthetopic. Thecombinedmembershipofbothtaskgroupswasmorethan80volunteers.

ThetwogroupsheldtheirfirstmeetingonMarch26,2013andwerechargedbytheseniorvicepresidents.


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TheClosingtheAchievementGapTaskGroupswill:

meet,research,reviewbestpractices,solicitrelevantfeedbackanddiscussissuesandsolutionspertainingtoclosingtheachievementgapatMontgomeryCollege;

deviseplansofactionthatwilldelineatedevelopmentandimplementationstagesandresourcerequirements;and

submitarecommendationplan[totheseniorvicepresidents]byDecember2,2013.Thetaskgroupsmetsixtimesoverthecourseofninemonthstohearpresentationsonimportantactivities

andinitiativescoveringavarietyoftopics,includingthedevelopmentalcounselingandadvisingmodel,the

CollegeandCareerReadinessandCollegeCompletionActof2013,theMCMCPSAchievingCollegiate

ExcellenceandSuccess(ACES)program,researchonnoncognitivevariablesofstudentsuccess,andcurrent

MCdata. MembersofthetaskforcealsoheardpresentationsbyresearcherDeborahSantiagoof

ExcelenciainEducation,Identity,Inc.(acommunityorganizationtoempowerLatinoyouthtoreachtheir

fullpotential)andtheClosingtheAchievementGapInitiativesintheMontgomeryCountyPublicSchools.

Inan

attempt

to

organize

the

task

groups

into

manageable

study

areas,

smaller

groups

were

established

aroundthemes.

MontgomeryCollegeStudents TeachingandLearningCurriculumInsidetheclassroom StudentInvolvementOutsidetheclassroom CivicEngagement CounselingandAdvising/FinancialAid,GrantsandScholarships MeasurementOutcomesandBenchmarks

Thethemegroupsproceededtostudytheirareasindepth,identifyingbestpractices,exploringsignificant

research,andmakingrecommendationsforsupportingandimprovingthesuccessofAfricanAmericanand

LatinostudentsattheCollege.

CLOSINGTHEACHIEVEMENTGAP:ONLINERESOURCESAresourcesharingsitewasdevelopedforeachClosingtheAchievementGapTaskGroup,tocollectand

sharearticles,reports,andotherresourcesrelatingtotheworkoftheTaskGroups.Bothsitesare

accessiblethroughtheMontgomeryCollegeLibrarieswebsite:

ClosingtheAchievementGapTaskForce:AfricanAmericanStudents:

http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/achievementAA

ClosingtheAchievementGapTaskForce:LatinoStudents:

http://libguides.montgomerycollege.edu/achievementL

CLOSINGTHEACHIEVEMENTGAPSTEERINGCOMMITTEEFinally,inordertofacilitatetheworkoftheClosingtheAchievementGapTaskGroups,aSteering

Committeewasformedandchargedbythecochairs. SteeringCommitteemembershipwascomprisedof


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thethemegroupleaders,twodeansofstudentservices,thetwotaskgroupcochairsandseveralresource

members. Theroleandresponsibilitiesofthesteeringcommitteeinclude:

Servinginanadvisorycapacity. Providingguidanceanddirectiontotheoverallprocess. Workingcloselytofacilitatediscussionamongstthesubgroups. Providinginputondatacollection,bestpractices,andotheropportunitiesrelatedtoclosingthe

achievementgap.

Developingandprioritizingrecommendations. PreparingthefinalreportoftheTaskGroups. Reportingouttothelargergroupupdatesandinsightsofthethemegroupstheyrepresent.

Thesteeringcommitteemembersmetsixtimes. Thegroupconductedasurveyofinitiativescurrently

underwayattheCollegeintendedtoaddresstheachievementgap. Thesurveyresultsareappendedtothis

report.

Asaresultofthedatacollection,research,meetings,conversationsandfocusgroups,theworkgroupshavedevelopedthefollowingoverarching,operationalrecommendationsforimplementation.

OperationalRecommendationsforClosingtheAchievementGap

Thetaskgroupsrecommendthecreationofanofficewithappropriatestaffingandfiscalresourcesthatprovidesleadershipandoversightforthethoughtfuldelivery,

implementationandmanagementofservicesrelatedtoClosingtheAchievementGap.

Acollaborationboardwithmembershipfrominternalandexternalparticipantswilladvisetheoffice.

Implementationoftherecommendationswillbeaccomplishedwiththesupportofactiongroups

with

checkpoints,

benchmarks,

and

outcomes.

ToaccuratelymeasureprogressonclosingtheachievementgapforAfricanAmericanandLatino/astudents,MontgomeryCollegeachievementdatamustberaciallydisaggregated,

regularlycollected,andwidelyshared. Delineationofpopulationgroupsshouldbe

clarified,withmeasuresdifferentiatingstudentswhowereeducatedintheUSfromthose

whoreceivedthebulkoftheirpreviouseducationabroad.

MontgomeryCollegemustworkcollaborativelywiththetwoMCPSactiongroups,followingtheirprogressandsharingresourceswhereappropriate.

ResourcesshouldbeaddedtothelibguidesandmaintainedthroughoutthelifeoftheClosingtheAchievementGap.

TheOfficeofInstitutionalAdvancementandCommunicationsshouldengageinthedevelopmentofmarketingstrategies,scholarshipawards,andpromotionaleffortstoclosetheachievementgap.

OPPORTUNITYGAPBasedonresearchregardingcorrelatesoftheachievementgap,LindaDarlingHammonddescribesthe

achievementgapastheopportunitygapbecausewhentheevidenceisexamined,itisclearthat

educationaloutcomesfor(lowperformingstudentsubgroups)areatleastasmuchafunctionoftheir


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unequalaccesstokeyeducationalresources,bothinsideandoutsideofschool,astheyareafunctionof

race,class,orculture.

MontgomeryCollegesuffersfromanunderrepresentationofLatinofaculty,staff,andadministrators.

While12.5%ormoreofMCstudentsareLatino(withhigherpercentagesexpectedfromMCPSinthenear

future),lessthan4%ofMCfacultyareHispanic.Ofthese,themajorityareparttime.Amongstaff,lessthan

9%areHispanic,andanumberofthoseareconcentratedinnonprofessionalareassuchasbuilding

services.Lessthan2.5%ofexecutivestafforadministratorsareHispanic.Regrettably,betweenthe2010

DiversityAnnualProgressReportandthe2012report,therewasadecreaseinthenumberofHispanic

facultymembers(from53to51)andadministrators(from3to2)(MontgomeryCollegeDiversityPlan

AnnualProgressReport).Sincethepublicationofthe2012report,thecountofHispanicexecutivestaffhas

fallento1.

ConcertedeffortsshouldbemadetoincreasetherepresentationofHispanicsinprofessionalpositionsat

MCsothatstudentscanseemorerolemodels;employeeswhocurrentlyvolunteertheirtimeandefforts

canconnectwithandadvocateformoreLatinostudents;andtheburdenofservingonLatinofocused

committees,initiatives,andsearchcommittees(pertheproposedstrategyinthe20142020DiversityActionPlan)canbemorewidelyshared.TheCollegeshouldsupporttheeffortsofHispanicfacultyand

professionalstaffandshouldprovideacareeradvancementpathtogrowthenumberofexecutivelevel

Hispanics.

Therehasbeena3%decreaseinthenumberofBlack/AfricanAmericanadministratorsbetween2010and

2012. Thisdatapointshouldbecloselymonitoredaswell.

RecommendationsforClosingtheOpportunityGap:

Advertiseallfaculty,staff,andadministratoropeningsinsuitablemediaandinterestgroups,

such

as

The

Hispanic

Outlook

in

Higher

EducationMagazine,

Hispanic

Association

of

CollegesandUniversities,andHispanicprofessionalorganizations.

Tothefullestextentpossible,communicatetosearchcommitteesandtheCollegecommunitythecurrentunderrepresentationofLatinofacultyandstaffandthevalueof

havingaworkforcethatreflectsandsupportsourstudentpopulation.

SeekfeedbackfromLatinofacultyandstaffonthesuitabilityofprofessionaldevelopment,releasetime,andcareeradvancementopportunities.

ProvidebudgetresourcesandreleasetimeopportunitiesforfacultyandstafftodevelopandimplementinitiativesthatcouldimproveLatinostudentsuccess.Provideevaluation

toolsanddataanalysistoassessthesuccessoftheseinitiatives.

Departmentsanddisciplinesestablishstudentchaptersofculturallyrelevantprofessionalorganizations(forexampleMAESLatinosinScienceandEngineering,TheAssociationofBlackPsychologists,andNationalBlackMBAAssociation). Thiswouldallowforincreased

opportunitiesforLatinoandAfrican/AfricanAmericanstudentstogainknowledgeintheir

chosenmajor. Accordingtoawealthofempiricalresearchthiswouldsignificantlyaddto

theretentionratesofLatinoandAfricanAmericanstudents.

IncreasethepercentageofAfrican/AfricanAmericanandLatinofulltimefacultyaswellasparttimefacultytoenhancetheapplicantpoolforfulltimefacultysearches.


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Establishstudentchaptersofrelevantminorityprofessionalorganizationsrelatedtothestudentpopulationsaffectedbytheachievementgap.

Thefollowingisasummaryofadditionalresearchandrecommendationsofeachareaprovidedbythesub

groups. Includedinthefindingsisalistofreferencesforeachtopicconsidered.

MONTGOMERYCOLLEGESTUDENTSLiteratureReview

Researchhasdocumentedthebenefitsofmentoringforstudentsofcolor,includingimproved

relationships,areductionindrugandalcoholconsumptionandabuse,andpositiveacademicoutcomes. In

fact,agrowingbodyofevidencehasemergeddemonstratingthatmentoringcanhaveanumberofpositive

benefitsforyouth.(Sipe2002)Thereisavarietyofmentoringmodelsanditisimportantthatthepurposes

andintentionsofmentoringbeexplicitlyoutlined.

Mangan(2013)providesexamplesofsuccessfulprogramsforBlackmalestudentswhichincludementors.

Theresearchonnoncognitivevariablesparticularlytheavailabilityofastrongsupportpersonaspredictorsofcollegeacademicsuccessandretentionalsosupportsthebenefitsofmentoring(Sedlacek

1993;Sedlacekinpress).Strayhorn(2010)foundthatsocialandculturalcapitalfavorablyinfluences

academicachievementoutcomesofAfricanAmericanandLatinomalesincollege. Thus,whenAfrican

AmericanandLatinostudentshaveopportunitiestodeveloprelationshipswithacademicallystrongpeers,

professors,andotherschoolbasedpersonnel,thereisgreatpotentialforpositiveeffects.

TheliteraturesuggeststhatAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsuccessiscontingentontheirabilityto

navigatetwoculturalsystems,theminoritycultureandthemajoritysociety. Thus,studentswouldbenefit

fromprogramsandsupportsthatprovidethemwiththeeducation,resources,andtoolstounderstandthe

nuancesofcollegegoingandcollegiateexpectations.

BarajasandPierce(2001)offeraculturallygroundedviewoftheeducationgendergapbyexploringhow

raceandgenderintersecttoshapeLatinopathstoschoolsuccessincollege. Theyacknowledgethatthe

successofstudentsofcoloroftenhingesontheirabilitytosuccessfullytraversetwoculturalsystemsthe

minorityculture,inthisinstanceLatinoculturespecifically,andthemajoritysociety. Cammarota(2004)

assertsthatEducatorsandresearchersmustacknowledgethemultiplestrugglesrelatedtoraceand

gender,inadditiontolanguageandculture,whichconstituteoppressivebarriersforLatinoyouth,and

explorehowschools,communities,andfamiliescanworktogethertosupportyouthinordertoovercome

thesebarriers(p.54).

Further,AfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsmustbeencouragedtobuildrelationshipswithothermen

whosharecommonvaluesandculturalexperiences. Gloria,Castellanos,Scull&Villegas(2009)assert,

Theseconnectionscouldoccurbyreferringstudentstoculturallyrelevantclasses,groups,andfacultywho

couldultimatelyhelpthemdevelopcommunityoracademicfamilies(p.334). Theliteraturesuggests

thatthesetypesofsupportiverelationshipsandthedevelopmentofprogrammodelsthatfosterthese

typesofrelationshipsareofgreatimportfortheycanhelpBlackandLatinostudentsaddressand

potentiallydismantlemicro andmacroeducationalbarriers(Gloriaetal.,2009,p.334)andcontributeto


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thelikelihoodofthemstayinginandsuccessfullycompletingcollege(Harper&Associates,2014;Saenz&

Ponjuan,2009).

InregardstomentoringatMontgomeryCollege,itwouldbeimportanttoreviewservicegapsand

proceduresacrosstheCollegewhichcanpotentiallybecomebarriersforallstudents,butparticularly

studentsofcolor.Additionalresourcesareneededtoaddressandimprovethebureaucracythatcan

impedethesuccessofstudentsofcolorastheynavigatetheCollegessystem.Mentoringprogramscanbe

extremelyhelpfulbutcannotsolvesystemicissues.

Recommendations:MontgomeryCollegeStudents

Establishacomprehensiveandcollegewidementoringprogram Establishacomprehensiveandcollegewidementoringprograminordertoconnect

AfricanAmericanandLatinostudentswithfacultyandstaffwhocanassistthese

studentsastheynavigatetheCollegesystem,aswellasfosterstrongerstudent

engagementandencouragegoalcompletion.Thementoringprogramshould:

addressparityofaccesstomentoringacrosstheCollege provideopportunitiesforfacultyinvolvement havededicatedresourcesforsustainability includeafocusonnoncognitivevariablesthatpredictsuccess includeaplanforongoingassessmenttoreviewoutcomes considertheincorporationofpeermentors considereffortstoreacharangeofstudentsofcolor,includingparttimestudents,

returningadults,immigrantstudents,firstgenerationstudents,andstudentswith

children

Conductamoredetailedreviewofbestpracticesatothercommunitycolleges,historicallyblackcollegesanduniversitiesandHispanicservinginstitutions,inorderto

determinespecificmodelsthatwouldworkbestatMontgomeryCollege,includingreviewingprogramsatmulticampusinstitutions.

ReviewcurrentlyexistingmentoringprogramsattheCollegeforpossiblecollegewideexpansion.

Pilotthenewmentoringprogram;thisinitialpilotcouldbeavailabletostudentsonacollegewidebasis,inordertoprovideparityofopportunityforAfricanAmericanand

LatinostudentsacrosstheCollege.

Provideallfacultywithinformationabouthowtofostergreateracademicsuccess,retentionandcompletionofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.Thesemessages

couldbedeliveredthroughtheGovernancesystem,includingtheFacultyCouncil,as

wellas

department

chairs,

inorder

to

provide

stronger

visibility.

Implementationplanningcouldincludethefollowingaspects:facultyandstafftrainingandworkshops,costbenefitanalysis,resourceexploration,studentcommunication

andoutreachstrategies,liabilityissues,highschooltocollegetransitionissues,

assessmentandevaluation,timeline,andfeedbackthroughthegovernancesystems,

campusforumsandotheravenues.Trainingandworkshopscouldinvolvethe

assistanceofCTLandCPOD. Inaddition,furtherconsiderationcouldincludethe

feasibilityofhiringdedicatedstafftocoordinateacollegewidementoringprogram.


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Developspecialcollegewideprogramstospecificallyaddresstheacademicsuccess,retentionandcompletionofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.

Establishspecializedprogramsthatdirectlypromotethesustainedacademicsuccess,retentionandcompletionofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.Theseprograms

should:

addressissuesofparityacrosstheCollege,sothatstudentshaveaccesstotheprogramsonacollegewidebasis

havededicatedresourcesforsustainability includeafocusonnoncognitivevariablesthatpredictsuccess includeaplanforongoingassessmenttoreviewoutcomes considereffortstoreacharangeofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents,including

parttimestudents,returningadults,immigrantstudents,firstgenerationstudents,

andstudentswithchildren

ExpandsupportforAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentstakingdevelopmentalcoursestoensuregreatersuccess,improvedcompletionofdevelopmentalcoursework,

andeffectivetransitiontocreditbearingcourses.Dedicateresourcesforspecific

programstosupportstudentstakingdevelopmentalcoursework,particularlyconcentratingresourcesonLatinoandAfricanAmericanstudentsindevelopmental

coursesandtheLatinoandAfricanAmericanhighschoolgraduatesenrolledinAELP

and1.5generationstudents.

FollowingtheexampleoftheBoystoMenprogram,developprogrammingthatprovidessimilaropportunitiesonacollegewidebasisforAfricanAmericanandLatino

males,aswellasAfricanAmericanandLatinofemales.

Possibleprogramexamplesincludethefollowing:multiculturalstudentcenteroroffice,highschooltocollegetransitionprogram,learningcommunities,cohortprogram,skills

developmentprogram,parentprogram,transferbridgeprogram,parttimestudent

supportprogram,anddevelopmentallearningcommunityand/orsupportprogram. Connectstudentsmoremeaningfullywithexistingsupportcenters,FirstYear

Experience,summerprograms,andcampusresources.

Establishwebbasedresourcesforstudentsofcolor,includingawebsitewithresourcesforundocumentedstudentsandforLatinostudents.Thiswebsitecouldincludealistof

SpanishspeakingpersonnelattheCollege,scholarshipsandinternshipsforLatino

students,andcontactsatlocaltransferschoolsforSpanishspeakers.

Conductamoredetailedreviewofbestpracticesatothercommunitycolleges,historicallyblackcollegesanduniversitiesandHispanicservinginstitutions,inorderto

determinespecificprogrammodelsthatcouldworkbestatMontgomeryCollege,

includingreviewingprogramsatmulticampusinstitutionsandsummerbridge

programs.

TEACHINGANDLEARNINGCURRICULUMINSIDETHECLASSROOMLiteratureReviewandFindings

Aculturallycompetentfacultyadoptsmodelsoflearningthatbenefitadiverserangeoflearnersandfoster

successfulmatriculationfromthecommunitycollegetofouryearinstitutions. Cushner,McClellandand


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Safford(2009)notethatcultureandtheprocessoflearningaboutculturearecriticaltoframingfaculty

knowledgeaboutdiversity. GrantandSleeter(2007)advocateforteacherselfreflexivityandanalysisasa

pathwaytoeffectiveteachingandlearninginadiverseenvironment.Thesescholarsaresupportedby

ClaytonPedersen,Parker,SmithMarenoandTeraguchi(2007)andAnderson(2008)intheclaimthat

educatorscanmakearealdifferencewhentheyareflexibleinteachingandutilizedifferencesinthe

classroomasassetsratherthanobstacles.

Professionaldevelopmenteffortscanincreasetheculturalcompetenceoffacultyandstaff,helpingthem

createawelcomingclimateandincreasingacademicachievementforAfricanAmericanandLatino

students.Facultyassumptionsandexpectationsmaynotmatchtheexperiencesoftheirfirstgenerationor

minoritystudents(Collier&Morgan,2008),sotrainingfacultytocommunicate,mentor,andencourage

thesestudentsisessential.Facultymulticulturaldevelopmentshouldnotbemerelyanannualactivity

thateachprofessormustcomplete.Rather,itshouldbepartofacollegewideefforttoinvolvefaculty,

departments,anddisciplinesintheprocessofmeasurablyimprovingoutcomes.AssuggestedbyAchieving

theDream,acultureofevidenceandinquirythatseekstoinformdecisionsthroughdataisabout

creativeproblemsolving,studentsuccess,andempoweringfacultywithtoolsthatcanhelpthemdowhat

theydobetter.(Birnback&Friedman,2009).

Socialandacademicactionsmustworkintandemtosustainrigorouseffortsatsupportingstudents

retentionandsuccessfulcompletionincollege. Effectiveminorityachievementprogramswillincrease

retentionandfostersuccess.McGlynn(2009)reportsonthesuccessfuleliminationofthegraduationgap

atFSUattributedtoanacademicretentionandenhancementprogramtargetingfirstgeneration,low

income,andminoritystudents.AnissuebrieffromtheInstituteforHigherEducation(2012)citesbarriers

facedbyfirstgenerationcollegestudentsfrom30colleges.Theseincludefamilyandworkobligations,low

finances,lowacademicpreparation,andlimitedinformationonapplyingandpreparingforcollege.Clayton

Pedersenetal(2007)assertthatwelldevelopedandsupported,comprehensiveandsystematicinitiatives

mustaddressaccessandsuccesstoincludefocusonrace/ethnicityandincomestatus(pp.105107),whichalsoservetostrengthentheconnectionbetweenhighschool,thecollegecommunity,andthewider

neighborhood.

Knowledgethatstudentsneedforcollegenavigation,suchasstudyskills,timemanagement,and

mechanismsforaccessingfinancialaid,tutoring,andmentoring,canbewidelydisseminatedinthe

classroomorasanintegratedaddon,suchasarequiredorincentivizedoutsideactivity. TheCommunity

CollegeResearchCentersuggestsmakingnonacademicsupportsintrusivesothatstudentsareforcedto

encounterthem(Karp,2011).

Recommendations:

Teaching

and

Learning

Curriculum

Inside

the

Classroom

Enhancetheculturalcompetenceoffacultyinordertomakestudentsofdiverseethnicbackgroundswelcome.TheCollegesmulticulturalrequirementforfacultyshouldbemore

targetedtowardshelpingstudentssucceed,ratherthansimplyattendingafoodfairor

concert.Modelsthatworkfortrainingfacultyandevaluatingandimprovingtheir

effectivenessshouldbeidentified.

Makenonacademicsupportintrusive.Targetthedevelopmentofskillsandknowledgethatstudentsneedfornavigatingcollege,includinggettingadvisingormentoringand


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developingfinancialaidandfinancial(aid)literacyskillsaswellasstudyskills.Identifyways

tointegratetheseskillsintotheclassroomorintoadvisingandmentoringrelationships

thatareavailabletostudentsplacedatrisk. Provideprofessionaldevelopmenttoprepare

facultywiththeinformationandskillstodothissuccessfully.

Trackthesuccessofinterventionsandcohortsthatareinplace(learningcommunities,DScourses,participationinACES,TRIOorBoystoMen,tutoringhours,etc.)forAfrican

AmericanandLatinostudents.Explorethepossibilityofallowingstudentswithlowertest

scoresintodesiredcreditlevelcoursesiftheycommittoorenrollinoneormoreofthese

programs.Identifymodelsthatincreaseretentionandsuccessandbringthemtoscale.

TargetcoursesthatareroadblocksforsubstantialnumbersofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsforinterventions.Interventionsshouldbeevaluatedforeffectivenessagainst

baselinedataandthenmodifiediftheyshowpromiseormorewidelyimplementedifthey

areclearlysuccessful.

STUDENTINVOLVEMENT OUTSIDETHECLASSROOMLiteratureReview

Withinhighereducation,thechallengesofachievingacademicsuccessforAfricanAmericanandLatino

studentshavebecomeatopicofnationaldiscussionandconcern.AccordingtoBeckles(2008),thereiswell

documentedevidencethatthesestudentscollectivelyencounterdifficultyinachievingacademicsuccess

throughouttheirentireeducationalexperience(K16)(p.1).Moreover,Becklesindicatesthatthese

difficultiesinclude:adisproportionaterepresentationinspecialeducationprograms,highratesof

suspensionandexpulsion,highdropoutrates,lowerscoresonnormreferencedtestsandotherassessment

devices,labeling/trackingtactics,loweredteacherexpectations,stereotyping,thethreatofstereotyping,

andfeelingsofpersonalimpotence(p.1).AllofthisnotonlydirectlyimpactsthedecisionsofAfrican

AmericanandLatinostudentstopursuepostsecondaryeducationinthefirstplace,butalsoaffectstheir

retentionand

success

rates.

For

these

students,

too

often

lower

retention

and

academic

success

are

the

resultofbeingunderpreparedfinancially,socially,andacademicallyfortherigorsofcollegelife(Manning

andEverett,2008;Beckles,2008;Clayton,Hewitt,andGaffney,2004;GreerandBrown,2011;Allen,1992;

Banks,2010;GreerandChwalisz,2007).WhilemanyAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsstrugglewith

thesechallenges,researchsuggeststhatstudentswhofindwaysofengagingwithfaculty,staff,andother

studentsaremorelikelytopersistandattaintheiracademicgoals(GardehireCrooks,Collado,Martinand

Castro,2010).


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FocusGroups

Thestudentinvolvementsubcommitteewastaskedwithexploringtheimpactsofstudentinvolvementon

achievement.Thisexplorationentailedsurveyingthecurrentliteratureonthesetopics.Thesubcommittee

determinedthatitwascriticaltospeakdirectlywithMontgomeryCollegestudentstoobtaintheir

perspectivesandincorporatetheirvoicesamongtherelevantdata.Inordertocollectthisstudentdata,the

committeeconductedaseriesoffocusgroups.Aprimaryintentofthefocusgroupswastoexplorethestudents'totalexperience,includinghowtheyexperiencefacultyandstaffattheCollege,andspecific

peopleandresourcestheyperceivesupporttheiracademicsuccess.Thefocusgroupinterviewswere

conductedbyaskingtheelevenquestionsbelowandasummaryofthefindingsisappendedtothisreport.

1. DescribeyourexperiencehereatMontgomeryCollege.2. IstheresomethingparticularaboutbeingAfricanAmericanorLatino/athatyoubelievehas

impactedyourexperience?

3. Whatdoesitmeantobeinvolvedoutsideoftheclassroom?4. Whyareyouorarentyouinvolvedoutsideoftheclassroom?5. Ifyouareinvolvedinthecommunityandnotinthecollege,why?6. Whatcampusactivitiesorprogramswouldencourageyourinvolvement?7. Whohasplayedasignificantroleinsupportingyouracademicsuccess?8. Describeanexperiencewithaprofessor,counselor,orstaffmemberthatmayhavehelpedyour

success.

9. Describeanexperiencewithaprofessor,counselor,orstaffmemberthatmayhavehinderedyoursuccess.

10.Whenyoufacechallengesofanykindthatimpactyourabilitytobesuccessfulincollege,whatdoyoudo?

11.HowcanMontgomeryCollegehelpyoutobemoreacademicallysuccessful?StudentInputandFeedback

DeveloptargetedcohortgroupsforAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.Forexample,replicate"BoystoMen"witha"SistertoSister"mentoringgroupfor

females.

MakeDS107(oranequivalentFreshmanSeminarcourse)mandatoryforallfirsttime,degreeseekingstudents.Ifthisisnotpossible,encourageallstudentstobuild

arelationshipwithacounselortoprovidesupportthroughouttheiracademic

experience.

Requireeducation/degreeplansforallstudents;tobedevelopedpriortoorduringtheirfirstsemester.

Increasethenumberoftutorsinthewritingcentersandlengthentutoringsessionsfrom30minutesto45or60minutes.

RedesignMA094toaccommodatestudentswhodonotlearnwellviacomputerbasedinstruction.

Implementmandatorystudyhallforallstudentathletes. Createmorecollegecommunitybuildingactivitiestoincreaseschoolpride/spirit. Createastudentunionwithloungesandstudyspaces,aswellasactivityspace.


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Expandtheservicelearningprogramtoincorporatemorecareerrelatedopportunities.

Increaseawarenessofstudentlifeactivities,programs,andstudentclubs. BuildpartnershipswithcommunityorganizationstobettersupportAfrican

AmericanandLatinostudentsandincreasestudentsawarenessofscholarshipand

serviceopportunitiesbeyondcampus.

Recommendations: StudentInvolvementOutsidetheClassroom

DeveloptargetedcohortgroupsforAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.Forexample,replicate"BoystoMen"witha"SistertoSister"mentoringgroupforfemales

Createmorecollegecommunitybuildingactivitiestoincreaseschoolpride/spirit. BuildpartnershipswithcommunityorganizationstobettersupportAfricanAmericanand

Latinostudentsandincreasestudentsawarenessofscholarshipandserviceopportunities

beyondcampus.

CIVICENGAGEMENT

LiteratureReview

Theliteratureclearlyindicatesthatstudentswhoareengagedinthecommunityaremorelikelytosucceed

intheclassroom(CCSSE2013). Targetedengagementactivities,bothpublicandprivate,insideandoutside

theclassroom,andonandoffcampuscanhelptobroadenaccesstopostsecondaryeducation,enhance

studentsuccess,andultimatelyenrichthelifeofourcommunity(CCSSE2013). Engagementactivitiescan

bridgeopportunitygapsforthestudentandthecommunity,andhelptoenhancethenoncognitiveskills

non academicskillswhicharepowerfuldriversofsuccessofthestudent. Thefollowingsection

acknowledgesthepowerandthevaluethatstudentengagementandinstitutionalengagementwiththe

communitycanbringtoeffortstoclosetheachievementgap.

TheachievementgapinthecountryandintheCollegescommunitybeginswithaccess. Itiswelldocumentedthatthemajorityofthejobsofthefuturewillrequirepostsecondaryeducation(Reports,The

Partnershipfor21stCenturySkills). ThisisparticularlytrueinMontgomeryCountyaneconomythatis

universallyacknowledgedasonethatisdependentontheknowledgebaseofitsworkers(FY20142015

StrategicPlan,MontgomeryCountyEconomicDevelopmentdepartment). However,nationallythecollege

goingrateoflow incomeAfricanAmericanandLatinostudentsisfarlowerthanthatofhighincomeWhite

students. ThirtypercentofMontgomeryCountyPublicSchoolstudents(MCPS)qualifyorhavequalifiedfor

FreeorReducedMealsanindicatorofpovertyinacommunity. Thatnumberisequaltothetotalnumber

ofstudentsenrolledinpublicschoolsinWashington,D.C. Barrierstostudentsuccessandcompletion

clearlyincludesocioeconomicstatusandtherelatedchallengesofbalancingcompetingpriorities,suchas

family,schoolandworkresponsibilitieswhichoftenresultinpatternsofinterruptedschooling(Pathwaysto

Success,2012).

Withthechangeddemographyofthecountyandthegrowingnumberoffirstgenerationcollegegoersin

theMCPS,moreresidentsneedabetterunderstandingofhowtoaccessandenrollinaninstitutionof

higherlearning. Outreacheffortstoengagethecommunitywouldalsoservetotakethemysteryoutofthe

collegegoingprocessforthesestudentsandtheirfamiliesbybringingclaritytotheenrollmentprocess,to

thearrayofoptionsinbothtraditionalacademicandcareerandtechnicaleducation,totheideathat


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collegeisaninvestmentinonesfutureandtothewaysinwhichtopayforcollege. BarrierstoCollege

Attainment:LessonsfromChicago(2009)describesthreemajorfactors:theaspirationsattainmentgap,

academicqualificationsandthesocialcapitalgap;thelatterincludeslackofinformationaboutselecting

collegesandmanagingtheapplicationandenrollmentprocesses.

ThereisaneedtoengagethecommunitytobetterunderstandtheneedsofAfricanAmericanandLatino

studentsandtheirfamiliesbyengaginginconsistentandintentionaldialoguewithkeycommunityleaders

andorganizations,theCollegecanidentifythesystemicchangestobetterserveandenhancethesuccessof

thesestudents. InRethinkingtheCompletionAgenda,SanfordC.Shugart(InsideHigherEducation,

February2013)emphasizesthatcommunity/businesspartnershipsrequire:clarificationofterms(suchas

collegereadiness),earlymajordeclarationandcleardegreepathways,strengtheningarticulationand

transfer,identifyingdegreepathways,andthinkingoftheeducationalecosystembeyondtheinstitution.

Communityengagementcentersinkeyunderservedareascanalsobeutilizedforthispurpose:reach

communityleaders,reinforceearlyparentinvolvement,connectwithprospectivementorsandinternship

placements,andputtheCollegeintheneighborhood.

Identity,ayouthorganizationbasedinGaithersburg,MD,suggeststhattheachievementgapforLatinostudentsbeaddressedinthefollowingways: helpstudentsunderstandthearrayofpostsecondary

options;provideclearandwellunderstoodpathwaystocertificatesanddegrees,provideclearanddirected

guidanceattheoutsetincludingacleardiscussionregardinggoals,andspecificcreationofthepathway;

providingmoreoptionsforshorttermcredentials,andestablishingpeermentoringprogramsthatprovide

stipendstostudentswhoactaspeermentors. (Identitynotesthatmanystudentsalreadyonrelyoneach

othertonavigatethecollegegoingprocesswhichcouldbeformalizedwithapeermentorprogram.)

Asnotedearlierinthisreport,thepowerofmentorshipthepowerofanindividualtoenrichthelifeof

anotheriswelldocumentedinresearchandsupportedanecdotallyamongfacultyandstaff. Enhanced

andstrategically

targeted

mentorship

opportunities

for

students

can

help

to

overcome

opportunity

gaps

andenhancethenoncognitiveabilitiesthathelpanindividualsucceed.Finally,studentsengagetheir

collegecommunitythroughtechnology. Socialmediacanbeapowerfultooltocreateasenseof

community. Forexample,athleticsandtheRaptormascotcouldeasilybepromotedthroughsocialmedia

tohelpcreatethatsenseofbelonging/community.Dynamicinteractiveexperimentsthroughsocialmedia

canhelptheCollegemovefromfosteringsocialnetworkssuchasasemesterlongclassorstudygroup,

intosustainedcommunitiesofsharedinterests,interactingatleastpartlythroughsocialmedia(Wu,2010).

MontgomeryCollegecannotpresumetohavealltheanswerstothechallengesfacingourcommunityorto

fullyunderstandtheneedsofthecommunityweserve.Ifthecollegeistoenrichthelifeofthecommunity,

itmustallowthecommunitytoenrichitsthinkingandunderstandingoftheirlivesandtheirhopesand

needsfortheirfutures.

Recommendations:CivicEngagement

Engagethecommunitytopromotetheimportanceofandvalueininvestinginpostsecondaryeducation.SpecificallytheCollegeshouldseekouttoexpandandenhance

communitypartnershipswithanarrayoforganizationsandbusinessestoincrease

outreachandaccess:


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MontgomeryCountyCollaborationCouncilonChildrenandYouth MontgomeryCountyRecreationDepartmentreachbothyouthandadults PTAsintargetedareasofthecounty(ACEShighschools,TitleIschools,etc.) Alumni MontgomeryCountysyouthopportunitycenters ImpactSilverSpring HousingOpportunitiesCommission&housingnonprofits PTAsatTitleIschools MCPScommunityengagementeffortsinkeyschools Nonprofitswithmissionstoalleviatepoverty,addressworkforcedevelopment,

youthservingetc.

Interdenominational,interfaithandfaithbasedgroups EthnicservingnonprofitsincludingbutnotlimitedtotheNAACP,theNAACP

ParentsCouncil,andIdentity

ContinuetoenhancetheCollegespresenceatcommunityeventstargetedatAfricanAmericanandLatinofamiliestoincreaseawarenessoftheinstitutionandtheimportance

ofpostsecondaryeducation. Strategicallylocatedcommunityengagementcenters(in

underservedcommunitiesandcolocatedwithnonprofitsorgovernmentfacilitiesto

maximizeopportunitiesforpartnerships)agoalinMC2020wouldbetterenablethe

Collegetoformkeypartnershipsandengageresidentsdirectlytoachievethisimportant

accessgoal.

Bringthecommunitytocampustohelpmitigatesocioeconomicbarrierstosuccess. Partnerwithnonprofits,CommunityActionBoard,MontgomeryCountyHHSetc. ResearchestablishmentofSingleStoptyperesourcecentersoneachcampus Enhanceemploymentopportunitiesforstudentsthroughbusinesspartnerships

Bringthecommunitytocampustoforgeoneononeconnectionsforstudentsandprovidestudentsaccesstoandtheopportunitytoengagesuccessfulpeopleofinfluence. Enhancementoringandcoachingprogramsandprogramsthatexposestudentsto

successfulpeoplewiththeCollegesmanypartners,includingbusinessesledbyAfrican

AmericansandLatinos,Accenture,DiscoveryCommunications,Chambersof

Commerce,HolyCross,youthorganizations,faithcommunities,fraternitiesand

sororities.

ConnectorganizationsandindividualswhocaninfluenceMCstudentstosucceed,guideandengagestudents,andhelpstudentsenhancethenoncognitiveskillsthatleadto

success.

Engagethecommunitytoenhancetheunderstandingofandaccesstocareerandtechnicaleducation

for

all

residentsofthe

county

Providebackgroundinformationtokeycommunityleaderstomotivateresearchandconversationonbarrierstosuccessandtheneedforbroadeducationalaccessacross

allpopulations;

Sponsororleadintentionalcommunitydialoguesandpublicpolicyconversationstoenhancetheunderstandingandvalueofsuchpostsecondaryeducationprograms.

Studentsengagethecommunitypromoteandenhanceservicelearning,internships,andcivicengagementopportunitiesforstudents


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college. Thisrecommendationwillrequiretheparticipationofinstructionalfaculty,as

therearenotenoughcounselingfacultymemberstomeetwithallstudentsinindividual

sessions. Incorporatinginstructionalfacultyintheadvisingsystemwillrequiretraining,

andtherewouldbecostsassociatedwithtraininginstructionalfacultyadvisors.

FINANCIALAID,GRANTSANDSCHOLARSHIPSLiteratureReviewandFindings

Researchconfirmsthatlackoffundingisakeybarriertocompletion(LunaDeLaRosa2006)andthat

studentsclearlyneedmoreinformationinthisarea(AmericanCouncilonEducation2004). Furthermore,

strongevidencesuggeststhatdifficultycompletingtheFAFSAposesamajorhurdletomanystudents.

Removingthathurdlehasasignificantimpact(Fergus,FitzGibbonandSoria2011). Othercaseshaveshown

thatlow andmoderateincomecollegestudentsdonottakeadvantageoffinancialaidopportunitiesby

completingtheFAFSA,suggestingthatthepopulationswhowouldbenefitmostfromfinancialaidarenot

receivingit.InthecaseofLatinostudents,Latinoyouthareoftenresponsiblefortakingtheinitiativein

securingfinancialaidinformationaswellascontributingtotheeconomicwellbeingoftheirhouseholds

(ZarateandPachon2006). Awarenessingeneraloftheavailabilityofandthemechanismsforreceivingfinancialaidislow. Manylowincomestudentswhodonotapplyforfinancialaidbelievetheydonotneed

it(AmericanCouncilonEducation2004). AtMontgomeryCollege,57%ofallfinancialaidrecipientsare

AfricanAmericanorLatino. Amongstudentswiththelowestincomes,71%ofPellGrantrecipientsat

MontgomeryCollegeareAfricanAmericanorLatino.

Consequently,financialaidadvisingiscrucial. Almost80%of11thand12thgradersrelyonteachers,

counselors,andcoachesforfinancialaidinformation,followedcloselybycollegerepresentatives,family,

friendsandclassmatesandasignificantportionofstudentsandparentsobtaincollegerelatedinformation

fromtheinternet(LunaDeLaRosa2006). ThefactisthatAfricanAmerican,Latino,andlowincome

studentsarethemostdependentonhighschoolpersonnelforinformationaboutcollege(ZarateandPachon2006),allofwhichsuggestsaneedforasystematicplantointroducetheseconceptsappropriately

atthehighschoollevel. Infact,Chan(2008)assertsthatfinancialaidismosteffectivewhenstudentsand

familieslearnaboutitearlyenoughtomaketherightchoicesandplansabouthighschoolcoursework,

familysavings,workandearnings,andcollegeoptions.

Asnotedabove,thosewhoareeligibleforfinancialaidaretheleastlikelytoknowaboutit,although

awarenesslevelsarerelativelylowamongstudentsandparentsatallincomelevels(SallieMaeFundand

HarrisInteractive2003). FurthercomplicatingtheissueisthefactthatPellGrantrecipientsareoftenfirst

generationcollegestudentsandtheylackessentialinformationaboutfinancialaidandadmissions

information(McSwain2008).

Severalstudieshaveaddressedtheissueoftargetedfunding.Bresciani&Carson(2002)callforincreased

fundingforprogramsprovidingsupportforstudentswhohavebeenidentifiedasatrisk(atpromise)fornot

meetingtheireducationalgoals. Furthermore,fundingshouldbeincreasedforprogramsthathavebeen

knowntoincreasecompletion.Theyassertthatifinstitutionswanttoimproveretentionrates,theyshould

increasefinancialaidtoneedystudentsandminimizeunmetneed(Bresciani&Carson2002). Giventhe

factthatfamilyneedassessmentandactualneedamountfallsshortofreality;newfundsprovidedthrough


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achievementgapspecificfundraisingcouldfillthatgap(Bresciani&Carson.2002).Finally,institutions

shouldconsiderPerformanceBasedScholarships(PBS)whereineligiblestudentsareabletoallocatemore

timetoeducationallyproductiveactivitiessuchasstudying,whichshouldinturntranslateintogreater

educationalattainment(Barrow,RichburgHayesetal2012).

Recommendations:FinancialAid,GrantsandScholarships

IncludeamandatoryfinancialaidplanthatisdonepriortoNewStudentOrientation(currentlyunderwayatsomehighschools)aspartoftheoverallmandatoryeducationplan.

Creatingaplanwillmakecleartostudentsthevalueofincorporatingfinancialaidaspartof

acomprehensivecompletionplan.

IncludecompletionasafundingpriorityduringtheMCcampaign. Allwelcomepackagesandinitialcommunicationswithstudentsshouldincludeseveral

additionalsourcesofinformation/linksaboutFAFSAandfinancialaidsteps,soasto

increaseawarenessaboutfinancialaidopportunities. (SallieMaeFundandHarris

Interactive2003).

Thefollowingrecommendationsaremadeinordertoincreaseawareness. Allnewstudentsshouldbeprovidedflashdriveswithsteps/keystosuccessand

planning,whichwouldincludefinancialaidinformationanddeadlines;thereshouldbe

easilyaccessiblylinkstoinformationaboutneedsbasedscholarshipsavailableto

students. AllflashdriveswillbeloadedwithnecessarystepstocompleteFinancialAid

requirements(ZarateandPachon2006).

ProvidelinkstoeasilyaccessibleinformationontheMontgomeryCollegeDreamersFundandotherscholarshipopportunitiesthatmaybeavailabletononFAFSAfilers,

whichdonotrequiresocialsecuritynumbers.(SzelenyaandChang2002).

IncorporatethelinktotheCollegesnewonlinescholarshipapplicationsinallmaterialsfornewstudents.

Thenumberofontime(completedbyMay15)financialaidapplicationsattheCollegehasincreased62%withinthepastfiveyears,butmanystudentsstillwaituntilthelastfewweeksbeforethesemestertoapplyforfinancialaid. Createfocusgroupscomprisedof

theselateapplicantstudentstobetterunderstandwhytheywaitsolatetostartthe

financialaidprocess.Also,toassesswhetherallfinancialaidapplicantswouldbewillingto

receivetextcommunicationsthatrelatetofinancialaidinformationanddeadlines

(Burdman2005).

Findadditionalwaystoincentivizeallstudentstomeettherequiredfinancialaiddeadlinesduringthepeakfinancialaidseason(JanMay)(Davidson2013).

DuringtheidentifiedpeakfinancialaidseasonprovideincentivesfundedbytheMCFoundationsuchas:

Araffleforallstudentsthatcompletepaperworkbyapredetermineddate(Feb1orFeb14whichiseasyforstudentstoremember)

MCbucks($50 $100forbooksandsupplies) Freestudentparkingpass Kindlecurrentlykindlesareanincentive.Althoughadvertisedonallcampus

lobbies,keywordsshouldbeincludedandhighlightedFREE,GIFT,REWARDS,$$$,

etc.


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NoncognitiveVariablesofSuccess

TraditionallytheAmericanpubliceducationsystemhasstressedthathigheramountsofcomponential

(cognitive)intelligencewereindicativeofhighperformingstudents. Therehasbeenarecentfocuson

collegereadinessineducationalliterature.Thisisanimportantshiftinemphasisfromviewingadmissions

inhighereducationasafunctionseparatefromthewiderangeofattributesastudentwillneedonce

enrolled(Conley,2005). Whilereadinessforcollegeincludestakingtheappropriatecourses,gettinggoodgrades,andscoringwellonadmissionstests,thereisevidencethatmanyotherattributeswilldetermine

whethermoststudentswillsucceedinhighereducation.

Thetermnoncognitiveisusedheretorefertovariablesrelatingtoadjustment,motivation,andstudent

perceptions,ratherthanthetraditionalverbalandquantitative(oftencalledcognitive)areastypically

measuredbystandardizedtests. Whilenoncognitivevariablesareusefulforallstudents,theyprovide

viablealternativesinfairlyassessingtheabilitiesofpeopleofcolor,women,internationalstudents,older

students,studentswithdisabilities,orotherswithexperiencesthataredifferentthanthoseofyoung,

White,heterosexual,ablebodied,EurocentricmalesintheUnitedStates(traditionalstudents).Thereisa

significantbodyofresearchthathasfoundthatnonWhiteandfemalepopulationsemployrelativelyhigher

amountsofexperientialandcontextualintelligencetoconceptualizeandsolveproblemsthanWhitemale

populations. Thereasonsforthisaretheoretical,andtheycenteraroundtheneedtolookatsolutions

frommultipleperspectivesandstrategiesduetotheperceptionthattraditionalandstandardwaysmaybe

blockedtothem(Sedlacek,2010);

TheeightnoncognitivedimensionsontheNoncognitiveQuestionnaire(NCQ)are:(1)Positiveselfconcept

orconfidence,(2)realisticselfappraisal,especiallyregardingacademicabilities,(3)understandingand

dealswithracism,(4)preferslongrangegoalstoshorttermorimmediateneeds(5)availabilityofastrong

supportperson,(6)successfulleadershipexperience,(7)demonstratedcommunityserviceand(8)

knowledgeacquiredinafield.

TheNCQwasdesignedtoassesstheeightnoncognitivevariablesdiscussedabove.Severalformsofthe

NCQhavebeendevelopedandemployedindifferentcontexts. TestretestreliabilityestimatesonNCQ

scoresforvarioussamplesrangefrom.74to.94,withamedianof.85(Sedlacek,2004).Interrater

reliabilityonscoresfromthethreeopenendedNCQitemsrangedfrom.73to1.00.

SummaryandAnalysisofData

WithinMontgomeryCollege2020areobjectiveretentionoutcomesarticulatedinthePerformance

Canvases.

PERFORMANCE

CANVAS

INDICATOR PERFORMANCEBASE PERFORMANCEGOAL GAP MC2020 THEME

FY11 FY20

FalltoFallRetention 75% 85% 10% II

TransferRate 52.90% 60% 7.10% II

StudentSuccess 75% 80% 5% II

TransferStudentSuccess 2.73 2.8 0.07 I


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Inordertomeetthesegoals,theBenchmarksandOutcomesworkgrouphasadoptedasystematic

approachwhichutilizescurrentstudentdataprovidedbytheOfficeofInstitutionalResearchandAnalysis.

Wehavedeterminedthat,basedoncurrentdata,whenthegoalsareconvertedfrompercentagestoactual

studentcounts,thetaskbecomessignificantlymoremanageable.AccordingtotheMontgomeryCollege

DegreeProgressAnalysis Fall2008Cohort 4YearsLater(AppendixB)theactualstudentgapsbetween

theperformancebaseandperformancegoalsareasfollows:

PERFORMANCECANVAS

INDICATOR PERFORMANCEBASE PERFORMANCEGOAL GAP GAP MC2020

THEME

2008COHORT FY20

EnrolledatMClasttermperiod 467 514 10% 47 II

Graduatedand/orTransferred 1252 1341 7.10% 89 II

StudentSuccess(grad.&transf) 1397 1467 5% 70 II

TransferStudentSuccess na 2.8 0.07 na I

LatinoandAfrican/AfricanAmericanstudentsrepresent45percentoftheMontgomeryCollegestudent

body. Hispanic,white,andmultiracialstudentsareexperiencingsignificantchangesinenrollmentrates.

ThenumberofnonHispanicwhitestudentshasdecreased.AccordingtotheMontgomeryCountyPublic

SchoolsFY201318CapitalImprovementsProgram,thisdecreaseinnonHispanicwhiteenrollment

appearslargelyduetodecreasingbirthratesofthisgroupinMontgomeryCounty.Thetotalnumberof

HispanicstudentsatMontgomeryCollegehasdecreasedbyapproximately1.5percentsincefall2008,

whilethenumberofstudentswhoselfidentifyasmultiracialhasincreased237.2percent.(Beginninginthe

fall2007,newstudentsatMontgomeryCollegecouldselectmorethanoneracialdesignator.)Ofthe

studentsselfidentifyingasmultiracial,approximately80percentidentifythemselvesasHispanicandanadditionalracialgroup.AccordingtoMontgomeryCollegesinternalanalysis,theadditionofthenewracial

designatorappearstoaccountforthedecrease.Inaddition,MontgomeryCollegehasidentifiedthatthe

enrollmentofHispanicstudentshasnotbeenconsistentwithHispanicstudentregistrationinMCPS,where

approximately26percentofstudentsareselfidentifiedasHispanic(MontgomeryCountyPublicSchools

FY201318CapitalImprovementsProgram). ThedifferencewithMCPSLatinostudentsmaybe

attributedtotwoprimaryreasons:(1)theCollegesadherencetofederalguidelinesinreportingstudent

demographicdata,whicharecalculateddifferentlyforMCPSand(2)alowerrateofregistrationsforLatino

MCPSstudentsatMCrelativetootherdemographicgroups.


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BaseduponprevailingcountywideandMontgomeryPublicSchoolsdemographictrends,Montgomery

Collegeis

expecting

enrollments

to

remain

relatively

stable

for

the

foreseeable

future.

MontgomeryCollegeEnrollmentProjectionsforFallSemesters201316

Projected

FallSemester 2013 2014 2015 2016

TotalStudents 27,719 27,721 27,621 27,650

TotalCreditHours 252,975 252,993 252,080 252,345

CurrentlyAfricanAmerican/Black,LatinoandLatino/Multiracialstudentscompriseslightlymorethanone

halfofthefullandparttimeenrollmentsofMontgomeryCollege. Whenexaminingthemostrecent4year

cohortgroupwhichenteredintheFallof2008,therewere3,889studentsbeginningcoursework. Ofthe

Fall2008cohortgroup27.5%weredesignatedascollegereadyandrequirednodevelopmental

coursework.

AllStudentEntrantsFall2008

(N=3,889)

CollegeReady 1071 27.5%

Asian 185 42.2%

Black/AfricanAmerican 222 19.5%

Hispanic 125 14.9%

White

529 37.2%

Ofthatpopulation80.5%ofBlack/AfricanAmericanand85%ifHispanicstudentsrequireddevelopmental

courseworkandaredesignatedasnotbeingcollegeready. Whenlookingatpatternsofmatriculation,

themeasurementoutcomeshaveidentifiedthatthegreatestareaofacademicconcernliesinwiththe

matriculationofthe72.5%ofMontgomeryCollegestudentswhohavebeendesignatedasnoncollege

American

Indian

0%Asian

12%

Black

31%

Latino

14%

MultiRacial

12%

White

31%

Other

0%

MCStudentEnrollmentByRaceFall2012


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ready,andespeciallythe34%ofMontgomeryCollegestudentsidentifiedasdevelopmentalnon

completers. Developmentalcompletersarethosestudentswhoareassessedasneedingdevelopmental

courseworkandcompletedtheentiredevelopmentalsequence(s)inwhichtheywereplaced. The

developmentalnoncompletersarethosestudentswhowereassessedasneedingdevelopmental

courseworkbutdidnotcompletethedevelopmentalsequence(s)intowhichtheywereplaced.

Furthermore,thispopulationisdisproportionatelycomprisedofAfricanAmericanandLatinostudents.

DevelopmentalEnglish(FirstAttemptandThresholdAppendixCandAppendixD)

EN001SuccessonFirstAttempt

ThepercentageofAfricanAmericanstudentssucceedingonfirstattempthasrisenfrom59%of2004

cohortto71%of2012cohort.Atthesametime,thepercentageofAfricanAmericanstudentssucceeding

onfirstattemptislowerthansuccessratesoverall,forWhitestudents,andforHispanicstudentsforall

cohorts(20042012).

ThepercentageofHispanicstudentssucceedingonfirstattempthasrisenfrom67%of2004cohortto84%

of2012cohort.ThepercentageofHispanicstudentssucceedingishigherthanoverallstudentsforseveralcohorts(20042007,20102012).Higherthanwhitestudentsfor20112012cohorts.

Malestudentsuccesspercentagesarelowerthanthoseforfemalestudentsforallcohorts(20042012).

EN001AchievingAcademicThreshold

TheoverallpercentageofEN001studentsachievingtheacademicthresholdrisesinthe20042008cohort,

butthenfallsagaintothe2004level(36%)in2010and2011.ThepercentagesforWhitestudents,African

Americanstudents,andmalestudentsseemtofollowthispatternaswell.

Amongallstudents36%ofthe2011cohortachievedtheacademicthreshold.AmongAfricanAmerican

students27%of2011cohort.Hispanicstudents43%of2011cohort(higherthanwhitestudents).Male

students33%of2011cohort.

PercentageofHispanicstudentsachievingthresholdwaslowerthanwhitestudents20042010cohorts.

2011cohortishigher(Hispanicstudents43%,Whitestudents39%).

Malestudentpercentageswerelowerthanfemalestudentsforallcohorts(20042011).

EN002SuccessonFirstAttempt

Forallcohorts(20032011),studentswhostartedinEN002hadahighersuccessratethanstudentswho

hadfirstcompletedEN001.

Overallsuccessonfirstattemptroseslightlyfor2004,2005cohortsbutfellbackto2003levelsby2011and

2012(66%).

AfricanAmericanstudentssuccessonthefirstattemptfellbetweenthe20042011cohorts;the2011

(55%)cohortislowerthanthe2003(63%)cohort.


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Hispanicstudentssuccessonfirstattempthasrisen,althoughnotsteadily,fromthe2004cohort(59%)to

the2011cohort(66%).AllHispaniccohortsarelowerthanWhitecohortsfrom20032011.Hispaniccohort

higherthanoverallsuccessfor2009cohort,equalfor2010and2011cohorts.

Malestudentpercentagesarelowerthanfemalestudentsforallcohorts(20032011).

EN002

Achieving

Academic

Threshold

Forallcohorts(20032011),studentswhostartedinEN002achievedtheacademicthresholdatahigher

ratethanstudentswhohadfirstcompletedEN001.

AfricanAmericanstudentsachievedtheacademicthresholdatalowerratethanstudentsoverall,white

students,orHispanicstudentsforallcohorts(20032011).

Hispanicstudentsinsomeyears,achievedtheacademicthresholdatahigherratethanwhitestudentsor

studentsoverall;inotheryears,theydidsoatalowerratethanwhitestudentsorstudentsoverall.

Malestudentpercentageswerelowerthanfemalestudentsforallcohorts(20032011).

DevelopmentalReading

AchievedAcademicThreshold

YEAR

GROUP 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 AVERAGE

TOTAL 365 405 400 427 444 450 498 427

READING BLACK 160 185 176 184 202 212 246 195

089/095 BLACKACHIEVED 40 46 50 46 46 61 76 52

% 25% 25% 28% 25% 23% 29% 31% 27%

LATINO 78 86 94 99 76 96 67 85

LATINOACHIEVED 21 30 29 38 31 34 23 29

% 27% 35% 31% 38% 41% 35% 34% 35%

BLACK+LATINOTOTAL 238 271 270 283 278 308 313 280

%OFTOTAL 65% 67% 68% 66% 63% 68% 63% 66%

YEAR

GROUP 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 AVERAGE

TOTAL 611 653 624 661 713 750 788 686

READING

099 BLACK 231 245 235 241 254 293 303 257

BLACKACHIEVED 83 98 99 101 109 134 118 106

% 36% 40% 42% 42% 43% 46% 39% 41%

LATINO 118 137 153 148 140 137 113 135

LATINOACHIEVED 41 58 66 69 76 64 70 63

% 35% 42% 43% 47% 54% 47% 62% 47%BLACK+LATINOTOTAL 349 382 388 389 394 430 416 393

%OFTOTAL 57% 58% 62% 59% 55% 57% 53% 57%

Fromthetableabove,itisreadilyapparentthatBlackandLatinostudentsarerepresented

disproportionatelyhighindevelopmentalreadingcourseswhencomparedtooverallstudentenrollments

atthecollege.AchievementofAcademicThresholdisdefinedashavingpassedEnglish101Aorits


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equivalentwithintwoyearsoftheirfirstattemptatareadingclass. Thisissignificantinthatthedifference

inthegraduationandtransferratesofstudentswhodonotsuccessfullycompletetheirdevelopmental

courseworkisover32%lowerthannoncollegereadystudentswhosuccessfullycompletetheir

developmentalcourseworkand43%lowerthancollegereadystudents. IfsuccessratesforbothLatinoand

African/AfricanAmericancollegereadyanddevelopmentalcompleterswereheldsteady,a10%decrease

indevelopmentalnoncompleterswouldresultinanoverallincreaseof5.1%ingraduationandtransfer

ratesatMontgomeryCollege. Thiswouldleaveonlya2%differencefortheoverallgoalofgraduationand

transferratesoutlinedinMontgomeryCollege2020. Alsoitwouldbeinthecollegesinterestin

conjunctionwiththeofficeofassessmenttoconductatestretestreliabilitystudyoftheACCUPLACERto

determineifthenumberofstudentswhoplaceintoRD099wouldbedeterminedtonotbeinneedofany

developmentalreading. Thisisduetothesignificantlyhighersuccessratesforstudentsassessedascollege

ready.

AmericanEnglishLanguageProgram(AveragesonEL104,FirstAttemptAppendixE)

LargenumbersofnonHispanicBlackstudentstakeEL104,thehighestlevelgatewayclassthatnonnative

EnglishspeakersmustpassbeforeenteringEN101.Amongthe3,311studentsmakingtheirfirstattemptat

EL104from20032009,1,109students(33%)wereBlack.Blackstudentssuccessrateswereatorabove

thoseofWhite,nonHispanicstudentsin3of7fallcohorts,withBlackpassratesrangingfromalowof66%

in2003toahighof89%in2006.Hispanicstudentssuccessrates,however,werelowerthanthoseof

Whitestudentsin6ofthosesame7fallcohorts,withpassratesamongthe819Hispanicstudentsranging

fromalowof69%in2009toahighof77%in2005.(Passratesamongthe438nonHispanicWhitestudents

intheseyearsrangedfromalowof75%toahighof90%.)

ItisinterestingtonotethatinEL104(asinEL101103),successrateswerelowerforstudentswhohad

completedhighschoolintheUnitedStatesthanforstudentswhoattendedforeignhighschools.Ofthe288

UShighschoolgraduatesmakingtheirfirstattemptatEL104inacademicyear20102011,71%earneda

gradeofCorbetter,versus78%ofthe782studentseducatedinforeignhighschools.InEL103,72%ofthe

208UShighschoolgradssucceeded,versus78%ofthe768foreignhighschoolcompleters. Whilethe

cohortsweresmallerinEL101and102,thepassrateswereevenlower,with50%of46UShighschool

studentspassingEL101(versus84%of285foreignstudents)and65%of156UShighschoolerspassing

EL102,versus83%ofthe595foreignhighschoolgrads.

SimilardisparitiesbetweenUS andforeigneducatedstudentswerefoundinRD101,102,and103,

althoughraciallydisaggregateddatawasnotreadilyavailableforthosecourses.

DevelopmentalMathematics(AppendixF)

AfricanAmericanandHispanicstudentsareoverrepresentedinthelowestleveldevelopmentalmathclass.

InFall2012,70%ofMA094studentswereAfricanAmerican,Hispanic,orMultiracial,althoughthese

groupscomprisedonly55%ofenrolledMCstudents.

38.8%ofMA094registrantswereAfricanAmerican,althoughAfricanAmericanswereonly30.6%ofMC

students.16.4%ofMA094studentswereHispanic,comparedwiththeir12.5%shareoftheoverallMC

population.15%ofMA094studentswereMultiracial,comparedwiththeir11.6%shareoverall.


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Ofevengreaterconcern,AfricanAmerican,Hispanic,andMultiracialstudentspassMA094atlowerrates

thanWhiteorAsianstudents.Whitefemales,aswellasAsianfemalesandmales,hadpassratesinMA094

above45%.42.9%ofWhitemalespassed.However,passratesforAfricanAmerican,Hispanic,andMulti

racialstudentswereallatorbelow42%,withonly29.7%ofAfricanAmericanmalesand29.9%ofHispanic

malespassingthecourse.Morethan1,150AfricanAmerican,Hispanic,orMultiracialstudentsfailed

MA094inthatsingleFall2012semester. Atincountyrates,thisrepresentsmorethan$500,000intuition

spentonfailinggradesforAfricanAmerican,Hispanic,andMultiracialMA094students.

InthehigherlevelmathcoursesnecessaryformostSTEMmajors,Hispanicsuccessrateswerenotably

lowerthanfornonHispanicstudents.47.1%ofHispanicstudentsearnedanA,B,orCinMA180,versus

59.6%ofnonHispanicstudents.58.3%ofHispanicstudentsearnedanA,B,orCinMA181,comparedwith

68.1%ofnonHispanicstudents.

Itmustbenotedthatthedatasetsdiscussedabovearenotuniformintimeperiodorevenindefinition.

(Forexample,BlackstudentstakingELcoursesmightbemoreaccuratelydescribedasAfricanorAfro

Caribbean,asopposedtoAfricanAmerican.)WhileOIRAhasbeenveryhelpfulinprovidingpreviously

requesteddataandrespondingtospecificnewquestions,theCollegelacksastandarddashboardofdatathatistrackeduniformlyfromyeartoyear.Thus,onerecommendationtoaccuratelymeasureprogresson

closingtheachievementgapforAfricanAmericanandLatino/astudents,MontgomeryCollege

achievementdatamustberaciallydisaggregated,regularlycollected,andwidelyshared. Delineationof

populationgroupsshouldbeclarified,withmeasuresdifferentiatingstudentswhowereeducatedintheUS

fromthosewhoreceivedthebulkoftheirpreviouseducationabroad.

Recommendations:BenchmarksandOutcomes

AllocateresourcesfordataanalysisandcoordinationofLatinoandAfrican/AfricanAmericanstudentmatriculation.

TargetinterventionwithDevelopmentalNonCompletersutilizingNoncognitivePredictorsofStudentSuccess

ConstructcoursesthatallowstudentswhohavesuccessfullycompletedRD099/103andarecurrentlyenrolledinEN002/EL103totakecreditlevelcoursesinalearningcommunity

typesetting(i.e.aPY102/AN101/SO101thatareblendedwiththeEN002/EL104course

concurrently)

AnalyzestudentsuccessratesseparatelyforAfricanAmericanandnonnativeAfricanAmericanstudents.

Similarly,analyzesuccessratesofUSeducatedLatinostudentsseparatelyfromthoseofLatinostudentseducatedabroad.

StudytheACCUPLACERtestretestreliabilityforstudentsplacingintoEN002andRD099.


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