Improving Developmental Studies Completion Rates at SKC -- a Story"

Begin with the End in Mind

Our mission is to help SKC students achieve academic

success, progress toward the attainment of their career goals, and master some of the critical skills needed to be successful in

school, work, and life. By employing a comprehensive,

holistic, research-based approach, we help students improve their core academic skills, persist in

their course of study, and achieve degrees & credentials.

The SKC Department of !Academic Success Mission Statement!

We serve both pre-college and college students, most often seeking one or more of the following goals:!

Passing a high school equivalency exam"

Improving skills to gain employment, retain a job, or secure career advancement"Achieving college readiness"

Entering postsecondary education or training "

Maintaining or re-gaining academic good standing"Persisting and completing"

college degree and/or certificate programs"

Reaching other personal growth & development goals

Some Key SuccessesIncreased DVSP completion rates by as much as 50%"

Return students who are on academic and/or financial aid suspension to good standing at a rate of over 70%"

On pace to increase all core outcomes achieved last year for the Adult Basic Education (Springboard) student population"

Efforts have received national attention

Always Remember What Inspired the Story (Where it Came from)

and Why it is Being Told

60% of students at SKC failed to complete DVSP courses."

Of those who did, 90% of them didn’t succeed in college gateway courses (English Comp. & College Algebra) on their first attempt."

Between 70-80% percent of all new SKC students each year required DVSP in at least one subject.

In the winter of 2009, our director of institutional effectiveness conducted a review of key institutional data and discovered the following multi-year trends:

Early in 2010, a DVSP focus group was assembled to trouble-shoot these issues.

Who are the Main Characters

and What are they Like?

0

16

32

48

64

80

One Subject Two Subjects Three Subjects

30

47

77

Percent of Entering SKC Students Needing DVSP

DVSP Need:

SKC DVSP Student Facts

0

14

28

42

56

70

Reading Math Language

64

53

41

Percent of Entering SKC Students Needing Each Subject

DVSP Need by Subject:

SKC DVSP Student Facts

SKC DVSP Student Facts

14%

26%60%

High School Diplomas GED’s Neither

Academic History of DVSP Students:

SKC DVSP Student Facts

1%4%

19%

76%

Native American White HispanicOther

Ethnicity of DVSP Students:

SKC DVSP Student Facts

62%

38%

Non-Traditional Students Traditional Students

Age of DVSP Students: !

Who are the Other Important Characters?

Other Important Characters

DVSP Faculty"

Academic Advisors"

Department of Academic Success Staff"

Other Faculty & Academic Department Heads"

Student Support Service Staff"

Developmental Studies Task Force & Workgroups

Institutional Research & Senior Administration"

Board of Directors"

Project Consultants"

IHEP"

WalMart and Lumina Foundations"

Others on a Similar Journey"

Policy Makers & Legislators

Contact Information

Leticia Tomas Bustillos, Ph.D.!leticia.t.bustillos@gmail.com!

310.488.5306!!

Stacey Sherwin, Ph.D.!stacey_sherwin@skc.edu!

406.275.4931!!

Steve McCoy!steve_mccoy@skc.edu!

406.275.4790!

Is there a Backstory Relevant to the Current Plot?

A Brief History of The Department of Academic Success:

ABE one of the “start-up” programs leading to the creation of SKC."

Existed in many forms, under several names, at numerous locations, and has been funded by a variety of sources."

Critical “feeder program” for SKC."

Has helped thousands get GEDs, jobs, and/or start college."

Vital educational & assessment center for community partners.

A Brief History of SKC DVSP:

Courses often taught by “adjunct” faculty"

No clear or centralized point of coordination or authority"

Classes often focused entirely on academic issues"

Students needing two or more DVSP courses often made little or no progress toward their degree in the first year and frequently reported disconnection with the faculty in their major field of study"

DVSP Students were Often Misplaced or Misadvised

What are the Major Conflicts or Problems Faced in The

Story

Major Problems

Poor completion rates and their ramifications on students and the institution"

Systemic issues and barriers"

Institution-wide lack of understanding of the depth of the issues"

Unwillingness to take ownership of the solutions"

Limited resources to dedicate to fixes

What is the Sequence of Key Events that

Make Up the Story?

TimelineWinter, 2008 -- Data Review"

Winter, 2009 -- Focus Group Formed & Logic Model Developed"

Spring, 2009 -- WalMart Grant Secured"

Spring, 2009 -- Department of Academic Success Formed"

Summer, 2009 -- SKC Team Attends first IHEP Summer Institute & Develops Action Plan"

Fall, 2009 -- Lumina Action Research Grant Secured"

Fall, 2009 -- DVSP Task Force & Workgroups Formed

TimelineFall, 2009 -- DAS Staff Begin “Triage” Advising"

Winter, 2009 -- Lumina Research Begins"

Spring, 2010 -- DVSP Course Offerings Revised, Aligned, and Expanded"

Spring, 2010 -- DVSP Issues Featured at Faculty In-service"

Spring, 2010 -- Assessment Changes Trialed "

Summer, 2010 -- A Wide Range of Systemic Changes on Placement and Advising are Planned and Approved"

Fall, 2010 -- DAS Staff Orient Returning Faculty and Changes are Implemented

TimelineFall, 2010 -- Lumina Trend Data Begins to Shape Next Wave of Action"

Winter, 2010 -- Breaking Through Grant Secured"

Spring, 2011 -- “Major Overview” Courses Piloted"

Spring, 2011 -- ACSC Courses Developed and Approved for Piloting"

Spring, 2011 -- Academic Improvement Curriculum Approved"

Spring, 2011 -- Summer Bridge Program Planned"

Spring, 2011 -- DVSP Expert Featured at Faculty In-service & Project Begins to Impact Instruction in Many First-year Courses "

TimelineSummer, 2011 -- Bridge Program Piloted "

Fall, 2011 -- Academic Improvement Curriculum Piloted"

Spring, 2012 -- Hosted TCU DVSP Symposium"

Spring, 2012 -- Lumina Consultant Speaks at Faculty In-service"

Summer, 2012 -- DAS Staff Retreat to Revision ABE & Springboard Education is Born"

Summer, 2012 -- 5 Stars Identified"

Summer, 2012 -- Program Model Changes from “Umbrella” to “Tree”

Academic Success"

Career Skills/Exploration/Planning"

Technological Proficiency"

Personal Growth"

Financial Literacy

!

The 5 Stars

TimelineSummer, 2012 -- Second Offering of Bridge Program "

Fall, 2012 -- Final Quarter of Lumina Data Collected"

Winter, 2013 -- Lumina Data Analysis Begins"

Winter, 2013 -- Achieve the Dream Application Successful"

Spring, 2013 -- ATD Kickoff

What Were the Twists, Surprises, or Unexpected

Developments

Plot Twists

Some big changes were easy, and some small ones were hard. "

The extent to which “non-cognitive” factors play a role in DVSP success was significantly underestimated on our campus."

Too Much vs. Too Little Self-efficacy. "

It turns out we weren’t always in undiscovered country.

Unique Aspects of Our Project

The complete integration of Springboard (ABE) and Developmental Studies "

The finding of high rates of Visual Stress Syndrome among the DVSP population"

The application of the narrative approach

What are the Themes, Lessons, or Morals of the Story, and Who Would

Benefit From Hearing It?

Lessons & MoralsWith the proper structure and campus community buy-in, significant system changes can be accomplished in a relatively short amount of time. "

You eat an elephant one bite at a time."

What often manifests as an academic issue is usually the result of--or is compounded by--a combination of other “non-cognitive” or systemic issues. "

DVSP instructors, and other first-year faculty, need to embed “non-cognitive” skill building into academic content.

Who Can Benefit from Hearing the Story?

Other TCU’s and MSI’s"

Other institutions serving DVSP, Native American, or other minority student populations"

Campus leaders and decision makers "

Policy makers

Contact Information

Leticia Tomas Bustillos, Ph.D.!leticia.t.bustillos@gmail.com!

310.488.5306!!

Stacey Sherwin, Ph.D.!stacey_sherwin@skc.edu!

406.275.4931!!

Steve McCoy!steve_mccoy@skc.edu!

406.275.4790!