Student Success: What Is It, and How Can We Measure It?

Kim Harrell, Folsom Lake CollegeCarolyn Holcroft, Foothill College

David Morse, ASCCC Executive Committee

Resolution 13.06 Fall 2010: Develop a Faculty Definition of

Student Success Resolved, that the ASCCC:

define student success and identify best practices and models for accomplishing student success;

include student input and perspectives in the development of student success metrics;

assert the primacy of our definition of student success to the Board of Governors; and

ensure faculty primacy in the identification, development and/or adoption of metrics used to establish and measure student success.

What does student success mean from a faculty perspective?

Student Success Task Force

Implement a student success scorecard (recommendation 7.3)

Disaggregated by racial/ethnic groupsInclude momentum points & completion of

basic skills sequenceInclude measurement of outcomes of students

taking less than 12 unitsCompare college against own performance

Framework

State of the System Scorecard data, system

metrics

Scorecard College metrics, single

demographic

Datamart 2.0 College metrics by

multiple crosstabs

Data on Demand College metrics as

unitary files

What metrics are on the Scorecard now?

Student progress & achievement rate (SPAR): rate at which degree/transfer‐seeking students earn these outcomes within six years of entering Persistence rate: rate at which students continuously

enroll for their first three terms upon entry 30-unit achievement rate: rate at which degree/transfer‐

seeking students reach the 30‐unit “momentum point”

What metrics are on the Scorecard now?

Remedial Course Progression Rate: rate at which students that start in remedial math/English/ESL complete degree‐applicable/transferrable level math/English/ESL courses

Career Technical Education (CTE) completion rate: rate at which CTE/vocational certificate seeking “concentrators” earn any award or transfer

Career development & college preparation (CDCP) completion rate: rate at which students in career development/college prep noncredit “concentrator” programs earn degrees

High Order Outcomes (SPAR, CTE, CDCP)

Outcomes (numerator) in 6 years Associates of Arts/Sciences, or Certificates (CO/12+ units), or Transfer (any 4-year), or Transfer Prepared (60 units, GPA 2.0)

What criteria would you include on the ARCC Scorecard?

How to capture students who get a job before they finish?

ARCC Advisory Workgroup recommends a “State of the

System” report High level overview intended for legislators, policy

makers Summary of State level aggregations of data and

annual performance including: Annual number of transfers to CSU, UC, ISP, OOS (6-year

trend) Annual number of awards by award type: credit awards,

AA/AS degrees, credit certificates (5-year trend) Wages for students attaining vocational awards (2-years

before and 4/5-years after) Systemwide participation rates by age group, gender &

race/ethnicity

What might you like legislators or the general public to perceive as indications

of student success?

Or… what do faculty want to see in that “State of the System” report?