Frosh Cohort Proposal

1. Frosh Cohort Proposal January 2013

2. The issue: WCC has a graduation problem • Only 10% of students graduate within 3 years, with a certificate or 2 year degree • Almost half our students have disappeared without gaining any credential (47%). This is the most frequent (modal) outcome).

3. *The graduation rate doesn’t improve much… even 5 years out, we are at under 12% Percentage of students achieving a CA, CC, or AA at WCC So, those still enrolled at 3 year point are very unlikely to graduate.

4. Transfer (25%) isn’t a totally successful outcome either… • The only benchmark that we fall short of on our Strategic Plan… • Only 74% of transfers in 2008-2009* were successful (>2.0 GPA) after their first year.. • Our Strategic Plan calls for 90%. • This has been steadily declining (was 90% in 2005-2006) • We do not have data on graduation for transfers. UHM’s overall graduation rate is 52%. *latest year official data is available

5. for First Time Students at WCC: • ~30% disappear by the second semester • ~50% are no longer there one year later • Only 6% have a degree or BOR authorized certificate after three years. • These figures are REGARDLESS of placement or past academic history. • 94% of first-time freshman don’t have a degree in 3 years.

6. So our challenge as faculty is to: • Get more students to graduation. • Get them there in a more timely manner • Or who cares? • 1 in 10 is just fine. 9 out of 10 students on the Windward side really didn’t want or weren’t capable enough.

7. Underlying causes: • Lack of clear pathways for students: “Most community colleges offer an impressive array of academic programs, but many do not clearly map out their offerings in a way that makes it clear to students … how [they] can successfully navigate program requirements to complete as quickly as possible” (Bailey, Jaggars, & Jenkins, 2011). • Lack of preparation • At WCC, of first time students, only 10% place into transfer level Math. 36% place into transfer level Writing. • Lack of social support mechanisms “…Most continuing students indicate that, at some point, they considered dropping out and their reasons for staying in school are revealing: They almost always include the name of a particular person—an instructor, a staff member, another student—who gave the encouragement, guidance or support they needed to keep going. Personal connections are … a critical variable that improves the odds of persistence” (CCSSE, 2010).

8. Cohorts address all these issues & have a history of success at WCC: • In 2011, Frosh Cohort students, compared to all other freshman, were: • More likely to complete the semester successfully (67-74%vs. 56%) • More likely to re-enroll Spring semester (80-87% vs 76%) • More likely to be enrolled the next Fall (60-70% vs 54%) • Had better average GPA’s (2.31-2.78 vs. 2.15)

9. Therefore, as recommended by our Achieving the Dream Data Coaches, we propose that: • We create cohorts for all incoming first-time freshman who enroll full time. • Cohorts consist of a thematic class (e.g. Psychology, Biology, Hawaiian Studies etc.), IS 103 Introduction to college, and the appropriate Math and the English into which the student placed. • Students will be encouraged to take an additional elective course (15 to finish).

10. Students impacted: Students NOT impacted: • First time Freshman (no previous credits anywhere) • Full time enrolled (not part-time students) • In the past 5 years this has been 200-250 students/year total This means that: • Returning students and transfer students will not be impacted. • Most Veterans will also not be impacted(ACE credits) • Part-time students (most non-trads) will not be impacted • Altogether about 2500 students are not impacted

11. Exceptions: • First time freshman students who want to be enrolled full-time but exempted from the cohorts will be allowed to opt out during registration if they place into Transfer level Math and English. This is due to the fact that about 70% of those who place in transfer (college) level Math and English have succeeded in their first semester historically at WCC. (Note that 30% are not successful. Thus, cohorts are recommended even for these students.)   • Exceptions for students who placed in remedial or developmental, do not want to participate in cohorts, and want to enroll full-time will be considered on a case by case basis by the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs.

12. Impact on Schedule & Enrollment • Number of Additional Classes: 2 • Classes for cohorts are those which would have been scheduled anyway, but are now cohort designated • 2 additional sections of IS103 will be needed • Number of Additional Cohorts: 4 • Impact on enrollment in other courses: Minimal to none • Only 2 additional classes added to schedule (~50 seats out of ~8000 at WCC) • Increased credits/student expected “15 to finish” • Additional Funding Needed: Little to none • Not all cohorts are LC, only LC’s entail additional funding

13. Sustainability: Easy - few additional resources are needed to implement best practice for ALL our incoming full-time, first-time freshmen. Why make this opt-out rather than opt-in? • Best practice – mandatory frosh cohorts are national best practice (50% of CUNY ASAP students graduate vs. 20% of similar students vs. 25% of fully skills proficient students) • Recommended by AtD Data Team • ‘Cohort’ and the benefits of cohorts are not intuitive. • Difficult to persuade students of benefits in 2 minutes. • Incentivizing is not sustainable or appropriate. Don’t give candy for brushing teeth. The incentive is that we get to do the right thing for students.