How To Measure & Monitor Student Success Using Quantitative & Qualitative Data

1. How To Measure & Monitor Student Success Using Quantitative & Qualitative Data Luzelma G. Canales Executive Director, RGV FOCUS (Collective Impact Initiative) Communities Foundation of Texas/Educate Texas

2. Presenter Background • Over 26 years in Higher Education • 10 Years at University • 15 Year at South Texas College (STC) • 2 Years at Lone Star College System (LSCS) • STC Achieving the Dream Lead since 2004 • STC Completion by Design Lead • Talent Dividend Liaison for South Texas Region • Achieving the Dream Data Coach Since 2009 • Student Success by the Numbers Consultant Since 2011 • RGV FOCUS Since August 2013

3. What do we know about student success?

4. Remediation: Too many students need it, and too few succeed when they get it. 75% 25% Source: Complete College America

5. Remedial students are much less likely to graduate. Source: Complete College America

6. Students are wasting time on excess credits … 75% 25% Source: Complete College America

7. … and taking too much time to earn a degree. Source: Complete College America

8. Nontraditional students are the new majority. 25% 75% 75% of students are college commuters, often juggling families, jobs, and school. 25% of students attend full time at residential colleges. Source: Complete College America

9. Of Every 100 Kindergartners… Source: US Department of Commerce

10. College Graduates by Age 24 75% From High Income Families 9% From Low Income Families Source: Postsecondary Educational Opportunity

11. What is a culture of evidence? • Collecting and analyzing data to improve student outcomes • Institutional level • Program level • Faculty/staff level • Strong evaluation component

12. “Establishing a culture of evidence recasts the role of institutional research as providing data for internal functioning and satisfying external mandates.” (Morest, 2009)

13. A data-driven decision-making process is most effective when administrators, faculty and staff across the institution examine evidence and engage in frank discussions about outcomes for different student populations. (Brock and others, 2007)

14. Achieving the Dream: Five Step Process for Increasing Student Success through Institutional Improvement

15. Five-Step Process • Commit • Use data to prioritize actions • Engage Stakeholders • Implement, evaluate, improve • Establish a culture of continuous improvement Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

16. Step 1: Commit The college’s senior leadership, with support from the board of trustees and faculty leaders, commits to making changes in policy and resource allocation necessary to improve student outcomes, communicates the vision widely within the institution. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

17. Step 2: Use Data to Prioritize Actions The college uses longitudinal student cohort data and other evidence to identify gaps in student achievement. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

18. Step 3: Engage Stakeholders The college engages faculty, staff, and other internal and external stakeholders in developing strategies to improve student outcomes. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

19. Step 4: Implement, Evaluate, Improve The college implements the strategies for increasing student success, making sure to evaluate the outcomes and using the results to make further improvement. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

20. Step 5: Establish a Culture of Continuous Improvement The college takes steps to institutionalize process for improving the impact of programs and services on student outcomes including resource allocation/reallocation. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

21. Source: Achieving the Dream Field Guide, 2009

22. The story of one community’s journey… … building on Latino families belief in education as path to success.

23. The Student Success Journey 1993 • Access • Equity • Opportunity • Success • Completion 2004 2006

24. Much Effort… Little Impact • Many initiatives did not produce the results and gains anticipated • Institutional performance benchmarks were flat • Local public image of academic quality was disappointing • Lack of responsibility and accountability for student success

25. Developmental Studies... The “best practices” had disappointing results “Tough love” was equally disappointing

26. Each fall thousands of students were not returning to college... when they should have been...

27. South Texas College, one of 27 community colleges selected nationally in Round One to build a culture of evidence to improve student success (2004)

28. Leading Change ... • Presidential Leadership & Commitment • Build Culture of Evidence • Listen to the “Voices” • Identify Barriers to Student Success • Broad-Based Engagement

29. Institutional Priorities

30. Data Driven … Student Focused

31. Asset Models Vs Deficit Models X

32. The Role of Quantitative Data: Identifying Gaps in Student Success The Role of Qualitative Data: Understanding the Underlying Factors of Gaps in Student Success

33. A Theory and a Method of Conducting Focus GroupsUnderstanding Knowledge, Actions, Attitudes in Overcoming Barriers to Student Success Adapted from Developing local Models of minority student success. Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Trevino (1997).

34. Three Assumptions of Framework:1) Campus is a Black Box2) Barriers are contextually dependent 3) Students viewed as experts Developing Local Models of Minority Student Success Degree, Certificate Completion, Transfer Students No Degree Adapted from Developing local Models of minority student success. Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Trevino (1997).

35. The Role of Knowledge Source: Student Success Model as adapted from Padilla, Gonzalez, & Treviño, 1996

36. First Year in CollegeWhat barriers do students experience during their first year in college? What knowledge, actions, and attitudes do successful students employ to successfully persist? Applying the Framework to Different Contexts Successful Persistence Students Drop-out/ Stop-out Adapted from Developing local Models of minority student success. Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Trevino (1997).

37. A CourseWhat barriers do students experience as they attempt to complete a specific course? What knowledge, actions, and attitudes do successful students employ to successfully complete the course? Applying the Framework to Different Contexts Successful Course Completion Students Non-completer Unsuccessful Completer Adapted from Developing local Models of minority student success. Padilla, Trevino, Gonzalez, and Trevino (1997).

39. Fall 2005 Barrier Study • 25 focus groups • 387 student essays • Spring 2007 Follow-up Barrier Study • 22 focus groups

41. Student Voices… • “I can afford to start but not to finish. Problems happen later in the semester.” • “Financial aid is not enough for my family, and I get pressured to work.” • “Work piles up too quickly! I can't find time to do homework or study. Tests and papers are always due together…for all my classes.” • “I don’t know what to expect, like what to do to get into college, and how the college works.”

42. Faculty & Staff Voices … 22 representative groups of faculty, staff, and students met with two consultants

43. Over 170 community members participate in Community Conversations Community Voices …

44. Communication/Information Engage parents/families early in the process Communicate process of enrolling in college and expectations Partnerships Create more partnerships with businesses Join efforts with K-12 and existing organizations Community Conversations … • Access to Existing Programs • Create programs like Gear Up for all students • Offer dual enrollment to all students • Schedule college tours for all students (elementary, middle, high school)

45. Inventory of Policies/Practices

46. Education & Business Voices… Summit on College Readiness • 2006 - Closing the Gaps on College Readiness • 2007 –Closing the Gap on College and Career Readiness • 2008 –The Journey to College Success • 2009 – Accelerating Student Success • 2010 – Success by Design • 2011 – The Power of One

47. Have we, as an institution, properly balanced our commitments to open access and student success?

48. Are the barriers different for successful students as compared to unsuccessful students?

49. Data Suggests … … successful students navigate barriers … unsuccessful students do not

50. Rethinking Late Registration • Define Late Registrants • Register on or after the 1st Class Day of a term • Fall 2004 – 800 students • 4.5% of Total Enrollment • 674 (84%) Paid & remained enrolled • 126 (16%) Dropped for non-payment • Student body drops is less than 4% each semester