D. Adopt new strategies to improve student performance, graduation rates, and employment outcomes
12) Implement comprehensive measurement and assessment systems for community colleges
As with all public institutions, the performance of public colleges must be assessed and evaluated. Building a “culture of evidence” is central to improving the community college system. Careful assessment can document successes and pinpoints failures; it also supports accountability and evidence-based decision-making. It is widely recognized that the commonly-used three-year graduation rate is not a sufficient measure of success for community colleges. While this rate is often correlated with other positive outcomes such as student retention and credit accumulation, it cannot document the success of students who enroll for specific classes, complete their degree after three years, or transfer to another institution.
All public campuses in Massachusetts are required by law to report annually on a wide variety of measures related to their success in achieving their missions, including student achievement, research and scholarship, affordability and access, and fiscal strength. However, these performance data are so varied and extensive that it can be difficult to sift through them for meaning and true understanding.
More effective assessment measures are necessary to support improvement and compare performance across institutions. An effective set performance measures will include a variety of outcome measures, including employment outcomes and overall economic impact; and it should recognize the many ways in which students use the community college system. That said, the focus of such a program should be on establishing benchmarks for comparison and assessment, so that administrators and state officials can make evidence-based decisions about programming and funding.
12.a Community colleges should identify and document mission-related outcome measures
12.b The Department of Higher Education should lead an effort to develop new performance assessment systems for community colleges
13) Increase coaching, counseling, and mentoring
Coaching, counseling, tutoring, career advice and other student support services are necessary to help college students transition their hard work and effort into professional success. Academic and personal support services can have a significant impact on improving first-year retention. Some students require more transitional assistance, including English language learners, students whose parents do not speak English, adults seeking basic education, and people transitioning from the workplace to post-secondary education. Expanded access to counselors, tutors, and other college and university support staff is necessary to ensure that students have access to the help they need to integrate into the college environment, particularly in their first year.
13.a The Department of Higher Education should commission a report on the transition from Adult Basic Education to post-secondary education
13.b The region’s academic institutions should make recommendations for creating culturally appropriate transition programs
14) Facilitate transfers across the entire public higher education system
The Commonwealth’s public higher education system should provide students an unimpeded pathway to the highest level of education that the student desires to attain. This requires a coordinated credit transfer system between community colleges, state colleges, and UMass that is clear and understandable. In some instances, this may also result in institutions coordinating their curriculum in a specific program in order to facilitate a clear pathway to a more advanced degree. Students need to know in advance whether their course credits will transfer.
The Department of Higher Education established the Commonwealth Transfer Advisory Group to evaluate the Commonwealth’s current policies and practices, diagnose barriers associated with transfer, compare and assess policies and practices enacted in other states, recommend policies and practices to remedy transfer barriers, and identify costs associated with proposed solutions.
14.a The Department of Higher Education should develop recommended policies and practices to remedy transfer barriers across the public higher education system
15) Align secondary and post-secondary curriculum
At some public colleges and universities nearly 50% of incoming freshmen must take remedial courses in reading, writing, or math before they can qualify for college credit courses. A new school-to-college study from the Department of Education and the Board of Education on the class of 2005 concludes that 37% of public high school graduates entering public higher education may not be ready for college level courses.
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is not a measurement of the academic skills and abilities that will be required of a student entering post secondary education.
Early assessment allows students to evaluate their college readiness while still in high school, allowing them to do more in high school to prepare for college-level coursework. The Accuplacer is a college placement exam that provides information about student skill levels and abilities. Currently, all first-year students at Massachusetts public colleges are required to take the Accuplacer assessment prior to enrollment. Many students are unable to meet reading and math requirements and must take developmental courses. Offering the assessment earlier—during the 11th grade—would provide students with improved knowledge of what it takes to succeed in college and enable them to make better decisions concerning how to prepare for college in their final years of high school. Some students may find out that they already qualify for college credit courses – facilitating dual enrollment, motivating college planning, and even serving as a recruitment strategy for community colleges. Dual enrollment provides students with the opportunity to take college-level courses for both high school and college credit and is offered nationally to increase college access.
15.a The Department of Higher Education should implement a pilot program to offer the Accuplacer test to high school juniors
Post new comment