Tennessee Board of Regents Developmental Studies Redesign Project ECS Annual Forum July 2007

Academic Preparation Initiatives DSP Redesign - One of Several Initiatives Emerging from Several Key Events TBR Defining Our Future (2002) TBR Vision of Excellence Activities(2004) TBR Strategic Plan Development (2005) Governor’s Challenge Related to Access and Persistence (2005) State and National Focus on Educational Continuum Between Secondary and Postsecondary Education (2005+)

Research of Tennessee Critical number of HS students that do not complete the HS degree and become disengaged from education and workforce training programs Critical number of HS students that matriculate to college but lack academic and/or fiscal resources for success and withdraw

Educational Attainment, Age Tennessee has significant postsecondary education attainment gaps compared to national figures.

Educational Attainment, Age Gap to national average = 154,869 Gap to national average = 51,737 Tennessee’s 5.1 percentage point gap in bachelor’s degree attainment translates to a need for 154,869 more graduates. Associate degrees in real numbers would equal 51,737.

Regional Disparities in Educational Attainment The National Educational Needs Index Project,

Student Pipeline Results Of th Graders... How Many? Source: NCES-Common Core Data, Graduate from High School On Time Go Directly to CollegeEnroll in Their Second Year Graduate Within 150% of Program Time TennesseeUS AverageTop State

The Critical Observation Two Critical Leaks in the Pipeline 1.Student departure from high school without a diploma 2.Critical levels of incoming college freshmen that must satisfy remedial studies prior to continuation of their chosen degree. Until Tennessee takes steps to alleviate these two critical problems, postsecondary participation rates and degree attainment among young adults will remain unchanged.

Academic Preparation Gaps

Another Measure of Academic Preparation

Strengthening Academic Preparation Effectiveness and efficiencies of current programs and services must be examined Rethinking critical linkages such as DSP cannot diminish quality of teaching, learning, and services Commitment to research-based reform and outcomes and quality assessment of Curriculum, delivery methods, assessment tools, and academic support services

FIPSE Grant Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and Education Commission of the States (ECS) –October 2006 to December 2009 DSP Redesign Task Force –Curriculum Subcommittees; Policy Subcommittees National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT) – Program Course Redesign Project and Guidance in Pilot Projects NCHEMS-Karen Paulson – Project Evaluation Other organizations and initiatives found to be closely related to the work of the DSP Redesign Task Force

Primary Objectives and Outcomes Scalable for delivery in multiple settings Increase the quality of learning and assessment Maintain commitment to access Replicable model (process and product) Sustainable program with solid fiscal outlook and enhanced public support Significant cost savings –Institutional, Departmental, Individual Student, Cost per Student Served, etc.) Streamline amount of time to completion

Need to Reduce Costs to Student and Time to Completion

WHAT DOES THE DESIGN TEMPLATE FOR THE NEW DSP PROGRAM LOOK LIKE?

Project Status Course Redesign Phase –All 19 universities and community college completed NCAT Readiness Criteria (Initial Assessment of Programs) in March 2007 –Formal proposals in final stage of development for submission on July 15, 2007 –Pilot projects put in place in fall of 2007 with first implementation in spring 2008 –Assessment through spring 2009

Project Status TBR and ECS Leadership of System-wide Task Force and Subcommittees –Collecting and monitoring data on current TN programs and similar national trends –Aligning curricular expectations from early HS to freshman core math and English –Placement and outcome assessment –Develop content expectations for flexible, modularized curriculum

Project Status Broader Public Policy Context –Communication of activities and results to national education and policy circles –Periodic surveying of member states’ policies regarding this project and comparable efforts –One stop web resource for project participants and other interested parties –Identify possible opportunities for replication or partial transfer of knowledge

For more information visit the following website for the DSP Redesign Initiative: