Community College Leadership Program Office of Community College Research and Policy Iowa Community College Completion Initiative Sponsored by Iowa Association of Community College Presidents Iowa State University Community College Leadership Program May 23, :30am – 11:00am

Special Thanks Session: Proposed Metrics Part I: The NGA Metrics Janice Nahra Friedel, Ph.D. Associate Professor Community College Leadership Program Iowa State University Part II: Generating Iowa Community College Statewide and College Data on the NGA Metrics Vladimir Bassis Educational Consultant MIS Division of Community Colleges Iowa Department of Education

Declining State Support for Higher Education The downturn of the US economy has resulted in large budget cuts to public community colleges One-Year Percent Changes in State Fiscal Support for Higher Education (FY2011 – FY2012) Illinois State University for the Study of Education Policy Grapevine Fiscal Year Data – Updated March 15, Table 2 -One-Year (FY11-FY12), Two-Year (FY10- FY12), and Five-Year (FY07-FY12) Percent Changes in State Fiscal Support for Higher Education, by State and by Source of Fiscal Support

Completion Initiative Workshop Limited resources have caused many states to seek greater accountability in exchange for funding State higher education policymakers also want to improve student educational outcomes The White House wants to produce a workforce that will be able to compete globally

President Obama’s 2020 Goal Goal 10 million more graduates from community colleges, four-year colleges and universities by 2020 (beyond 2+ million expected due to growth) Goal Every American completes one year or more of higher education or advanced training in his/her lifetime Result “Best educated, most competitive workforce in the world”

Higher Education is Imperative Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce Help Wanted (2010), p. 14

Completion Initiative Workshop Performance funding (PF) is gaining traction as an effective model for prodding institutions to be more effective and efficient Performance funding is a method of funding public institutions based on outcomes such as retention, job placement, and degree/certificate completion Completion has emerged as the primary performance indicator among many 2-year colleges

Completion Initiative Workshop President Obama has focused his attention on the "college completion" agenda College Scorecard

College Scorecard

The US has Fallen Behind Globally Percentage of Adults Age with Postsecondary Education (Associate Degree or Higher in US per 2008 Population Survey, US Census Bureau) OECD Education at a Glance 2011 Indicator A1: To what level have adults studied? Table A1.3a Population with tertiary education (2009)

Completion Initiative Workshop By 2018 there will be a shortage of 3 million workers who have associate degrees or higher This shortfall will mean lost economic opportunity for millions of American workers

Completion Initiative Workshop By 2018 there will be a shortage of 3 million workers who have associate degrees or higher This shortfall will mean lost economic opportunity for millions of American workers

Completion Initiative Workshop College completion is essential to the nation’s ability to compete in the new millennium

The Completion Arch

Completion Initiative Workshop NGA (2010). Complete to Compete, Common College Completion Metrics. Washington, D.C.: NGA Center for Best Practices. The National Governors Association (NGA) launched an initiative to help all states improve performance

Outcome Metrics The outcome metrics quantify the end-product of the educational process, informing policymakers and the public on how students, institutions, and the state are performing on the goal of increased postsecondary attainment.

NGA College Completion Metrics NGA (2010). Complete to Compete, Common College Completion Metrics. Washington, D.C.: NGA Center for Best Practices.

Progress Metrics Progress metrics measure student movement from semester-to-semester and year-to-year toward the completion of an academic program. Such measures help policymakers identify specific challenges and opportunities for improvement in higher education. The measures also enable institutions to target intervention and support services to increase the likelihood of completion.

NGA College Completion Metrics NGA (2010). Complete to Compete, Common College Completion Metrics. Washington, D.C.: NGA Center for Best Practices.

Context Metrics to Consider NGA proposes additional context measures to help states analyze and apply the outcome and progress metrics, providing governors and other state leaders with more information on which to base policy decisions.

Context Metrics to Consider Enrollment Completion ratio Market penetration

Recommendations 1.Formation of a state-wide data metrics team to work with the DE and ISU in refining the definitions, methodologies, and reporting of outcomes. 2.Regular monitoring of performance on the metrics. 3.Development of strategies to improve performance on the metrics. 4.Sharing of initiatives that result in improved performance on the metrics. 5.Develop a communications plan to disseminate positive outcomes.

Sources Bess, James L., & Dee, Jay R. “Organizational Learning.” In Bess & Dee, Understanding College and University Organization (Stylus, 2008), vol. 2, chap. 6. CollegeBoard. The completion arch: Measuring community college student success. (n.d.). Retrieved from Carnevale, A. P., Smith, N., & Strohl, J. Georgetown University, Center on Education and the Workforce. (2010). Help wanted: Projections of jobs and education requirements through Retrieved from website: Dougherty, Kevin J. & Esther Hong “Performance Accountability as Imperfect Panacea: The Community College Experience.” In Thomas Bailey and Vanessa Smith Morest (eds.), Defending the Community College Equity Agenda (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press), pp Dougherty, Kevin J. & Rebecca S. Natow The Demise of Higher Education Performance Funding Systems in Three States. Working Paper #17. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.

Sources Dougherty, Kevin J., Rebecca S. Natow, & Blanca E. Vega Popular but Unstable: Explaining why state performance funding systems in the United States often do not persist. Teachers College Record 114 (3) (2012). Dougherty, Kevin J., Rebecca S. Natow, Rachel Hare Bork, Sosanya M. Jones, & Blanca E. Vega The Politics of Performance Funding in Eight States: Origins, Demise, and Change. Final Report to Lumina Foundation. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Grapevine. Summary Tables, Fiscal Year (FY) (n.d.). Retrieved from Jenkins, Davis, Todd Ellwein, & Katherine Boswell Formative Evaluation of the Student Achievement Initiative “Learning Year.” New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Kanter, Martha. (2012). An America Built to Last. (powerpoint)

Sources NGA (2010). Complete to Compete, Common College Completion Metrics. Washington, D.C.: NGA Center for Best Practices OECD (2011), Education at a Glance 2011: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing. Reyna, Regina NGA Center for Best Practices Education Division. Shulock, Nancy & Davis Jenkins Performance Incentives to Improve Community College Completion: Learning from Washington State's Student Achievement Initiative. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University. Snyder, Martha J Role of Performance Funding in Higher Education’s Reform Agenda: A Glance at Some State Trends. Washington, DC: HCM Strategists.

Special Thanks Session: Proposed Metrics Part II: Generating Iowa Community College Statewide and College Data on the NGA Metrics Vladimir Bassis Educational Consultant MIS Division of Community Colleges Iowa Department of Education