Math Performance Success Program – 10 years of success! Barbara Illowsky Herminio Hernando De Anza College 1

Outcomes for Today’s Webinar Participants will learn how to: Develop and implement a model that works on their campuses Calculate the costs of running such a program Market the course to their stakeholders, including the high risk students Navigate the internal political processes of piloting a program Assess and evaluate the program on their campuses 2

Background: challenges Low developmental education mathematics single course success rate (pre-alg., elem. alg., interm. alg.) Low progression rate through developmental ed courses to reach transfer course Students starting in devel. ed. mathematics courses not reaching their educational goals 3

Solution Develop a program that incorporates intensive student services Same course content at same level as other sections Same faculty teach both MPS and non- MPS sections Throughout: evaluate faculty success in MPS versus faculty success in “status quo” Must be sustainable, scalable and adaptable 4

History 1999 – pilot for African-American males 2000 – opened to all students with 2+ failures in starting course 2002 – CA Community Colleges Exemplary Program Award 2006 – added pre-algebra starting course 5

History (cont.) 2008 – added non-fall starting cohorts 2008 – Hewlett Foundation Student Success Award (statewide) 2009 – part-time faculty offered sections 2009 – MPS listed as a BSI model program 6

Program Structure Double class time High risk students Counseling Student tutors Active learning Student cohorts Team approach 7

Program Structure Demonstrated history – lack of success in mathematics Low self-confidence Majority of students from special programs (EOPS, DSS, Puente, Umoja, …) High percent of diagnosed & undiagnosed learning disabilities Over representation from under represented groups Referrals from instructors, counselors, … High risk students 8

Program Structure Application Program Orientation Contract Explicit student expectations In-class Pull-outs Academic & personal Frequent contacts Student success workshops Noncompliance  termination Counseling

Program Structure In-class: daily Tutorial Center: ≈ 50 hours/week Individual attention Study groups Consistent Mandatory attendance when grades < 70% at any point in term Many former tutors are former MPS student Student tutors 10

Program Structure Mini-lectures followed by group work Time for practice Time for students to help each other Small group discussion Collaborative learning Time for instructors to review work for every student, every day Active learning 11

Program Structure 2 course sequences Elem. Alg.  Interm. Alg.  Statistics (transfer) Pre-Alg.  Elem. Alg.  Interm. Alg.  Statistics (transfer) Start each quarter Bonding & sense of common purpose Instructor follows cohorts Relationships lead to motivation to succeed Cohorts 12

Program Structure 2 hours per day Double load for instructor Same number of units for students Double WSCH (CA funding) Required student attendance Double time 13

Program Structure Faculty: instructors & counselors Faculty: weekly meetings Plan activities Discuss common problems Give & get advice Support group Common exams & assessments Speakers Team approach 14

15 MPS video MPS-Videos.html (all part of URL with no spaces or returns)

16 Quote - counselor “Students in MPS develop a higher level of self-confidence once they are successful in math. This increase in self-confidence carries over to other classes they are taking. In short, MPS students' success in math helps them to develop the skills, attitudes and self-confidence necessary to be successful in their other classes.” Herminio Hernando, Counselor for MPS

17 Student testimonial School wise MPS is the best thing that has happened in my life. Math is a difficult subject, but thanks to the professor, tutors, and counselors, I am completing my math requirements for my major. The teachers and tutors really make math a lot less complicated and make it somewhat fun. I strongly recommend the program to students that don’t have a strong background in math. Saul Gembe

18 Student testimonial When I first started out, I had no idea how intense the class was going to be. The labs, Homework, projects, exams, quizzes, etc…were overwhelming to me, but, as the weeks went by I understood why all this was necessary. I began to understand why and how things in the program worked. I was no longer overwhelmed and felt confident again that I am smart enough for math. Emily Ikuta

19 Student testimonial The MPS Program has definitely helped me understand Math. In the past, it was very difficult to grasp different concepts. Now, I find myself at times helping other people with it. Godfrey Ramos

Research questions Given that the same content and material must be mastered: 1.How do the grades of students in the MPS program compare with the grades for students not in the program for the same course and term? 2.Do MPS students persist through to higher level math courses at a higher rate than students not in the program? 20

Cumulative data: 2001 – MPSnon-MPS Total Perc. Total Perc. HC Pass HC Pass Pre-Algebra % % F: Elem. Algebra % % F: 01-09, W: Inter. Algebra % % W: 02-10, S: Statistics % % S: 02-09, F: 08

Cumulative “Pass”: 2001 –

Individual “Star” Faculty 23

Growing Pains Instructors Training Counselors Facilities Politics 24

Growing Pains Must commit to a cohort for year Emotionally exhausting 15 different full & part-time faculty to date Can’t do the “same ol’ thing” Instructors 25

Growing Pains Weekly – faculty & tutors Common available times Extensive for part-timer faculty Recruiting tutors Training

Growing Pains Need additional Dilution of services Fall 2010 – 750+ applications for 220 spots Counselors 27

Growing Pains Rooms needed for double time Each additional MPS section means another regular section NOT offered Shortage of classrooms on campus Evening sections means 4 nights/week Facilities 28

Growing Pains Conflicting philosophies among administrators Battle of turf – “mis”distribution of resources Need to admit that in expansion, lower success rates are inevitable Politics

Math Performance Success Program: Too Costly or Really Profitable? 30

31 Program costs: initial investment Double faculty time (double the load) –But double the contact hours generated for state aid Dedicated counselor time (estimated at $100,000 per year) Peer tutoring dollars ($15,000 per year)

Traditional Economic Reality Colleges, especially community colleges, are set up to think in terms of fiscal periods (usually fiscal years) Simplistically, this year’s salaries, fixed costs, & variable costs seemingly need to be offset by this year’s revenues from FTES apportionment 32

Return on Investment Model Developed by Dr. Robert Johnstone, RP Group, as a part of the California Community Colleges Basic Skills Initiative

A Different (?) Way of Thinking We could think about deviating from our “traditional” model toward a return-on- investment (ROI) approach Under this approach, we use our “traditional” model as the baseline for costs and revenue 34

Incremental Revenue Successful alternate programs have the following outcomes: –Increased course retention –Increased course success rates –Increased persistence –Increased progression to college-level work –Increase in overall units attempted / earned 35

How do we calculate ROI? FTES (full-time equivalent student) In California, community colleges generate ≈$4,500 per FTES in apportionment Note: Model applies in states where state apportionment is combined with tuition, etc. The incremental FTES generated in successful alternative programs can, in many cases, offset the incremental costs 36

Caveats … This approach runs into an issue if a system caps college enrollments and the college is at or near its enrollment cap Bumping up against the cap number as a result of newly successful basic skills students would be a good problem to have 37

Other disciplines English, reading, ESL Extra in-class time: peer editing, small group conversations, public speeches, research in libraries Other components remain the same 38

Planning for scalability, including navigating the politics 39 ☺ EDUCATE, EDUCATE, EDUCATE!!! Student BodyGrant funders CounselorsAdministration ☺ Data – Institutional Researcher is BFF ☺ ROI – dispute Perceived Cost of scaling and show financial incentive ☺ Moral, ethical and societal reasons ☺ Concrete plan

Assessment 40 Extremely complicated Compare faculty against themselves Goals:  large n  variety of faculty  variety of times of day  over several years

Assessment (cont.) 41 Assistance of Instructional Researcher Acknowledge non-randomness  student self-selection  lower success rates than comparison group (previous failures) Try not to be defensive!

Resources Free downloads at: Literature Review: Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges (pdf) Cost-Revenue Tool (Excel) You can do it! 42