Academic Results in Major’s Biology and other Science courses at Tarrant County College District (TCCD) Dr. Marius Pfeiffer Dr. Marius Pfeiffer Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth, Texas

 Attrition rates hover around 50% for Biology 1 Biology 1 Anatomy and Physiology 1 Anatomy and Physiology 1 Similar results for first semester courses in Physics, Chemistry and College Algebra.Similar results for first semester courses in Physics, Chemistry and College Algebra. Pass rates as low as 30% Pass rates as low as 30%  These are typically courses rich in students new to college (FTIC)

Why such poor results?  Institutional enrollment standards  Course standards  Teaching standards  Student preparedness  Student apathy

 Open enrollment community college.  As a college with two year programs feeding into applied programs such as nursing, radiology and physical therapy- Prerequisites for Bio 1 and A&P1 are not permitted. Prerequisites for Bio 1 and A&P1 are not permitted.

How College Ready are Students Who Take a “Core Curriculum”?* ACT defines the “Recommended Core Curriculum” as follows: ACT defines the “Recommended Core Curriculum” as follows: – At least 4 years of English – At least 3 years of mathematics – At least 3 years of social studies – At least 3 years of natural sciences This is a reasonably high standard, consistent with what is required for admission to many US universities This is a reasonably high standard, consistent with what is required for admission to many US universities *Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum

How College Ready are Students Who Take a “Core Curriculum”?* Of students taking the Recommended Core Curriculum, three out of four are not prepared to succeed in entry-level college courses, based on the ACT national college readiness indicators Of students taking the Recommended Core Curriculum, three out of four are not prepared to succeed in entry-level college courses, based on the ACT national college readiness indicators About 1 in 5 needs substantial help in all four subject areas to be college ready About 1 in 5 needs substantial help in all four subject areas to be college ready *Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum, ACT

How Many Students Who Are Admitted Still Need Remediation? While remedial rates are subject to debate, it appears that over 1/4 of incoming students at four-year colleges must take one or more remedial course While remedial rates are subject to debate, it appears that over 1/4 of incoming students at four-year colleges must take one or more remedial course At some community colleges, the figure reaches 60% At some community colleges, the figure reaches 60% Overall, federal statistics suggest that 40% of college students take at least one remedial course Overall, federal statistics suggest that 40% of college students take at least one remedial course

How College Ready are Students Who Take a “Core Curriculum”?* Of students who take Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry in high school, 25% end up taking remedial math in college Of students who take Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry in high school, 25% end up taking remedial math in college Of students who take a math course beyond these three, 17% still need remediation Of students who take a math course beyond these three, 17% still need remediation *Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum, ACT

College Readiness is Declining  About three-quarters of the 17,500 freshmen at the community colleges this year have needed remedial instruction in reading, writing or math, and nearly a quarter of the freshmen have required such instruction in all three subjects. In the past five years, a subset of students deemed “triple low remedial”, with the most severe deficits in all three subjects, has doubled. From the New York Times, March 4, 2011, Reporting on results from the CUNY system. From the New York Times, March 4, 2011, Reporting on results from the CUNY system.

TCCD New Enrollments versus Remediation Rates Year2003Percent2007Percent First time students % % College ready109319%260735% Deficient in one or more subjects %481865% Deficient in all %81511%

Remedial Course Placement Math

Accuplacer Math Scores as an Indicator of Academic Success for Majors Biology I 12 *dash-line represents cut-off score for remediation

Accuplacer Math Scores as an Indicator of Academic Success for Anatomy and Physiology I 13 *dash-line represents cut-off score for remediation

Correlation of Accuplacer Scores 14 Pearson Correlation (p-value) (p-value) Accuplacer English Accuplacer Reading Accuplacer Math Accuplacer English (p<0.001) (p<0.001) Accuplacer Reading (p<0.001) (p<0.001) Accuplacer Math (p<0.001) (p<0.001) Accuplacer testing scores are significantly correlated with each other and as indicated previously, are excellent predictors of academic success in the science courses.

 Two year push to require College Level Math placement prior to Enrollment in Science courses. Still waiting for authorization Still waiting for authorization

TCCD Has Joined the Achieving the Achieving the Dream Initiative  The initiative’s central focus is to help community colleges use what they learn from data on student outcomes to develop new programs and policies — and to generate long-term institutional change.

Remediation  Instituted a new program requiring remedial students to enroll in and pass a Student Success 8 week course. Developmental (no credit) Developmental (no credit) Enrollment block if not passed (2 nd semester) Enrollment block if not passed (2 nd semester)

Funding in the Future  Tied to outcomes Number of students passing a course? Number of students passing a course? Instructor evaluation based on course outcomes? Instructor evaluation based on course outcomes?

 The college is squeezed in the middle.  Is the problem at the college level? Secondary education? Secondary education? Societal? Societal? A work in progress. A work in progress.