Achieving The Dream: Use of Data Kathryn Baker Smith, Guilford Tech Bill Thompson, Wayne Community College LaSylvia Pugh, Durham Tech Mary Cauley, Martin Community College

Achieving The Dream: Community Colleges Count Access and Success for Underserved Populations $400,000 Over Four Years 27 Colleges in first Round – 4 in North Carolina

Achieving The Dream: National Goals More students will: Complete developmental courses & progress to credit-bearing courses Successfully complete gateway courses Re-enroll from one semester to the next Earn certificates and degrees

Achieving The Dream: Culture of Evidence Set clear college goals Use data to document successes, identify weaknesses and problems and measure progress toward goals Make decisions and allocate resources based on evidence Analyze data across the entire college

Achieving The Dream: Culture of Evidence Select  Evaluate  Select/Modify  Goals Interventions

GTCC Example: College Goals Graduation rate will improve from 13% to 20% Fall to Fall retention as measured by the state will increase from 56% to 60% Fall to Fall retention of developmental students will improve from 49% to 55% % of developmental students who are taking college level courses after one year will increase from 32% to 40% Success in gateway courses will improve by 4% - and by 4% by gender (focus on males)

GTCC Example: Orientation Need: Data-based clues  Retention rates  Success rates  Faces of the Future Response: Redesign the “Front Door Experience”

GTCC Example: Orientation Session I: Student Success Starts Here  Negotiating campus, College services  Employability skills Session II: Success Strategies  Learning styles  Study skills Session III: Planning Your Path to Success  Program-specific information  Registration information Session IV: for spouses, parents, friends

GTCC Example: Orientation Fall, 2005 – 10 sessions, all Jamestown  2,250 signed up  1,412 attended  136 parents/spouses/friends came along Spring, 2006 – 4 sessions at Jamestown, 2 in High Point, 2 in Greensboro  736 signed up  414 attended  15 parents/spouses/friends came along

GTCC Example: Orientation First Evaluation: Satisfaction  Session I: 87.7%  Session II: 91.1%  Session III: 94.5% They:  Felt Welcomed  Thought staff were knowledgeable  Understood the registration process  Would encourage others to attend  Wanted to Register at the Same Time

GTCC Example: Orientation Changes:  Registration became final activity  Orientation expanded to all campus locations  Faculty and counselors facilitated sessions II and III and advised students

GTCC Example: Orientation Who Came?

GTCC Example: Orientation Persistence Fall to Spring Did not Persist to Spring 2006 Persisted to Spring 2006 Total (N) Did not Attend Orientation Attended Orientation Total

GTCC Example: Orientation Who Persisted?

GTCC Example: Orientation Success Rates in English

GTCC Example: Orientation Who Came?

GTCC Example: Orientation Restructured Evaluation Advice of “Data Coach” Rate confidence level of learning in specific subject matter Suggestions for Workshop topics

GTCC Example: ACA 111 Required in Office Systems Technology, Paralegal Linked to gateway course Taught in first two weeks

GTCC Example: ACA 111 Persistence Fall to Spring Office Systems Technology Fall % (comparison group) Fall % Paralegal Fall % (comparison group) Fall %