Retaining Students in Developmental Education Edith T. Lang, Ed.D. Brunswick Community College
Historical Perspective 1994 NCCCS Survey Preparation for transition to semesters Performance Measures Retention
Statistical Information International Centre for Student Retention Engaging Faculty and Staff. Full text on the Educational Policy Institute website: f/EngagingFaculty.pdf f/EngagingFaculty.pdf ACT
Theory and Practice Tinto National Center for Developmental Education David Arendale Watson Scott Swail Martha Casazza Cross Papers, League for Innovation Universities
North Carolina Experience Participation in National Study of Developmental Education Lang Small Sample Replication of National Study NCCCS Fast Track Project Achieving the Dream
Verification of Local Data Find the within-term retention rate of your developmental program Students completing the course Students at census date
Verification of Data Find the TRUE success rate of your developmental program Students with grade of A, B, or C Students at census date
Verification of Data Find the term-to-term retention of your developmental program Find the fall-to-fall retention of your developmental program
Verification of Data Look for patterns – Attendance points in term – Grades – Other local concerns
Review Most Common Strategies Advising more often than just at registration Instructor interactions with students outside class Student involvement in out-of-class activities Student perception that he/she has at least one strong advocate
Formulate a Plan Determine target population Determine strategies that will be tried Determine how success will be measured
Implement the Plan Basics of plan Details such as strategies, time periods, documentation needed, etc. Periodic discussions of whats working and whats not Celebration of implementation.
Assessment Perform data collection again Discuss and adjust as needed based on the outcomes of the data collection
Bottom Line IE can assist with data collection Interpretation of data should be a collaborative effort of IE and instruction (becoming practitioner-researchers) Success is one student at a time
Sharing! Borrowing! Creative Borrowing!!!
Contact Information Edith T. Lang, Ed.D