Education Writers Association Conference May 18, 2012 Philadelphia, PA Ryan Reyna, Program Director Using Data for Higher Education Accountability

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Higher Education’s Triple Threat (or Opportunity) 1.Economy’s increasing demand for educated workers 2.Colleges and universities must compete for fewer resources today and in the future 3.Swelling tide of more (and more diverse) students will put pressure on public colleges and universities 5

Accountability at All Levels 6

Why Common Metrics? 1.Inform: To help policymakers and the public understand how students, colleges, and the state are doing on college completion. 2.Analyze: To help policymakers and colleges identify specific challenges and opportunities for improvement. 3.Show Progress: To establish a fair baseline and show progress over time. 4.Hold Accountable: To hold students, colleges, and the state accountable to the public and to policymakers investing taxpayer dollars in higher education. 7

Common Completion Metrics 8 Outcome Metrics Indicators of successful outcomes DEGREES AWARDED ANNUALLY (# and change over time) GRADUATION RATESTRANSFER RATES TIME and CREDITS to DEGREE Progress Metrics Measures of interim achievements strongly linked to student success REMEDIATION: ENTRY and SUCCESS SUCCESS in FIRST-YEAR COLLEGE COURSES (1 st yr. math and English) CREDIT ACCUMULATIONRETENTION RATESCOURSE COMPLETION

Efficiency and Effectiveness Metrics Focus on four basic policy questions: 1.To what extent are public postsecondary institutions meeting the state’s economic needs and supporting progress toward longer term goals? 2.To what extent are public postsecondary institutions graduating students with certificates and degrees relative to the overall student population? 3.To what extent are public postsecondary institutions efficient with the resources invested by states (and students)? 4.How can public institutions demonstrate that efficiency gains are being achieved without sacrificing student learning? 9

Challenges and Opportunities 10 Goals and Metrics Readiness FInance Quality Access Productivity Leadership Vision Policy Structure

Remaining Questions How will states accommodate the necessary enrollment growth to meet postsecondary goals? What’s the role of the state with the rise of new forms of postsecondary? How is postsecondary involved in the implementation of the Common Core? 11

Resources Complete to Compete: Common Completion Metrics From Information to Action: Revamping Higher Education Accountability Systems Ryan Reyna Program Director, Education Division 12