CORNERSTONES OF COMPLETION: STATE POLICY SUPPORT FOR ACCELERATED, STRUCTURED PATHWAYS TO COLLEGE CREDENTIALS AND TRANSFER Lara K. Couturier February 22, 2013

2 LUKE AND JACKSON LOVE HAWAI’I

3 POSTSECONDARY STATE POLICY NETWORK [2004] [2009] [2011] —15 States—

4 Note: Data for black, Hispanic, and low-income represent two-year moving average because of small sample sizes. Source: NCES, Condition of Education (2010) and Condition of Education (2011). COLLEGE-GOING IS ON THE RISE FOR ALL STUDENTS...

BUT COMPLETION RATES REMAIN STUBBORNLY LOW Sources: USDOE 2011, MDRC 2012, Bailey 2009

“On average, developmental education as it is now practiced is not very effective in overcoming academic weaknesses.” —Thomas Bailey, Community College Research Center, TRENDS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE REFORM

AN EMERGING CONSENSUS

CONNECTION From interest to enrollment ENTRY From enrollment to entry into program of study PROGRESS From program entry to completion of program requirements COMPLETION Completion of credential of value for further education and (for CTE) labor market advancement Market program paths Build bridges from high school and adult ed. into program streams (e.g., strategic dual enrollment, I-BEST) Help students choose program pathway and track entry Build prescribed “on-ramps” customized to largest program areas Clearly define and prescribe program paths and course learning outcomes Monitor students’ progress Align academic program outcomes with requirements for success in further education and (for CTE programs) in the labor market Source: Davis Jenkins, CCRC THE STRUCTURED PATHWAY

STATE POLICY AND COMPLETION BY DESIGN: A PLATFORM FOR STRUCTURED PATHWAYS Policy goals are primarily two-fold: Support college reform efforts by changing policy to be more supportive Scale to other colleges in the state Policy recommendations are based in research and align with work of the colleges and their design principles Each state lead organization developed a workplan customized to cadres’ needs and local context

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: INTENSIVE STUDENT SERVICES STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE Proactive advising Mandatory orientation Educational planning Early program declaration “I formed a relationship with my counselor. She’s just on me, like, checking up on me here and there. If you don’t have a relationship with your counselor, you’re not going to make it.” —Student Voice (RP Group 2013)

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: ASSESSMENT AND PLACEMENT STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE Reduce high stakes Multiple measures Change testing conditions Diagnostics “[The woman at the test center] said, ‘It doesn’t matter how you place. It’s just to see where you are.’ Looking back, that’s not true. It’s really important.” —Student Voice (West Ed, 2010)

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: CURRICULAR REVIEW & ALIGNMENT STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE Collaboration between 2- and 4-year faculty Agree upon cores for broad program streams Ensure courses count toward credentials and/or transfer to a major “You can get by two semesters without declaring, but after that you’re just wasting time kind of wandering around with credits that won’t transfer.” —Student Voice (Public Agenda 2012)

TALE OF TWO TERRYS: USE LABOR MARKET INFORMATION STRUCTURED PATHWAYS RESPONSE Use LMI to design programs Use LMI to counsel students on program choice Leverage real-time LMI “I think more information like [online resources about jobs] and real-time statistical data like that… If you want to be x, y, or z or you want to major in business, these are the kinds of jobs that you can get in business. More career paths versus ‘I’m going to get my degree in business.’” —Student Voice (Public Agenda 2012)

CORNERSTONES OF COMPLETION

IMPLICATIONS & FUTURE STEPS A lot is happening, research base is growing dramatically. Can make evidence-based recommendations, but still thin—need more! Appetite for bold ideas, big changes Growing areas of focus: – Assessment and placement – Student supports – Faculty leadership This work is hard, but critical. We need to test, refine, collaborate Where does student success begin? With everyone, everywhere 15

LARA K. COUTURIER TEL FAX Broad Street, 8 th Floor, Boston, MA C Street, NW, Suite 650A, Washington, DC

QUESTIONS How many of your colleges are pursuing what you would describe as holistic reform, much like the goals of structured pathways? If you could choose one of these policies for your state to pursue in the name of the completion agenda, which would it be? In your state, which of these policy recs do you see as being the the hardest to implement? Why? How can the challenges to implementation be overcome?

18 STRUCTURED PATHWAYS: A SYSTEMIC, HOLISTIC LOOK AT THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

19 REDESIGN AT SCALE Source: Bailey, 2010