1. 1 Dr. Wes Habley Principal Associate Educational Services ACT, Inc. What works in student retention Enhancing the persistence of developmental education students April 16, 2010

2. 2 TOPICS  Definitions  Current retention and persistence to degree rates  What works in student retention study  COMPASS and Student Readiness Inventory (SRI) as retention tools

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4. 4 Types of Attrition  Expected and Justified realized a goal other than a degree/certificaterealized a goal other than a degree/certificate  Stopping Out not on our timeframenot on our timeframe  Unnecessary and subject to institutional intervention

5. 5RETENTION The process of holding or keeping in one’s possession

6. 6 The process or state of being gradually worn down.ATTRITION Migrant Mother, Dorothea Lange Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division [ reproduction number LC-USF34-9058-C]

7. 7PERSISTENCE To continue to exist or prevail

8. 8 Retention Trends1983-2009 Freshman-Sophomore Year Highest %Lowest %Current % Two-Year Public 53.7(’08,’09)51.3(’04)53.7 BA/BS Public70.0(’04) 66.4(’96,’05)67.6 MA/MS Public71.6(’06)68.1(’89)69.8 PhD Public78.1(’04)72.9(’08)74.4 Two-year Private72.6(‘92)55.5(’08)55.5 BA/BS Private74.0(’89)69.6(’08)69.9 MA/MS Private78.0(’85)72.3(’08)72.0 PhD Private85.0(’85)80.4(’08)80.6

9. 9 Completion Trends1983-2009 Two-year Colleges – Graduation in 3 years or less Highest %Lowest %Current % Public38.8(’89)27.1(’07)28.3 Private66.4(’90)50.2(’08)51.6 ALL44.0(’89)28.9(’07)30.8 More than one third of developmental students earn an associate’s degree (McCabe – 2000)

10. 10 Highest % Lowest % Current % BA/BS Public 52.8(’86) 39.6(’06) 43.0 MA/MS Public 46.7(’86) 37.0(’00) 38.4 PhD Public 50.6(’89,’90) 45.0(’01) 48.7 BA/BS Private57.5(’06)53.3(’01)55.9 MA/MS Private58.4(’88)53.5(’01)54.8 PhD Private68.8(’86)63.1(05)65.1 Completion Trends1983-2009 Four-year Public Colleges – Graduation in 5 years or less

11. 11 What Works…..Survey Details  Overall responses Mailing: 3360 institutionsMailing: 3360 institutions Usable returns: 1104 (32.9%)Usable returns: 1104 (32.9%)  Response rates: Technical Colleges: 70 (28.2%) Community Colleges: 305 (32.1%)Community Colleges: 305 (32.1%) Four-Year public: 258 (43.1%)Four-Year public: 258 (43.1%) Four-year private: 440 (33.3%)Four-year private: 440 (33.3%)

12. 12 Survey Details Survey sections I.Background II.Retention and degree completion rates III. III. Factors affecting attrition IV. IV. Retention practices V. V. Highest impact programs

13. 13 What Works…..Disclaimer The data reported in this survey are based on the perspectives of the individuals who responded to the survey. In some cases responses were informed by data collected at the respondent’s institution. It is inappropriate to suggest that there is an empirical relationship between any factor or intervention and student retention.

14. 14 Section III: Factors affecting attrition  42 factors listed  To what degree does each factor affect attrition at your school 5 = Major effect on attrition5 = Major effect on attrition 4 3 = Moderate effect on attrition3 = Moderate effect on attrition 2 1 = Little or no effect on attrition1 = Little or no effect on attrition

15. 15 Highest Rated Factors in Attrition Factor TechC.C.4-pub4-priv Level of student preparation for college work Adequacy of personal financial resources Level of student commitment to earning a degree Level of student motivation to succeed Student study skills

16. 16 Highest Rated Factors in Attrition Factor TechC.C.4-pub4-priv Student low socio- economic status Amount of financial aid available to students Student institution “fit” Level of job demands on students Student family responsibilities

17. 17 Additional High Contributions to Attrition (Community College)  student personal coping skills  student educational aspirations and goals  level of certainty about career goals  level of emotional support from family, friends, and significant others  student first-generation status  level of job demands on students

18. 18 Comparing Attrition Factors  Top quartile first to second year community college retention rates (high performers) v. bottom quartile first to second year retention rates (low performers) High = 69 institutions Low = 70 institutions  All contributions to attrition rated 3.5 or higher by community colleges  Differential between high and low performers of.2 or greater

19. 19 High/Low Attrition Differences ITEM  level of student preparation for college- level work  level of student commitment to earning a degree  student personal coping skills HIGH LOW 4.1 4.4 3.8 4.1 3.4 3.6

20. 20 Why do we have a problem?  We have….. a beautiful campus a beautiful campus great facilities great facilities a rich set of co-curricular experiences a rich set of co-curricular experiences excellent academic programs excellent academic programs an outstanding faculty an outstanding faculty

21. 21 The problem must be that we have the…. WRONG STUDENTS

22. 22 John Gardner comments…. It is disturbing to note….that in spite of all we know about student retention that institutions are still inclined to hold students responsible for their retention/attrition while dramatically minimizing the institutional role in student retention.

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24. 24 Section IV – Retention Interventions  94 identified retention practices  2 wild cards  Two sub-sections: Is this intervention offered? (yes or no)Is this intervention offered? (yes or no) If it is offered, rate the contribution to retentionIf it is offered, rate the contribution to retention  Five-point Rating Scale 5 = Major Contribution to Retention5 = Major Contribution to Retention 4 3 = Moderate Contribution to Retention3 = Moderate Contribution to Retention 2 1 = Little or no contribution to Retention1 = Little or no contribution to Retention

25. 25 Section IV – Retention Intervention Clusters First-year transition programs (8 items)First-year transition programs (8 items) Academic advising (15)Academic advising (15) Assessment (9)Assessment (9) Career Planning and Placement (6)Career Planning and Placement (6) Learning Assistance/Academic Support (19)Learning Assistance/Academic Support (19) Mentoring (4)Mentoring (4) Faculty Development (7)Faculty Development (7) Financial Aid (3)Financial Aid (3) Co-curricular Services/Programs for specific sub- populations (10)Co-curricular Services/Programs for specific sub- populations (10) Other activities/programs (10)Other activities/programs (10)

26. 26 Highest Rated Interventions Intervention TechC.C.4-pub4-priv Comprehensive learning assistance center/lab Reading center/lab Advising interventions with selected student populations Increased number of academic advisors Academic advising center

27. 27 Highest Rated Interventions Factor TechC.C.4-pub4-priv Tutoring Program for first generation students Summer bridge program Writing center/lab

28. 28 Additional Highly Rated Interventions (Community Colleges)  mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores  remedial/developmental coursework (required)  mathematics center/lab

29. 29 Combining Percentage of Use with Item Means Top one-thirdMiddle one-thirdLowest one-third Highest rated items Lowest rated items Percentage of Institutions offering a specific intervention (INCIDENCE)

30. 30 This is not rocket science! This is not rocket science!

31. 31 GOOD BETS: Community Colleges  comprehensive learning assistance center/lab (4.1)  tutoring (4.1)  mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores (4.1)  remedial/developmental coursework (required) (4.1)  writing center/lab (4.0)  mathematics center/lab (4.0)  advising interventions with selected student populations (3.9)  academic advising center (3.9)  supplemental instruction (3.8)

32. 32 CONSIDER: Community Colleges  reading center/lab (4.1)  increased number of academic advisors (4.0)  first-generation students (4.0)  recommended placement of students in courses based on test scores (3.9)  remedial/developmental coursework (recommended) (3.8)  international students (3.7)  diagnostic academic skills assessment (3.7)  racial/ethnic minority students (3.7)  freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) (3.7)

33. 33 SLEEPERS: Community Colleges  integration of advising with first-year transition programs (3.9)  organized student study groups (3.8)  extended freshman orientation (credit) (3.7)  foreign language center/lab (3.7)  peer mentoring (3.7)  staff mentoring (3.6)

34. 34 BEST BETS: Technical Colleges  comprehensive learning assistance center/lab  mathematics center/lab  supplemental instruction  diagnostic academic skills assessment  internships  cooperative education  training for faculty academic advisors  training for non-faculty academic advisors  tutoring  specified student learning outcomes (syllabus) for advising  mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores

35. 35 CONSIDER: Technical Colleges  reading center/lab  writing center/lab  assessment of faculty academic advisors  increased number of academic advisors  performance contracts for students in academic difficulty  first-generation students

36. 36 SLEEPERS: Technical Colleges  freshman seminar/university 101 (non- credit)  summer bridge program  foreign language center/lab  integration of advising with first-year transition programs  enhanced/modified faculty reward system

37. 37 DATA - !%&#!%*&&@! BORING!

38. 38 Top 3 Interventions Community Colleges Top 3 Interventions Community Colleges mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores - 36% tutoring - 22% remedial/developmental coursework (required) - 20%

39. 39 Retention and Pass Rates of Developmental Students Subject Developmental Course Pass Rate in First Area Retention Rate Pass Rate College Credit Course  Reading 83% 76% 69%  Writing 83% 73% 64%  Math 80% 68% 58% Gerlaugh, Thompson, Boylan, and Davis (2005)

40. 40 Top 3 Interventions Community Colleges Top 3 Interventions Community Colleges mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores - 36% tutoring - 22% remedial/developmental coursework (required) - 20% comprehensive learning assistance center/lab 14% academic advising center - 12%

41. 41 Top 3 Interventions Community Colleges early warning system -early warning system - 12% freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) –freshman seminar/university 101 (credit) – 10% summer orientation -summer orientation - 10% training for faculty academic advisors -training for faculty academic advisors - 10% 40 interventions between 1% and 9% 45 interventions not mentioned at all

42. 42 Top 3 Interventions Technical Colleges  early warning system – 26%  Internships – 20%  mandated placement of students in courses based on test scores – 18%  remedial/developmental coursework (required) – 18%  tutoring – 16%  individual career counseling - 14%

43. 43 Top 3 Interventions Technical Colleges  pre-enrollment financial aid advising – 14%  training for faculty academic advisors – 12%  advising interventions with selected student populations - 12%  comprehensive learning assistance center/lab – 12%  instructional (teaching) techniques – 12%

44. 44 Comparing Intervention Differences – Community Colleges  Top quartile first to second year retention rate (high performers) v. bottom quartile first to second year retention rate (low performers)  Included only items with a mean > 3.6 for all community colleges  High performer incidence rate > 10% above low performer incidence rate

45. 45 Community College Intervention Differences Intervention High Low  reading center/lab 61% 48%  comprehensive learning assistance center/lab 81% 70%  increased number of academic advisors 44% 32%  integration of advising with first-year transition programs 43% 28%  remedial/developmental coursework 51% 37% (required)

46. 46 Community College Intervention Differences Intervention High Low  pre-enrollment financial aid 93% 77% advising  diagnostic academic skills 69% 41% assessment  racial/ethnic minority students 63% 41%  center that integrates advising with career/life planning 61% 45%  staff mentoring 29% 18%

47. 47 Top Clusters CLUSTERTechC.C.4-pub4-priv Learning Assistance- Academic Support 1111 Career Planning and Placement 2 Academic Advising 3322 Assessment 2 Programs/Services for student sub-populations First-year transition programs 33

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49. 49 AcademicAdvising Assessment Dev. Ed. LearningAssistance Effective Retention

50. 50 What Works in Developmental Education Accurate assessment, effective academic advising, and appropriate placement are critical components of successful developmental education programs (Boylan, 2002; McCabe, 2000; Morante, 1989).

51. 51 Developmental Education Works in Student Retention  Students who did not participate in a developmental math program were four times more likely to drop out of college during their first three years compared to equivalent students who did participate in the developmental program (Lesik – 2008)  Higbee, Arendale, and Lundell (2005) cite estimates that two million students would drop out of college annually in the absence of developmental education.

52. 52 AcademicAdvising Assessment Dev. Ed. LearningAssistance Effective Retention

53. 53 assessment Provides high quality assessment of academic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics to ensure that all students are placed in courses most likely to maximize their opportunity to succeed

54. 54 diagnostic Provides diagnostic basic skills assessments in reading, writing, and mathematics that:  assist developmental educators to pinpoint academic skills that need attention  support the delivery of learning assistance services

55. 55 AcademicAdvising Assessment Effective Retention Dev. Ed. LearningAssistance

56. 56  Identification of key factors that predict postsecondary student success has focused primarily on the assessment of academic skills

57. 57  Identification of key factors that predict postsecondary student success has focused primarily on the assessment of academic skills  There is general agreement that these should be augmented by the assessment of other relevant attributes (e.g., personality and social factors, biodata, etc).

58. 58  Measures psychosocial factors that are associated with academic success and college student retention  Identifies at-risk students early and informs interventions that assist them in their educational development

59. 59  It is a low stakes, self-report instrument  Has 108 items that are face-valid and amenable to change through intervention  Items form 10 scales

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61. 61 academic advisorsand developmental educators Provide academic advisors and developmental educators with a comprehensive collection of information about a student’s academic skills, psychosocial characteristics, goals, plans, past academic performance, interests, and needs and

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65. 65 Web-based SRI tools  Overview  Action plan that students can use to take steps toward working on weaknesses and capitalizing on strengths  Toolbox provides guidance on topics such as goal setting, organization and time management, planning for a career, interpersonal development, managing stress and test anxiety, improving study skills, etc.

66. 66 AcademicAdvising Assessment Effective Retention Dev. Ed. LearningAssistance

67. 67 Where can you find more information on COMPASS and the Student Readiness Inventory?  www.act.org/compass www.act.org/compass  www.act.org/sri www.act.org/sri