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Academic Attainment in California Community Colleges: Racial And Ethnic Disparities in the ARCC 2.0/Scorecard Metrics. Tom Leigh Alice van Ommeren. Project Background . Increasing attention to reducing the achievement or equity gap
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Academic Attainment in California Community Colleges: Racial And Ethnic Disparities in the ARCC 2.0/Scorecard Metrics Tom Leigh Alice van Ommeren
Project Background • Increasing attention to reducing the achievement or equity gap • Policymakers/administrators are inquiring about racial/ethnic disparities • Researchers are being tasked to measure inequities and disparities • ARCC 2.0/Scorecard for the first time is reporting metrics by demographics
Achievement Gap in Education The observed and persistent disparity on educational measures between the performance of groups of students, especially groups defined by socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity and gender
Session Objectives • Review ARCC 2.0/Scorecard metrics and describe disaggregation by demographics • Describe various methods for measuring achievement/equity gaps • Explore specific methods of capturing the achievement gap in the Scorecard • Using race/ethnicity as an example • Using two of the ARCC/Scorecard metrics
ARCC 2.0/Scorecard Framework • State of the System (print) • Scorecard data, system metrics • Scorecard (web, print) • College profile & metrics, single demographic • Datamart 2.0 (web query tool) • College/district metrics by multiple crosstabs • Data on Demand (web data download) • College metrics as unitary files
Scorecard Metrics • Completion/Student Progress & Attainment (SPAR) Rate • Persistence Rate (first 3-terms) • At least 30 Units Rate • Career Technical Education (CTE) Rate • Remedial (Basic Skills) Rate • English, Math & ESL • Career Development and College Preparation Rate (CDCP) Rate
Completion (SPAR) Rate • Cohort (denominator) • First-time student in postsecondary, and • within 3 years, completed 6 units and attempted any Math or English • Outcomes (numerator) in 6 years • Associates of Arts/Sciences, or • Certificates (CO/12+ units), or • Transfer (any 4-year), or • Transfer Prepared (60 units, GPA 2.0)
Persistence & 30 Units Rate • Cohort (denominator, same as SPAR) • First-time student in postsecondary, and • within 3 years, completed 6 units and attempted any Math or English • Outcomes (numerator) in 6 years • Persisted for 3 consecutive primary terms • At least 30 units, successfully completed
Completion (SPAR) Cohort Persistence At Least 30 Units Completion (SPAR) Outcomes
Categories for Completion (SPAR) Rate Three categories (cohorts) of students based on first attempt in Math and/or English • Prepared (College Level) – Lowest course attempted in Math and/or English was college level • Unprepared (Remedial) – Lowest course attempted in Math and/or English was remedial level • Overall - All students in the cohort, attempted any Math or English in the first three years
Remedial (Basic Skills) Rate • Cohort (denominator) • In cohort year, attempted a remedial Math, English or ESL course for the first time • Exclude dual enrollments in 4-years • Outcome (numerator) • Within 6-years • Successfully completed degree or transfer course in same discipline
Measuring the Gap • Subtraction of two groups is most common • African American-White gap for SPAR is 52.3% minus 36.2% = 16.1% • Compare a subgroup rate to a standard, highest performing group or an average (mean) • Distribution of subgroup at input (cohort) versus output (outcome) – Diversity Index • Are there other ways of measuring the achievement/equity gap?
Study Considerations • Racial categories are constructs, do not capture social, cultural, economic and political characteristics • ARCC 2.0/Scorecard metrics are “indicators” of success and do not capture all students • Metrics do not capture program level success • Metrics and analysis does not capture other factors, need multivariate analysis
Are the racial/ethnic groups in the California Community College system attaining academic success at similar rates?
Methodologies To Answer the Question: Compare relative percentages of ethnic/racial groups in cohorts and in the attainment of academic milestones: • Prepared and Unprepared SPAR Cohorts • Attainment of Academic Milestones • Remedial Rates for English and Math Proportionality ratio allows one to compare the status of a racial/ethnic group across conditions (milestones or group inclusion).
Attainment of Academic Milestones • SPAR Cohort • Persistence • 30-Units • SPAR Outcome
26% 73% 72%
Proportionality Ratio The proportionality ratio reflects differences in percentages for race/ethnicity subgroups between two conditions (milestones or group inclusion). A ratio of 1.0 indicates that the subgroup is present in both conditions at the same percentage rate. A ratio of less than 1.0 indicates that the subgroup is less prevalent in the numerator condition than the denominator condition. Conversely, a ratio of more than 1.0 indicates that the subgroup is more prevalent in the numerator condition than the denominator condition.
Comparison of Academic Milestone Attainment (Each Milestone Cohort a Subset of Previous Cohort) • Persistence • 30-Units • SPAR Outcome
Progress Rates Remedial English and Math • Three Sequential Cohorts: • CCC Statewide Census Fall 2006-07 • Enrollment in Remedial English or Math Course • Successful Completion of the Remedial Sequence
Major Findings: • Asian, White, and students of unknown race/ethnicity were less likely to enroll in a remedial English or Math course, more likely to successfully complete a remedial sequence if enrolled, and more likely to attain the SPAR outcome. • African American, American Indian, Hispanic, and Pacific Islander students were more likely to enroll in a remedial English or Math course, less likely to successfully complete aremedial sequence if enrolled, and less likely to attain the SPAR outcome.
Suggestions for College Researchers: • Use five-year report to look at Scorecard rates over time for demographic subgroups • Explore the rates of the subgroups using: • Subtraction of rates from two subgroups • Compare to the mean rate of all subgroups • Create proportional ratios for various subgroups
Suggestions for College Researchers: • Download from Data-on-Demand your college’s Scorecard dataset for each metric • Replicate and validate the rates, check the size of the n’s (students) in the subgroups • Replicate race/ethnicity proportionality analysis for each metric, do gender and age ratios • Also, cross tabulate race/ethnicity with gender or age • Analyze covariates of race/ethnicity with economic disadvantaged status • And, educational history, family educational level, and self-efficacy expectations
Suggestions for System Researchers • Utility of Scorecard metrics for student equity plans? • Analyze achievement gap or disparities among subgroups over time • Describe and explain the variations across colleges, among peer groups in regions • Explore the different outcomes in a multivariate relationship, for college replication) • Explore other dimensions of diversity, such as age, gender, socioeconomics
Contact • Tom Leigh – tleigh@cccco.edu • Alice van Ommeren – avanommeren@cccco.edu