Improving Student Transition and Success Across Educational Segments

1. Improving Student Transition and Success Across Educational Segments The Cal-PASS Way

2. Three Goals • Basic understanding of • Cal-PASS: what we do • Gain awareness of what we • are learning and the solutions we are implementing • How we are working to change the paradigm: deploying technology for end-user work

3. How Education is Supposed to Work • A seamless transition among segments: K-16 • Well prepared students moving through a pipeline • Little or no remediation as students transition through the segments • Students prepared with the skills, knowledge and ability to enter the workforce

5. A Matter of Misalignment • According to a recent report issued by the Stanford University Bridge Project: • “…the coursework between high school and college is not connected; students graduate from high school under one set of standards and, three months later, are required to meet a whole new set of standards in college.”

6. Troubling Indicators • High HS drop-out rate • Up to 50% in large urban districts • Poor transition rates to college • Of every 100 students that start ninth grade, less than 31 enter college (NCHEMS, 2004) • Significant remediation needs in higher education • 70% Community Colleges • Almost 50% in California State Universities • Over 30% in University of California

7. What Created the Disconnect? • The segments grew-up differently • Three separate systems in California (Silo approach) • Different control agencies • Different interest groups • Different goals • Lack of consistent standards across segments • Little/no alignment of curriculum • The media likes to beat up education

8. What is Cal-PASS? • Facilitates collaboration among primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions on a regional basis • Collects actionable data and reports on student transition and success locally and statewide • Engages faculty and other educational leaders across segments in instructional conversations – The PLC model • Implements and evaluates educational innovations throughout the state and works to bring to scale those innovations that demonstrate success

9. Informed by data, powered by inspiration and developed through collaboration – partners identify problems, develop local solutions and scale them across regions and the state to achieve student success at every level. Our Mantra

10. Cal-PASS Statistics • Over 300,000,000 records • Up to 15 years of data in some regions • Over 7,000 schools, colleges and university members • Over 150 research studies conducted in the last two years • Sixty-six Professional Learning Councils (1,200+ faculty)

11. What’s in the Data Set? • Data is anonymous • personal identifier information is removed or encrypted • Student file • Demographic information • Attendance • Course file • Enrollment information • Course performance • Student test file • CST (State grade level exams by subject area) • HS Exit Exam • Award file • Diplomas, degrees, certificates • Custom files • Information collected on interventions

12. Action Research Paradigm • Faculty, administrators, and local researchers are active participants • Iterative process to refine analysis • Common questions become standard reports or web based queries • Locally unique questions handled by local researchers with assistance from Cal-PASS staff • Research leads to changes in practice – that is the key!!!

13. An example… Math Transition: • Middle School to High School • High School to College/University • College to University

14. Relation between last math passed at Alpha High School and first math attempted at Beta College Red = attempted class in college lower than that already passed in high school Gold = attempted class in college equal to that already passed in high school Green = attempted class in college higher than that already passed in high school

15. Relationship between the last English class passed at Alpha High School and the first English class attempted at Beta College Gold = average level of first college English attempted Green = above the average with at least 10% of the students Red = below the average with at least 10% of the students

16. Cal-PASS Sponsored Innovations – a Brief List • Math Guides • West Hills Mentoring • EL/ESL Bridge • MoCHA – algebra bridge for chemistry • GCCCD – SDSU Freshman Composition Alignment • ACCESS – alignment 11th thru post-secondary

17. Current Status of Institutional Research • How research inquiry generally works: K-16 • Faculty or staff member has an interest • Works with Research Department – if there is one • Interest is turned into a research question • If researcher available – placed in the queue and may get an answer in month or longer • Usually research is a static report and then the inevitable questions come up… • If no researcher available – try to get an answer in another way or give up “Success at Every Level”

18. Changing the Paradigm:OLAP Demonstration • On-Line Analytical Processing • What is it? OLAP enables users to perform analysis of data in multiple dimensions, thereby providing the insight and understanding they need for better decision making • Enables a wide variety of users access to data • Web-based for easy access • Some training required • Can be applied in a variety of applications

19. Finally – Emerging Areas Linking to our Employment Development Department Linking with Child Welfare Data System to track educational outcome of foster youth Named Perkins IV (career-Tech ed) provider for California Beginning to scale-up innovations regionally and across the state “Success at Every Level”

20. Questions, Observations…