Research in Basic Skills: Uncovering Danger Zones for Successful Course Completion

1. Research in Basic Skills: Uncovering Danger Zones for Successful Course Completion A Presentation to Cañada College 4/25/05 Kurt Hueg, Rose Myers, Frances Gusman, Rob Johnstone Foothill College

2. Section 1Selected Research Findings on Basic Skillsat Foothill College

3. 1.1 – Does our existing curriculum adequately prepare students for the sequence of classes they need to take?

4. Starting in Math 200 Pass 200: 72% Pass 101: 37% Pass 105: 20% Pass CL: 11% Starting in Math 101 Pass 101: 79% Pass 105: 41% Pass CL: 24% Starting in Math 105 Pass 105: 72% Pass CL: 32% 1.1A – Math Sequence Progression, 2000-2001 Entering Cohort Enrollments tracked through Spring 2004

5. Starting in Eng 100 Pass 100: 79% Pass 110*: 47% Pass 1A: 36% Pass 1B: 21% Starting in Eng 110 Pass 110: 86% Pass 1A: 62% Pass 1B: 39% Starting in Eng 1A Pass 1A: 90% Pass 1B: 58% 1.1B – English Sequence Progression, 2000-2001 Entering Cohort Enrollments tracked through Spring 2004

6. Starting in ESL 150s Pass 150s: 87% Pass 160s: 55% Pass 25: 32% Pass 26: 26% Starting in ESL 160s Pass 160s: 94% Pass 25: 66% Pass 26: 55% Starting in ESL 26 Pass 25: 94% Pass 26: 61% 1.1C – ESL Sequence Progression, 2000-2001 Entering Cohort Enrollments tracked through Spring 2004

7. 1.2 – Is a student who took a Basic Skills sequence course last quarter more likely to pass the next course in the sequence than a student who waits 3+ quarters?

8. 1.2A -Time Lag/Non-Success in BS Sequence Courses Data Covers 2003-2004 School Year

9. 1.3 – How does course load affect the success of Basic Skills students?

10. 1.3A – Non-Success in Basic Skills Courses and Overall Course Load : English Data Covers 2003-2004 School Year

11. 1.3B – Non-Success in Basic Skills Courses and Overall Course Load : ESL Data Covers 2003-2004 School Year

12. 1.3C – Non-Success in Basic Skills Courses and Overall Course Load: Math Data Covers 2003-2004 School Year

13. 1.4 – Does prior course grade relate to future course success in Basic Skills sequence courses?

14. 1.4A - Prior Course Grade and Non-Success: Math Enrollments tracked from 1998M to 2003S

15. 1.4B - Prior Course Grade and Non-Success: Eng 110 Enrollments tracked from 1998M to 2003S

16. 1.4C - Prior Course Grade and Non-Success: Eng 1A Enrollments tracked from 1998M to 2003S

17. 1.5 – Do students who complete their Basic Skills courses have a higher rate of success than those who don’t?

18. 1.5A – English Course Completion and BSS Non-Success Enrollments tracked from 1996M to 2002S

19. 1.5B – English/ESL Placement and BSS Non-Success Enrollments tracked from 1996M to 2002S

20. 1.5C – Math Level and Econ 1/Actg 1/Astr 10 Non-Success Enrollments tracked from 1996M to 2002S

21. Section 2 Research Highlights from Basic Skills Special Programs At Foothill and Other California Schools

22. 2.1 – Foothill Pass the Torch • Widely successful model pairing at-risk current students with academically successful former students from same class. • Success rate improvements of 8 to 15 points in English, 7 to 22 points in Math • Improvements noted are independent of prior levels of knowledge; PTT members had lower levels of academic success upon entry to program. • After one year, 63% of non-PTT members of similar risk status had left campus by the following Fall quarter – only 11% of PTT members had left campus.

23. 2.2 – Foothill Puente & Mfumo • Both programs combine counseling, English, and mentoring for the English 100 through English 1A sequence. • Puente focuses on Hispanic/Latino students, and Mfumo on African-American students (although not exclusively) • 2002 Cohort Results: • Puente: 44% of students succeeded through Eng 1A • Mfumo: 38% • Control Group: 22% • 2003 Cohort Results: • Puente: 45% of students succeeded through Eng 1A • Mfumo: 34% • Control Group: 22%

24. 2.3 – De Anza Math Performance Success (MPS) Program • Program for pre-collegiate Math courses • Takes traditional 5 days a week, 1 hr/day and transforms it into 5 days a week, 2 hrs/day • More collaborative group work • Counselor in every session • Group peer tutoring and study sessions • Amazing increase in success rates – 40 points higher in Math 101, 30 points in Math 105, 20 points in Math 10 • Actively recruits students who have previously been unsuccessful in coursework

25. 2.4A – Mt. San Antonio College Math Academy • Beginning and Intermediate Algebra have 41-54% success rates at Mt. Sac; only 19-24% get through both in two semesters. • Math Academy combines the two semesters into one semester • Adds in a student peer advisor, a supplemental instructor giving individualized instruction, and regular visits with counselor • Also two-hour study skills course every week

26. 2.4B – Mt. San Antonio College Math Academy • Another key component – the two-hour study skills course also focuses on math in real-world environments, and on math throughout the rest of the college curriculum • Increased success rates of completing both courses in a single semester to 62-77%, 2.5 times higher than the two-semester rate of 19-24%. • Student quote:“My hope at the beginning of the class was to get my math over with so I could go on to the stuff I am good at and enjoy, but now I am beginning to see math as empowering. I am now beginning to wonder if perhaps I want to take more than the minimum math requirements. I am beginning to wonder if I want to teach math also.”

27. 2.5A – City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Special Program Services • Tracked service usage for pre-collegiate basic skills programs at individual level • Nine programs studied were African-American Scholastic Programs, DSPS, EOPS, Homeless/At Risk Students Program, Latino Service Network, Learning Assistance Center (LAC), Math Bridge, Puente, & Writing Service Program. • Number of students served ranged from 50 (Math Bridge) to over 13,000 (LAC)

28. 2.5B – City College of San Francisco (CCSF) Special Program Services • Found that 84% of students utilized only one service. • Success rates of students utilizing services were 3 to 24 points higher in Math, and 6 to 33 points in English • For specific minority groups, success rate improvements were even higher. • Noted that demand far outweighed supply – 13,000 students take pre-collegiate courses every semester, only 3,000 served by non-LAC services in entire academic year.

29. Section 3 Common Threads for Success and Cost Issues

30. 3.1 – Common Threads for Success • Shift traditional delivery model to more learner-centered model (Barr Learning College vs. Teaching College) • Utilize cohorts/peer group investment • Focus on developing study skills early in pre-collegiate course sequences • Additional student time on task is required; this is an issue for recruiting • Student confidence in their own abilities is increased

31. 3.2 – Cost Considerations • Foothill’s system for tracking students at point-of-service is coming in the near future. • CCSF has calculated cost per student of special programs – found an average of $1,350 per student. • Yes, expensive, but aside from the fact we should be doing this because it works, we need to consider downstream benefits of WSCH gained from persisting students. • IRP will attempt to calculate return-on-investment (ROI) model similar to those calculated in industry for investments.