Pierce College Leadership Retreat: Achieving the Dream Overview:

1. Pierce College Leadership Retreat: Achieving the Dream Overview: August 23, 2011

2. What is Achieving the Dream? Dr. Terri Manning & Dr. John Nixon

3. ATD: A national initiative for student success • ATD defines student success: earning degrees, certificates, or transferring. • ATD focuses on all students but attempts to eliminate gaps for certain cohorts of students who lag. • ATD uses data to study college barriers, ask the “why” questions, and develop and implement likely solutions. • ATD understands that trial and error is necessary in this process but expects “ramping up” of successful pilots.

4. ATD has built a NATIONAL NETWORK Over 130 institutions, 24 states & District of ColumbiaMore than1 million students enrolled in ATD colleges

5. The Issues • More students are coming to community colleges regardless of their readiness to learn. • Community colleges are not producing adequate numbers of graduates or completers. • The national spotlight is on community colleges. • The public does not understand our attempts to “explain away” our failures. • The public and funding agencies want to see results. • Increasingly our funding will come from our results.

6. Goals of Achieving the Dream • Students progressing successfully through developmental courses • Students advancing from developmental courses into and through gateway courses • Students successfully completing college-level courses (grade of C or better) • Students re-enrolling from one semester to the next, and from year to year • Students earning degrees, diplomas and certificates. 

7. Roles of the coaches in ATD: We are your CRITICAL FRIENDS. • Communication through at least two visits yearly for two years—THREE THIS FIRST YEAR • Conference calls, email, telephone advice • Reporting processes • Asking key questions • Connecting to similar institutions, possible partners • Encouragement to engage in crucial college conversations • Guide and provide feedback on the collection, analysis and use of data

8. Creating a Culture of Evidence

9. The Four Components of Increasing Student Success (Gonzalez, 2009) Component One Component Two Component Three Component Four “What’s Wrong?” (Outcome Measures) “Why?” (Underlying Factors) Intervention(s) Evaluation & Modification Use Longitudinal, Disaggregated, Cohort data to assess Student Success Outcomes (e.g., Persistence, Course Completion rates, Degree comp. rates) to determine: 1) Which student groups are less successful than others (Equity Gaps in Student Success). 2) Which high enrollment courses have the lowest success rates. • Collect, analyze, and use second set of LOCAL data to identify the underlying factors (barriers or challenges) impeding student success: • Focus Groups • Surveys • Literature Reviews • Learning Outcome • Assessment Use data from Component Two to revise or design new interventions to effectively address the underlying factors impeding student success. Review and consider changes to existing college policies that impact the underlying factors impeding student success. Collect, analyze, and use evaluation data to answer: 1) To what extent did the interventions (or policy changes) effectively address the underlying factors impeding student success? 2) To what extent did the interventions increase student success? Make modifications based on evaluation results. Many Colleges: (a) Skip (b) Loosely rely on national literature (Engagement) (c) Lack a local understanding based on qualitative data Reference: Gonzalez, K. P. (2009). Using data to increase student success: A focus on diagnosis. Achieving the Dream Inc. www.achievingthedream.org

10. What happens to our students?

11. Who are They? Every Fall at Pierce: • Approximately 3,000 new students begin their higher education career • 48% are female • 75% are under 20 years old • Over 1/3 are Latino • Over 75% are LAUSD graduates from the previous year

12. Theyenter the pipeline Where they enter and where they go…. depends on where they have been and what they have done.

13. Undecided, need remedial in all three subjects Degree seeking, college ready in all subjects Transfer in – credit in math and English Casual student, no placement tests on file Transfer out – only taking 12 hours

14. Let’s look at one cohort of students • In Fall 2007, 2,988 new full and part-time students entered Pierce. Here is what happened to them.

15. For every 100 new students who entered Pierce (full and part-time)…

16. 91 are left by the end of the first term (9 didn’t make it).

17. Only 67 return in the next spring term.

18. Only 55 come back the next fall.

19. After two years, 41 are still with us.

20. Within three years, 5 have earned a degree or certificate.

21. What happened to the other 95 students? • 22 are still enrolled • 2 are certified to transfer • 71 remain unaccounted for

22. (we are not alone) Issues Impacting Our Students Are National Issues Impacting Other Community College Students

23. What We Know Nationally Of 2002 Achieving the Dream Cohort, % Needing Developmental Education Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes,1(6) July/Aug 2006.

24. How are they doing? Percent of 2002 AtD Cohort referred to developmental education that attempted and completed at least one developmental course during their first term, by race. Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes, 1(6) July/Aug 2006.

25. How are they doing? Percentage of AtD students persisting by developmental status at the end of the first year. Source: Achieving the Dream Data Notes, 3(4), July/August 2008.

26. Pierce Students • Placement test scores (tested in summer or fall of 2009)

28. An Example of a Data Set

29. We Need to Take a Serious Look at Our Issues • We begin now with today’s activity. • We want the “great minds” of the college to look at the data and begin to address the issues related to student success. • We are not going to talk about “why” our students have issues until we better understand “what” the issues are.

30. Table Discussion Dr. Terri Manning

31. Instructions for Table Top Activity • Each table has flip chart paper, and an envelope. • Distribute the contents of the packet to everyone at the table – includes a data set and three questions. • We are looking at 5 data sets today (each table has only one): • Progress in Developmental Math • Progress in Developmental English • Gatekeeper Courses • Persistence by Subgroups • Awards Earned by Subgroups

32. Table Top Activity • Assign a timekeeper, recorder and reporter • Review your data, discuss it as a group (30 minutes) • On the flip chart paper, list the following: • What’s the story line? • What surprised you the most? • What additional data/information would you like to see about this particular data set? • We will then report out.

33. Roles and Responsibilities

34. Achieving the Dream Institutional Change Principles • Committed leadershipCEO and leadership team actively support efforts to improve student learning and completion • Culture of evidenceColleges routinely analyze student data to assess progress and outcomes • Broad engagementFaculty, staff, students, and community stakeholders participate in efforts to improve student success • Systemic institutional improvementColleges orient all planning and activities around student success agenda

35. Roles of the Core and Data Teams Core TeamData Team • Broadly representative with key faculty involved • Thorough understanding of College data and assessment of initiatives • Guiding team for discussion, prioritization, implementation of improvements • Crucial communication link to larger communities • Broadly representative with key faculty involved • Collect, disaggregate, and study data; call for additional information • Provide support to the Core Team • Aid in establishment of appropriate assessment of all initiatives

36. What’s Next?

37. Next Steps, Timeline and Deliverables • Fall Semester 2011 • Look at Qualitative Data via focus groups and surveys to identify the underlying factors impeding student success (the why) • Examining existing policies and practices • Diagnose Causes of Problems • Disseminate Findings and Hold Additional Conversations • Prioritize Problem Areas to Address

38. Next Steps, Timeline and Deliverables • By August 31: • Establish Core and Data Teams • Fall Semester 2011: • Engage Key Stakeholders • Schedule “Courageous Conversations” to reflect on the Quantitative Data (the what) • Identify Key Issues and Achievement Gaps

39. Next Steps, Timeline and Deliverables • Spring Semester 2012 • Set Priorities, Goals and Measurable Outcomes • Review Best Practices • Attend the ATD Strategy Institute • Develop Strategies (Interventions) to Address Underlying Factors Impeding Student Success (Summative Goal: Achieve Increases in Student Success Outcome Measures) • Submit Final Version to MDC by May 15, 2011 • July 2012 – June 2013 • Implement and Evaluate Plan

40. Q & A