100 likes | 213 Views
Measuring Student Outcomes and College Performance in the New Millennium . Thomas Bailey Community College Research Center Third International Congress on Upper-Secondary and Higher Education Mexico City November 15, 2010. Two Developments in the New Millennium.
E N D
Measuring Student Outcomes and College Performance in the New Millennium Thomas Bailey Community College Research Center Third International Congress on Upper-Secondary and Higher Education Mexico City November 15, 2010
Two Developments in the New Millennium • “Rise” of the community college • Two year, low cost, open access institutions with several missions • Growing importance in national policy discussion • Shift from focus on access to focus on student success • New and growing criticism of US higher education • Given these shifts, student performance measures are inadequate
Growing Criticism of US Higher Education—Why? • International comparisons • Rising skill demands • Growing availability of data showing low completion rates • Continued significant differences by income and race • Rising costs • Deteriorating fiscal situation with calls for greater efficiency
Measures of Higher Education Performance • International rankings • Areas of progress from the student point of view • Progression measures • Employment measures • Learning measures
Progression • Graduation rates available for most institutions in the US—limited use for CCs • Need to adjust for student characteristics • Account for varied missions • Occupational degrees and certificates • Transfer • Non-credit • Students must be tracked across institutions • Need to assure quality
Employment • National data suggest strong employment benefits • We know much less about outcomes for students in states and institutions • Growing availability of longitudinal data—for profits controversy • Problems • Influenced by labor market conditions • Short term measures not accurate
Student Learning • Surprisingly little consistent and reliable information • Three areas of progress • Measures of general skills • Standardization of large introductory and basic courses, especially new technology • Occupational licensure and certification
Beyond Performance Measures Emphasize diagnosis, analysis, and improvement, not just static measures of performance
Committee on Measures of Student Success • US. Department of Education • For more information http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/acmss.html
For more information: Please visit us on the web at http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu, where you can download presentations, reports, CCRC Briefs, and sign-up for news announcements. Community College Research Center Institute on Education and the Economy, Teachers College, Columbia University 525 West 120th Street, Box 174, New York, NY 10027 E-mail: ccrc@columbia.edu Telephone: 212.678.3091