TCCTA Blog

Legislators Consider Allowing Guns on Campus

As it stands now under Texas law, concealed weapons are not allowed on college campuses. Reportedly, as the next Regular Session approaches in January, two events are driving an impulse for change.

One is the shootings at Virginia Tech, which has caused state officials to consider allowing students, faculty, and college officials to carry weapons on campus. According to a recent article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (registration required), Utah is the only state so far that allows weapons on all state universities. Soon there may be more.

The other event is the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision, which established for the first time that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution entails a right to possess handguns for protection. Most authorities do not believe any Texas laws will be struck down under the new decision, but it's a different political atmosphere now.

The article reports that at least one lawmaker, Rep. Joe Driver, (R-Garland) intends to consider the matter in the House Law Enforcement committee, which he currently chairs.

From the article:

Texans might soon be able to pack heat on college campuses.

That is just one of several proposals that could reach lawmakers next year as they — and legislators nationwide — explore broadening some gun laws.

"It addresses personal protection," said state Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, who heads the House committee that considers gun bills. "People who do things [like the Virginia Tech shooting] basically know they are walking into a gun-free zone.

"They are cowards . . . facing people not allowed to fight back."

And:

Driver said he may propose a campus personal protection act to let those with concealed handgun permits carry guns at colleges.

"We’re trying to provide students, faculty, visitors, anyone with a concealed handgun license the ability to protect themselves and at times protect others," he said.

A professor recently testified on the issue before a legislative committee, saying he is responsible for making sure students get out of the building safely if there’s a fire, tornado or other dangerous situation.

"But he said he’s tasked — if somebody starts shooting students — with hiding under his desk," Driver said.

New Mail Order Prescriptions Vendor Announced

Starting September 1, Caremark will replace Medco as the HealthSelect of Texas mail order prescription drug benefit manager. Drug copayments, deductible, and the covered drug list (formulary) are not changing. Plus, you can still get your prescriptions from your local pharmacy.

The Employees Retirement System, which provides the health benefits for most Texas higher education employees and retirees, sent a letter to members recently, announcing the change. According to the agency Web site, "ERS chose to re-bid this contract to see if we could lower program costs. We are working to protect your benefits and keep your out-of-pocket costs as low as possible. The new contract with Caremark will save nearly $265 million over the next four years. These projected savings helped us to keep your HealthSelect medical and drug benefits the same, with no premium increase for Plan Year 2009."

Here are a few more details from the official announcement:

You will get two new HealthSelect cards sent to your home: a medical card from Blue Cross and Blue Shield to show at your doctor’s office and a prescription drug card from Caremark to show at your pharmacy.

You can still go to your local pharmacy. You will need to show your new prescription drug ID card to your pharmacist so you pay the right amount.

You will continue to fill any new or mail order refill prescriptions with Medco through August 31. Caremark
will start filling new mail service prescriptions on September 1.

If you have refills left on a mail service prescription after August 31, your refill information will transfer from Medco to Caremark on September 1. For example, your doctor prescribes you a new medication in July. Your doctor writes you the initial prescription, plus three 90-day refills. You order the first 90-day supply through Medco’s mail order service. That leaves you with three refills that would transfer to Caremark on September 1. To order those refills, you would need to contact Caremark since Medco will no longer have your refill information.

Your drug card comes in a welcome kit with more information, including the telephone number for Caremark’s San Antonio customer service center dedicated to HealthSelect participants.

Rent (or Steal) This Book!

It may not be what publishers or lawmakers are after, but you can't deny the power of the market when it comes to the high cost of college texts.

One company is renting books to students, billing itself as the "Netflix" of texts.

According to the promotional material for Chegg.com, "Textbook rentals help college students save hundreds of dollars on buying new or used college textbooks each semester. With millions of new and used books, finding the textbook you need at discounted prices is easy, not to mention our fast delivery and easy book returns."

They also say that, in addition to renting cheap textbooks, Chegg is committed to preserving our forests by planting a tree for each transaction.

In another development, the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required) reports that publishers are going after companies offering pirated editions of textbooks in pdf format. After all, it's a relatively simple process to scan books into digital form and put them on the Web. It's illegal, of course.

From the article:

One Web site, called Textbook Torrents, promises more than 5,000 textbooks for download in PDF format, complete with the original textbook layout and full-color illustrations. Users must simply set up a free account and download a free software program that uses a popular peer-to-peer system called BitTorrent. Other textbook-download sites are even easier to use, offering digital books at the click of a mouse.

"There are very few scanned textbooks in circulation, and that's what we're here to change," says a welcome message on the Textbook Torrents site. "Chances are you have some textbooks sitting around, so pick up a scanner and start scanning it!"

And:

In response to such sites, the Association of American Publishers hired an outside law firm this summer to scour the Web for illegally offered textbooks. Already the firm has identified thousands of instances of book piracy and has sent legal notices to Web sites hosting the files demanding that they be removed. The group is looking for all types of books, though trade books and textbooks, which generally have high price tags, are the most frequent books offered on peer-to-peer sites.

Developmental Education "Talking Points" Offered

Texas Higher Education Commissoner Raymund Paredes has testified repeatedly in legislative hearings that developmental education needs a “complete overhaul” because it “isn’t working.” He and the Coordinating Board have endorsed a proposal to place new appropriations into a fund, with the Board serving as trustee. This revenue is to be granted to schools competitively through pilot non-course based programs, using evidence gathered from studies and best practices around the country. In the meantime, developmental courses would be funded in the traditional manner while information is gathered and pilot programs are launched and evaluated.

TCCTA is assembling a number of "Talking Points" for communicating with policy makers, leading up to the next Regular Session in January. The following points are offered for use by teachers in discussing the developmental education issue with policy makers. The TCCTA Legislative and Executive Committees will formulate and publish the association’s official Legislative Program this fall for the 2009 Regular Session.

IMPORTANT: Do not use college equipment, e-mail addresses, or stationery when communicating with state policy makers. Also, it is important to always be constructive when communicating with public officials. Be sure to thank them for their hard work on behalf of the people of Texas.

TCCTA "Talking Points" on Developmental Education

Statistics gathered by the Coordinating Board are often confusing and difficult to interpret. Since TASP was replaced by TSI, each school has designed its own approach, making generalizations problematic if not impossible.

Under the current Texas regimen, a student who enrolls in a developmental course, passes a placement test subsequently, then drops the class before the end of the term, is counted as a failure. Such measurement problems must be resolved before judging the effectiveness of developmental education.

Since the funding formula does not require that revenue generated by developmental education courses be spent on these courses, great variety exists statewide. Developmental education courses that receive adequate funding to hire talented faculty, and to provide necessary resources and training, are more successful.

Legislators are urged to read published national studies on this subject carefully. Often a headline or caption can be very misleading. Furthermore, the most recent evidence may be missing.

A perennial problem in collecting reliable and valid developmental education data is finding equivalent control groups to compare the effectiveness of remediation on student outcomes against similarly prepared students who did not receive remediation. Only recently have studies begun using more sophisticated methods. One such study (Attewell, et al., 2006) found that similarly prepared students who received developmental education were more likely to succeed (as measured by retention and achievement) than those who did not receive developmental education.

In the absence of valid statistical data, legislators are urged to listen to impressive and countless anecdotes from community college students whose academic careers were saved dramatically by effective developmental education.

For further elaboration and documentation provided by Gail Platt, Director of the Teaching and Learning Center and Department of Education, Title V Project Director, South Plains College, please see below.

From Dr. Platt:

The accountability data collected and reported by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) are misleading and difficult to interpret. Each program at each institution is best able to describe the programs and report results and student learning outcomes. When practitioners collect and explain their own data to the legislators a lucid and credible story emerges.

Since TASP was replaced with TSI, each institution has its own policies regarding developmental education; therefore, statewide comparisons are impossible.

Some of the THECB accountability data on developmental education found at the THECB website may be useful, but always check the data against your own records. Mistakes in data reporting occur often.

Here’s an example of how data can be misleading: CBM 002 data looks at course completion; if a student does not complete the course, the student is a failure. However, let’s say a student enrolls in a developmental reading course and after one month of instruction and practice feels confident that s/he can pass the TSI placement test. The student tests and meets the standard: Success. However, if the student then decides to drop the reading class and is given an X or W, the data will reflect that student as a failure.

Although data are the best way to demonstrate accountability, also be prepared to share with your legislators specific examples of students (their constituents) who have benefited from developmental education. These anecdotes often help legislators when they speak about their views and values of developmental education and how it impacts the people in their community.

The legislature and the public are always concerned about the so-called “costs” of developmental education. Funding for developmental education always raises questions, but as practitioners we need to be diligent in pointing out that in the past, developmental education funding resulted from the reporting of formula funded contact course hours in developmental coursework. [See http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Higher_Education/Cost_Developmental_Ed_TX_0407.pdf.]

There is no safeguard or assurance that funds generated by the reporting of contact hours in courses are expended for those courses. If an institution invests in quality professors for developmental education courses, obtains good materials and equipment to promote learning, provides adequate professional development for developmental practitioners, sets good policies for placement and monitoring students in developmental education and observes smaller class sizes for developmental education (and other best practices), the institution will be expending funds on developmental education and will have a strong program. Studies have shown that this is seldom the case. With the introduction of TSI and each institution having its own policies, there is even greater variability among the programs in Texas than in the past. Boylan (1996) said there were wide differences among programs and – at that time of his study – the only evidence of funds expended on TASP were the test fees paid by the students.

National studies are often flawed and have failed to produce reliable data. A problem in the past in collecting reliable and valid developmental education data was finding equivalent control groups to compare the effectiveness of remediation on student outcomes against similarly prepared students who did not receive remediation. Only recently have studies begun using more sophisticated research methods to produce more reliable and valid findings. One such study (Attewell, et al, 2006) found that similarly prepared students who received developmental education were more likely to succeed (retention and achievement) than those who did not receive developmental education.

Two reports circulating around the Texas legislature have prompted some individuals to claim that developmental education in Texas does not work (See http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=djXwB2RzjwzrhxvtRtjZQgfnZ6gzpzHr).

If one carefully reads the studies, one finds that Martorell and McFarlin (2007) cautioned that their data be interpreted carefully, keeping in mind that a very select group of students performing at a very slim margin on the TASP Math Test (a test that fewer and fewer students are taking as the placement test in our institutions) comprised the sample. Based on this caveat, they suggested that developmental math courses caused more harm than good. The researcher for the second study commissioned by College Ready Texas (Miller, 2007) used the Martorell and McFarlin data. When you hear that a report has claimed developmental education does not work, be sure to get a copy of the report and find out what it really says. Legislators do not have time to always read the vast amount of information they are given. A sentence may catch their eye (or their staff’s eyes) and thus – we have a big problem although the full and complete data have not been gathered or analyzed to support that conclusion.

See also:

Attewell, Paul A., Lavin, David E., Domina, Thurston & Levey, Tania (2006).
New Evidence on College Remediation, The Journal of Higher Education - Volume 77, Number 5, September/October 2006, pp. 886-924.

Boylan, H. R. (1996). Evaluation of the Texas Academic Skills Program. National Center for Developmental Education. Boone, NC: NCDE..

SUMMARY OF “COLLEGE READINESS AND DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION IN TEXAS: 1998-2005”COMMISSION FOR A COLLEGE READY TEXAS (http://www.tea.state.tx.us/ed_init/thscsic/CollegeReadinessDevelopmentalEducationSummary.pdf)

College Ready Texas and developmental education study (http://www.collegereadytexas.org/documents/College%20Readiness%20and%20Developmental%20Education120707.pdf).

New Book Published on Distance Learning

College faculty and administrators often wish they had more information on distance learning nationwide. A new book by Alfred P. Rovai, Michael K. Ponton, and Jason D. Baker may help fill the gap.

The book, Distance Learning in Higher Education: A Programmatic Approach to Planning, Design, Instruction, Evaluation, and Accreditation, has just been published by Teachers College Press.

One reviewer, Laurie P. Dringus of Nova Southeastern University, says, "Instructors, students, and administrators in higher education should keep this book close at hand for quick reference and practical advice on what works in distance education."

From the promotional material:

This useful resource describes best practices for designing online programs and courses. Translating research on the learning characteristics of adult university students and their experiences with online learning into practical guidelines, the authors address topics such as: program and course planning, design and delivery; multicultural and gender issues; program evaluation; student evaluation of online teaching, and institutional and program accreditation. The text includes resources such as online course materials and assessment tasks that are culturally responsive and implement the strategies presented in the book. Providing a roadmap for those wishing to design and implement a distance learning program, this up-to-date volume:

Explains how to facilitate and moderate interactions using a constructivist approach.

Presents strategies that respond to race- and gender-related challenges.

Provides a model for evaluating distance education programs.

Identifies strategies that promote valid and reliable evaluations of online teaching.

Addresses institution and distance education program accreditation issues.

Alfred P. Rovai is professor of education at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia and teaches statistics, strategic planning, and program evaluation courses in a blended doctor of education program. Michael K. Ponton is professor of education at Regent University where he teaches courses in research design. Jason D. Baker is an associate professor of education at Regent University and a consultant on the development and management of online learning programs.

Best Practices for Hispanic Students Offered

As Latino representation in higher education continues to increase across all states and institution types, Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs)—public or private nonprofit degree-granting colleges with 25 percent or more Hispanic undergraduate enrollment—provide a valuable laboratory to study practices that help improve Latino access, retention, and academic success.

A new report focuses on successful practices at 12 top-ranked Hispanic-Serving Institutions working to increase Latino student success. Designed to provide a closer view of effective leadership, institutional practices, and guiding principles supporting Latino student success, this report offers promising ideas and strategies for all U.S colleges and universities to bolster results for Latino students, according to a recent press release.

Two Texas community colleges, El Paso Community College and South Texas College, are profiled in the report.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) are defined in federal law as accredited and degree-granting public or private nonprofit institutions of higher education with 25 percent or more total undergraduate Hispanic full-time equivalent student enrollment. The defining characteristic of HSIs is their Hispanic enrollment, not their institutional mission, according to the Web site of Excelencia in Education, which distributed the report. The full study, as well as other information is available from this site.

High School Seniors Analyzed

The U.S. Department of Education has released a new study of high school seniors, in terms of the courses they take, attitudes, and experience with extra-curricular activities. Interestingly, it allows us to compare seniors in 1972 with 2004 (when the most recent data was available).

While there are no shocks revealed in the study, there are some interesting findings.

Not surprisingly, students are more diverse. White students comprised 86 percent of the national senior class in 1972 and declined to 62 percent by 2004. The proportion of African-American high school seniors in the highest socioeconomic quartile rose to 13.5 from 5.2 percent, while the proportion in the lowest quartile fell to 37.1 percent from 62.8 percent during the same period.

In terms of preparation, As Inside Higher Ed puts it:

Although many faculty members like to complain about the declining capabilities of incoming students, the data show that students’ have increasingly taken advanced courses in high school. The proportion of students enrolling in calculus increased to 13 percent in 2004 from 6 percent in 1982, while the percentage taking no math in the senior year fell to 34 percent from 57 percent. Twenty-five percent of seniors took advanced science courses (chemistry II, physics II or advanced biology) in 2004 compared to 12 percent in 1982, and the proportion not taking foreign languages as seniors fell to 76 percent from 87 percent.

Despite the popular perception that students are engaging in more activities (for resume padding if not out of enjoyment), the statistics suggest otherwise. While the report shows increasing numbers of high school seniors belonging to honor societies (22 percent in 2004 from 14 percent in 1972), the proportions participating in high school publications (19 percent in 1972, 16 percent in 2004), in vocational clubs (22 percent in 1972, 16 percent in 2004) and academic clubs (26 percent in 1972, 21 percent in 2004, even though the 2004 category was broader and included debate) all fell. Participation in athletics basically stayed flat, apart from a spike in 1980.

The entire study is available here.

Colleges Adjust Schedules Over Gas Prices

Many schools around the country have started shifting to a four-day per week schedule, in an attempt to reduce the cost of commuting for students and employees. Obviously, schedules are set for the near future. Any four-day trend, if followed by Texas colleges and universities, may also fly in the face of recent efforts by legislators to encourage campus use during so-called "off" periods, such as Fridays. Reduced tuition at some large Texas universities for students taking classes during these times is symptomatic of the new way of thinking.

However, one community college, Volunteer State Community College in Tennessee, has tried an entirely new approach—offering "Friday Only" classes. Which could offer the best of both worlds.

From the college's Web site:

Gas prices are putting the pinch on everyone, but for college students it’s particularly tough. Vol State responds with a new set of classes to help students save money and fit college into their busy lives. It’s called Full Time Friday. It’s a group of general education courses especially designed to take place on Fridays. Highly motivated students could take up to four classes, once a week and all in one long class day. With the hybrid online version of Full Time Friday students would only have to come to campus once a month.

The general education classes offered under Full Time Friday are the building blocks for a University Studies degree in Humanities, the most popular program at Vol State. Full Time Friday will add more classes in upcoming semesters. Because the classes offered are general education they also apply as the foundation to many other programs on campus including: Allied Health, Business, Social Science and Education, and Math and Science.

The new class schedule isn’t just for full time students. Any of the Friday classes are available to all students. The Full Time Friday class schedule will be intense. For a student taking four classes those courses would start at 8 a.m. and not finish until after 9 p.m.

The entire program is explained here.

Test to Measure College Performance Profiled

Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes, during several legislative hearings over the past few months, has mentioned the Collegiate Learning Assessment as a technique to potentially measure the performance of colleges and universities. The exam is given to a sample of students at the beginning of their college experience, and again toward the end. If the freshmen demonstrate a need for more writing skills, for instance, then faculty are encouraged to assign more written work.

Two universities in Colorado have implemented the CLA in their programs. It is interesting to see how these schools handle the various issues that arise in tandem with a standardized test to measure college performance. Commissioner Paredes has said it might be one way to avoid grade inflation if the funding formula in Texas is adjusted to reward "completers" rather than enrollees, as currently practiced.

A recent article in the Denver Post profiles the Colorado experience. From the piece:

One hundred Colorado State University freshmen will sit down before school starts this fall and take a test to measure how thoroughly they think, how well they write and how deftly they solve problems. Administrators hope to get a sense of whether the university is adding value to the students' lives. Increasingly, colleges and universities want to see how well they are doing their jobs — either internally or against competitors — by giving students tests to measure basic college- level skills. Some call the endeavor the "No Child Left Behind" movement for colleges, but so far, individual student performance isn't studied as much as class achievement.

And:

The school [Colorado State University] has budgeted $65,000 for testing this year. Last year, it gave the Collegiate Learning Assessment to 120 first-year students.

"I think if we make ourselves more transparent, then we increase the faith that the public has in higher education," [CSU President] Penley said. Other schools, like CU-Colorado Springs, prefer to use the information for mostly private purposes. They say the sample sizes are small and that test results are used for fine-tuning general-education course work.

And in the middle of the burgeoning national college accountability movement are many professors who say the true value of a higher education can never be measured with a single test — especially one taken by students who have no stake in the outcome.

At CSU, freshmen who agree to take the test get to move into dorms a day early. At CU-Colorado Springs, they get a $10 voucher to the school cafeteria.

"As faculty members, we're always interested in knowing that our students are achieving as much as they possibly can," said R.L. Widmann, a Shakespeare professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder and chairwoman of CU's faculty council. "But many faculty will be perturbed at the concept of a standardized test that could be used to blame them for inadequate teaching. As if that's the sole factor when a student doesn't succeed."

Health Benefits Overview Available

Summer enrollment for benefits program adjustments will commence later this summer. This is an excellent time to peruse the options available for health and dental benefits coverage from the Emloyees Retirement System of Texas. ERS has a very informative site providing an overview of its programs.

Health insurance, prescription drug coverage, and dental provider information can be accessed from this site. ERS has not announced any major changes for the 2008-09 plan year, but, depending on your geographic region, there are new provider options available.

On health benefits, TCCTA will monitor all interim hearings of the Texas Legislature, leading up to the Regular Session in January. Any significant developments will be reported here. The association is particularly concerned about a reprise of the issue of "proportionality" in funding benefits to community colleges. Gov. Perry's veto from last session has been restored, but interim committees are charged with investigating the matter again.