TCCTA Blog

Board Approves Rules on HB 2504

On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board unanimously approved rules to implement HB 2504, a new law that requires all higher education institutions to post detailed course information on their Web sites. As testimony before the board indicated, much of the information, in particular course syllabi and curriculum vitae of faculty, is already published or posted, in compliance with guidelines of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

However, for faculty and supervisors the most controversial requirement of the new statute is the following language:

Institutions of higher education included in this section shall conduct end-of-course student evaluations of faculty and develop a plan to make evaluations available on the institution's website.

HB 2504 was enacted in the waning hours of the 2009 Regular Session. For background on this important issue, please read this previous post. The text of the bill is available here. 

Testimony by Coordinating Board staffer MacGregor Stephenson confirmed that schools are not required under the law to post student evaluations by any stipulated time, but each college and university must develop a plan to do so. The deadline for the plan is August 2010 (the board's rules extended the deadline from January because of an inconsistency in the statutory language). Importantly, this means that institutions will determine the format and scope of their evaluation instruments.

It is vital that faculty members on each campus participate in this process to help insure that the evaluations represent a valid assessment of faculty, do not jeopardize academic rigor, and do not violate the privacy of students and teachers. If you have information to share on this subject regarding current efforts at your school to formulate an evaluation plan, please send it to snelson@tccta.org, so it can be reported to colleagues around the state as appropriate. 

It's Official: Enrollment Surges 11 Percent

Some 65,000 new students were enrolled in Texas community colleges from fall of last year to this fall, representing an 11 percent increase in enrollment statewide. Officials of the Texas Association of Community Colleges (TACC) called this increase a "positive development" in a letter last week to the state's leadership, marking Texas community colleges' response to the increased demand for higher education opportunities throughout the state.

Richard Rhodes, TACC chair and president of El Paso Community College, and Rey Garcia, TACC president, said in a letter to the governor, lieutenant governor, and House speaker that community colleges in Texas have grown by more than 40 percent since 2000. The two noted that is like "adding the equivalent of seven Texas Tech universities or four Universities of Texas at Austin to the state's higher education system capacity."

"We are doing our part," they wrote. The question is how much more can they do at current funding levels.

The above information was reported in Texas Government Insider, a weekly publication of Strategic Partnerships, Inc.

Data on Student Evaluations Sought

At the recent TCCTA Fall Conference for Faculty Leaders in Austin, a major topic of conversation was the impact of HB 2504, a new statute that requires institutions of higher education to "develop a plan" to make student evaluations available online. (For background, please view this post.)

Soon colleges will likely begin finding ways to implement the new law. While there is no shortage of commentary on this issue from faculty, it is more difficult to find empirical evidence on the subject. Is there, for instance, a strong correlation between high grades and high student evaluations? Do evaluation results vary across disciplines? What are the best questions to ask students when they evaluate their instructors? What are the technical obstacles and alternatives? These and other questions are vital in addressing what appears to be a formidable challenge for Texas colleges and universities during the coming months. 

Members are urged to share their specialized knowledge regarding any valid measurements, studies, pilot programs, etc., that have been conducted in recent years. Ideally, any studies submitted should be accessible in published form. Anecdotal or impressionistic narratives can be extremely useful and often compelling, but at this point the association is interested especially in statistical evidence that can be used by educators at the campus level. TCCTA will share such information on the association's Web site.

Please send any documents or pertinent information to snelson@tccta.org.

Governor Orders Review of Higher Ed Spending

Gov. Rick Perry has issued an executive order directing the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to begin working with public higher education institutions on a comprehensive review of system-wide areas where taxpayer dollars might be saved or used more efficiently.

The review will include an evaluation of state funding based on student course completion, restructuring of state financial aid programs, consolidation or elimination of academic programs having little success, faculty workload, and transfer agreements between two- and four-year institutions. Also coming under scrutiny will be cost of instructional materials and possible ways to curb the necessity of creating new campuses—such as through the use of Internet classes and distance learning.

The goal, according to the governor, is to improve cost efficiencies in the state's higher education institutions.

Part of the board's review will include analyzing and assessing cost saving measures other states and other countries have implemented relative to providing avenues to higher education.

The report and its recommendations are to be submitted to the governor, the Texas Legislature and public institutions of higher education by Nov. 1, 2010.

The above information was distributed by the Texas Government Insider, a weekly publication of Strategic Initiatives, Inc.

Closing the Gaps Progress Report Now Online

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, at its most recent quarterly meeting, received an update on the progress of the Closing the Gaps initiative, an effort to raise the level of participation, success, research, and excellence to that of the other populous states by 2015. As reported here earlier, much of the story concerns the challenge of keeping up with the growth in the Latino population. The published report contains information that should be of interest to community and technical college educators. There are a great many charts and graphs in the full report, which is provided here. It is recommended to peruse through the Table of Contents and the Executive Summary in the various categories. 

Below are few verbatim bits that are of particular interest:

Analysis and Observations

Graduation rates for entering full-time students must improve if Closing the Gaps success rates are to be achieved. The six-year graduate rate of first-time, full-time cohorts at universities increased steadily during the first five years. Since then, however, it has been flat. To continue progress on the undergraduate success goal, more than 56 percent of all students who enter universities as full-time enrollees must graduate within six years. 

At community colleges, 25.7 percent of first-time, full-time students completed a bachelor’s or associate’s degree or a certificate for the cohort completing six years in FY 2000, compared with 30.6 percent for the FY 2005 group, and 30.8 for the most recent FY 2007 group. This growth is encouraging, but the percentage of students enrolling full-time at community colleges is decreasing. Increasing completion rates at two-year institutions in both academic and technical programs is imperative. 

Efforts to help students persist and succeed in higher education must be increased. Hispanic and African American students persist and graduate at lower rates than whites and Asians. The plateau of graduation rates may reflect the increasing number of these students in the entering cohorts. Understanding the needs and challenges of our state’s diverse student participants will be critical for meeting success goals. 

Strategies for improving success must address the critical role of students’ preparation for college-level coursework. Efforts must focus on both improving the skills of incoming students and supporting effective and scalable developmental education programs for student who arrive underprepared. Students who do not meet the state’s TSI standards in math, reading, and writing must take developmental education in their deficiency areas.

For the fall 2004 cohort of first-time students at universities, only 35.6 percent of these students who were not prepared in math successfully completed a college level math course within three to four years.

Less prepared students are more likely to attend community colleges. Only 15.7 percent of entering 2004 community college students who were under prepared in math successfully completed a college level course within three to four years. As with universities, the percentage of community college students receiving college credit in the other two TSI areas was higher -- 42.7 percent for those deficient in reading and 35.4 percent for those underprepared in writing.

Stimulus Funds Target Community Colleges

Community colleges around the country are busy applying for federal stimulus funds, according to a variety of media reports. The funds are geared toward several key objectives, particularly in workforce training. The largest chunk of the money will go to pilot programs. According an article by Matthew Haag of the Dallas Morning News (registration), Texas schools are moving ahead, and looking forward to some much-needed help. While some college leaders express concern that the federal criteria may prove cumbersome, most are celebrating the fact that two-year schools have been placed on the "front burner."

The DMN piece includes a nice summary of the program:

BACKGROUND: STIMULUS HELP FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

SOURCE: The $12 billion in federal stimulus money for community colleges would supply funds over the next decade. The money would come from eliminating subsidies given to private banks for student loans. The grants would be distributed in three categories.

BREAKDOWN: About $9 billion would fund pilot programs; $2.5 billion would help colleges renovate and maintain buildings, and construct new ones; and $500 million would aid community colleges in creating high school and college-level online courses available to the public for free.

APPLYING: Community colleges seeking funds must submit a plan for meeting certain accountability measurements. Colleges would then have to submit annual reports on whether they met those goals, which some area college leaders say don't accurately measure the success of a two-year college.

BENCHMARKS: Colleges would be required to close gaps in enrollment and completion rates for underrepresented student groups. Programs that use the funds would need to address area workforce demands. Colleges would need to increase the number of students moving on to four-year universities.

Here's a passage from Mr. Haag's piece:

Area college leaders say they view the unprecedented financial boost as recognition of two-year colleges' importance and hope the funds can jump-start cash-strapped projects and expand high-demand educational programs at their campuses.

"There is almost universal acknowledgment that this is the first time in 50 years that the community colleges have been on the front burner," said Wright Lassiter, chancellor of Dallas County Community College District. "It's for that reason we must step up and be prepared to deliver."

President Barack Obama proposed the multibillion-dollar plan in July, and Congress is expected to resume debating the federal aid legislation next month. Obama has said he believes community colleges are vital to the economic recovery and wants the stimulus money to encourage them to graduate 5 million more students by 2020.

Local community college presidents said they're elated by the proposal, but some have expressed concern about how the grants will be awarded and the guidelines colleges will need to meet to keep the funds.

Two-year colleges applying for aid will also need to submit plans for how to meet federal goals tied, in part, to modernizing campuses, expanding online courses and raising student retention rates and graduation rates. Based on the proposals, the Department of Education will decide if the colleges deserve any funds.

Cary Israel, president of the Collin County Community College District, said he's worried the process could shift control of the colleges from local governing boards to the federal government.

"I'm concerned that they lose sight by not allowing the innovativeness at the local level," Israel said. "Because we know our needs better than they do in Washington, D.C."

But the consternation hasn't stopped Collin College officials from identifying the school's priorities for possible funding.

Plan for Online Student Evaluations Mandated

The Coordinating Board is requesting input on proposed rules to implement a new law requiring online publication of course information by institutions of higher education. The proposed rules are open for public comment for the next 30 days. Contact information is provided below.

Here is the official bill summary of the new law, HB 2504.

Under the statute, colleges will be required to post course syllabi, the Curriculum Vitae of faculty members (listing schools attended, publications, and teaching experience, e.g.), cost information, and other pertinent facts about each course. These items are often found online presently, or at least in the official catalogs of each institution. In fact some publication is required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

However, controversy may result from the following passage in HB 2504: "Institutions of higher education included in this section shall conduct end-of-course student evaluations of faculty and develop a plan to make evaluations available on the institution's website."

As reported earlier, this sentence, one of several Senate floor amendments also approved by the House on Saturday, May 30 (two days before adjournment), was inserted after all hearings on the bill had been held, precluding any realistic opportunity for comment or testimony from educators. The bill passed both chambers unanimously. The author of the law is Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham). The Senate sponsor is Sen. Florence Shapiro (R-Plano), who chairs the Senate Committee on Education.

As practitioners are aware, schools now routinely conduct student evaluations of all instructors. In a typical scenario, anonymous evaluations are collected (without faculty participation or potential influence) in each class, then shared with the instructor by supervisors after grades have been distributed. However, HB 2504 will result inevitably in a new level of state uniformity. Its practical effect may also hinge upon how the statute is interpreted via Coordinating Board rules.

Experienced faculty members have learned that, while student evaluations can be extremely useful, the results can vary arbitrarily, depending upon a host of circumstances: time of day, the number of students who registered late for newly opened classes, the educational background of students in a particular section, attendance on a given day, and other factors unrelated to the quality of instruction. Faculty members also report that intellectual rigor, the complexity and difficulty of assignments, and whether essay exams are required can also influence student evaluations. Not surprisingly, it is commonplace to observe that students who receive high grades give better evaluations of faculty. Today, students who wish to pursue the path of least resistance often chat among themselves about prospective teachers prior to registration, but HB 2504 will give them a more efficient tool.

TCCTA, with the help of association lobbyist Beaman Floyd, has begun to share the perspective of community and technical college educators with policy makers, paying careful attention to (1) the potential effect of using student evaluations to inform educational choices by students and parents, (2) whether intellectual rigor could be placed in jeopardy by publishing such evaluations, and (3) concerns about the privacy of students and teachers.

The proposed rules will be considered by the Academic Excellence and Research committee on September 22 and by the full Coordinating Board on October 29. Members are invited to send comments on these proposed rules to MacGregor Stephenson at macgregor.stephenson@thecb.state.tx.us and to Kevin Lemoine at kevin.lemoine@thecb.state.tx.us. [IMPORTANT: In communicating with Coordinating Board officials, participants are urged to be constructive and to keep in mind that written comments will become part of the public record.]

In addition, members wishing to offer suggestions about the issues discussed above may do so by responding to this post. TCCTA will use this information to formulate the association's strategy on these important matters.

Gaps Not Closing for Latino Students

The Coordinating Board, at its recent quarterly meeting, received an update on the progress of the Closing the Gaps initiative, which aspires to bring Texas up to the level of other populous states in various categories of enrollment, achievement, and excellence in higher education.

The good news is that, overall, many gaps are closing. However, in terms of Latino students, this particular population is growing more rapidly than new enrollments and graduates. There has been progress, but the schools are not keeping up. It's part of a national trend.

In a "Major Policy Discussion," which the board often includes in its agenda, the group heard from an expert in the field, Patricia Gandara, a professor of education at the University of California. She is the author of The Latino Education Crisis. Members of the board had been given copies of her book prior to the meeting.

Much of what Dr. Gandara had to say dealt with the early experiences of Latino children, and the various controversies involving topics such as bilingual education. Texas education policy increasingly focuses on the entire pipeline, with the advent of P-16 councils, college "readiness" initiatives, and unprecedented efforts to unify the scope of the Coordinating Board and Texas Education Agency.

In terms of community colleges, Dr. Gandara made some very interesting comments. She stated that Latino students tend to do better at more selective institutions. However, nationwide, 80 percent of these students begin their education at two-year schools. She said we should reconsider the notion that the best path for these individuals to achieve a bachelor's degree is for them to begin at community colleges. She added that these schools have too many demands heaped upon them, are not well funded, and shouldn't be expected to do everything for everybody. She also applauded Texas for its current deep examination of developmental education (see the previous post).

She noted in conclusion that, if someone asked her to name one single reform that the Obama administration should embrace, it would be to recruit more Latinos to become teachers.

Board Targets Developmental Education

Those in the field of developmental education are urged to pay close attention to some potential shifts in policy over the next few years. Yesterday (July 30), the Coordinating Board approved a plan to systematically examine different approaches, reportedly based on valid research and best practices. As reported here frequently, Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes has often called for a "complete overhaul" of developmental education.

The plan will utilize a recent appropriation of $5 million to fund grants for "demonstration projects that focus on broad systemic reform of developmental education in community colleges." Two-year schools will be invited to submit proposals. Also participating are Texas State University-San Marcos and the Gates Foundation.

Speaking to the Coordinating Board was staffer Tamara Clunis, who said the focus will also concentrate on faculty development, since instructors are sometimes unaware of new techniques that are currently producing results around the country. In order to qualify for funds, schools must focus on the board's stated goals. Curriculum "redesign" and a "module" approach to instruction tend to be more effective with the targeted population, Ms. Clunis stated.

Below is the background information provided by board staff for the agenda on this item:

Coordinating Board (CB) staff seek approval of a long-range plan to improve the effectiveness of developmental education in Texas. The Coordinating Board will leverage its partnership with the new doctoral program in developmental education at Texas State University-San Marcos and the recently funded Developmental Education Initiative with the Gates Foundation to help execute the proposed long-range plan. The proposed plan will focus on four strategies:

Developmental Education Demonstration Projects

The core strategy for the long-range plan is to fund several demonstration projects that focus on broad systemic reform of developmental education in community colleges. The projects will implement innovative strategies based upon best practices in developmental education to improve access, acceleration, and success of students placed into developmental education coursework. Through rigorous evaluation models,
these projects will help the CB determine the effectiveness and scalability of these initiatives around the state. The key program elements for the demonstration projects will focus on:

• Assessment and placement
• Academic advising
• Differentiated instruction
• Faculty development
• Program evaluation
• P-16 alignment

Professional Development

This strategy will focus on improving the preparedness of developmental educators. In the January 2007 report of the State P-16 Council-Developmental Education Subcommittee, recommendations were made to address the inherent weakness of the professional development delivery system for Texas developmental educators. The subcommittee reported that developmental education professional development is lacking in availability, quality, and relevance. Teacher quality has a direct impact on student outcomes.

Technical Assistance to Institutions

This strategy will work in tandem with the comprehensive demonstration projects. This effort will focus on providing professional or management advice and training provided by state and national experts in developmental education and organizational development.

Program Excellence

The CB’s Strategic Plan for Texas Public Community Colleges calls for institutions to Close the Gaps in Excellence by obtaining national recognition for programs and services. Under this strategy, community college districts will be encouraged to seek national recognition for developmental education programs.

Coordinating Board Meets Today

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board conducts its quarterly meeting today in Austin. As always the agenda is lengthy. At this particular meeting, there will be much discussion of the new laws enacted in the most recent Regular Session of the Texas Legislature, which adjourned on June 1. The Closing the Gaps initiative, enrollment statistics, and agency funding issues will also be discussed. A link to the entire agenda is provided below, but here are a few of the items that pertain to community and technical colleges:

• Accelerating Latino Educational Achievement
• Update on the Federal Stimulus Funds
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation for approval of nominated members of the Formula Funding Advisory Committees for 2012-2013 biennium
• Consideration of the Commissioner’s recommendation relating to adopting amendments to Chapter 13, Subchapter F, Section 13.104, of Board rules concerning the formula funding for public institutions of higher education for certain credit hours that do not count toward a degree, as required by Texas Education Code, Section 61.0595 (d) (H.B. 101 and S.B. 1343, 81st Texas Legislature)
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation relating to a request from North Central Texas College to hold a branch campus maintenance tax election in the Graham, Young County, Texas Independent School District
• Consideration of adopting the Commissioner’s recommendation relating to amendments to Chapter 4, new Subchapter M, Sections 4.215-4.218 of Board rules concerning notice of the availability of higher education textbooks through multiple retailers, as required by Texas Education Code, Section 51.9705 (H.B. 1096, 81st Texas Legislature)
• Consideration of adopting the Commissioner’s recommendation relating to the amendments to Chapter 4, Subchapter E, Section 4.105, of Board rules concerning the approval of distance education, off-campus, and extension courses and programs for public institutions and Chapter 9, Subchapter H, Section 9.144, of Board rules concerning Partnerships between Secondary Schools and Public Two-Year Colleges as required by Texas Education Code, Section 130.008(d) and (d-1) (H.B. 2480, 81st Texas Legislature)
• Summary of compliance notification resulting from institutional effectiveness evaluation of associate degree-granting institutions
• Discussion of the Quarterly Update on College Readiness Initiatives
• Consideration of adopting the staff recommendation relating to the Statewide Developmental Education Plan
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation to the Board relating to the report on Financial Aid for College Students in Texas, Fiscal Year 2008 (H.B. 1, General Appropriations Act, Rider 13, page III-49, 80th Texas Legislature) 
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation relating to amendments to Sections 21.121, 21.126, and 21.131 of Board rules, concerning the Texas B-On-Time Loan Program 
• Consideration of adopting the Commissioner’s recommendation relating to amendments to Section 21.29 of Board rules, concerning Determination of Resident Status and Waiver Programs for Certain Nonresident Persons (H.B. 4244 and S.B. 297, 81st Texas Legislature)
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation relating to the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act funds to colleges and consortia for Basic Grant, Tech-Prep, and Leadership activities for program year 2009-2010
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation for requests for applications regarding the Developmental Education Demonstration Projects, Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation to purchase services through a contract regarding the Community College Developmental Education Initiative, Fiscal Year 2009
• Consideration of adopting the Committee’s recommendation for requests for applications regarding P-16 Regional Councils, Fiscal Year 2010

Here's the full agenda, which includes some active links with more information on some of the topics listed above.

Here's the Coordinating Board Web site, which includes a link to watch and listen to the meeting.