TCCTA Blog

Early College, Early Success

A new report addresses a thorny dilemma regarding the measurement of student success in so-called Early College programs. These initiatives, which enroll high school kids in college courses, have consistently shown promise, but most studies raise eyebrows since the programs tend to involve volunteer students (and, significantly, ambitious parents). Such young individuals are already more likely to succeed, by definition.

However, a new study from the American Institutes for Research compared randomized students to the rest. Please have a look. The project was launched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2002, so it measures student success over a substantial period of time, at a number of institutions. This takes serious resources. Enter Gates.

Importantly, the study does not involve dual credit courses—a whole other deal, and just as susceptible to the same cherry-picking. Randomization and perennial consistency are essential if pilot statistics are to be taken seriously for extrapolation to a large population.

College faculty also report anecdotal success with Early College youth. So far, however, as noted above, most such students are those who have already demonstrated promising ability and a strong inclination to succeed. The challenge is in finding a program that works for everyone. Maybe the AIR study is a step in the right direction.

Rules Clarified on Pregnant and Parenting Students

The U.S. Department of Education has issued a pamphlet for colleges and schools regarding its rules on the treatment of students who are pregnant or parenting while attending classes.

The document is available in pdf format and includes a very helpful FAQ section for counselors, administrators, and faculty. It’s easy to scroll down to the subjects most likely to arise in your classes.

The government’s guidance has not been updated officially in over two decades. Those who follow such issues closely will likely find no real surprises. However, the rules are worth perusal, especially regarding syllabus policies on make-up work and excused absences.

Title IX of the Civil Rights Act, passed in 1972, “protects students in all of the academic, educational, extracurricular, athletic, and other programs or activities of schools. This includes prohibiting discrimination against pregnant and parenting students,” according to the pamphlet.

Student Achievement Measure Announced

A commonly used method for calculating graduation rates, as stipulated by federal law, counts those students who enroll full-time and finish at their first college or university. This places many institutions, especially community colleges, at a disadvantage when comparisons are made, partly because the numbers do not account for an increasingly mobile student population. And, as we all know, most community college students enroll part-time.

A new approach formulated by a consortium of higher education organizations is the Student Achievement Measure. Known as SAM, the new metric provides an improved methodology to better account for the success of these students.

The Student Achievement Measure (SAM) Project is a joint initiative of the six national higher education presidential associations: the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), the American Council on Education (ACE), the Association of American Universities (AAU), the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (NAICU).

Here are some nuts and bolts:

Each SAM model will report results for two groups of students.

The bachelor’s degree model will report on (1) full-time students attending any college for the first time and (2) full-time, transfer-in students attending the reporting institution for the first time.

The associate’s and certificate program model will report on (1) full-time students attending the reporting institution for the first time and (2) part-time students attending the reporting institution for the first time.

Each SAM model will report multiple student outcomes.

The bachelor’s degree model will report on the percentage of students who have graduated either from (1) the reporting institution or (2) a subsequent institution, as well as students who are still enrolled at (3) the reporting institution or (4) a subsequent institution. The final outcome reported will be the percentage of students whose enrollment or completion status is unknown.

The associate’s and certificate program model will report on the percentage of students who have (1) graduated from the reporting institution, (2) are still enrolled at the reporting institutions, (3) transferred to a subsequent institution, or (4) whose enrollment or completion status is unknown.

Law Reduces Age for Vaccine Exemption

A new law, signed recently by Gov. Perry, will eliminate the meningitis immunization requirement for college students over the age of 22. Under current statute, students must be 30 to be exempt. The change takes effect Oct. 1, meaning it will affect students seeking to attend college during the spring 2014 semester, but not this coming fall.

Senate Bill 62 was authored by Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound). The vaccination legislation "aligns the current college student meningitis immunization rules with the recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention," according to an article by Diane Smith in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Community college students have been particularly affected by the mandate, since many are uninsured and may not have access to campus clinics, especially at smaller schools. 

“We fully support SB 62 because it is evidence-based. Aligning the law with the CDC recommendations will ensure that those most at risk are protected from this devastating disease,” said Anna Dragsbaek, president and CEO of the Immunization Partnership in Houston, according to the article.

Also from the piece:

“This is a huge step in the right direction for TCC students,” said David Ximenez, associate vice chancellor for enrollment services at Tarrant County College.

The law retools some of the requirements from the Jamie Schanbaum and Nicolis Williams Act, which previously expanded the immunization requirements for college students. That law stipulated that beginning in 2012, all entering students up to age 30 had to be vaccinated unless enrolled in online classes only.

Core Curriculum Deadline Approaches

Fall 2014 is the official deadline for the new core curriculum, which is generating controversy and tough decisions on some community college campuses. The effects upon faculty will depend upon institutional choices, but a key role is played by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Teachers of many subjects will likely be unaffected directly by the changes. However, others may find their course offerings restricted in the future. 

The current core curriculum will remain in effect until the new core is implemented.

The Board has posted a Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Administration in Preparing their New Core Curriculum on its Web site. Please have a look, as it is a comprehensive and highly informative list. It's also complicated.

Here's an interesting example:

Who is responsible for selecting the courses for the core on our campus?

Each institution will determine its own process and procedures for course approval, but best practices and accreditation guidelines generally place the faculty in a position of responsibility for curricular decisions. The Chief Academic Officer or Chief instructional Officer should send courses approved for inclusion in the institution's core curriculum to the Coordinating Board, where staff will review to ensure the courses meet all requirements (the content of a course is appropriate to the component area identified, all core objectives for the selected component area are covered in the course, number of semester credit hours are within prescribed parameters) and give final approval.

Important: This issue is separate from—but related to—SB 497, a new law passed during the most recent Regular Session, which places a cap on the number of semester hours colleges can require for an associates degree. Here's a previous post for background on this statute, which has been signed by the governor.

Teens (Joylessly) Adding to Facebook

A new survey by the respected Pew organization (specifically the Internet and American Life Project) provides a useful empirical snapshot of how teenagers continue adapting to the various social media tools available to them. Here is the full report, which is worth perusal.

These kids will be in your class soon, if they are not already.

The study contains no striking revelations. But it is clear that Facebook, while remaining the dominant site for teenage interaction, now has competitors. However, it's also likely that kids are using Instagram, for instance, for new features (such cool photography) primarily and that the teens are adding stuff, not replacing anything. Which likely consumes even more of their time and attention.

From the survey:

Users of sites other than Facebook express greater enthusiasm for their choice.
Those teens who used sites like Twitter and Instagram reported feeling like they could better express themselves on these platforms, where they felt freed from the social expectations and constraints of Facebook. Some teens may migrate their activity and attention to other sites to escape the drama and pressures they find on Facebook, although most still remain active on Facebook as well.

There are also some interesting distinctions in gender and ethnicity, summarized nicely in the introduction. The parts on privacy aren't particularly noteworthy, but you may wish to have a look.

As for pedagogical implications, some college teachers have reacted to the growth in social media by attempting to ban it from class, like families turning off the TV during meal times. Others have embraced the change, using Facebook as a course management system, for instance.

The least rational approach is to criticize people, young and old, for using it. You might as well go outside and scream at the sun.

But here's the troubling part: Observe a group of teens, gathered in a circle or sitting at a table, as they stare in solitude at little screens and stab at tiny keyboards. Their faces display a grim determination, faintly even fear—of exclusion, perhaps. O, youth! Whither thy joy?

What's Your Major?

Among the many trends in higher education that are worthy of concern, the push to get students committed early to particular majors is especially troublesome.

First, to be fair, capping the number of semester hours for baccalaureate and associates degrees is understandable—assuming the prime objective is short-run cost efficiency. And society can use more graduates in STEM fields, so perhaps it makes sense to nudge talented young people in this direction.

However, it turns out that what most employers want has little to do with specialization. Please read a recent piece called "Giving Employers What They Don't Really Want," by Robert J. Sternberg, provost and senior vice president at Oklahoma State University, and a professor of psychology and education there. He also is treasurer of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The article is in the June 17 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dr. Sternberg emphasizes that employers believe majors are important, but such specializations are secondary to other considerations, such as the ability to communicate effectively, deduce with precision, and evaluate complex situations while working diligently and ethically with others. Please read the entire piece. The author cites impressive employer survey evidence.

Current efforts to trim curriculum options for students, all in the interest of stipulated metrics, should be evaluated in light of what employers are actually seeking.

But never mind, for a moment, the surveys cited by Dr. Sternberg and others. Take your own personal inventory of successful people, defining success any way you choose. You will discover individuals who majored in the humanities, the arts, the social sciences, and a host of other fields that don't necessarily fit any preconceived cookie cutter.

Denver Offers Free Summer Remediation

Community college teachers and academic advisors are accustomed to greeting students each fall who have just graduated from high school—sometimes with very good grades—yet are unprepared for college work. Summer remediation, particularly in the form of so-called "summer bridge" programs, would seem to be a good idea.

As with so many practices, it's hard to find unequivocal data on the success of summer remediation. We must always keep in mind that, when students or parents come forward by volunteering, the results are open to criticism of "cherry-picking." These are the very students who are more likely to succeed anyway. Then there is the issue of deciding who qualifies, based on placement exams.

Obviously, cost can be an important factor, too. 

The city of Denver has taken the plunge with free summer offerings, indicating that it may be a wise investment. "More than 60 percent of Denver Public Schools graduates require remedial courses in college. Now Denver is providing free remedial math and English classes over the summer for college bound graduates, reports the Denver Post." The article is cited in Community College Spotlight, a publication of the Hechinger Institute. Here's the link.

The Community College of Denver and Western Colorado Community College instructors will teach the courses at DPS schools, according to the piece. "The summer courses will cost DPS about $50,700. District officials said the program could save students and the state money in the long run," the article states.

New Law Cuts Grad Requirements

Gov. Perry, after some tense moments for public school officials regarding a potential veto, has signed HB 5 into law. The new statute reduces the number of end-of-course examinations required for high school graduation from 15 to five. It also repeals the present requirement that exams constitute 15 percent of a student’s final grade.

The governor was urged to veto the bill by some business leaders, who are concerned about a potential diminution of academic standards. Commissioner of Higher Education Raymund Paredes in testimony also expressed criticism of HB 5, regarding a purported negative effect upon college readiness. School officials and parents, on the other hand, complained about the sheer number of exams and the time away from instruction the testing regimen necessitated. "Test fatigue"  is a term commonly employed in Texas.

It is difficult to say how college readiness will be affected generally over time by the change in policy. Some mathematics instructors, for instance, are concerned that competency in Algebra II is no longer required for graduation. However, others point out that such skills may not be necessary for many careers that do not require a college degree.

Here is a press release from the Texas Education Agency on the affected disciplines and the prospective time line.

In the Beginning…

As more and more students shift from print to online formats for class assignments, it's worth considering how overall reading habits adapt. For instance, do student readers persist at the same rate with digital material?

A recent article in Slate, written by Farhad Manjoo, points out an interesting way to quantify such habits, using Slate articles and a histogram. Check it out.

In a word, readers tend to bail out early with online material. Obviously, a class assignment involves a different set of motivations than reading for amusement. However, have a look at the charts (um…if you get that far without clicking to go elsewhere). The title of the piece is "Why You Won't Finish This Article."

Maybe this is old news. In colonial New England, settlers tended to read the early books of the Bible, according to scholars, but rarely got to the later books. Which is interesting, since, as Christians for the most part, one would expect these individuals to focus on the New Testament. The pages of Genesis and Exodus are often worn out in surviving Bibles. Colonists often also named their children after early biblical characters such as Moses and Joshua (not Eve, but that's another story), rather than disciples and apostles.

Some historians believe these Americans loved the early part since they identified with the "chosen people" in the Pentateuch. Or maybe their attention spans wavered, once the plagues, locusts, floods, and massacres were over.