Transcript Document
Policy Roundtable Public Act 12-40 University of Hartford Need for Change • Identified for Remedial Education: In CT Approximately 2/3 of entering full-time students needed remediation. Need for Change • Graduation Rate of Remedial Education Students: In CT only 8% of the students taking remedial courses earned a credential within three years. National Figures • Approximately 50% of those entering two-year colleges placed in remedial courses. • Fewer than 1 in 10 earn a credential in three years. Complete College America, 2012 Questions Asked How can we meet our economic need for more college graduates? • Highest percentage of college graduates in our population in worldwide comparisons (40%) Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2012 • Dropped to 12th out of 36 nations in the number of 25-34 year olds with degrees New York Times, July 23, 2010 Questions Asked Are the state and the student getting a return on their investments in remedial education? Questions Asked Can we continue to do things the same way and expect different results? A Change Agenda • Public Act 12-40 is the result of little change or slow progress in remedial/developmental education results at individual community colleges and the absence of a change agenda by the Community College Board of Trustees. A State Senator Comments Senator Beth Bye, Chair of the CT Higher Education and Workforce Committee recently noted “ she was tired of waiting for ‘another task force and another pilot’ to fix the problem.” Chronicle of Higher Education, July 16, 2013 CT Overview • Work with public schools on earlier identification of students who are behind, as well as a smoother transition based on Common Core Standards. • Multiple placement measures • Embedded instruction (co-requisite) • Limit on remediation outside of the side-by-side model • Work with adult education and other partners to reach students who need in depth remediation. Action in Other States Other states have taken some statewide action to change the approach to remedial/developmental education: Florida: Traditional age students can enroll directly in credit-bearing courses without placement testing. Older students need testing but must be offered options. Other States • Tennessee: Performance Funding, 2010, legislation limiting remedial coursework in community colleges. • Texas, Florida, Virginia: 12th grade transitional courses. Programs that Work • Community College of Baltimore County: Embedded instruction in English 101 – students pass with a grade of C or better at more than twice the rate of a control group. • Other promising initiatives – Berkshire Community College- GetREAL Center Program Miami Dade – Modular math strategy Middlesex Community College –MA – Ramp Up Math – self-paced modules What Else Needs to be Done? • Professional development for faculty • Better counseling • Early program commitment • Creation of programs by colleges and workforce boards that embed remedial instruction into job preparation How will success be measured by the BOR? • Metrics! • Metrics! • Metrics! Do students complete gateway courses? Do students complete programs? Actual data and in-state/out-of-state comparisons. Possible Unintended Consequences • Inadequate funding for new system. • Too many Connecticut citizens without literacy and numeracy skills to compete in today’s economy. Is a college truly “open access” if in the end the student does not have access to a credential that opens doors to future career and personal success?