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An Evaluation of Two Developmental Assessments Use in Three Community Colleges
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| Presenter(s):
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| Xin Liang, University of Akron, liang@uakron.edu
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| Abstract:
Parsad, Lewis, & Greene (2003) found that 92 percent of two-year institutions use the resulting scores for placement into remedial education. Accuplacer and Compass are two tests that dominate the current assessment market for community colleges. However, there is a gap between specific scores and expected proficiency requirement needed for different level of developmental courses in preparing more students to successfully enroll in and complete certificate and degree programs in community colleges. The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of Accuplacer and Compass and how the two tests can best be used to inform placement and encourage learning. The data was based on the researcher's experiences with the ACCUPLACER and the COMPASS tests to assess academic proficiency in three community colleges in an evaluation project. The results indicated that the use of ACCUPLACER with 4 levels of proficiency: referral, 2-level below college, 1-level below college, and college level was more sensitive to capture student progress in learning developmental mathematics accurately than COMPASS.
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College Preparation and the Need for Remedial Instruction: Evaluating the Foundational Coursework Program
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| Presenter(s):
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| Katherine Beck, Westwood College, kbeck@westwood.edu
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| Abstract:
In Colorado, one-third of the high school graduating class of 2009 entered a state university or college needing remedial help in at least one basic skills class: reading, writing or math. For Westwood College, headquartered in Denver, this is a critical statistic. For the average Westwood College student, there are already other difficult circumstances threatening to derail them from academic success. Therefore, we wanted to evaluate our institution's ability to first identify, and ultimately meet the needs of this large proportion of our population who are not prepared for college.
This session focuses on how we conducted an evaluation of our Foundational Coursework Program, the challenges we faced, and our unexpected conclusions. Both the identification and the placement of these students will be discussed. Additionally, discussion will focus on the many difficulties campus staff and administration face when identifying and placing students that add complexity to this type of evaluation.
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Evaluation Approach of and Lessons Learned from an Evaluation of a Community College Retention Program
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| Presenter(s):
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| Charyl Yarbrough, The Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, cyarbrou@ejb.rutgers.edu
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| Bill Mabe, The Heldrich Center for Workforce Development, billmabe@ejb.rutgers.edu
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| Abstract:
Community colleges play a vital role in America's educational system, offering low-income and disadvantaged students the skills they need for economic success. Sadly, most community college students never graduate and half dropout in the first year. Many colleges are working to improve retention by offering support services designed to strengthen non-cognitive abilities and help students overcome barriers. Our paper presents findings and lessons learned from a two-year evaluation of a retention program for black males at an urban community college where the graduation rate for black males is 5%. The purpose of the evaluation was to assess outcomes and provide recommendations for program development. We analyzed outcome data using propensity scoring and used qualitative data collection approaches to learn about program processes. This paper is a resource for evaluators interested in engaging in a discussion of research methodologies that can be applied to outcome based studies of higher education initiatives.
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