2009 Performance Accountability Report Vol. 2 - Maryland Higher ...

cohort. Another measure of successful learning is the percent of developmental completers after
four years, and 38.4 percent of the fall 2004 cohort requiring developmental coursework had
completed this coursework, nearly three percentage points higher than the previous cohort. To
continue the improvement in this indicator, the college is working with service area high schools
to implement a College Readiness Program by testing 11 th grade English students enrolled in all
Howard County public high schools. HCC and HCPSS faculty and staff are collaborating to align
the high school curriculum with HCC’s developmental courses and provide enrichment courses to
enhance skills as needed. Based on recommendations of the college’s Retention and
Developmental Education teams, a number of programs are already in place to improve
developmental completion. For example, the Step UP coaching program helps a cohort of at-risk
students take a more active role in their academic progress, thereby improving success and
retention. In this program faculty and staff volunteer to coach a student for a semester, with a goal
to keep students connected to the college and ensure that they receive needed services. Fall 2008
term GPA data indicate that Step UP completers outperformed students who did not complete the
program by 49.4% and by 10.8% for those who did not participate in the program. Additionally,
program assessment results indicate that the ratio of credit hours earned versus credit hours
attempted was significantly higher for program completers than for both noncompleters and
nonparticipants of the program (.85, .61, and .74, respectively). The impact of these strategies is
evident in the successful persistor rate after four years, where developmental completers
achieved rates that exceeded the 90 percent benchmark level, out-performing students who were
college-ready (84.5 percent) or had not completed their developmental requirements (53.6
percent). Revisions in the general education core, academic standards and developmental math
sequence have been implemented to positively affect these rates, and the college will further study
the impact of these new standards during the year ahead. Also slated for the upcoming year,
pending the availability of resources, is the design and implementation of an early warning
tracking system to allow faculty and staff to flag at-risk students, notify appropriate personnel,
and connect these students to appropriate resources. It is anticipated that early intervention made
possible by this early warning tracking system will positively impact successful persistor rates.
With a goal of eliminating barriers and facilitating smooth transfer to four-year institutions, the
college has undertaken initiatives to improve the graduation/transfer rate after four years of
college-ready students (67.6 percent), developmental completers (66.1 percent), and noncompleters
(37.9 percent) alike. All groups in the fall 2004 cohort, with the exception of collegeready
students, have shown improvement over the previous cohort. In a project to improve
student success, entry level barrier courses with large enrollment and high failure rates have been
identified, and pilot interventions that utilize best practices from the Achieve the Dream project
are planned. The college’s advising website provides general transfer information as well as
information about limited enrollment programs, transfer requirements for institutions in and
outside of Maryland, and transfer events and activities. In addition to fall and spring transfer fairs,
college representatives conducted programs on campus, and students visited a number of regional
campuses. Additional support services, mentoring, and scholarships and financial aid to address
some of the challenges faced by students as they pursue a degree or certificate have been
implemented. With a goal to increase retention, transfer, and graduation rates of low income, first-
generation, and/or students with disabilities, the college’s Student Support Services program
offers academic advising, personal and career counseling services, individualized tutoring, and
assistance by academic specialists. The college continues to monitor National Student
Clearinghouse output to help discern how many students are transferring to private Maryland or
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