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

enroll at UMES, they matriculate into this major only after passing PRAXIS I and achieving a
GPA of at least 2.75, consistent with the standards set by the National Council on Accreditation
in Teacher Education (NCATE), and Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). These
high standards translate into low enrollments, low teacher education graduates, and consequently
affect the number of new hires in the Maryland Public Schools per year from UMES. To date
numbers have neither been stable nor shown a consistent trend for UMES graduates in teacher
education hired in Maryland public schools because they are based on a survey that includes all
new hires regardless of the year when they were certified. Therefore, the number of graduates
employed in Maryland public schools is not directly related to the number that graduates in a
specific year. Moreover, FY 2009 data reveal a drop in teacher education admits and enrollment
from 43 in 2008 to 22, representing a decline of 48.8% in one year. The upshot of all this is that
the number of new hires is unlikely to reach 30, given the current enrollment trend and economic
conditions. Effective strategies need to be in place for increasing enrollments of undergraduate
teacher education students. The dramatic decline in the value of UMES’ endowment due to the
economic downturn and consequent decline in the number of scholarships available to students
notwithstanding, UMES remains committed to seeking and implementing strategies that will
increase both the quality and number of teacher education students for its 16 programs/
concentrations in education.
Decline in Graduation Rates for All Students and African American Students
UMES’ six-year graduation rate remained below the target set in the MFR of increasing to 55%
in 2009 from 52.4% in 2004. Many factors have affected the six-year graduation rate at UMES.
Specific factors contributing to the downward trend in graduation rates include (1) a decline in
second-year retention rates; (2) lack of adequate financial aid; (3) increase in college costs, other
than tuition that has remained changed for the past several years in the State of Maryland and (4)
underpreparedness of admitted students. Although the University System of Maryland has not
increased the cost of tuition this year as in the year before, with the current state of the economy,
funds for other costs have become unattainable for students from low-income families, who
constitute the majority of UMES’ student body. Therefore, there will continue to be a great need
for increased need-based financial assistance in order to help students offset the burden of
increased college costs.
With the initiatives that UMES implemented during FY 2009, gains from fall-to-spring
persistence rates (e.g., fall 2008 to spring 2009 for first-time full-time retention rate of 94.4%)
enhance prospects for an increased graduation rate. While most of the efforts are put in front
loading strategies for first-year students, the University also needs to make a forward thrust to
retain second- and third-year students at higher rates. For the first time in more than seven years
the “institutional” second-year retention rate, that is the rate at which those first-time full-time
students who start at UMES return to UMES the following year, has shown a significant
increase, rising to 70% for the 2008 cohort. This outcome is likely to have a positive impact on
the MFR retention objective results for next year. Meanwhile, the retention plans developed by
each academic department continue to be implemented. These plans include strategies for
engaging second and third year students in such activities as: (1) departmental honor societies,
(2) departmental clubs, (3) Honda all Star Challenge Team (i.e., academic bowl that competes
329