RVCC 2019 NECHE Self-Study

Registered students can see their charges online through the student SIS (Student
Information System). Costs are published on the RVCC website and available through the
Business Office. If a student chooses to borrow loans, they are required to complete
Entrance Counseling which helps a student understand their rights and responsibilities as a
loan borrower and also understand student loan debt and loan repayment. The Net Price
Calculator, an online tool to help students and families estimate costs, is also available
through RVCC’s website.
River Valley also encourages students to apply for both need-based and merit scholarships
through the RVCC website and through the CCSNH AwardSpring program, which matches
students with potential scholarships.
Appraisal of Admissions & Financial Aid
RVCC works hard to support all students regardless of their past educational and personal
experiences throughout all student services. The College has standard admission policies,
and any program with special admissions requirements clearly identifies the policy in
written admissions material.
The advising processes for the co-requisite math courses have been clearly developed over
the past two years in response to a change in the mathematics program at RVCC. The corequisite
model is offered at all locations and allows students who would traditionally be
placed into developmental courses to be placed into entry-level mathematics courses with
real time support to mitigate the persistence factor. This model allows students to
complete the entire developmental pathway throughout their time in their gateway
mathematics course. This is done through an appropriate, structured, lab-model of extra
learning. This model has shown promising results in the math department (Figure 5.2 –
“Co-Requisite Math”, Rich Andrusiak, Department Chair, Math). The co-requisite model
decreases time in college level Math completion and cost for students, and is showing
excellent results in regards to student retention. This success is most visible when looking
at the two-year success rate, defined as a student passing a gateway college Math course
within two years of starting the math pathway. Previously, when using the traditional
model of developmental coursework prior to a college level course, the pass rate was lower
than the national average of 21%. In 2012, there was a redesign of the developmental
pathway which resulted in an increase of the two-year pass rate to 34% (the first increase
in the third column of Figure 5.2). This improvement continued between 2012 and 2017
after the first math redesign. In Fall of 2017, with the implementation of the co-requisite
model; pass rates of student taking college level math increased significantly to 76% and
in Spring of 2018 to 94%. This is well beyond the national average of students in a
developmental pathway. Even more interesting is that the co-requisite groups now have
success rates similar to those students who do not require placement into the co-requisite
programs, students who are considered “college ready” based on math advising. Success
rates of non-co-requisite students was 78% in Fall 2017 and 88% in Spring 2018. Not
only is RVCC now well above the national average for successful completion of a math
class, regardless of entry level course, but co-requisite students are finding success in
their college-level math classes at a rate equivalent to their peers who do not require
additional math assistance. This success has allowed students who previously may be held
up in their education due to lack of success in math to continue in their programs at the
same rate as their peers.
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