IDENTIFICATION
+ INTERVENTION
=RETENTION
Presented by:
James D. Wagner
Director of Testing,
Director of Academic Opportunity Program,
Assistant Professor of Education
IDENTIFICATION
IDENTIFICATION
+ INTERVENTION
IDENTIFICATION
+ INTERVENTION
=RETENTION
Who am I? (T/F)
• Write 4 T/F statements about yourself:
– 2 True
– 2 False
Which are true about Jim Wagner?
1___Has a BA degree in History and MA in Counseling
2___Has traveled in 45 different states and 1 foreign country
3___Was born on the exact same day as his wife
4___Teaches Golf at Liberty University
5___Has 3 children and 4 grandchildren
6___Has lived in New Jersey, Michigan, Virginia and California
7___Is the Public Address Announcer for LU’s Men’s BB team
8___Played Tevia in Fiddler on the Roof
9___Worked 6 yrs as a houseparent at a ranch for boys
10__Was Captain of his high school football team
Graduation Statistics
• By Mary Beth Marklein, USA TODAY
•
• Even as colleges nationwide celebrate commencement season, hundreds
of schools are failing to graduate a majority of their students in six years, a
report says today.
• Nationally, four-year colleges graduated an average of just 53% of entering
students within six years, and "rates below 50%, 40% and even 30% are
distressingly easy to find," says the report by the American Enterprise
Institute, a conservative think tank. It's based on data reported to the
Education Department by nearly 1,400 schools about full-time first-time
students who entered in fall 2001
Foundational Principles
• The more we know about a person, the better
we can help them.
• How do we find out about students applying to
our college?
1. Application
2. Interview
3. TEST SCORES AND HIGH SCHOOL GPA
How do we help students
who earned high SAT/ACT scores?
CLEP
IDENTIFICATION
RESEARCH
Average of SAT/ACT of students who passed a CLEP test
SAT VERBAL
• ENGL COMP W/ ESSAY 587 # = 155
• HUMANITIES
558 # = 119
• SOCIAL SCIENCES
559 # = 69
• COLLEGE MATH
• NATURAL SCIENCES
SAT MATH
587 # = 97
557 # = 66
ACT ENGLISH
24.5 # = 69
24.7 # = 53
23.9 # = 35
ACT MATH/ SCI REA
23.7 # = 40
23.9 # = 32
INTERVENTION
Once we determine the average test scores of the
students who passed each CLEP test, we:
1. Send a letter and an email telling them about
CLEP,
2. Send an email giving a link to our CLEP
website: www.liberty.edu/clep.
We also make it easy for them to take CLEP tests
by having 6 computers dedicated to CLEP and
offering 3-4 sessions on each computer Mon-Fri.
RESULTS
A 10-year longitudinal study showed that
Liberty students who passed a CLEP test had an
1. average GPA of 3.34 and
2. a graduation rate of 82%!!
RETENTION!!
What about students
at the other end of SAT/ACT?
• LU has basic admission standards, but does
accept some academically at risk students.
• SACS says, “If you accept them, you must
service them.”
IDENTIFICATION
Students who tend to struggle academically
and were dropping out at a high rate had:
• less than 450 SAT Verbal and/or 16 ACT
English and Reading AND less than 3.0
H.S. GPA
INTERVENTION
HOW DO WE HELP THEM?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Remedial or developmental classes
Limit # of credit hours they can take
Admit on Academic Warning
Require a Study Strategies course
Still not enough!!!
ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM
(AOP)
• In the late 1980s, a faculty member devised a
program to incorporate these elements and
added two more and called it AOP.
• What we added was “block scheduling”, where
we had 7 groups of 25-28 students who had the
exact same schedule.
• Classes were required either because of their test
scores or that LU requires.
• We also changed the Study Strategies class from
1 credit hour to 3 and called it Foundations for
Academic Success.
Catalogue Description
COLLEGE LEARNING STRATEGIES
CLST 100 Foundations for Academic Success 3 hours
“Designed to assist students in their academic adjustment
to college. It is part of a special program limited to a select
group. Attention is given to goal-setting, organizing for
study, time management, textbook mastery, reading
comprehension and rate, listening, memory, note-taking,
motivation for study, test taking, study strategies in other
classes and orientation to University services.”
Why Use Block Scheduling?
1. We can hand-pick professors; not easiest, but
those who will work with these students.
2. CLST professor has syllabi for all other classes,
and can make what they are teaching practical.
Also, give reminders about upcoming tests,
quizzes, papers, etc.
3. Have schedules to meet the student’s desires for
class times, AM or PM.
4. Ready-made study groups and partners
5. Easier social adjustment
CHANGES
We have made only two major changes to the
Program since its inception:
1. We added an elective course, either a
required general education course or an
introductory course in the student’s intended
major, and took out the required Humanities
course.
2. We lowered the # in each group to 20-22.
HOW DO WE SELL THE PROGRAM
TO THE STUDENT?
• Once we identify a student as an AOP
candidate, we put a Hold on their account so
they can’t register themselves for classes.
• Then, we make personal contact with each
one, explain the program and ask if they want
to be in it.
• Volunteers needed!
YOUR ACADEMIC PROFILE
•
•
•
•
•
SAT CRITICAL READING = 410
SAT MATH = 390
H.S. GPA = 2.65
Admitted on Academic Warning
Major is Communications
RESULTS
We did a 10-year longitudinal study of students
who qualified for AOP, and found that if they…
Participated
Did NOT Participate
• average GPA of 2.43, and
• graduated at a rate of 35%.
• average GPA of 2.08, and
• graduated at a rate of 22%
RETENTION!!!
CONCLUSION
• Get to know your students
– Learn their strengths and weaknesses
• Offer creative ways to help them
• Monitor their progress
• Watch your retention rate rise
QUESTIONS?