Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004 December 2008 Metropolitan Community College

Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004

December 2008

Metropolitan Community College

Office of Research and Planning

Placement, Success, and Persistence of

First-Time Student Developmental Cohorts

Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004

Office of Research and Planning

Metropolitan Community College

3200 Broadway

Kansas City, MO 64111

Prepared by:

Melissa M. Giese and

Jennifer R. Ebeling

December 2008

Table of Contents

Section Page

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1

Methodology .............................................................................................................................. 3

Success in Developmental Courses and Subsequent Courses ............................................... 4

English Sequence .................................................................................................................... 4

Table 1: English 28 Success ................................................................................................... 5


Table 3: English 101 Success ................................................................................................. 8


Table 5: College-Level Course Success Following English 28 ............................................. 12

English Sequence beginning with ENGL 30 ........................................................................ 13




Table 9: English Success Rates Combined Years .................................................................. 18

Table 10: College-Level Course Success Following English 30 ........................................... 20

Math Sequence ........................................................................................................................ 21

Table 11: MATH 20/23 Success ............................................................................................ 23


Table 13: MATH 110 Success ............................................................................................... 25


Math Sequence beginning with MATH 40/43 ...................................................................... 27





Table 19: MATH Success Rates Combined Years ................................................................ 33

Reading Sequence ................................................................................................................... 34

Table 20: READ 10/30 Success ............................................................................................. 35


Table 22: READ 100 Success ................................................................................................ 37

Table 23: College-Level Course Success Following READ 10/30 ....................................... 39

Reading Sequence beginning with READ 11/31 .................................................................. 40



Table 26: College-Level Course Success Following READ 11/31 ....................................... 42

Reading Sequence beginning with READ 100 ..................................................................... 43


Table 28: College-Level Course Success Following READ 100........................................... 45

Table 29: READ Success Rates Combined Years ................................................................. 47

Success in Concurrent Courses ................................................................................................ 48

Table 30: Success in Concurrent Courses to READ 10/30 .................................................... 50

Table 31: Success in Concurrent Courses to READ 11/31 .................................................... 52

Table 32: Success in Concurrent Courses to READ 100 ....................................................... 54

Table 33: Success in Concurrent Courses to MATH 20/23 ................................................... 56

Table 34: Success in Concurrent Courses to MATH 40/43 ................................................... 58

Table 35: Success in Concurrent Courses to ENGL 28 ......................................................... 60

Table 36: Success in Concurrent Courses to ENGL 30 ......................................................... 62

Persistence .................................................................................................................................. 63

Table 37: Semesters Included in Cohorts ............................................................................... 63

Table 38: Fall 2003 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates ........................................ 64

Table 39: Fall 2003 Developmental Cohort Persistence Rates .............................................. 64

Figure 1: Fall 2003 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates ........................................ 65

Table 40: Spring 2004 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates .................................... 66

Table 41: Spring 2004 Developmental Cohort Persistence Rates .......................................... 66

Figure 2: Spring 2004 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates ................................... 67

Table 42: Fall 2004 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates ........................................ 68

Table 43: Fall 2004 Developmental Cohort Persistence Rates .............................................. 68

Figure 3: Fall 2004 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates ........................................ 69

Table 44: First-Time Student Cohort Average Attempted and Earned Hours ....................... 70

Table 45: Developmental Cohort Average Attempted and Earned Hours ............................. 71

Table 46: GPA ........................................................................................................................ 72

Table 47: Graduation Rates .................................................................................................... 73

Summary and Conclusions ....................................................................................................... 74

Appendix A

Preface

This is the fifth developmental student report produced by the Research and Planning Office. All of these reports examined the success and persistence of students enrolled in developmental courses at

MCC. The present report follows first-time student cohorts beginning in fall 2003, spring 2004, and fall 2004. The success rates of students in developmental courses are examined along with their success rates in subsequent college-level courses. This report also takes a closer look at how many students test into developmental courses and how many actually enroll in those courses. In addition, concurrent course enrollments and success rates are examined for those students enrolled in developmental courses. The final section takes a look at the persistence rates, GPA, graduation rates, and the average attempted hours and earned hours for students enrolled in developmental courses and for all first-time students.

Additional copies of this report can be obtained from our website: http://mcckc.edu/?qlinks=research+department

Comments regarding this project should be directed to its author:

Melissa Giese

Project Coordinator

Melissa.Giese@mcckc.edu

816-759-1492

Metropolitan Community College

Office of Research and Planning

3200 Broadway

Kansas City, MO 64111

Executive Summary

Students comprising this study were obtained from three semester cohorts of firsttime students.

ENGL 28 students had a 56% success rate.

Thirty-six percent went on to enroll in ENGL 30 and 70% earned a successful grade.

Nineteen percent of those who started in ENGL 28 went on to enroll in ENGL 101 and 67% earned a successful grade.

Six percent of those who started in ENGL 28 enrolled in ENGL 102 and 76% earned a successful grade.

The percentage of students who successfully completed ENGL 30 was 69%.

Forty-nine percent of those who completed ENGL 30 enrolled in ENGL 101 and

65% earned a successful grade.

Sixteen percent of those who started in ENGL 30 enrolled in ENGL 102 and 72% earned a successful grade.

ENGL 28 and ENGL 30 students earned a lower percentage of successful grades in subsequent college-level courses than overall first-time students enrolled.

Fifty-three percent of those who completed MATH 20/23 earned a successful grade.

Of those who completed MATH 20/23, 31% enrolled in MATH 40/43 and 44% earned a successful grade.

Eight percent of those who started in MATH 20/23 enrolled in MATH 110 and


Two percent of those who started in MATH 20/23 enrolled in MATH 120 and


MATH 40/43 students and students enrolled in MATH 110 following MATH

40/43 had 49% success rates.

Nine percent went on to enroll in MATH 120 and 67% earned a successful grade.

READ 10/30 students had a 73% success rate.

Forty-two percent went on to enroll in READ 11/31 and 75% earned a successful grade.

Five percent of those who started in READ 10/30 went on to enroll in READ 100 and 65% earned a successful grade.

READ 10/30, READ 11/31, and READ 100 students did not perform as well in subsequent college-level courses as overall first-time students.

Students in the developmental cohort were most likely to enroll in other developmental courses at the same time.

The majority of developmental students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in college level courses taken concurrently with developmental courses.

Persistence rates for developmental students were only slightly higher than for the overall first-time student cohort.

Students in the developmental cohort attempted an average of 10.33 hours their first semester and earned an average of 7.98 hours. In comparison, the first time student cohort attempted an average of 9.80 hours their first semester and earned slightly fewer at an average of 7.89 hours.

Students in the developmental cohort earned a lower percentage of GPA’s 2.0 and higher than the overall first time student cohort.

Graduation rates for developmental students were 6% compared to 8% for the overall first time student cohort.

Placement, Success, and Persistence of

First-time Student Developmental Cohorts

Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004

Introduction

This is the fifth comprehensive report about students enrolled in developmental courses. It examines their success in both developmental and college-level courses and their persistence through a six-semester sequence. Over the past 5 years the following characteristics have proven true for entering students (all ages): 38% test into developmental English; 52% do not read at what we have termed the college-level; and 88% test into developmental Math. The importance of these numbers is that they demonstrate that new students entering the system are not bringing the requisite skills necessary to be successful.

Increasingly, the developmental course curriculum plays an important role in student success in courses and persistence. Naturally, those students placing at the lower levels of our developmental curriculum are more challenged with regard to academic success and persistence.

For many of our students, the developmental course intervention moves them quickly to the level of college-level learners. However, for those testing into the basic courses such as READ 10/30,

MATH 20/23, ENGL 28, and ENGL 30, their success is slower and lower when compared with the overall cohort.

This report focuses on three fundamental topics: Placement and Success in Developmental

Courses; Success in Subsequent Courses; and Persistence. Each of these topics represents a section of the report. The section on “Placement and Success in Developmental Courses” looks at several questions such as:

1.

How many students need to be placed in developmental courses?

1

2.

When students are placed into developmental courses after being tested, when do they take the course?

3.

What is the success rate for students in developmental courses?

4.

How many times do students retake developmental courses?

5.

How has the success rates for students enrolled in developmental courses changed over the past ten years?

The section pertaining to Success in Subsequent Courses seeks to answer questions such as:

1.

During the first semester, when students are enrolled in developmental courses, what other courses do they take?

2.

What is the success rate in those college-level courses when taken along with the developmental courses?

3.

What is the success rate in subsequent courses (following developmental intervention)?

4.

How do the success rates for students taking developmental courses compare to all first time students in the cohort?

The third section addresses Persistence and related issues such as GPA, Graduation rates, and the average Attempted and Earned Hours through a six-semester sequence. The following questions are examined:

1.

What are the persistence rates for students in developmental courses – stop-out or dropout?

2.

How do their persistence rates compare to those for the general student body?

3.

How do the attempted hours and earned hours for students completing developmental courses compare to the whole first time student cohort?

4.

What percentage of students from developmental courses earn a 2.0 GPA or better?

5.

What are the graduation rates for students who enroll in developmental courses?

The analysis of this report may surprise some, affirm to others what you have long assumed to be true, and be a catalyst for some to take action. Readers should note that this report pertains only to first-time students within the cohort years mentioned.

2

Methodology

Three semester cohorts (F03, S04, F04) were developed that included all students classified as first-time freshmen in that particular semester. The cohorts were aggregated for the purpose of analysis. A total of 8,588 students were included (F03 n=3,886; S04 n=1,448; F04 n=3,254). Each cohort was tracked for six semesters.

The success rates for developmental Math, English, and Reading courses were determined.

The cohort was then tracked to determine success in subsequent developmental courses and collegelevel courses. Note that when a student enrolled in a subsequent course multiple times, the grade for the last time they completed the course was used in calculating success rates. For comparison purposes, success rates were also determined for the total number of first-time students in the cohort enrolled in college-level courses.

The next section involved examining what other courses students in developmental courses enrolled in at the same time and how successful they were in those courses.

Finally, persistence rates, GPA, graduation rates, and the average attempted hours and earned hours were determined for students enrolled in developmental courses. For comparison purposes, overall rates were also determined for all first-time students in the cohorts.

3

Success in Developmental Courses and Subsequent Courses

English Sequence

There are two developmental courses for English, ENGL 28 and ENGL 30.

Students are recommended for placement in ENGL 28 if they score a 29 or below on the

COMPASS writing skills test.

Those who score between 30 and 64 on the COMPASS writing skills test are recommended for placement in ENGL 30.

Of the 6,314 students from the cohort who completed the COMPASS writing skills test, 1,076

(17%) tested into ENGL 28 and 1,650 (26%) tested into ENGL 30.

A total of 525 students who tested into ENGL 28 enrolled in ENGL 28 during the six-semester sequence.

Of those, the majority (85%) enrolled in ENGL 28 their first semester.

Most students (90%) enrolled in ENGL 28 only one time although 10% enrolled at least twice over the six-semester sequence.

A total of 1,257 students who tested into ENGL 30 enrolled in ENGL 30 during the six-semester sequence.

Of those, the majority (91%) enrolled in ENGL 30 their first semester.

Most students (93%) enrolled in ENGL 30 only one time although 7% enrolled at least twice over the six-semester sequence.

4

The English sequence is first examined by looking at those who began the sequence with ENGL

28, then those who began the sequence with ENGL 30.

English Sequence beginning with ENGL 28

A total of 447 students enrolled in ENGL 28 (see Table 1) in the first semester and 56% earned a successful grade of a “C” or better. White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students. Females earned a higher percentage of successful grades than males. Percentages of successful grades increased with age.

Table 1

English 28 Success

Number Enrolled Number Earning Percent Earning

"C" or Better "C" or Better

447

305

250

180

56%

59%

142

241

206

375

70

149

101

206

49%

62%

49%

55%

Course

ENGL 28

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

45

27

26

18

58%

67%

Note: Number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in ENGL 28 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.

Source: MCC Research Student Database

5

ENGL 30

The following table examines the performance of those that successfully completed ENGL

28 and then enrolled in ENGL 30 compared with the performance of all first-time students in the cohort who took ENGL 30 during the same time period. Table 2 indicates that a total of 1,924 firsttime students enrolled in ENGL 30 and 69% earned a successful grade. In comparison, 163 students enrolled in ENGL 30 after successfully completing ENGL 28 and 70% earned a successful grade.

Table 2


Following ENGL 28

Course

Total enrolled in

ENGL 30

Enrolled in ENGL 30

After ENGL 28

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

Number Enrolled Number Earning

1,924

163

115

48

95

68

137

16

10

"C" or Better

1,356

114

82

32

69

45

96

9

9

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort taking ENGL 30. The second number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 28.


69%

70%

71%

67%

73%

66%

70%

56%

90%

6

White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students and females earned a higher percentage of successful grades than males. Percentages of successful grade earners varied with age and the highest earners were 36 years of age or above.

ENGL 101

The next table examines the performance of those students that successfully completed

ENGL 28 and ENGL 30 and subsequently enrolled in ENGL 101 compared with the performance of all first-time students in the cohort who took ENGL 101 during the six-semester period.

Table 3 indicates that a total of 4,742 students enrolled in ENGL 101 and 70% earned a successful grade. In comparison, 216 students enrolled in ENGL 101 after successfully completing

ENGL 28 and ENGL 30 and 67% earned a successful grade.

White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students and males earned a higher percentage of successful grades than females. The age success levels differ with the oldest age category showing a higher percentage of successful grades than the lower age categories although it is important to note that there were very few people in the middle and older age categories.

7

Table 3


Following ENGL 28 and ENGL 30

Course Number Enrolled Number Earning Percent Earning



ENGL 101 4,742 3,329 70%

Enrolled in ENGL 101 after ENGL 28 and 30

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

84

60

24

48

36

71

4

9

56

43

13

31

25

47

2

7

67%

72%

54%

65%

69%

66%

50%

78%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort taking ENGL 101. The second number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 28 and ENGL 30.


8

ENGL 102


ENGL 28, ENGL 30, and ENGL 101 and subsequently enrolled in ENGL 102 compared with the performance of all first-time students in the cohort who took ENGL 102 during the six-semester period and the performance of those who took ENGL 102 following initial placement in ENGL 101.

Table 4


Following ENGL 28, ENGL 30, and ENG 101




ENGL 102 2,194 1,582 72%

Enrolled in ENGL 102 after ENGL 101

Enrolled in ENGL 102 after ENGL 28 and 30 and ENGL 101

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,844

25

20

5

14

11

22

0

3

1,384

19

14

5

11

8

16

0

3

75%

76%

70%

100%

79%

73%

73%

0%

100%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort taking ENGL 102. The second number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 101. The third enrollment number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 28, ENGL 30 and ENGL 101.


9

Table 4 indicates that a total of 2,194 students enrolled in ENGL 102 and 72% earned a successful grade. Of the 1,844 students who initially enrolled in ENGL 101, 75% earned a successful grade. In comparison, 25 students enrolled in ENGL 101 after successfully completing

ENGL 28, ENGL 30, and ENGL 101 and 76% earned a successful grade.

Minority students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than white students and females earned a higher percentage of successful grades than males. The students in the oldest age group had a higher percentage of successful grades than the lowest age category. It is important to note that there were very few people in all categories.

10

Success in Subsequent Courses following ENGL 28

Since writing is a fundamental skill in many college-level courses, it is important to examine how students perform in college-level courses following completion of ENGL 28.

Several college-level courses were selected and the enrollments and success rates were determined for all first-time students in the cohort enrolled and for those who had previously completed ENGL 28 successfully.

As a result of working with a cohort, the enrollments for the ENGL 28 students in these courses were relatively low.

It is important to consider that ENGL 28 is a basic English course and these students may or may not have enrolled in ENGL 30 before enrolling in these college-level courses.

Table 5 shows the success rates for all first-time students enrolled in the selected collegelevel courses and for students who successfully completed ENGL 28. In general, ENGL 28 students earned a lower percentage of successful grades in college-level courses than the total number of students enrolled in those courses. Readers should note, however, the number of students representing ENGL 28 completion is small.

11

Course

Table 5

College-Level Course Success Following ENGL 28


"C" or Better

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

BIOL 100 (Total)

BIOL 100 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

BIOL 101 (Total)

BIOL 101 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

CHEM 105 (Total)

CHEM 105 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

BSAD 101 (Total)

BSAD 101 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

CSIS 101 (Total)

CSIS 101 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

HIST 120 (Total)

HIST 120 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

PHIL 100 (Total)

PHIL 100 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

PSYC 140 (Total)

PSYC 140 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

SPDR 100 (Total)

SPDR 100 (following

ENGL 28 completion)

5

3,225

67

671

11

461

346

14

1,347

33

540

13

1,464

30

3,550

88

3,084

78

179

4

6

2,121

44

2,361

61

357

2

294

2

1,890

33

341

4

779

914

12

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in the course. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 28.


40%

59%

49%

53%

18%

64%

52%

29%

58%

18%

63%

31%

50%

77%

78%

62%

40%

60%

12

English Sequence beginning with ENGL 30

The following tables examine the English sequence for those who enrolled in ENGL 30 in their first semester.

ENGL 30

A total of 1,591 students enrolled in ENGL 30 (see Table 6) in the first semester and 69% earned a successful grade of a “C” or better. There were only minimal differences in the percentages of successful grades earned between white students and minority students. Females earned a higher percentage of successful grades than males. Students ages 36 and above earned a higher percentage of successful grades than those in both the younger age groups.

Course

ENGL 30

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Table 6




1,591

1,202

389

890

1,090

826

264

653

69%

69%

68%

73%

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

701

1,343

437

920

62%

69%

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

178

70

115

55

65%

79%

Note: Number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in ENGL 30 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.


13

ENGL 101

The following table examines the performance of those that successfully completed ENGL

30 and then enrolled in ENGL 101 compared with the performance of all first-time students in the cohort who took ENGL 101 during the same time period. Table 7 indicates that a total of 4,742 first-time students enrolled in ENGL 101 and 70% earned a successful grade. In comparison, 772 students enrolled in ENGL 101 after successfully completing ENGL 30 and 65% earned a successful grade.

Table 7


Following ENGL 30

Course


ENGL 101

Enrolled in ENGL 101

After ENGL 30

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more


4,742

772

565

207

477

295

671

67

34

"C" or Better

3,329

498

376

122

312

186

430

45

23

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort taking ENGL 101. The second number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 30.


70%

65%

67%

59%

65%

63%

64%

67%

68%

14

White students and female students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than their counterparts and success rates increased with age.

ENGL 102


ENGL 30 and ENGL 101 and subsequently enrolled in ENGL 102 compared with the performance

Table 8


Following ENGL 30 and ENGL 101




ENGL 102 2,194 1,582 72%

Enrolled in ENGL 102 after ENGL 101

Enrolled in ENGL 102 after ENGL 30 and 101

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,844

249

185

64

155

94

222

22

5

1,384

180

143

37

107

73

162

15

3

75%

72%

77%

58%

69%

78%

73%

68%

60%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort taking ENGL 102. The second number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 101. The third enrollment number includes students enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 30 and ENGL 101.

Source: MCC Research Student Database of all first-time students in the cohort who took ENGL 102 during the six-semester period and with the performance of those who took ENGL 102 following initial placement in ENGL 101.

15

Table 8 indicates that a total of 2,194 students enrolled in ENGL 102 and 72% earned a successful grade. Of the 1,844 students who initially enrolled in ENGL 101, 75% earned a successful grade. In comparison, 249 students enrolled in ENGL 102 after successfully completing

ENGL 30 and ENGL 101 and 72% earned a successful grade.

White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students and males earned a higher percentage of successful grades than females. The success levels decreased with age.

16

ENGLISH Sequence Success Over Time

This section examines the success levels of students progressing through the English 30 sequence over the past several years. Table 9 provides a comparison of the current levels of success with the past two reports published in 2002 and 2005. The student cohort years for these reports were 1997-98 and 2001-02 sequentially. English 28 was not added until recently so there is no data for that sequence.

Table 9 shows that the percentage of students beginning with ENG 30 that earned a “C” or better increased to 69% currently. The percentage of students in ENG 101 after ENG 30 that earned a “C” or better range from 63% in 1997-98 to 72% in 2001-02. The percentage of students in ENG

102 after ENG 30 and ENG 101 that earned a “C” or better increase over time. This table further shows that the majority of percentages of students earning a “C” or better stays constant or increases through the sequence. This is encouraging as it indicates that students are succeeding at the same rates or better in the college courses as they did in English 30.

17

Course

Table 9

ENGLISH Sequence

Success Rates for the Combined Years 1997-2004

1997-98 2001-02 2003-04

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

ENGL 30

Enrolled in ENGL

101 after ENGL

30

1,251

494

Enrolled in ENGL

102 after ENGL

30 and ENGL 101 166

783

311

105

63%

63%

63%

1,384

624

216

938

448

148

68%

72%

69%

1,591 1,090 69%

772

249

498

180

65%

72%

18

Success in Subsequent Courses following ENGL 30

Since writing is a fundamental skill in many college-level courses, it is important to examine how students perform in college-level courses following completion of ENGL 30.

Several college-level courses were selected and the enrollments and success rates were determined for all first-time students in the cohort enrolled and for those who had previously completed ENGL 30 successfully.

As a result of working with a cohort, the enrollments for the ENGL 30 students in these courses were relatively low.

Table 10 shows the success rates for all first-time students enrolled in the selected collegelevel courses and for students who successfully completed ENGL 30. ENGL 30 students earned a lower percentage of successful grades in college-level courses than the total number of students enrolled in those courses.

19

Course

Table 10

College-Level Course Success Following ENGL 30


"C" or Better

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

BIOL 100 (Total)

BIOL 100 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

BIOL 101 (Total)

BIOL 101 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

CHEM 105 (Total)

CHEM 105 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

BSAD 101 (Total)

BSAD 101 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

CSIS 101 (Total)

CSIS 101 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

HIST 120 (Total)

HIST 120 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

PHIL 100 (Total)

PHIL 100 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

PSYC 140 (Total)

PSYC 140 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

SPDR 100 (Total)

SPDR 100 (following

ENGL 30 completion)

25

3,225

314

671

79

461

346

53

1,347

180

540

68

1,464

175

3,550

369

3,084

440

179

16

86

2,121

200

2,361

325

357

36

294

15

1,890

151

341

42

779

914

94

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in the course. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of ENGL 30.


60%

59%

48%

53%

46%

64%

52%

30%

58%

48%

63%

62%

54%

77%

74%

62%

54%

60%

20

Math Sequence

The sequence of math courses begins with MATH 20 or MATH 23 similar math courses.

Students that score 31 or less on the COMPASS Pre-Algebra test are placed into MATH 20/23.

Those who score 32 to 49 on the COMPASS Pre-Algebra test are placed into either MATH

20/23 or MATH 40/43 depending on their associated COMPASS Reading Skills Test score.

Students that score 50 or greater on the COMPASS Pre-Algebra test are placed into MATH

40/43.

Students have the option of taking the COMPASS Algebra test. Students that score 1 to 34 are placed into MATH 40 or MATH 43. Those scoring 35 to 39 are placed into MATH 40 or

MATH 43 or MATH 110R. Scoring 40 to 45 places the student in MATH 110R or MATH 110.

Students that score 46 to 59 are placed into MATH 110. Those scoring 60 to 100 are placed into

MATH 120.

Of the 7,032 students from the cohort who completed the COMPASS Pre-Algebra test or the

COMPASS Algebra test, 2,389 (34%) tested into MATH 20/23, 4,139 (59%) tested into MATH

40/43, 396 (6%) tested into MATH 110, and 108 (2%) tested into MATH 120.

A total of 1,891 students who were placed into MATH 20/23 enrolled in MATH 20 or MATH

23 during the six-semester sequence and the majority (81%) enrolled during their first semester.

Most students (86%) enrolled in MATH 20/23 only once during the six-semester sequence although 14% enrolled in MATH 20/23 two or more times.

A total of 3,180 students who were placed into MATH 40/43 enrolled in MATH 40 or MATH

43 during the six-semester sequence and over two-thirds (66%) enrolled during their first semester.

21

The majority of students (82%) enrolled in MATH 40 or MATH 43 only once but 18% enrolled two or more times during the six-semester sequence.

The math sequence is first examined by looking at the success rates of those who enrolled in

MATH 20 or MATH 23 the first semester and their success in subsequent math courses. These are similar basic math courses although MATH 23 includes a lab component and is offered only at the

Penn Valley campus while MATH 20 is offered on all of the other MCC campuses. For the purpose of this analysis, MATH 20 and MATH 23 results were combined. Secondly, the success of those students who enrolled in MATH 40/43 the first semester and their success in subsequent math courses is examined.

MATH 20 or MATH 23

A total of 1,537 students, representing 64% of those who placed into MATH 20/23, enrolled in MATH 20/23 (see Table 11) their first semester and fifty-three percent earned a successful grade of a “C” or better. White students earned higher percentages of successful grades that minority students and female students earned higher percentages of successful grades than their male counterparts. Success rates for the youngest and oldest age groups were equal, with the most successful students in the 25 to 35 year old age group.

22

Table 11

MATH 20/23 Success



1,537 807 53%

Course

MATH 20/23

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,118

419

1,001

536

1,221

210

106

620

187

557

250

630

122

55

56%

45%

56%

47%

52%

58%

52%

Note: Number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in MATH 20/23 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.



Following MATH 20/23, a student may enroll in MATH 40 or MATH 43. These are similar introductory algebra courses although MATH 43 includes a lab component and is offered only at the Penn Valley campus while MATH 40 is offered on all of the other MCC campuses. For the purpose of this analysis, MATH 40 and MATH 43 results were combined. Students in the following table are those who successfully completed MATH 20 or MATH 23 and went on to enroll in either MATH 40 or MATH 43.

Table 12 shows that a total of 3,180 first-time students from the cohort enrolled in MATH 40 or

MATH 43 and half received a successful grade. Of those who started with MATH 20 or MATH 23,

477 enrolled in MATH 40 or MATH 43 and 44% earned a successful grade. White students and

23

minority students earned a similar percentage of successful grades. Females and older students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than males and younger students.

Table 12


Following MATH 20 or MATH 23

Course



"C" or Better

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

MATH 40/43

Enrolled in MATH

40/43 after MATH 20/23

Ethnicity:

White

3,180

477

1,585

208

51

149

59

50%

43%

47%

37%

44%

359

118

318

159

157 44%

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

398

56

23

167

26

15

42%

46%

65%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in MATH 40/43. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 20/23.


MATH 110

MATH 110 is a “college-level” Intermediate Algebra course. Table 13 shows that a total of

1,850 first-time students from the cohort enrolled in MATH 110 and 51% earned a successful grade.

Of those who successfully completed MATH 20/23 and MATH 40/43, 126 enrolled in MATH 110

24

and 43% earned a successful grade. Minority students earned a slightly higher percentage of successful grades than white students. Female students and students aged 25 to 35 years old earned the highest success rates.

Course

Table 13

MATH 110 Success

Following MATH 20/23 and MATH 40/43




MATH 110

Enrolled in MATH 110 after MATH 20/23 and

40/43

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,850

126

90

36

88

38

103

17

6

947

54

38

16

41

13

40

12

2

51%

43%

42%

44%

47%

34%

39%

71%

33%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in MATH 110. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 20/23 and MATH 40/43.


MATH 120

MATH 120 is a College Algebra course. Students may take either MATH 119 or MATH

120 following successful completion of MATH 110. Due to low student enrollment for this cohort,

MATH 119 is examined separately at the end of the MATH sequence section.

25

Table 14 shows that 1,026 students from the cohort enrolled in MATH 120 and 58% earned a successful grade. A very small number of students who began with MATH 20/23 enrolled in

MATH 120 within the six-semester sequence. Table 9 shows that twenty-six students enrolled in

MATH 120 and 39% earned a successful grade.

Table 14


Following MATH 20/23, MATH 40/43, and MATH 110



MATH 120

Enrolled in MATH 120 after MATH 20/23, 40/43 and 110

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male


Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,026

26

18

8

19

6

1

16

10

596

10

5

5

8

2

5

4

1

58%

39%

31%

50%

44%

25%

26%

67%

100%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in MATH 120. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 20/23, MATH 40/43 and MATH 110.


Minority students and female students earned higher percentages of successful grades than their counterparts. Success levels increased with age. However, it is important to note the small number of students.

26

Math Sequence beginning with MATH 40 or MATH 43

The following tables examine the math sequence for those who enrolled in MATH 40 or

MATH 43 in their first semester.


Table 15 displays the success rates for those who enrolled in MATH 40 or MATH 43 during the first semester of the six-semester sequence. A total of 2,093 students enrolled in MATH 40 or

MATH 43 and 49% earned a successful grade.

Table 15




2,093 1,026 49%

Course

MATH 40/43

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,697

396

1,086

1,007

1,866

153

74

843

183

592

434

918

75

33

50%

46%

55%

43%

49%

49%

45%

Note: The number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in MATH 40/43 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.


White students and female students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than their counterparts. Success levels were the lowest for the oldest students.

27

MATH 110

Table 16 shows that a total of 1,850 students from the cohort enrolled in MATH 110 within the six-semester sequence and 51% earned a successful grade. In comparison, 741 students enrolled in MATH 110 following successful completion of MATH 40/43 and 49% earned a successful grade.

Table 16


Following MATH 40/43

Course




MATH 110

Enrolled in MATH 110 after MATH 40/43

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

1,850

741

606

135

445

296

687

41

13

947

364

285

79

235

129

326

28

10

51%

49%

47%

59%

53%

44%

48%

68%

77%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in MATH 110. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 40/43.


Minority students and female students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than their counterparts and success levels increased with age.

28

MATH 120

Students may take either MATH 119 or MATH 120 following successful completion of

MATH 110. Due to low student enrollment in this cohort, MATH 119 is examined separately toward the end of the MATH sequence section.

Table 17 displays the success rates for those who enrolled in MATH 120 following successful completion of MATH 40/43 and MATH 110. A total of 1,026 students enrolled in

MATH 120 over the six-semester sequence and 58% earned a successful grade. Of those who successfully completed MATH 40/43 and MATH 110, 185 enrolled in MATH 120 and 67% earned a successful grade.

Course

Table 17


Following MATH 40/43 and MATH 110


MATH 120

Enrolled in MATH 120 after MATH 40/43 and 110

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more


1,026

185

136

49

118

67

172

9

4

"C" or Better

596

123

91

32

78

45

113

6

4

"C" or Better

58%

67%

67%

65%

66%

67%

66%

67%

100%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in MATH 120. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 40/43 and MATH 110.


29

Success rates between gender and ethnicity groups were almost equivalent but the older students had the highest percentage of successful grades.

MATH 119

MATH 119 is a College Mathematics course designed for students seeking a liberal arts education. Students may take either MATH 119 or MATH 120 following successful completion of

MATH 110. Table 18 displays the success rates for both of the following sequences; students successfully completing MATH 20/23, MATH 40/43, and MATH 110, and those successfully completing MATH 40/43, and MATH 110. Only 146 students in the cohort took MATH 119 during the six-semester sequence and 65% earned a successful grade.

MATH 20/23 Sequence

For students beginning the six-semester sequence with MATH 20/23, only 6 enrolled in MATH 119 and one-third (33%) successfully completed MATH 119. The majority of these students were white and under 25 years of age. There were equal numbers of males and females.

MATH 40/43 Sequence

For students beginning the six-semester sequence with MATH 40/43, only 54 students enrolled in

MATH 119 following successful completion of MATH 110 and 65% earned successful grades.

White students and male students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than their counterparts and success levels decreased with age.

30

Table 18


Following MATH 40/43 and MATH 110



Course


MATH 119

Enrolled in MATH 119 after MATH 20/23,

MATH 40/43, and 110

Enrolled in MATH 119 after MATH 40/43 and 110

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

146

6

36

18

49

5

0

54

47

7

95

2

35

32

3

20

15

33

2

0

65%

33%

56%

83%

67%

40%

0%

65%

68%

43%

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in MATH 119. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 20/23, MATH 40/43, and

MATH 110. The third number includes those enrolled following successful completion of MATH 40/43 and MATH 110.


31

MATH Sequence Success Over Time

This section examines the success levels of students progressing through the Math sequences over the past several years. Table 19 provides a comparison of the current levels of success with the previous two reports published in 2002 and 2005. The student cohort years for these reports were 1997-98 and 2001-02 sequentially.

The first Math sequence begins with MATH 20/23. Overall success levels have shown to be fairly consistent over time. The percentage of students beginning with MATH 20/23 that earned a

“C” or better is around 50%. The percentage of students in MATH 40/43 after MATH 20/23 that earned a “C” or better has decreased slightly over time. The percentages for MATH 110 after

MATH 20/23 and MATH 40/43 varies with the lowest success rates currently. The percentage of students in MATH 120 after MATH 20/23, MATH 40/43, and MATH 110 that earned a “C” or better decreased from 70% in 1997-98 to 39% currently. It is important to note however, that only a very small number of students matriculate to MATH 120 that begin with MATH 20/23.

The next Math sequence begins with MATH 40/43. The percentage of students beginning with MATH 40/43 that earned a “C” or better range from 45% to 49% currently. The percentages for MATH 110 after MATH 40/43 were lowest currently at 49%. The percentage of students in

MATH 120 after MATH 40/43 and MATH 110 that earned a “C” or better increased from 60% in

1997-98 to 67% currently.

32

Course

Sequence

Beginning with

MATH 20/23


40/43 after MATH

20/23


110 after MATH

20/23 and MATH

40/43


120 after MATH

20/23, MATH

40/43, and MATH

110

1,055

292

99

20

Sequence

Beginning with

MATH 40/43


110 after MATH

40/43

1,324

404


120 after MATH

40/43 and MATH

110 93

Table 19

MATH Sequence


1997-98 2001-02 2003-04

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

528

150

49

14

598

249

56

50%

51%

50%

70%

45%

62%

60%

1,237

409

139

29

1,940

703

204

668

200

77

15

946

435

111

54%

49%

55%

52%

49%

62%

54%

1,537

477

126

26

2,093

741

185

807

208

54

10

1,026

364

123

53%

44%

43%

39%

49%

49%

67%

33

Reading Sequence

Students that score 52 or less on the COMPASS Reading Skills test are placed into READ 10 or

READ 30, similar basic reading courses.

Those that score 53 to 69 on the COMPASS Reading Skills test are placed into READ 11 or

READ 31, also similar courses.

Those who score 70 to 84 on the COMPASS Reading Skills test are recommended for placement into READ 100.

Of the 6,163 students from the cohort who completed the COMPASS Reading Skills test, 436

(7%) tested into READ 10 or READ 30, 1,045 (17%) tested into READ 11 or READ 31 and

2,034 (33%) were recommended for placement into READ 100.

Of those who tested into READ 10 or READ 30, 359 enrolled in READ 10 or READ 30 during the six semester sequence and the majority (89%) enrolled during their first semester.

Most students (92%) enrolled in READ 10 or READ 30 only once over the six-semester sequence although 8% enrolled two or more times.

Of those who tested into READ 11 or READ 31, 798 enrolled in READ 11 or READ 31 during the six semester sequence and most (90%) enrolled during their first semester.

The majority of students (92%) enrolled in READ 11 or READ 31 only one time during the sixsemester sequence although 8% enrolled two or more times.

A total of 852 students who were recommended for placement into READ 100 enrolled in

READ 100 during the six-semester sequence and most (66%) did so in their first semester.

34

The reading sequence is first examined by looking at those who began the sequence with READ

10 or READ 30, then those who began the sequence with READ 11 or READ 31 and finally those who began with READ 100.

READ 10 or READ 30

A total of 320 students enrolled in READ 10 or READ 30 their first semester and 73% earned a successful grade (see Table 20). White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students. Females earned a higher percentage of successful grades than males.

Success levels increased with age.

Table 20

READ 10/30 Success



READ 10/30

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

320

212

108

193

127

279

26

15

232

162

70

148

84

200

20

12

73%

76%

65%

77%

66%

72%

77%

80%

Note: The number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in READ 10/30 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.


35


The next table shows the success rates for those students who successfully completed READ

10 or READ 30 and then enrolled in READ 11 or READ 31. Table 21 shows that 134 students enrolled in READ 11 or READ 31 and 75% earned a successful grade. White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students. Female students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than male students. Success levels were identical for the two youngest age groups but increased to 100% for the older age group. However, it is important to note the small number of students in the 36 years of age or more age group.

Table 21


Following READ 10/30



READ 11/31

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

134

92

42

89

45

112

15

7

100

71

29

71

29

82

11

7

Note: Number enrolled includes students who successfully completed READ 10/30.


75%

77%

69%

80%

64%

73%

73%

100%

36

READ 100

The next course in the sequence is READ 100. Table 22 displays the success rates for those who enrolled in READ 100 following successful completion of READ 10 or READ 30 and READ

11 or READ 31. Seventeen students enrolled in READ 100 and 65% earned a successful grade.

It’s important to note that the numbers are very small. White students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than minority students and males earned a slightly higher percentage of successful grades than females. Success levels declined to half with the middle age group but increased to

100% with the oldest age group. It is important to note that there were only two students in each of these older age groups.

Table 22

READ 100 Success

Following READ 10/30 and READ 11/31



READ 100

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

17

11

6

12

5

13

2

2

11

7

4

8

3

8

1

2

65%

67%

60%

64%

67%

62%

50%

100%

Note: Number enrolled includes students who successfully completed READ 10/30 and READ 11/31.


37

Subsequent College-Level Courses Following READ 10/30

Reading ability is the most predictive skill of success in college-level courses. Therefore, it is important to examine how students perform in college-level courses after completing developmental reading courses.

Several college-level courses were selected and the enrollments and success rates were determined for all students enrolled and for those who had previously completed either READ

10 or READ 30.

As a result of working with cohorts, the enrollments for the development students in these courses were relatively low.

It is important to consider that READ 10 and READ 30 are basic reading courses and these students may or may not have enrolled in READ 11/31 or READ 100 before enrolling in these college-level courses.

Table 23 show the success rates for all students from the cohort enrolled in these courses and the success rates for students who successfully completed READ 10 or READ 30. In general, the developmental reading students did not perform as well as the total students in these courses.

The only exception was for BSAD 101 in which the developmental reading students earned a 1% higher percentage of successful grades than the total enrolled. Readers should note, however, the number of students representing READ 10/30 completion is small.

38

Course

Table 23

College-Level Course Success Following READ 10/30


"C" or Better

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

BIOL 100 (Total)

BIOL 100 (following

READ 10/30 completion)

BIOL 101 (Total)

BIOL 101 (following


CHEM 105 (Total)

CHEM 105 (following


BSAD 101 (Total)

BSAD 101 (following


CSIS 101 (Total)

CSIS 101 (following


HIST 120 (Total)

HIST 120 (following


PHIL 100 (Total)

PHIL 100 (following


PSYC 140 (Total)

PSYC 140 (following


SPDR 100 (Total)

SPDR 100 (following


671

13

461

5

3,225

69

346

7

1,347

31

540

12

1,464

19

3,550

69

3,084

74

179

2

779

11

341

6

2

2,121

41

2,361

51

1,890

30

357

7

294

914

7

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in the course. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of READ 10/30.


40%

59%

44%

53%

54%

64%

52%

29%

58%

35%

63%

50%

59%

77%

69%

62%

37%

60%

39

Reading Sequence beginning with READ 11 or READ 31

The following tables examine the reading sequence for those who enrolled in READ 11 or

READ 31 in their first semester.


Table 24 shows that 840 students enrolled in READ 11 or READ 31 their first semester and

71% earned a successful grade. There were no differences in successful grades earned between ethnic groups. Females and students aged 25 to 35 earned higher percentages of successful grades than their counterparts.

Table 24




READ 11/31

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

840

593

247

503

337

736

75

29

596

421

175

368

228

519

56

21

71%

71%

71%

73%

68%

71%

75%

72%

Note: The number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in READ 11/31 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.


40

READ 100

The next table displays the READ 100 success rates for those who successfully completed

READ 11 or READ 31. Table 25 shows that 100 students enrolled in READ 100 and 67% earned a successful grade. Minority students, male students and younger students earned higher percentages of successful grades than their counterparts.

Table 25




READ 100

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more

100

65

35

71

29

83

12

5

67

42

25

46

21

57

7

3

67%

65%

71%

65%

72%

69%

58%

60%

Note: Number enrolled includes students who successfully completed READ 11/31.


Subsequent College-Level Courses Following READ 11/31

The next table shows the success levels of students who completed READ 11 or READ 31 in selected college-level courses compared with the success levels for the total enrolled from the cohort in those courses. With the exception of CSIS 101, developmental reading students generally had lower success levels than the total enrolled. In comparison to READ 10 or READ 30

41

Course

Table 26

College-Level Course Success Following READ 11/31


"C" or Better

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

BIOL 100 (Total)

BIOL 100 (following


BIOL 101 (Total)

BIOL 101 (following


CHEM 105 (Total)

CHEM 105 (following


BSAD 101 (Total)

BSAD 101 (following


CSIS 101 (Total)

CSIS 101 (following


HIST 120 (Total)

HIST 120 (following


PHIL 100 (Total)

PHIL 100 (following


PSYC 140 (Total)

PSYC 140 (following


SPDR 100 (Total)

SPDR 100 (following


12

3,225

212

671

42

461

346

26

1,347

100

540

31

1,464

102

3,550

221

3,084

238

179

8

779

41

341

16

8

2,121

122

2,361

180

1,890

98

357

17

294

914

55

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in the course. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of READ 11/31.


67%

59%

46%

53%

41%

64%

52%

31%

58%

41%

63%

52%

55%

77%

76%

62%

54%

60%

42

students (see Table 23), the success levels of READ 11 or 31 students for the majority of these courses were generally a few percentage points higher. The exceptions to this were BSAD 101 and

PSYC 140 which had higher percentages of successful READ10/30 students.

Reading Sequence beginning with READ 100

The following tables show the success levels of students who began in READ 100, a college-level reading course, and their subsequent success in college-level courses.

READ 100

Table 27 shows that 561 students enrolled in READ 100 in their first semester and 68% earned a successful grade. Minority students and female students earned a higher percentage of successful grades than their counterparts. Success levels varied by age with the oldest age group having the highest percentage of successful grade earners.

Table 27


Course

READ 100

Ethnicity:

White

Minority

Gender:

Female

Male

Age Group:

24 years or less

25 to 35 years

36 years or more



561

401

160

350

211

485

53

23

380

264

116

245

135

331

31

18

68%

66%

73%

70%

64%

68%

59%

78%

Note: The number enrolled includes all cohort students enrolled in READ 100 their first semester, regardless of their placement scores.


43

Subsequent College-Level Courses Following READ 100

Table 28 shows the success levels for all those from the cohort enrolled in selected collegelevel courses and for those enrolled following completion of READ 100. With the exceptions of

PSYC 140 and SPDR 100, students entering college-level courses following READ 100 had lower success levels than the total enrolled. In comparison, this follows the same patterns associated for those who entered these courses following READ 10/30 or READ 11/31 (see Tables 23 and 26).

44

Course

Table 28

College-Level Course Success Following READ 100


"C" or Better

Percent Earning

"C" or Better

BIOL 100 (Total)

BIOL 100 (following

READ 100 completion)

BIOL 101 (Total)

BIOL 101 (following


CHEM 105 (Total)

CHEM 105 (following


BSAD 101 (Total)

BSAD 101 (following


CSIS 101 (Total)

CSIS 101 (following


HIST 120 (Total)

HIST 120 (following


PHIL 100 (Total)

PHIL 100 (following


PSYC 140 (Total)

PSYC 140 (following


SPDR 100 (Total)

SPDR 100 (following


671

24

461

9

3,225

141

1,464

346

36

1,347

76

540

26

74

3,550

161

3,084

175

179

14

779

37

341

14

357

9

294

5

1,890

78

914

42

2,121

97

2,361

137

Note: Total enrolled includes all first-time students in the cohort enrolled in the course. The second number includes those enrolled following successful completion of READ 100.


59%

55%

62%

53%

38%

64%

56%

52%

39%

58%

49%

63%

54%

57%

60%

60%

77%

78%

45

READ Sequence Success Over Time

As stated before, this section examines the success levels of students progressing through the READ sequences over the past several years. Table 29 provides a comparison of the current levels of success with the past two reports published in 2002 and 2005. The student cohort years for these reports were 1997-98 and 2001-02 sequentially.

The first READ sequence begins with READ 10/30 and percentages that earned a “C” or better varied slightly through the years. The percentage of students in READ 11/31 after READ

10/30 that earned a “C” or better declined from 80% in 1997-98 to 75% currently. The percentage of students in READ 100 after READ 10/30 and READ 11/31 that earned a “C” or better declined for the 2001-02 time period.

The next READ sequence begins with READ 11/31. The percentage of students beginning with READ 11/31 that earned a “C” or better currently decreased over the previous years. The percentage of students in READ 100 after READ 11/31 that earned a “C” or better has decreased over time.

The last sequence examined begins with READ 100. Student’s level of success increased from 67% to 73% in previous years however, decreased to 68% for this current report.

46

Course

Sequence

Beginning with

READ 10/30

Enrolled in READ

11/31 after READ

10/30


100 after READ

10/30 and READ

11/31

Table 29

READ Sequence


1997-98 2001-02 2003-04

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

Number

Enrolled

Number

Earning

"C" or

Better

Percent

Earning

"C" or

Better

504

206

40

356

165

26

71%

80%

65%

340

142

21

252

111

11

74%

78%

52%

320

134

17

232

100

11

73%

75%

65%

Sequence

Beginning with

READ 11/31


100 after READ

11/31

900

103

645

75

72%

73%

760

91

572

70

75%

77%

840

100

596

67

71%

67%

Sequence

Beginning with

READ 100 342 229


67% 460 336 73% 561 380 68%

47

Success in Concurrent Courses

This section seeks to answer three questions:

What other courses do students taking developmental courses enroll in during the same semester?

How successful are they in those courses?

How does their success in college level courses compare to the total first time student success rates in these courses?

48

READ 10 / READ 30

Table 30 shows selected course enrollments and success levels for the 320 students enrolled in READ 10 or READ 30 the first semester. The table shows that:

READ 10 or READ 30 students were most likely to enroll in other developmental courses at the same time they were enrolled in READ 10/30.

Thirty-one percent of those enrolled in READ 10/30 also enrolled in ENGL 28 and half of those students earned successful grades.

Forty percent (40%) enrolled in ENGL 30 and 65% of those students earned successful grades.

Sixty-three percent (63%) enrolled in either MATH 20/23 or MATH 40/43 and success levels in these courses were relatively low.

Few students were enrolled in college level courses at this point in their academic career. Nine percent (9%) enrolled in READ 108, 6% enrolled in HIST 120 and PSYC 140 each, and 3% enrolled in CSIS 101.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. In general, the Read 10/30 students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in these college level courses than the total First Time Student Cohort.

Read 10/30 students taking MATH 110 (100%) or BIOL 101 (100%) concurrently their first semester had higher success rates than the total First Time Student Cohort (Math 110, 63% and Biol

101, 54%). These high percentages can be attributed in part to the small number of students enrolled.

49

Table 30

Success in Concurrent Courses to READ 10/30

First Semester

Course

READ 10/30

ENGL 28

ENGL 30

ENGL 101

ENGL 101R

MATH 20/23

MATH 40/43

MATH 100

MATH 110

READ 11/31

READ 100

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

Number Enrolled Percent of READ Number earning Percent Earning

10/30 Enrolled "C" or Better "C" or Better

320 100% 232 73%

99

127

22

31%

40%

7%

49

83

14

50%

65%

64%

2

2

1

1

168

32

1

29

2

-

-

1

11

18

4

20

5

<1%

53%

10%

1%

1%

<1%

<1%

9%

-

<1%

1%

-

3%

6%

1%

6%

2%

0

67

16

1

2

0

0

2

-

1

1

-

3

5

2

8

3

0%

40%

50%

50%

100%

0%

0%

69%

-

100%

50%

-

27%

28%

50%

40%

60%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in READ 10/30 and concurrent courses during the first semester of

each cohort.

50

READ 11/31

Table 31 shows concurrent course enrollments and success levels for the 840 students enrolled in READ 11 or READ 31 the first semester.

The course with the highest percentage of READ 11/31 students enrolled in at the same time was ENGL 30 at forty-nine percent and 69% of these students earned successful grades.

Seventeen percent enrolled in ENGL 28 and 56% of those students earned successful grades.

Another 16% enrolled in ENGL 101 and two-thirds earned successful grades.

Sixty-seven percent of READ 11/31 students enrolled in either MATH 20/23 or MATH 40/43 and success levels in these courses were relatively low.

Students again enrolled in relatively few college-level courses at this point in their academic career.

HIST 120, PSYC 140, READ 108, CSIS 101, and SPDR 100 had the highest enrollments for college-level courses.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. In general, the Read 11/31 students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in these college level courses than the total First Time Student Cohort.

Read 11/31 students taking ENGL 102 (100%), BIOL 100 (100%), CHEM 105 (75%), or PHIL 100

(83%) concurrently their first semester had higher success rates than the total First Time Student

Cohort (Engl 102, 71%, Biol 100, 56%, Chem 105, 62%, and Phil 100, 59%). These high percentages can be attributed in part to the small number of students enrolled (1% or less).

51

Table 31

Success in Concurrent Courses to READ 11/31

First Semester

Course

READ 11/31

ENGL 28

ENGL 30

ENGL 101

ENGL 101R

ENGL 102

MATH 20/23

MATH 40/43

MATH 100

MATH 110

MATH 110R

MATH 120

READ 10/30

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

Total Number Percent of READ Number earning Percent Earning

Enrolled 11/31 Enrolled "C" or Better "C" or Better

840 100% 596 71%

140

412

136

17%

49%

16%

79

284

90

56%

69%

66%

4

1

341

1

106

1

7

9

222

7

22

3

5

4

25

79

6

67

23

<1%

<1%

41%

26%

1%

3%

<1%

1%

<1%

13%

<1%

1%

1%

<1%

3%

9%

1%

8%

3%

3

1

156

76

0

9

2

3

0

75

1

2

3

3

11

30

5

27

12

75%

100%

46%

0%

71%

100%

29%

33%

34%

0%

41%

67%

60%

75%

44%

38%

83%

40%

52%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in READ 11/31 and concurrent courses during the first semester of

each cohort.

52

READ 100

Table 32 shows concurrent course enrollments and success levels to READ 100 enrollment the first semester. Over two-thirds of the 561 READ 100 students enrolled in either ENGL 30 or

ENGL 101 the same semester. Seventy-two percent earned successful grades in these courses.

Sixty-six percent enrolled in either MATH 20/23 or MATH 40/43.

Higher percentages of READ 100 students enrolled concurrently in college-level courses than

READ 10/30 or READ 11/31 students.

Nineteen percent of READ 100 students enrolled in PSYC 140 the same semester and 16% enrolled in HIST 120.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. The percentage of successful grades earned in these college level courses by Read 100 students were sometimes higher and sometimes lower than the total First Time Student Cohort. Specifically, Read 100 students taking ENGL 101 concurrently their first semester had success rates equal to the total First Time Student Cohort (ENGL 101, 72%).

53

Table 32

Success in Concurrent Courses to READ 100

First Semester

Course

READ 100

ENGL 28

ENGL 30

ENGL 101

ENGL 102

MATH 20/23

MATH 40/43

MATH 100

MATH 110

MATH 110R

MATH 120

READ 10/30

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

Total Number Percent of READ Number earning Percent Earning

Enrolled 100 Enrolled "C" or Better "C" or Better

561 100% 380 68%

50

201

9%

36%

31

145

62%

72%

196

3

178

1

16

16

9

4

193

8

21

11

5

8

16

88

9

106

30

35%

1%

32%

34%

1%

4%

2%

1%

<1%

3%

3%

2%

1%

1%

3%

16%

2%

19%

5%

145

3

90

84

1

13

8

4

1

10

9

5

3

3

8

47

3

50

24

72%

100%

51%

100%

63%

56%

56%

75%

44%

13%

62%

73%

80%

38%

50%

53%

33%

47%

80%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in READ 100 and concurrent courses during the first semester of each

cohort.

54


Table 33 shows the concurrent course enrollments and success levels for the 1,537 students enrolled in MATH 20 or MATH 23 during the first semester.

Around half of MATH 20/23 students enrolled in either ENGL 28 or ENGL 30 the same semester and success levels were 56% and 69% respectively.

Twenty-five percent of MATH 20/23 students enrolled in ENGL 101 and 66% of those students earned successful grades.

About one-third were enrolled in either READ 10/30 or READ 11/31.

The highest college-level course enrollments occurred with PSYC 140, HIST 120, READ 108, and SPDR 100.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. MATH 20/23 students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in these college level courses than the total First Time Student Cohort.

55

Course

Table 33

Success in Concurrent Courses to MATH 20/23 for the First Semester

Total Number Percent of MATH Number earning Percent Earning


MATH 20/23 1,537 100% 807 53%

ENGL 28 234 15% 131 56%

ENGL 30

ENGL 101

ENGL 101R

ENGL 102

MATH 40/43

558

385

9

2

7

36%

25%

1%

<1%

<1%

385

255

5

1

3

69%

66%

56%

50%

43%

READ 10/30

READ 11/31

READ 100

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

168

341

178

125

2

19

20

8

48

220

35

235

96

11%

22%

12%

8%

<1%

1%

1%

1%

3%

14%

2%

15%

6%

122

243

109

90

0

5

5

3

21

102

17

100

67

73%

71%

61%

72%

0%

26%

25%

38%

44%

46%

49%

43%

70%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in MATH 20/23 and concurrent courses during the first semester of

each cohort.

56


Table 34 displays the concurrent course enrollments and success levels for the 2,093 students enrolled in MATH 40 or MATH 43 the first semester.

About one-fourth of MATH 40/43 students were enrolled in ENGL 28 or ENGL 30 at the same time and over 65% earned a successful grade.

Half of MATH 40/43 students were enrolled in ENGL 101 at the same time and 72% earned a successful grade.

Thirteen (13%) enrolled in either READ 10/30 or READ 11/31.

The largest enrollments for college-level courses were for READ 108, CSIS 101 and BIOL 101.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. The majority of MATH 40/43 students had success rates almost as high as the total First Time Student Cohort or slightly higher. Specifically, eighty percent

(80%) of MATH 40/43 students taking CHEM 105 concurrently their first semester had higher success rates than the total First Time Student Cohort (CHEM 105, 62%).

57

Course

Table 34

Success in Concurrent Courses to MATH 40/43 for the First Semester

Total Number Percent of MATH Number earning Percent Earning


MATH 40/43 2,093 100% 1,026 49%

ENGL 28 79 4% 51 65%

ENGL 30

ENGL 101

ENGL 101R

ENGL 102

MATH 20/23

477

1,057

16

24

7

23%

51%

1%

1%

<1%

336

756

13

16

5

70%

72%

81%

67%

71%

MATH 100

MATH 110

READ 10/30

READ 11/31

READ 100

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

1

6

32

222

193

101

14

78

<1%

<1%

2%

11%

9%

5%

1%

4%

0

4

29

155

138

75

5

39

0%

67%

91%

70%

72%

74%

36%

50%

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

49

15

112

532

94

417

217

2%

1%

5%

25%

5 %

20%

10%

24

12

73

311

57

214

153

49%

80%

65%

59%

61%

51%

71%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in MATH 40/43 and concurrent courses during the first semester of

each cohort.

58

ENGL 28

Table 35 shows concurrent enrollments and success levels for the 447 students enrolled in

ENGL 28 the first semester.

ENGL 28 students were most likely to be enrolled in other developmental courses the same semester.

Almost one-fourth of these students enrolled in either MATH 20/23 or MATH 40/43 and success levels in these courses were low.

Over half enrolled in either READ 10/30 or READ 11/31.

Another 11% enrolled in Read 100.

College-level course enrollment was relatively low.

59

Table 35

Success in Concurrent Courses to ENGL 28

First Semester

Course

ENGL 28

ENGL 30

MATH 20/23

MATH 40/43

MATH 100

MATH 110

READ 10/30

READ 11/31

READ 100

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

Total Number Percent of ENGL Number earning Percent Earning


447 100% 250 56%

5

234

1%

5%

1

81

20%

35%

79

6

4

4

2

-

16

40

99

140

50

49

-

3

32

7

18%

1%

1%

22%

31%

11%

11%

-

1%

<1%

-

4%

9%

1%

7%

2%

20

1

0

63

86

29

34

-

2

0

-

5

16

1

10

3

25%

17%

0%

50%

0%

-

31%

40%

64%

61%

58%

69%

-

33%

31%

43%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in ENGL 28 and concurrent courses during the first semester of each

cohort.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. In general, ENGL 28 students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in these college level courses than the total First Time Student Cohort.

60

ENGL 30

Table 36 shows concurrent enrollments and success levels for the 1,591 students enrolled in

ENGL 30 the first semester.

ENGL 30 students were most likely to be enrolled in other developmental courses the same semester.

Almost two-thirds of these students enrolled in either MATH 20/23 or MATH 40/43 with relatively low success rates.

About one-third of these students enrolled in either READ 10/30 or READ 11/31 and over 74% of those students earned successful grades.

Another thirteen percent (13%) enrolled in READ 100.

The largest enrollments for college-level courses were for HIST 120, PSYC 140 and BIOL 101.

Table 1 in Appendix A displays the overall success rates for all First Time Students taking college level courses their first semester. In general, ENGL 30 students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in these college level courses than the total First Time Student Cohort.

ENGL 30 students taking MATH 120 concurrently their first semester had higher success rates

(70%) than the total First Time Student Cohort (MATH 110, 61%).

61

Table 36

Success in Concurrent Courses to ENGL 30

First Semester

Course

ENGL 30

ENGL 28

ENGL 101

MATH 20/23

MATH 40/43

MATH 100

MATH 110

MATH 110R

MATH 120

READ 10/30

READ 11/31

READ 100

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

Total Number Percent of ENGL Number earning Percent Earning


1,591 100% 1,090 69%

5

4

<1%

<1%

3

2

60%

50%

558

477

23

201

144

16

27

25

53

10

10

127

412

5

60

249

28

226

52

35%

30%

1%

3%

1%

1%

8%

26%

13%

9%

1%

2%

2%

<1%

4%

16%

2%

14%

3%

279

198

9

27

6

7

102

304

135

102

8

8

9

4

29

117

10

96

33

50%

42%

39%

67%

71%

50%

30%

36%

51%

60%

70%

80%

74%

80%

48%

47%

36%

43%

64%

Note: Number enrolled includes students enrolled in ENGL 30 and concurrent courses during the first semester of each

cohort.

62

Persistence, Attempted and Earned Hours,

GPA, and Graduation Rates

This section seeks to answer the following questions:

What are the persistence rates for students in developmental courses compared to those for the general student body?

How do the attempted hours and earned hours for students completing developmental courses compare to the overall first time student cohort?

What percentage of students enrolled in developmental courses earn a 2.0 GPA or better?

What are the graduation rates for students who enroll in developmental courses?

Persistence

Persistence rates are given for students enrolled in developmental courses from each of the cohorts and also for the overall cohorts for comparison purposes.

As stated before, the cohorts contain all students classified as first-time freshmen in the initial semester of each cohort (Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004).

The cohorts were tracked over six semesters. For instance, the fall 2003 cohort was tracked from fall 2003 through spring 2006 (summer semesters were not included).

Table 37 shows which semesters were included in each cohort.

Cohort

Fall 2003

Spring 2004

Fall 2004

Fall

2003

X

Spring

2004

X

Table 37

Semesters Included in Cohorts

Fall

2004

X

Spring

2005

X

Fall

2005

X

X X

X

X

X

X

X

Spring

2006

X

X

X

Fall

2006

X

X

Spring

2007

X

63

Fall 2003 Cohort

The fall 2003 cohort contains a total of 3,886 first-time students. Table 38 displays the overall persistence rates by semester for the MCC district and by campus. The table shows that

67% of the original cohort returned in spring 2004. The next column shows that 43% returned in fall 2004. Fall to spring persistence rates here are slightly higher than those for the overall MCC student body at that time (around 64%).

Characteristic

Table 38

Fall 2003 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates

Spring

2004

Persistence Rates:

MCC (n=3,886)

Longview (n=1,519)

67%

68%

Blue River (n=581) 70%

Maple Woods (n=1,033) 70%

Penn Valley (n=962)

BTC (n=107)

63%

54%

Fall

2004

43%

48%

46%

44%

37%

24%

Spring

2005

38%

42%

39%

40%

32%

21%

Fall

2005

26%

29%

32%

26%

22%

13%

Spring

2006

22%

24%

27%

21%

21%

10%

Note: Persistence refers to the proportion of the cohort that enrolled for the subsequent semester(s).


The next table displays the persistence rates for the 2,078 first-time students in the cohort who enrolled in at least one developmental course in fall 2003. Table 39 shows that 70% of the

Characteristic

Table 39

Fall 2003 Developmental Cohort Persistence Rates

Spring

2004

Fall

2005

Spring

2005

Fall

2006


MCC (n=2,078)

Longview (n=880)

Blue River (n=333)

70%

74%

Maple Woods (n=578) 69%

Penn Valley (n=416)

BTC (n=18)

70%

70%

94%

45%

48%

52%

43%

40%

61%

39%

42%

43%

39%

34%

50%

28%

30%

35%

27%

22%

22%

Spring

2006

24%

25%

30%

23%

22%

17%



64

students enrolled in developmental courses returned for the spring 2004 semester. These persistence rates are slightly higher than those for the overall first-time student cohort (see table 38).

Figure 1 displays the overall persistence rates for the fall 2003 first-time student cohort and for those enrolled in developmental courses during the first semester. The figure shows that those students enrolled in developmental courses persisted at a slightly higher rate than the overall cohort.

Figure 1

Fall 2003

First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates

Total Cohort vs. Developmental Students

Percent

80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Spring

2004

Fall

2004

Spring

2005

Fall

2005

Spring

2006

Total Cohort Dev Students

65

Spring 2004 Cohort

The spring 2004 first-time student cohort contains a total of 1,448 students. Table 40 shows that 40% of these students returned for the fall 2004 semester. Persistence rates are also shown by campus. The spring to fall persistence rates for this first-time student cohort are lower than the spring to fall retention rates generally reported for the overall student body at MCC for this time period (51%).

Table 40

Spring 2004 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates

Characteristic


Fall

2004

MCC (n=1,448)

Longview (n=411)

Blue River (n=224)

40%

44%

39%


Penn Valley (n=588) 39%

BTC (n=71) 25%

Spring

2005

31%

34%

28%

36%

29%

21%

Fall

2005

22%

26%

20%

21%

21%

14%

Spring

2006

19%

22%

16%

19%

20%

13%

Fall

2006

15%

16%

15%

18%

15%

13%



Table 41 shows the persistence rates for the 669 students from the spring 2004 first-time student cohort who enrolled in at least one developmental course during the initial semester.

Characteristic

Table 41

Spring 2004 Developmental Cohort Persistence Rates

Fall

2004


MCC (n=669)

Longview (n=206)

44%

47%

Blue River (n=100) 46%



BTC (n=5) 60%

Spring

2005

34%

37%

35%

38%

31%

60%

Fall

2005

21%

26%

22%

19%

21%

20%

Spring

2006

19%

22%

18%

17%

21%

20%

Fall

2006

17%

17%

17%

18%

17%

20%



66

Forty-four percent of these students returned for the fall 2004 semester. The rates for the students enrolled in developmental courses are again slightly higher than those for the overall first-time student cohort (see table 40).

Figure 2 displays the overall cohort persistence rates and developmental student persistence rates for those in the spring 2004 first-time student cohort. The figure shows that those enrolled in developmental courses persisted at higher rates through spring 2005. Persistence rates for developmental students dropped slightly lower than the first-time students the fourth semester and equaled each other the fifth semester. The developmental cohort persisted at a slightly higher rate than the overall cohort the last semester.

50

40

30

20

10

0

Figure 2

Spring 2004



Percent

Fall

2004

Spring

2005

Fall

2005

Spring

2006

Fall

2006

Total Cohort Dev Students

67

Fall 2004 Cohort

The fall 2004 cohort contains a total of 3,254 first-time students. Sixty-five percent returned for the spring 2005 semester (see Table 42). This percent is slightly lower than the 67% fall to spring persistence rates generally found with the MCC student body during this time period.

Characteristic

Table 42

Fall 2004 First-Time Student Cohort Persistence Rates

Spring

2005


MCC (n=3,254)

Longview (n=1,232)

Blue River (n=486)

65%

68%

66%



BTC (n=111) 46%

Fall

2005

43%

46%

46%

48%

37%

27%

Spring

2006

37%

40%

38%

40%

33%

18%

Fall

2006

27%

28%

29%

28%

25%

14%

Spring

2007

22%

22%

24%

23%

21%

11%



Table 43 shows the persistence rates for the 1,732 first-time students enrolled in at least one developmental course during the fall 2004 semester. Persistence rates are again slightly higher here than for the overall first-time student cohort with 68% returning in spring 2005 (see table 42).

Characteristic

Table 43

Fall 2004 Developmental Cohort Persistence Rates


Spring

2005

MCC (n=1,732)

Longview (n=707)

Blue River (n=175)

68%

66%

68%



BTC (n=16) 69%

Fall

2005

44%

41%

48%

49%

40%

25%

Spring

2006

38%

35%

39%

40%

35%

31%

Fall

2006

27%

26%

29%

27%

27%

13%

Spring

2007

22%

20%

24%

22%

22%

19%



68

Figure 3 displays the persistence rates for the overall fall 2004 first-time student cohort and for those enrolled in developmental courses. The figure shows that those enrolled in developmental courses persisted at slightly higher rates through spring 2006. There were no differences found in persistence rates between the developmental cohort and the first-time student cohort the fifth and sixth semester.

Figure 3

Fall 2004



80

70

60

50

40

30

20

10

0

Percent

Spring

2005

Fall

2005

Spring

2006

Total Cohort

Fall

2006

Spring

Dev Students

2007

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Earned Hours and Attempted Hours

The average number of attempted hours and earned hours were calculated for both the First

Time Student cohort and the Developmental cohort for comparison purposes.

As mentioned before, The First Time Student Cohort contains all students classified as first-time freshmen in the initial semester. The Developmental Cohort contains those first time students who were enrolled in at least one developmental course their first semester. The cohorts were tracked over six semesters.

Tables 44 and 45 display the average number of attempted hours and earned hours for each cohort.

In addition, the percentages of attempted hours earned are provided. Table 44 shows that First Time students attempted an average of 9.80 hours their first semester, while earning an average of 7.89 hours which equates to 81% of the attempted hours earned. The number of attempted hours increases through the fourth semester and then gradually decreases. The number of earned hours shows no predictable pattern. The percentage of attempted hours earned fluctuates over the six semesters.

Table 44

Mean

Attempted Hours

Earned Hours

Percent of Attempted

Hours Earned

Source: MCC Research Database

Average Attempted Hours and Earned Hours

First Time Student Cohort

1 st

2 nd

3 rd

4 th

Semester Semester Semester Semester

9.80 10.49 10.61 10.61

7.89

81%

7.85

75%

7.94

75%

8.15

77%

5 th

Semester

9.83

7.50

76%

Table 45 shows that Developmental students attempted an average of 10.33 hours their first

6 th

Semester

9.37

7.33

78% semester, while earning an average of 7.98 hours which equates to 77% of the attempted hours

70

earned. The number of attempted hours increased after the first semester and then they begin to decrease for the remaining two semesters. The number of earned hours decreased following the first semester, then increased for the fourth semester. The fifth and sixth semesters show a decrease in the number of hours earned. When looking at percentages, there is a decrease in the percentage of attempted hours earned the second and third semesters. Percentages of attempted hours earned increased the remaining three semesters.

Table 45

Mean

Average Attempted Hours and Earned Hours

1 st

Semester

Developmental Cohort

2 nd

3 rd

Semester Semester

4 th

Semester

5 th

Semester

6 th

Semester

Attempted Hours

Earned Hours

Percent of Attempted

Hours Earned

10.33

7.98

77%

10.70

7.59

71%

10.69

7.47

70%

10.71

7.79

73%

10.05

7.43

74%

9.61

7.38

77%

Note: The Developmental Cohort consists of those students who were enrolled in at least one developmental course their first semester.


Generally speaking students from both cohorts attempted more hours than they earned and this was consistent over time. Developmental students attempted more hours than the overall First

Time Student cohort but earned a lower percentage of those hours than the First Time Student cohort.

71

GPA

The percentages of students earning a 2.0 GPA or higher are given for students enrolled in developmental courses and also for the overall cohorts for comparison purposes.

The First Time Student Cohort contains all students classified as first-time freshmen in the initial semester. The Developmental Cohort contains those first time students who were enrolled in at least one developmental course their first semester.

The cohorts were tracked over six semesters.

Table 46 shows that students in the Developmental cohort earned a lower percentage of GPA’s

2.0 and above over time than the overall First Time Student cohort. Three-fourths of the First

Time Student cohort earned at least a 2.0 GPA their first semester. The second semester shows a decrease with 71% of the students obtaining a GPA of 2.0 or higher. The following semesters show a gradual increase over time to 82% for the final semester.

For the Developmental cohort, 70% of students earned at least a 2.0 GPA their first semester.

The second semester shows a decrease with only around two thirds of the students obtaining a

GPA of 2.0 or higher. The following semesters show a gradual increase over time to 79% for the final semester.

Cohort 1 st

Semester

Table 46

Percentage of Students Earning a 2.0 or Higher GPA

A Comparison of the Cohorts

2 nd

3 rd

4 th

Semester Semester Semester

5 th

Semester

6 th

Semester

First Time Student

Cohort

Developmental

Cohort

75%

70%

71%

65%

74%

67%

77%

70%

80%

74%

82%

79%

Note: The Developmental Cohort consists of those students who were enrolled in at least one developmental course their first semester.


72

Graduation Rates

Graduation rates were examined for both the First Time Student cohort and the Developmental cohort for comparison purposes.

As mentioned before, The First Time Student Cohort contains all students classified as first-time freshmen in the initial semester. The Developmental Cohort contains those first time students who were enrolled in at least one developmental course their first semester. The cohorts were tracked over six semesters.

Table 47 displays the graduation rates for each cohort. The table shows that 8% of all First Time students graduate from MCC within six semesters while only 6% of Developmental students do so.

Cohort

First Time Student

Cohort

Table 47

Graduation Rates

A Comparison of Cohorts

Total

N

8,588

Number of

Graduates

683

Percentage of

Graduates

8%

Developmental

Cohort

4,479 246 6%

Note: The Developmental Cohort consists of those students who were enrolled in at least 1 developmental course their first semester.


73

Summary and Conclusions

Almost 8,600 first-time students were analyzed as a part of this study. Studies identifying the preparation of entry students are an important part of an institution’s research base. The success of students plays a significant role in whether and/or how long students remain at an institution.

The enroll-stop-out-drop-out phenomenon plays a critical role in an institution’s enrollment management analysis. Research supports that if a student enters in the spring semester, as the first semester, less than 50% of the students return for the next semester. Likewise, students entering

MCC with minimal skills experience marginal academic success and persistence.

The developmental sequence for English has two courses-ENGL 28 and ENGL 30.

Students that placed in ENGL 28 have COMPASS scores of 29 or less. Fifty-six percent of those who enroll in ENGL 28 pass with a “C” or better, but only 36% of those students move into ENGL

30 after completing ENGL 28. Nineteen percent of ENGL 28 students went on to enroll in ENGL

101 and 67% earned successful grades. Six percent of these students then enrolled in ENGL 102 and 76% earned successful grades. When looking at success in subsequent college courses, students completing ENGL 28 earned a lower percentage of “C” or better grades than the overall first-time students. Students that are placed and enroll in ENGL 28 tend to enroll in other developmental courses more often than college-level courses. Students placed in ENGL 30 earned a “C” or better

69% of the time. For those students beginning with ENGL 30, success rates in ENGL 101 are 65%.

Of the 1,591 first-time students who first enrolled in ENGL 30, only 249 (or 16%) matriculated to

ENGL 102.

Proportionately, white students and females earned a higher percentage of successful grades in the developmental English courses at the beginning of each sequence. It is promising that students beginning with ENGL 28 or ENGL 30 earned percentages of successful grades equal to or

74

higher than the overall cohort when they reached ENGL 102. It is important to note however, that there are few developmental students who complete this sequence.

A comparison of success rates for ENGL 30 over the past several years shows that the success rates have varied slightly. However, students are succeeding at about the same rate for the college level English courses as in ENGL 30.

The developmental math sequence begins with MATH 20/23. Thirty-four percent of the first-time cohort received test scores that placed them in MATH 20/23. Students completing

MATH 20/23 tend to earn a “C” or better 53% of the time. Students that enroll in MATH 40/43 following MATH 20/23 earn a slightly lower pass rate – 44%. Of the entering cohorts that were placed in MATH 20/23, 126 students (or 8%) eventually enrolled in MATH 110. Of those completing MATH 110, 43% received a grade of “C” or better, as compared with a pass rate of

51% for all first-time students enrolled in MATH 110. Of the 1,537 first-time students who first enrolled in MATH 20/23, only 26 (or 2%) matriculated to MATH 120. Readers should note a trend with math success; those students matriculating through our math courses (beginning with MATH

20/23) have lower success rates as the level of math course increases. Additionally, the difference in success rates between the developmental students and the overall cohort grows increasing greater as the sequence progresses. For those students beginning with MATH 40/43, success rates in MATH

110 and 120 are 49% and 67%, respectively. Of the 2,093 first-time students who first enrolled in

MATH 40/43, only 185 (or 9%) matriculated to MATH 120.

Proportionately, white students and females earned a higher percentage of successful grades in the developmental Math courses at the beginning of each sequence. It is encouraging that data show that students beginning with MATH 40/43 earned percentages of successful grades almost

75

equal to the students in the overall cohort for MATH 110 and surpassed their success rates for

MATH 120.

A comparison of success rates over the past several years shows that the success rates have varied only slightly with a couple of exceptions. The success rates for MATH 20/23 students completing MATH 120 have decreased over time (70% to 39%). In this current report the success levels for these MATH 20/23 students has decreased over the course of the sequence. In previous years these students earned similar proportions of successful grades in MATH 110 and MATH 120 as they did their developmental math courses.

Once students successfully complete MATH 110 they may take MATH 119 or MATH 120.

The majority of students (N=1,026) enroll in MATH 120 compared to the 146 students enrolling in

MATH 119. MATH 20/23 students had similar success rates for those taking either MATH 119 or

MATH 120, around one-third. MATH 40/43 students success rates were similar for MATH 119

(65%) and MATH 120 (67%). Although these success rates for MATH 119 are encouraging it is important to remember that only 3% of MATH 40/43 students matriculated through the sequence to complete MATH 119.

Research at MCC over time has shown the greatest predictor of student success is a student’s reading score. The COMPASS Reading Scores have the highest correlation with success of the placement test scores. Students entering MCC reading at the READ 10/30 level face tremendous obstacles on their journey to become college-level readers. Our data has shown that most students accept the intervention recommendations and enroll in the appropriate reading course.

Students placing in READ 10/30 show a success rate of 73%; READ 11/31 students have a 75% success rate with a grade of “C” or better. Students enrolling in READ 100, following the

76

completion of READ 10/30 and 11/31, show a success rate of 65%. A comparison of success rates over the past several years shows that the success rates have varied only slightly.

Since reading ability is the most predictive skill of success in college-level courses, it is important to examine how students perform in college-level courses following the completion of developmental reading courses. Students enrolled in READ 10/30 tend to take other developmental courses at the same time rather than college-level courses. When they do enroll in college-level courses, their success rates are less than for those students with better reading skills. Students completing READ 11/31 first tend to take more subsequent college-level courses than those who start with READ 10/30, with the most popular courses being SPDR 100, PSYC 140, HIST 120,

PHIL 100, and BIOL 101. The success rate for students (developmental learning) completing the above courses is lower than for the overall first-time student cohort. As with READ 10/30 and

READ 11/31, students who first complete READ 100 experience slightly lower pass rates in college-level courses than compared to all first-time students.

Developmental students were most likely to enroll in other developmental courses at the same time. The majority of developmental students had a lower percentage of successful grades earned in college level courses taken concurrently with developmental courses.

Persistence rates for first-time students that begin in the fall semester and enroll in the spring are 65% to 67% district-wide. The persistence rates for first-time students enrolled in developmental courses for the same transition period average 68% to 70% district-wide. Members of the spring first-time student cohorts average 40% persistence when examined as spring-to-fall retention. First-time students enrolled in developmental courses experience a higher rate of persistence (44%) when tracked for the same transition period (spring-to-fall). There is only a slightly increased rate of persistence for the first-time developmental course cohort. This higher rate

77

of persistence is most prominent in the beginning of the student’s career and becomes negligible as the number of semesters tracked increases.

As one might expect, students from both cohorts attempted more hours than they earned.

There was a bigger discrepancy between attempted hours and earned hours for developmental students than the overall first-time student cohort. Developmental students attempted more hours than the overall first time student cohort, but earned slightly less than those students.

Students in the developmental cohort earned a lower percentage of GPA’s 2.0 and higher compared to the overall first time student cohort. Three-fourths of the first time student cohort earned 2.0 or higher GPA’s their first semester compared to 70% of the developmental cohort. In general, GPA rates increased for the last 3 semesters of the 6 semester sequence.

The Graduation rates for students in the overall first time student cohort were 8% compared to only 6% for the developmental students. Although both of these numbers may appear low, it is important to note that many students do not attend MCC with the intention of obtaining a degree or a certificate. Many students attend MCC to obtain transfer credits and others to complete specific job related or personal interest courses.

It is clear that there are challenges associated with an initiative dedicated to improving student success by offering developmental courses. Given the data presented in this report, it is essential that faculties involved with offering developmental courses identify the expected student outcomes from our courses and create ways to assess whether or not students are meeting those expectations. What is important is our ability to create educational venues that track not only student persistence but also academic progress. There is no question that many students bring skills to MCC that place them at a disadvantage when attempting to obtain a degree or certificate.

78

However, no one can deny that it is a noble and essential effort that we extend every opportunity available in our instructional tool chest to provide those students the best opportunity to succeed.

79

Appendix A

Course

ENGL 101

Table 1

First Time Student Success in College Level Courses

First Semester

Total Number Number earning Percent Earning

Enrolled "C" or Better "C" or Better

3,026 2,186 72%

ENGL 102

MATH 110

MATH 119

93

455

7

66

287

5

71%

63%

71%

MATH 120

READ 108

BIOL 100

BIOL 101

BSAD 101

206

317

117

237

192

125

231

65

127

99

61%

73%

56%

54%

52%

CHEM 105

CSIS 101

HIST 120

PHIL 100

PSYC 140

SPDR 100

127

313

1,561

326

1,567

887

79

195

945

192

871

639

62%

62%

61%

59%

56%

72%

Note: Number enrolled includes all students enrolled during the first semester of each cohort. i

Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004 December 2008 Metropolitan Community College

December 2008

Metropolitan Community College

Office of Research and Planning

Placement, Success, and Persistence of

First-Time Student Developmental Cohorts

Executive Summary

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Fall 2003, Spring 2004, and Fall 2004 December 2008 Metropolitan Community College

December 2008

Metropolitan Community College

Office of Research and Planning

Placement, Success, and Persistence of

First-Time Student Developmental Cohorts

Executive Summary

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