Student Equity Planning,
the Achievement Gap
and Student Success
– Linda Michalowski, Vice Chancellor for Student
Services and Special Programs, CCCCO
– Debra Sheldon, Student Success and Support Program
Specialist, CCCCO
– Deborah DiThomas, President, Barstow College
Community Colleges League of California 2014 Legislative Conference
January 26, 2014
Why Student Equity ?
From the Academic Senate’s 1992-93 “Guidelines for Developing a Student Equity
Plan”
... It matters to our future and to our students…
California will not be a pleasant place to live for any
of us if a permanent underclass largely composed of
those from ethnic minorities has little stake in
society and little hope for the future. We can now
easily see how economically weak and socially
explosive such a society would be. If community
colleges work successfully in the effort to increase
rates of student success, the State just might have a
better future. If we fail, it is hard to imagine who else
can make up for our failure.
Student Equity Planning in the CCC’s
•
Background
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Origins and purpose of CCC student equity planning
Requirements
Resources
Local College Experiences
Your Input
Student Equity Background
1992 — in response to legislation the BOG adopted a
student equity policy to ensure that historically
underrepresented groups have equal opportunity for
access, success, and transfer; requiring districts to
develop, implement, & evaluate a student equity plan.
1996, the BOG amended its policy to establish the
adoption of a student equity plan as a minimum
standard for receipt of state funding.
Student Equity Background
2002 — BOG adopted recommendations of Task Force
on Equity and Diversity for title 5 regulations requiring
colleges to develop Student Equity Plan
2003 — Chancellor's Office provided guidelines to
colleges for development of the plan
2005 — Chancellor's Office asked colleges to
update/complete Student Equity plan
Student Equity Background
2008-09 to 2012-13 economic downturn resulted in:
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State budget cuts
•
Suspension of many regulatory requirements
•
Categorical program flexibility
2011— Student Success Task Force established
2012— Student Success Act of 2012 (SB1456) and
reaffirmation of student equity
2013—Student Equity Workgroup convened
Student Equity Background
2014—Governor proposes to include an additional $100
million of SSSP funding to
• “close achievement gaps in access and success in
underrepresented student groups, as identified in local
student equity plans.”
• if approved, current budget bill, SB 851 (Leon), language
specifies that the Chancellor’s Office shall allocate funds
to districts “in a manner that ensures districts with a
greater proportion or number of students who are highneed, as determined by the Chancellor’s Office, receive
greater resources to provide services to these students.”
Student Equity Background
Governor’s new proposal for student equity SSSP funding are
based upon similar concepts found in the new K-12 Local
Control Funding Formula:
• Provide more money to districts where “the need and the
challenge is greatest.”
• Give local districts more authority to decide how to spend
the money, and hold them accountable for the results
Funding for Student Equity is a proposal and is subject to
change.
What is Student Equity Planning?
Success Indicators
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Planning Steps
Access
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Course Completion
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ESL and Basic Skills Completion •
Degree and Certificate
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Completion
Transfer
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Student Success and Support
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Services: The effect of mandatory
participation of new students in •
SSSP services the other indicators
Establish Committee
Conduct Research
Develop Goals and Outcomes
Develop Actions to Address and
Monitor Disparities
Implement Actions
Coordinate with the SSS Program
Plan (SB 1456)
Review progress and Make
Needed Changes
*Disaggregate data by student demographics
Student Equity Requirements
Required Populations to be addressed:
• American Indians or Alaskan natives
• Asians or Pacific Islanders
• Blacks
• Hispanics
• Whites
• Men
• Women
• Persons with disabilities.
Student Equity Recommendations
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Integrate Student Equity planning into college and
district wide planning efforts:

Accreditation

Educational master planning
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Program review

Student Success & Support Program Plan

Basic Skills Plan
Adopt a holistic approach to planning, budgeting,
and delivery of services to support equity in
student access and success
Student Equity Requirements
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Draft Student Equity Plan Timeline:
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Planning timeframe of 3-5 years
Annual update
Initial Plan Due October 17, 2014
Student Equity Planning Resources
Chancellor’s Office Student Equity web page:
http://extranet.cccco.edu/Divisions/StudentServ
ices/StudentEquity.aspx
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Student Equity Fact Sheet
Draft Revised Student Equity Plan Template
Guides for Measuring Disproportionate Impact
in Equity Plans
Student Equity Planning Resources
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Academic Senate for California Community Colleges:
http://asccc.org (includes papers related to equity and basic skills)
•
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office:
http://scorecard.cccco.edu
http://datamart.cccco.edu Includes basic skills, retention/success rate, etc.
http://extranet.cccco.edu/Divisions/StudentServices/Matriculation/Resources.aspx
Includes the Disproportionate Impact Guide developed by the RP Group
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Disproportionate Impact Webinar: Coming soon!
Action Planning: Questions for
Consideration
• How are you monitoring disproportionate impact?
• Who is or needs to be involved in this effort?
• How often should available data be examined to note
progress or a need for additional changes?
• Which groups of students are likely to be affected and/or
targeted?
• What kind of training or professional development is
needed?
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Guiding Questions
● Where is disproportionate impact an issue?
● What strategies and approaches have colleges
successfully implemented to mitigate it?
● What data can be accessed to explore the
issue?
● What relevant analyses can be conducted to
monitor changes in disproportionate impact?
● How can colleges use this information for
action planning and improvement?
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Local College Experiences
• Deborah DiThomas,
President, Bartsow College
– Former VP of Student Services at Norco College
– Former Vice Chancellor of Student Services at
Riverside Community College District
– Former VP of Student Services and Dean of
Matriculation at Riverside College
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Student Equity
Planning
“Student Equity: The task is not simply to produce a plan,
but to make a difference.” Mike Anker
From the Academic Senate’s 1992-93 “Guidelines for Developing a
Student Equity Plan”
... It matters to our future and to our students…California
will not be a pleasant place to live for any of us if a
permanent underclass largely composed of those from
ethnic minorities has little stake in society and little hope
for the future. We can now easily see how economically
weak and socially explosive such a society would be. If
community colleges work successfully in the effort to
increase rates of student success, the State just might have
a better future. If we fail, it is hard to imagine who else
can make up for our failure.
What Did We
Discover
through our
Student
Equity Plan
at RCCD?
Student Equity Plan
Major Research Findings
•Access OK ~ Ethnically, RCCD’s student population mirrors the
service area ~
•African American students had the lowest levels of course
completion rates (61%).
•For transfer courses only, all ethnicities of student except for
Hispanic, Native American, and African American students rose to
the mid-70 in percent by 2002-03 with African American
performing the lowest (65%).
•The lowest large ethnic group reporting course completion in
all courses was Black males (57.9%).
Student Equity Plan
Major Research Findings
• Hispanic and African American had the lowest success rates (63%
and 75% respectively) in transferable English.
• Percentages of students who successfully passed through the
entire English sequence ~ White-33%; African American 28%;
Hispanic—30%
• Asian students passed nontransferable math 20 percentage points
higher than African American students (65% to 45%,
respectively).
• Those who continued to transferable college math 9% passed the
course. (Asians passed at 13% ~ African Americans 6%.
• African-Americans were least successful in completing college
level English.
What did we do with
these findings?
• Gathered dedicated professionals to figure out how to
address the need
• Researched other colleges’ programs
• Provided funding
• Staff Development
• Continued support
• Process for evaluation
Major Goal of Plan:
A “Student Equity Implementation Task Force,” under the
direction of the Academic Senate and consisting of representation
from administration, faculty, staff, students and community
members was formed during spring of 2005.
• Is responsible for oversight of implementation of all plan activities.
• Consults with Office of Institutional Research to develop and
implement all Equity Plan evaluation work to ensure that the
research will be in keeping with the spirit of the document.
• A sub-committee to address the needs of the African American
Student population was formed on each campus.
Student Equity Funding
05 ~ 06:
• $2,000 from AVC’s Contingency Fund
• $3,000 per campus from Matriculation
• Participated in Budget Process for 06 – 07
06 ~ 07:
• $2,000 from AVC’s Contingency Fund
• $5,000 per campus from Matriculation
(Small stipend per campus to pay for faculty
leadership.)
• $5,000 per campus from General Fund
(actual Budget Line Item for Student Equity!)
Student Equity Policy/Procedure
AP 5300 includes the following:
• The Plan will be updated and sent to the State Chancellor’s
Office every five (5) years.
• The Student Equity Plan has been developed, maintained, and
updated under the supervision of the Academic Senate Subcommittee for Student Equity. The Plan is on file, and can be
viewed, in the Office of the Chief Student Services Officer on
each campus.
• It can also be viewed online at:
http://www.rccdfaculty.net/pages/Evidence/Student%20Service
s/Final%20Student%20E quity%20Plan%
Observable Outcomes
(SLO’s )
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District Student Equity Team
Three Campus Student Equity Teams
Three Campus African American Success Initiatives
General Fund and Categorical Money Devoted to
Student Equity Efforts
• Initial Draft of Evaluation Plan
• Rice Diversity Award Recipients
Your Input
• What can trustees and college presidents do
to support student equity on their campuses?
• What best practices or planning strategies
should be highlighted at the state level to help
colleges implement student equity?
• Governor’s proposal: What factors should be
included in developing a funding formula
and/or funding distribution mechanism?
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Thank you.