How Are The Students Doing?
Many of us enjoy working for a college, a place where the end result is a lot more than the “bottom line.” However, what is the direct result of our efforts, the long hours, the sweat and (sometimes) tears?
Everyone knows it all comes down to the students and how much they succeed. A good summary of student progress can be found in the Institutional Effectiveness Outcomes, outlined recently in the following report compiled by Cuesta’s Matriculation and Research Department:
CUESTA’S PERFORMANCE ON ITS INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OUTCOMES 2004/2005
Submitted by Matriculation and Research
BACKGROUND
This is the fourth annual report on Institutional Effectiveness Outcomes. The first report was compiled during the summer of 2002 and was published October 2002 (Research Report No. 2002/03-01). The second report was published in August 2003 (Research Report 2003-04-1). The third edition of the Institutional Effectiveness Outcomes report was published in October 2004 (Research Report No. 2003/04-01). The current edition is the first report in which the new set of Institutional Effectiveness Outcomes (IEOs – see listed below) is addressed.
On November 13, 2001, the Shared Governance Council approved a proposed set of Institutional Performance Measures designed to monitor the levels of organizational performance of Cuesta College. These indicators were selected as quasi-student outcome measures that would allow Cuesta to begin to move closer to the revised accreditation standards then being considered by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). The 2004 accreditation standards have been published; and in Fall 2003, the Board of Trustees adopted a new set of Institutional Effectiveness Outcomes, which more closely align with the spirit of the new accreditation standards.
At the same time that Cuesta’s new IEOs were being developed, state assembly bill 1417 (Pacheco) was enacted. The language of the legislation called upon the California Community College Chancellor’s Office to provide recommendations regarding a workable structure for the annual evaluation of district-level performance. In consultation with the California Community College Research and Planning Group and the Center for Student Success, a tentative framework of proposed performance measures was developed and distributed to colleges in March of 2005. Therefore, in anticipation of this new performance framework, this report, in addition to providing data on our internally approved IEOs, offers some preliminary data reflective of the proposed AB1417 measures.
Additionally, the report also includes other relevant measures and findings of interest to the District, but which do not fall into either our IEOs or the new proposed AB1417 measures. Accordingly, the report is organized into three parts. Part one addresses the seven Cuesta College developed and approved IEOs listed below. Part two provides preliminary data pertaining to some of the proposed AB1417 measures. Finally, part three includes relevant data and interesting findings that do not necessarily fall into either of the first two parts of this report.
As mentioned, this report presents the latest information in the context of institutional effectiveness outcomes for Cuesta College. These data allow Cuesta College to see the college in comparison to the entire 72 district/109 community college system and provides an objective point of comparison. Whenever possible, statewide trends are provided in order to place Cuesta’s performance in the context of the state at large. Moreover, because the state has yet to develop target goals of district-level performance, prior Partnership for Excellence goals, where relevant, have been included for reference. The latest statewide information available was published in May 2005, and reflects the 2003/04 academic year. However, charts created from internal Cuesta College data include 2004/05 data where possible. This discrepancy is a result of the difficulty the state has in obtaining ending year data, which is not unlike the fluidity inherent in the community college budget cycle.
PART I: CUESTA COLLEGE 2004/05 INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OUTCOMES
Cuesta’s College’s 2004/05 Institutional Effectiveness Outcomes are as follows:
1. Students progress successfully to acquisition of degrees and certificates.
2. Students successfully acquire transfer-ready status and transfer.
3. Students successfully obtain and retain a job related to their vocational degree or certificate after one year of program completion/graduation.
4. ESL and basic skills students succeed in basic skills courses and successfully move from basic skills courses into transfer or vocational courses.
5. Students in licensure or professional certification programs successfully earn the license or certification.
6. Students completing degrees demonstrate achievement of general education outcomes and improved critical thinking and citizenship.
7. The district demonstrates responsiveness to changing demographics and cultural environment, as well as needs of business and industry.
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