Riverside City College Comparative Study of Student Success Wendy McEwen, Dean, Institutional Effectiveness September 22 nd, 2015 Introduction Riverside City College s student-athletes persist, receive degrees, and transfer to four year colleges or universities at a higher rate than their non-student-athlete peers. Identifying the characteristics and student experiences which help make these students more successful is providing a framework for improving the success rates of RCC s non-student-athlete population. Methodology This study looks at the population of first-time freshmen enrolling at RCC between 2010-2011 and 2013-2014. The analysis includes the use of descriptive statistics comparing characteristics of studentathlete versus non-student-athlete groups. Inferential statistics were not used as part of this study. RCC s student-athlete population representing 17 different athletic programs is relatively small, which would make drawing conclusions from rigorous hypothesis testing difficult. RCC s student-athletes were identified as rostered on the California Community College Athletic Association s (CCCAA) Form 3 s. Most student-athlete and non-student-athlete demographic and completion data was obtained using the State Community College Chancellor s Office MIS files. RCC s Student Services also provided the most recent degree and certificate award data current through June 30 th, 2015. Information regarding transfer colleges was obtained from the National Student Clearinghouse current through November 9 th, 2014. RCC s Athletic Department provided projected transfer information for the most recently-transferring student-athletes. This projected transfer information will be verified through the National Student Clearinghouse in late Fall, 2015. Qualitative information for student-athletes was obtained via interviews with coaches and athletic staff. Qualitative information for non-student-athletes was obtained via interviews with faculty and counselors. Enrollment Riverside City College s first-time freshmen population includes about 5% of students who are rostered student-athletes. During the years 2010-2011 through 2013-2014, RCC enrolled 292 female and 572 male first-time freshmen student-athletes (864 total) and 20,086 non-student-athletes. Institutional Effectiveness Page 1 of 7 9/22/2015
% of Population Whereas RCC s general student population has a greater percentage of female students, the studentathlete population is predominantly male Table 1: First-Time Freshmen Demograpics (66%). Student-athletes are also younger Athlete Non-Athlete than non-student-athletes. The majority of Gender both groups are under-represented Female 34% 53% minority students. However, female and male student-athletes have a higher percentage of African s than nonstudent-athletes Male 66% Race / Ethnicity 47% while student- Under Represented to the non-student-athlete population. athletes are lower in percentage compared Minority Students* 71% Age 77% 21 or Under 98% 77% 22-24 2% 8% 25-27 0% 4% 28-30 0% 2% 31-35 0% 3% 36+ 0% 6% *Includes African, Asian, Native,, Pacific Islander, and those students identifying as Two or More races. Table 2: Comparison of First-Time Freshmen by Race / Ethnicity 60.0% 50.0% 40.0% 30.0% 20.0% 10.0% 0.0% Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African Inter'l Hawaiian or Pac. Islander Two or More Athlete 0.0% 2.0% 20.1% 37.2% 0.9% 2.1% 8.6% 1.2% 28.0% Non Athlete 0.3% 5.6% 9.7% 55.3% 2.1% 0.3% 4.3% 1.1% 21.4% Institutional Effectiveness Page 2 of 7 9/22/2015
Asian Black or African International Hawaiian or Pac. Islander Two or More Grand Total Asian Black or African International Hawaiian or Pac. Islander Two or More Total Student-Athletes by Sport RCC s student-athletes are a diverse population. The two tables below show the enrollment by sport and race / ethnicity for the first-time freshmen. If a student is multi-sport, they are counted only once. Table 3: First-Time Freshmen Female Student-Athletes by Race/Ethnicity and Sport Sport Softball 0 1 27 0 0 2 7 0 37 Volleyball 1 4 8 0 0 3 13 0 29 Women's Basketball 2 7 12 0 0 7 3 0 31 Women's Cross Country 1 2 21 0 0 1 7 0 32 Women's Soccer 0 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 8 Women's Swim & Dive 0 0 20 0 0 9 19 2 50 Women's Tennis 3 1 8 1 0 0 6 0 19 Women's Track & Field 1 25 16 0 2 10 7 0 61 Women's Water Polo 0 0 8 0 1 3 13 0 25 Total 8 41 126 1 3 35 76 2 292 Table 4: First-Time Freshmen Male Student-Athletes by Race/Ethnicity and Sport Sport Baseball 0 1 39 1 0 4 2 29 76 Football 1 71 40 0 15 13 4 26 170 Men's Basketball 0 14 5 0 0 4 0 5 28 Men's Cross Country 1 3 28 0 0 3 0 8 43 Men's Golf 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 14 17 Men's Soccer 0 0 15 0 0 1 0 1 17 Men's Swim & Dive 2 2 17 0 0 5 0 25 51 Men's Tennis 4 0 8 5 0 2 0 7 26 Men's Track & Field 0 42 31 0 0 6 1 30 110 Men's Water Polo 1 0 10 1 0 1 0 21 34 Grand Total 9 133 195 7 15 39 8 166 572 Academic Preparedness and Placement An overwhelming majority of student-athletes are motivated to succeed academically at the community college level. Upon entering RCC, 82% of first-time freshmen student-athletes state that Institutional Effectiveness Page 3 of 7 9/22/2015
their educational goal is to obtain an associate s degree, obtain an associate s degree and transfer to a four-year institution, or transfer without receiving a degree, while the percentage for non-studentathletes is 65%. Upon initially enrolling at RCC, students are assessed using the Accuplacer system and placed in different academic levels depending on their math and English test scores. If a student tests at collegelevel, RCC considers the student Prepared. If they test one level below college-level, the student is considered Underprepared for math or English. If a student tests at two or more levels below collegelevel, the student is considered Unprepared. For both math and English, RCC s student-athletes test at a higher level of preparedness than their non-student-athlete peers. Sixty percent (60%) of student-athletes enter RCC at the Underprepared or Prepared level. This means that they need one year or less of math to be prepared for college-level math compared with 38% of non-student-athletes. The preparation level for student-athletes and nonstudent-athletes for English is much closer. Table 5 contains this academic preparation level by the three major Race / Ethnicity groups at RCC. The percentage is the percentage of each race / ethnicity group who are prepared, underprepared, or unprepared in Math and in English. Table 5: Math & English Placement for RCC's three major Race / Ethnicity groups Math English Course Level Athlete Non-Athlete Athlete Non-Athlete Prepared African 6.9% 3.5% 19.0% 15.1% 13.1% 5.7% 32.1% 19.7% 14.5% 6.9% 40.9% 29.4% Underprepared African 37.4% 21.3% 20.7% 18.6% 48.6% 33.1% 27.4% 26.0% 55.8% 30.3% 30.6% 23.9% Unprepared African 47.7% 55.5% 51.7% 46.2% 36.4% 48.9% 37.4% 41.1% 25.6% 41.3% 24.0% 23.6% Student Success Persistence California Community Colleges have several different metric of student success. One metric is persistence the percentage of first-time freshmen who enroll in the two subsequent primary terms at the same community college (fall-spring-fall for students initially enrolling in the fall or spring-fallspring for students initially enrolling in the spring). Using this persistence metric, RCC s student-athlete population is much more successful than the non-athlete population. Persistence is higher across all Institutional Effectiveness Page 4 of 7 9/22/2015
% of Population race/ethnicity groups except for International Students. However, RCC s international student-athlete population is extremely small which means one student not persisting can have a significant impact on that statistic. Table 6: 1 st to 3 rd Semester Persistence for First-Time Freshmen 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African Interna'l Hawaiian or Pac. Islander Two or More Athlete 0.0% 82.4% 76.9% 77.3% 50.0% 61.1% 73.0% 100.0% 75.2% Non Athlete 32.1% 43.7% 31.7% 43.1% 66.4% 41.3% 36.7% 35.8% 39.6% Receiving a Degree and / or Transferring Additional metrics of student success include students who receive a degree and / or transfer to a 4 year college or university. As with persistence, RCC s student-athletes receive degrees and transfer at a much higher rate than their non-student-athlete peers. Table 7: Degree Completion for 2010-2011 through 2013-2014 First-Time Freshmen Athlete Non-Athlete # % # % Received a Degree 132 15.3% 714 3.6% Transferred 244 28.2% 1820 9.1% Transfer with Degree 94 10.9% 143 0.7% Transfer with No Degree 149 17.2% 1647 8.2% Total First-Time Freshmen 864 20,086 The students in Table 7 have had between 2 and 5 years to receive a degree. RCC tracks and reports a 6 year degree rate, so none of the students included in this study have yet reached that 6 year rate and many are still enrolled at RCC. Thus, the number of students from these cohorts who receive a degree Institutional Effectiveness Page 5 of 7 9/22/2015
and / or transfer will rise through the next several years. RCC s 6 year degree or certificate completion rate is 20%. RCC also reviewed the types of schools to which RCC students transfer. Interestingly, RCC studentathletes transfer to out-of-state public schools at a higher rate than non-student athletes. This is because many student-athletes are recruited to participate in NCAA sports at these out-of-state schools. Table 8: Transfer School Type Athlete Non-Athlete # % # % CSU System 66 7.6% 531 2.6% UC System 17 2.0% 295 1.5% Private (in state + out of state) 91 10.5% 788 3.9% Out of State Public 70 8.1% 206 1.0% Total First-Time Freshmen 864 28.2% total transferred 20,086 9.1% total transferred RCC also compared success rates for the three major race / ethnicity groups which make up the majority of RCC s student-athlete population African s, s, and s. Compared with the non-student-athlete populations for these same race / ethnicity groups, RCC s studentathletes receive degrees and / or transfer at two to three times the rate of RCC s non-student-athletes. Table 9: Degree and Transfer Totals Race / Ethnicity Athlete # Students Degree or Transfer # Students Non-Athlete Degree or Transfer # % # % Black or African 174 61 35.1% 1,946 239 12.3% 2.85 321 95 29.6% 11,099 1,015 9.1% 3.24 242 87 36.0% 4,294 678 15.8% 2.28 Total Population 864 20,086 Ratio Key Discussion and Lessons Learned In many ways, Riverside City College s student-athlete population is comparable to its non-studentathlete population. However, student-athletes persist, receive degrees, and / or transfer to 4 year colleges or universities at a much higher rate than their non-student-athlete peers. While studentathletes enter RCC slightly more prepared for college-level courses, the significant difference in success rates cannot be attributed only to their academic preparedness. Therefore, other inputs and factors that could impact student-athletes success must be considered. Institutional Effectiveness Page 6 of 7 9/22/2015
In addition to reviewing the descriptive statistics cited in this study, Riverside City College conducted a qualitative analysis of student-athletes experiences including identifying the amount of advising, faculty contact, and athletic staff contact student-athletes receive. The results of this analysis show that student-athletes are much more likely to be actively engaged with faculty, administrators, coaches, and staff as a result of participating in athletics. RCC believes that this additional attention and guidance is having a positive impact on student success. Student-athletes meet with their coaches at least 5 times per week. In addition to athletic preparation, coaches actively monitor students academic progress including monthly grade checks. Some teams also have mandatory study halls. If academic problems are identified, the student-athletes receive strong encouragement to seek academic tutoring and other assistance. Often, coaches will speak with faculty to help identify areas of concern to better help student-athletes succeed academically. In addition, RCC s coaches and its educational advisor are actively engaged in identifying, understanding, and advising student-athletes on California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) requirements as well as National College Athletic Association (NCAA) transfer requirements. The coaches and educational advisor s understanding of these complex requirements provide additional support and guidance to student-athletes who are trying to transfer to a 4 year college or university. The athletic educational advisor hosts an Academic Success forum once a year. The educational advisor also conducts team and individual sessions coaching the students on academic as well as athletic transfer requirements. Many students meet with the educational advisor multiple times during the year helping ensure that they are on track to succeed and transfer. One result of the qualitative analysis of student-athlete engagement activities is that RCC is proposing adding a full-time academic success coordinator to increase the amount of support the department can provide to their student-athletes. In coordination with Counseling, Student Services, and faculty, this position will provide leadership in orientation, assessment, academic advising, tutorial services, athletic eligibility, and other student-athlete academic success activities. Comparatively, non-student-athletes are less likely to meet with counselors or educational advisors or be engaged in other co-curricular activities. Riverside City College believes that the additional student engagement opportunities offered to student-athletes are having a significant, positive impact on student success. RCC is incorporating many of these lessons learned into our integrated Pathways model with the goal of increasing the success of non-student-athletes. Conclusion Institutional Effectiveness Page 7 of 7 9/22/2015