Long Beach Community College District Student Equity Plan

Long Beach Community College District Student Equity Plan December 1, 2014

Executive Summary LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 4

Background Alignment with Educational Master Plan Prior to the development of the current Student Equity Plan, Long Beach City College (LBCC) created an Educational Master Plan for 2010 2016. This plan includes four major goals, one of which states that the college will provide equitable access and support to its diverse students and will improve the educational progress and achievement especially for students under-represented in those outcomes. Metrics under this goal include: A. Student Success Measurable Objective 1: Increase the rate at which under-represented student groups complete certificates and AA/AS degrees within 6 years of entry to LBCC. 1.1 Increase all student groups to a certificate and AA/AS degree completion rate of 26%. 1 Measurable Objective 2: Increase the rate at which under-represented students transfer and reach transfer-preparedness within 6 years of entry to LBCC. 2.1. Increase all student groups to a transfer rate of 34%. 2.2. Increase all student groups to a transfer-prepared rate of 35%. Measurable Objective 3: Increase the rates of successful completion of Career Technical Education courses among under-represented student groups. 3.1. Increase all student groups to a successful Career Technical Education course completion rate of 80%. B. Equitable Student Access Measurable Objective 4: Increase support services and courses required for degrees and certificate completions and transfer preparedness at the Pacific Coast Campus. As is clearly demonstrated, LBCC has a long-term plan focused on increasing success rates for all students and eliminating disparities in equity between student groups. Figure 1 below shows how the Educational Master Plan goals align with the five student success areas outlined in title 5 54220(a)(1). 1 Each target percentage in Educational Master Plan is that of the highest performing group for each respective measure. LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 5

Figure 1. Alignment of Student Success Areas and Educational Master Plan Educational Master Plan Title 5 Student Equity Indicators STUDENT SUCCESS A. Student Preparation Measurable Objective 1: Double the number of first-time students who complete transfer-level English, math and reading in their first year of attendance at LBCC. 1.1. Increase from 6% to 15% the percentage of first time students who successfully complete transfer level English in their first year of attendance at LBCC. 1.2. Increase from 5% to 10% the percentage of first time students who successfully complete transfer level math in their first year of attendance at LBCC. 1.3. Increase from 5% to 11% the percentage of first time students who successfully complete transfer level reading in their first year of attendance at LBCC B. Student Goal Attainment Measurable Objective 2: Increase the number of certificates and AA/AS degrees awarded over the next 5 years. 2.1. Increase the number of certificates of achievement awarded by 30% over the next 5 years (from 531 to 731). 2.2. Increase the number of AA/AS degrees awarded by 30% over the next 5 years (from 877 to 1178). 2.3. Of those students who show an intent to complete, increase from 6% to 10% those who complete a certificate of 18 units or higher within 6 years. 2.4. Of those students who show intent to complete, increase from 14% to 18% those who earn an AA or AS degree within 6 years. ESL and Basic Skills Completion: The ratio of the number of students by population group who complete a degree-applicable course after having completed the final ESL or basic skills course compared to the number of those students who complete such a final ESL or basic skills course. Degree and Certificate Completion: The ratio of the number of students by population group who receive a degree or certificate to the number of students in that group with the same informed matriculation goal as documented in the student educational plan developed with a counselor/advisor. Measurable Objective 3: Increase the rate at which students transfer and reach transferpreparedness within 6 years of entry to LBCC. 3.1. Increase the number of transfers by 20% over the next 5 years (from 589 to 707). 3.2. Of those students who show intent to complete, increase from 25% to 33% those who are transfer prepared within 6 years. 3.3. Of those students who show intent to complete, increase from 23% to 27% those who transfer within 6 years. Transfer The ratio of the number of students by population group who complete a minimum of 12 units and have attempted a transfer level course in mathematics or English, to the number of students in that group who actually transfer after one or more (up to six) years. LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 6

Measurable Objective 4: Increase the rate for students to complete Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. 4.1 Decrease by 20% the median number of months to complete a CTE program requiring 18 units or more (from 50.4 to 40.3 months). C. Quality of Academic Programs and Services Course Completion (Retention): The ratio of the number of credit courses that students, by population group, complete compared to the number of courses in which students in that group are enrolled on the census day of the term. Measurable Objective 5: Maintain and enhance quality of academic and support services as determined in part by (but not limited to) Student Learning and Service Unit Outcomes assessment, while improving rates of student completions of certificates, degrees and transfer. C. Student Success Measurable Objective 1: Increase the rate at which under-represented student groups complete certificates and AA/AS degrees within 6 years of entry to LBCC. 1.1. Increase all student groups to a certificate and AA/AS degree completion rate of 26%. EQUITY Course Completion (Retention): The ratio of the number of credit courses that students, by population group, complete compared to the number of courses in which students in that group are enrolled on the census day of the term. Degree and Certificate Completion: The ratio of the number of students by population group who receive a degree or certificate to the number of students in that group with the same informed matriculation goal as documented in the student educational plan developed with a counselor/advisor. Measurable Objective 2: Increase the rate at which under-represented students transfer and reach transfer-preparedness within 6 years of entry to LBCC. 2.1. Increase all student groups to a transfer rate of 34%. 2.2. Increase all student groups to a transferprepared rate of 35%. Measurable Objective 3: Increase the rates of successful completion of Career Technical Education courses among under-represented student groups. 3.1. Increase all student groups to a successful Career Technical Education course completion rate of 80%. A. Equitable Student Access Measurable Objective 4: Increase support services and courses required for degrees and certificate completions and transfer preparedness at the Pacific Coast Campus. Transfer The ratio of the number of students by population group who complete a minimum of 12 units and have attempted a transfer level course in mathematics or English, to the number of students in that group who actually transfer after one or more (up to six) years. Course Completion (Retention): The ratio of the number of credit courses that students, by population group, complete compared to the number of courses in which students in that group are enrolled on the census day of the term. Access: The percentage of each population group that is enrolled compared to that group s representation in the adult population within the community served. This percentage is frequently calculated as a participation rate. LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 7

While the LBCC Educational Master Plan has focused on achieving equitable outcomes for student groups based primarily on racial/ethnic differences, the current Student Equity Plan broadens the student groups to include age and gender, in addition to students with disabilities (DSPS), economically disadvantaged students, foster youth, and veterans. Also, the method for determining disproportionate impact has been standardized using the 80% rule. The Student Equity Plan Writing Process LBCC began the process of writing the Student Equity Plan by creating a Student Equity Plan Steering Group that consisted of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, the Vice President of Student Services, the President of the Academic Senate, the co-chairs of the Student Success Committee (one faculty and one administrator), and the Student Equity Coordinator. The Student Success Committee, which was established in 2007 as one of the standing governance committees of the college, will oversee the implementation of the Student Equity Plan. The first task was having the Office of Institutional Effectiveness identify areas of disproportionate impact using both the Proportionality Index and the 80% Rule. A writing workgroup was formed consisting of sixteen faculty and eight classified employees who showed interest in issues of equity. The writing workgroup was broken into subgroups by success indicator and each group collected information and data from various campus groups (including students, high school counselors, classified employees, and faculty) about disproportionate impact. When the workgroup reconvened, they shared what they had found which informed the expected outcomes and activities outlined in this plan. A summary of the Student Equity Plan was vetted with the Student Success Committee, the Curriculum Committee, and the Academic Senate. After approval by the Academic Senate, the final draft of the Student Equity Plan was presented to the Board of Trustees for Approval. Please see Attachment A for a Timeline for the Student Equity Plan. Target Groups Figure 2 shows the success indicators for each of the subgroups. The red cells indicate where disproportionate impact was found, blue cells indicate the reference group, and black cells indicate where disproportionate impact was not calculated due to small sample size or no students in the subgroup. While LBCC plans on addressing all groups who experience disproportionate impact, the data show that African-American/Black students, Hispanic students, and students 40 or older experience the most instances of disproportionate impact. As such, LBCC will pay particular attention to those groups when implementing strategies and evaluating the efficacy of equity activities. LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 8

Figure 2. Disproportionate Impact using the 80% Rule Success Indicators Access: LBCC Completion BS - English BS - Reading BS - ESL Read BS - ESL Write BS - Math Degrees CTE Certificates Transfer African-American/Black Asian/Filipino/Pacific Islander Hispanic Native American/Alaskan Native White Unknown Ethnicity Gender Female Male 1 1 Age 19 or younger 20 to 24 25 to 39 40 or older Disability Students with a disability 1 1 1 1 Students without a disability Income Economically disadvantaged 1 Not economically disadvantaged Foster youth Not foster youth Veteran Not veteran Foster Youth Veterans Red: Presence of disproportionate impact Blue: Reference group Black: Not applicable (i.e., sub population not present in cohort or sample size too small) LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 9

In addition, an integral part of the Student Equity Plan is continued research of disproportionate impact. In the first year, LBCC will disaggregate all subgroups by gender (e.g., examine the outcomes for African-American/Black male students), as well as disaggregate ethnicity further by separating out Pacific Islander students from the Asian/Filipino/Pacific Islander subgroup. LBCC also plans to explore possible areas of disproportionate impact at the program and school level (e.g., examine the outcomes for female students in CTE programs). Another area of research will assess the suitability of the comparison cohort for the Access indicator. Goals Results from the campus-based research were initially presented and discussed among faculty and staff of the Student Success Committee and among members of the writing workgroup that contributed to this plan. Analyses of disproportionate impact were provided using both the 80% Rule and the Proportionality Index. It was agreed that the college would use the analyses based on the 80% Rule for each success indicator to identify the disproportionately impacted target groups. At the highest level, the goal for each success indicator is to increase access rates to the 80% level for all disproportionately impacted subgroups. Goal A: Access To ensure equity among LBCC students, LBCC aims to increase access rates to the 80% index for African-American/Black and Native American/Alaskan Native students; students 19 or younger and 25 to 39. Goal B: Course Completion To ensure equity among LBCC students, LBCC aims to increase course completion rates to the 80% index for African-American/Black students. Goal C: ESL and Basic Skills To ensure equity among LBCC students, LBCC aims to increase course completion rates to the 80% index for each of the basic skills subject areas: English: African-American/Black and Hispanic students; all student subgroups 25 or older Reading: African-American/Black and White students; male students; students 19 or younger and 40 or older; students with disabilities ESL Reading: Hispanic, White, and Unknown ethnicity students; all student subgroups 20 or older ESL Writing: Hispanic and Unknown ethnicity students; all student subgroups 25 or older LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 10

Math: African-American/Black and Hispanic students; students 40 or older; and students with disabilities Goal D: Degrees and Certificates To ensure equity among LBCC students, LBCC aims to increase degree completion to the 80% index for African-American/Black and Hispanic students; students with disabilities. LBCC also aims to increase certificate completion rates to the 80% index for African-American/Black, Hispanic, White, and Unknown ethnicity students; male students; all student subgroups 24 or younger. Goal E: Transfer To ensure equity among LBCC students, LBCC aims to increase transfer rates to the 80% index for African-American/Black and Hispanic students; students 40 or older; students with disabilities; economically disadvantaged students. Outcomes The data contained in the campus-based research provides baseline percentages for each of the success indicators, and the goals have been stated so as to meet the specific rates of access, progress and completion for specific target groups in order to close the equity gaps to at least the 80% index. LBCC has preliminary outcomes and goals outlined in the Goals and Activities section of this plan. These goals will be built into the longer-term outcomes of the plan. As the activities that support each goal are made more specific in the first year, short-term outcomes or activity outputs will be developed as part of a comprehensive logic model described in the Evaluation Schedule and Process section of this plan. Activities/Actions In the Goals and Activities section of this plan, matrices are provided for each success indicator that include strategic or high-level activities that the writing workgroup identified for inclusion in this initial plan. The college acknowledges that for most of the goals further inquiry and research are needed before more specific tasks that support the stated high-level activities can be implemented. The college has determined that the following actions are needed to take place beginning spring 2015: 1. Begin direct services to students and identify current activities that have been successful at closing equity gaps for immediate implementation to new or larger populations. 2. Continue Research to Support Further Development of Activities - Since the writing workgroup that developed the activities for each goal identified the need for further research to understand better the specific needs of the target student groups or to disaggregate the measures at the program or school levels, additional research needs to begin as soon as the coordinators and dedicated research analyst are in place. LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 11

3. a) Establish Dedicated Faculty Coordinators - Create job descriptions for the appropriate faculty coordinator positions needed to support the work, including one faculty co-coordinator and one or more faculty sub-coordinators. Up to two FTE faculty will receive reassigned time to oversee the activities included in the Student Equity Plan. These positions will be filled early spring 2015. b) Establish Dedicated Research Support - Create a job description for a full-time research analyst dedicated to support research identified by inquiry groups assigned to each success indicator and to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and activities designed to achieve equitable outcomes. This position will be filled early spring 2015. c) Establish Dedicated Administrative Assistance - Create a job description for a full-time administrative assistant to support the faculty and administrative coordinators of all activities included in the Student Equity Plan. This position will be filled in spring 2015. Resources Budgeted The Student Equity Plan Steering Group worked with the leads of the five subgroups of the writing workgroup to develop a framework for the plan s budget. A matrix showing possible funding categories for resources needed to support each activity was created and appears in the Budget section of this report. A more refined budget will be provided in the 2014-2015 year-end report that will include specific dollar amounts as activities are identified, developed, and implemented. Contact Person The Administrative Student Equity Coordinator is Karen Rothstein, Associate Dean of Student Success. The Faculty Student Equity Co-Coordinator will be identified in spring 2015. LBCC Student Equity Plan: Executive Summary 12