Basic Skills Initiative, Student Equity, and Student Support Services and Programs Integrated Plan

2017-19 Basic Skills Initiative, Student Equity, and Student Support Services and Programs Integrated Plan EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EMBEDDING EQUITY AT FRESNO CITY COLLEGE 1

Student Equity at Fresno City College Student Equity at FCC is not solely viewed as a regulatory requirement. Instead, Student Equity is viewed as an opportunity to bring awareness to the root causes and effects of inequities and to provide faculty, classified professionals, and administrators with the information and resources necessary to mitigate outcome disparities. About Fresno City College Established in 1910, Fresno City College (FCC) is the first community college in California and second in the nation. FCC is one of three colleges in the State Center Community College District (SCCCD), the others being Clovis Community College and Reedley College. FCC strives to be a premier learning community whose students, alumni, and staff are among the best-prepared citizens to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex environment. FCC is located in the center of Fresno and in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley, which is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse regions in the state. The college community service area faces challenges of unemployment, endemic poverty, and low levels of educational attainment. These demographic characteristics underline the importance of FCC as a viable pathway to a quality of life for those who attend and serve as the foundation of our mission. The FCC mission is to provide quality, innovative educational programs and support services directed toward the enhancement of student success, lifelong learning and the economic, social, and cultural development of our students and region. In line with this mission, is the commitment to sharing and exploring new ideas through collaboration, respect for diversity, professional development, and promoting equity. Introduction FCC defines Student Equity as the act of identifying and removing barriers that have prevented the full participation of historically marginalized and underrepresented student populations with the goal of eliminating identified differences in outcomes between those populations and the student population as a whole. FCC is proud to be a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI), a designated Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), and is committed to improving outcomes for the ethnically and racially diverse FCC student population. The faculty, classified professionals, and administrators believe that diversity encompasses and values all the characteristics that make individuals or groups alike or different. A broad campus definition of diversity includes not only race, ethnicity, and gender, but also ability, age, education, language, marital status, national origin, physical appearance, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. To value diversity is to welcome frank and open dialogue amongst all individuals and groups. These principles form the foundation of the Integrated Plan to improve student success and equity outcomes at FCC. Student Equity Policy The State Center Community College District (SCCCD) Board of Trustees is required by the California State Legislature (Senate Bill 860 6. 78220, 2014) to adopt a Student Equity Plan for each college in the district. The purpose of the Student Equity policy is to close achievement gaps in the following student success indicators: Access, Course, English for Multi-Language Speakers (ESL) and Basic Skills 2

, Degree and Certificate and Transfer for underrepresented student populations (Board of Governors, 2001). Embedding Equity into Integrated Planning In February 2017, the California Community Colleges Chancellor s Office (Chancellor s Office) required community colleges to integrate the Basic Skills Initiative (BSI), Student Equity, and Student Success Support Programs (SSSP) plans into one document. The purpose of Integrated Planning is to a) streamline BSI, Student Equity, and SSSP into one cohesive plan, b) decrease duplication of student success and equity efforts, and c) expand coordination among the three categorical programs and close equity gaps. Integrated Planning also requires community colleges to select five overarching student success and equity goals. To inform the development of the FCC Integrated Plan, the BSI, Student Equity, and SSSP coordinators worked with the FCC Institutional Research and Effectiveness Office (Institutional Research Office) to develop a survey to solicit feedback from college constituency groups. The survey included all student success and equity goals from the FCC Educational Master Plan, Strategic Plan, and Student Success Plan, and are aligned to the Core Institutional Effectiveness Measures (9) for 2017-2021. Respondents were asked to identify their top five goals from a list of 12 goals. In line with our unwavering commitment to mitigate outcome disparities, FCC decided to use Student Equity as the overarching driver of the Integrated Plan goals and activities. Summary of Student Equity Progress Since 2014, the California Community Colleges Chancellor s Office (CCCCO) and Legislature (SB 1456 & SB 860) have provided significant funding to increase student success and equity in community colleges. Specifically, this money was allocated for activities and positions related to increasing success in basic skills, improving matriculation services, and reducing student equity gaps in access, course completion, basic skills, degree and certificate completion, and transfer rates. FCC has used the monies in a variety of ways (e.g., positions, programs, services) to meet the requirements of the legislature and increase student success while decreasing equity gaps. The five student success indicators are used to identify and measure areas for which various student populations may be disproportionately impacted (significant underrepresentation). As with the FCC 2015 Student Equity Plan, the college decided to use the Percentage Point Gap (PPG) methodology to calculate equity gaps (disproportionate impact). The PPG methodology was developed by the Center for Urban Education (CUE) at the University of Southern California for calculating and displaying the results of research that better lends itself to equity-minded goal setting. Black and African-American, Hispanic and Latinx, Men of Color, and Native American and Indigenous students are amongst the most underrepresented and disproportionately impacted populations at FCC. While the college has used student success and equity dollars to provide activities and programs to close equity gaps, disproportionate impact has increased in some indicators amongst students of color. Through campus based research, inquiry, and reflection, FCC has come to the conclusion that this is the result of an overreliance on unscalable, small, programmatic approaches to closing equity gaps. To that end, the college is currently engaged in several college-wide projects and activities specifically (e.g., Center for Urban Education, Community College Equity Assessment Lab, etc.) designed to increase success and completion amongst students of color. 3

The following table lists equity gaps (percentage point difference) for student groups where disproportionate impact was found for five student success indicators, but not necessarily the number of students affected. Specifically, the table includes the baseline gap, current gap, progress, and 2020 goals. Student Group Indicator Integrated Plan Goal Baseline Gap Current Gap Progress 2020 Goal Male Access 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-5.6% -1.1% +4.5% -3.6% Basic Skills (ESL) 2, 3, 4, 5-2.1% -5.8% -3.7% -0.1% Degree and Certificate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-0.9% -2.4% -1.5% 0.0% Black/African Course 2, 3, 4, 5-11.6% -9.5% +2.1% 9.6% American Basic Skills (English) 2, 3, 4, 5-9.7% -13.6% -3.9% -7.7% Basic Skills (Math) 2, 3, 4, 5-11.1% -16.7% -5.6% -9.1% Degree and Certificate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-1.2% -5.9% -3.7% 0.0% Hispanic/ Course 2, 3, 4, 5-2.8% -3.5% -0.7% -0.8% Latinx Basic Skills (Math) 2, 3, 4, 5-3.2% -1.5% +1.7% -1.2% Transfer Rate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-4.9% -5.2% -0.3% 0.0% Native Course 2, 3, 4, 5-3.0% -4.7% -1.7% -1.0% American & Indigenous White Access 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-10.6% -6.8% +3.8% -8.6% Basic Skills (ESL) 2, 3, 4, 5-7.3% 14.6% -7.3% -5.3% First Course 2, 3, 4, 5-4.2% -3.2% +1.0% -2.2% Generation Degree and Certificate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-3.7% -5.1% -1.4% 0.0% DSP&S Access 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-5.6% -6.6% -1.0% -3.6% Basic Skills (ESL) 2, 3, 4, 5-16.0% -0.2% +15.8% -14.0% Basic Skills (English) 2, 3, 4, 5-7.1% -10.0% -2.9% -5.1% Basic Skills (Math) 2, 3, 4, 5-9.3% -2.0% +7.3% -7.3% Degree and Certificate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-9.3% -2.0% +7.3% 0.0% Transfer 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-7.2% -12.6% -5.4% 0.0% Veteran Access 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-3.3% 0.7% +4.0% -1.5% Degree and Certificate 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-3.6% -0.7% +2.9% 0.0% Foster Youth Course 2, 3, 4, 5-20.6% -13.8% +6.8% -18.6% Basic Skills (English) 2, 3, 4, 5-15.1% -12.7% +3.4% -13.1% Basic Skills (Math) 2, 3, 4, 5-13.6% -8.9% +4.7% -11.6% Low Income Transfer 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-2.3% -2.5% -0.2% 0.0% Notes: Baseline year for Access and Course is fall 2013. Baseline year for Basic Skills, Degree/Certificate, and Transfer is 2008-09 (6-year cohorts). Current gap figures are based on 2015-16 data. Progress is calculated by subtracting current gap from the baseline gap. 4

Review of Past Expenditures Student Equity Category 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017* Category Totals Outreach $- $1,086.00 $2,696.10 $3,782.10 Student Services & Categorical $507,127.00 $993,882.00 $1,005,752.43 $2,506,761.43 Research & Evaluation $148,052.00 $468,099.00 $110,386.13 $726,537.13 Student Equity Coordination & Planning $56,492.00 $247,806.00 $616,267.13 $920,565.13 Curriculum/Course Dev. & Adaptation $- $80,747.00 $5,157.80 $85,904.80 Professional Development $50,415.00 $53,496.00 $74,218.98 $178,129.98 Instructional Support $351,578.00 $1,085,911.00 $664,459.10 $2,101,948.10 Direct Student Support $206,014.00 $231,214.00 $114,768.33 $551,996.33 Totals $1,319,678.00 $3,162,241.00 $2,593,706.00 3-Year Student Equity Expenditure Total $7,075,625.00 *Figures are projected Student Success Support Program (Credit) Category 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017* Category Totals Orientation $196,255.00 $553,692.00 $349,485.00 $1,099,432.00 Assessment $236,957.00 $281,110.00 $386,708.00 $904,775.00 Counseling/Ed Plan $1,588,258.00 $2,899,740.00 $3,365,071.00 $7,853,069.00 Follow-Up $111,324.00 $523,447.00 $159,762.00 $794,533.00 Coordination $98,253.00 $200,128.00 $42,291.00 $340,672.00 Totals $2,231,047.00 $4,458,117.00 $4,303,317.00 3-Year SSSP Credit Expenditure Total $10,992,481.00 *Figures are projected Student Success Support Program (Noncredit) Category 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017* Category Totals Orientation $- $- $- Assessment $17,127.00 $27,623.00 $17,079.00 Counseling/Ed Plan $- $- $- Follow-Up $- $- $- Coordination $- $- $- Totals $17,127.00 $27,623.00 $17,079.00 3-Year SSSP Noncredit Expenditure Total $61,829.00 *Figures are projected Basic Skills Initiative Category 2014-2015 2015-2016 2016-2017* Category Totals Program & Curriculum Plng. & Dev. $- $- $- $- Student Assessment $- $- $- $- Advisement & Counseling $44,974.00 $46,517.00 $28,969.00 $120,460.00 Supplemental Instruction/Tutoring $80,597.00 $31,376.00 $87,958.00 $199,931.00 Coordination & Research $62,545.00 $70,075.00 $47,972.00 $180,592.00 Professional Development $16,243.00 $63,349.00 $30,154.00 $109,746.00 Totals $204,359.00 $211,317.00 $195,053.00 3-Year BSI Expenditure Total $610,729.00 *Figures are projected 5

2017-2019 Student Success and Equity Integrated Goals The following table lists the five SSSP, Student Equity, and BSI integrated planning goals intended to improve student success and outcome disparities. Correspondingly, the five integrated plan goals are aligned with the FCC Core Institutional Effectiveness Measures (9) for 2017-2021 and are intended to increase equity in student success outcomes. 2017-2019 Goals Goal 1: Increase the number of students who complete their education goals (certificate, degree, or transfer 1a. Implement Guided Pathways/ Develop program maps 1b. Support transfer and career counseling services 1c. Support FYE engagement programs including Guided Pathways activities 1d. Support full-time student enrollment and 15-to-Finish efforts 1e. Review degree requirements and support curriculum redesign for improved program completion Goal 2: Accelerate student completion of transfer level math and English courses 2a. Implement and evaluate Multiple Measures for Placement and infuse measures into the assessment process. 2b. Reduce the number of units and time to complete math and English course sequence completion 2c. Support degree and transfer-seeking students to take math and English early 2d. Support tutorial services especially ETC and PASS Goals 3: Close retention, success, and GPA gaps for disproportionality-impacted students. 3a. Focus on strategies that improve outcomes for men of color 3b. Provide professional development for faculty, classified professionals, and administrators on equity issues 3c. Implement guided pathways framework and incorporate special programs Goal 4: Mitigate the number of students that reach academic or progress probation 4a. Improve the Early Alert and systematic interventions for students in jeopardy of probation 4b. Provide instructor intervention training to improve classroom success for student with a focus on underrepresented populations 4c. Support Guided Pathway interventions and support services Goal 5: Create structures and processes that foster student engagement in and out of the classroom. 5a. Train FCC on implementing activities that support the 6 Factors of Student Success 5b. Support student success week in and out of the classroom 5c. Implement Guided Pathway student engagement activities 6

2017-2018 Projected SSSP, Student Equity, and BSI Resources Budgeted Category Basic Skills Initiative Student Equity Credit SSSP Credit SSSP Match Noncredit SSSP Noncredit SSSP Match Academic Salaries $411,810 $937,769 $2,064,763 $2,116,852 $12,525 $12,513 Classified & Other $108,012 $930,719 $941,273 $934,240 $- $- Nonacademic Salaries Employee $111,295 $433,341 $986,800 $1,012,895 $2,201 $2,213 Benefits Supplies & $5,816 $5,000 $15,000 $10,460 $- $- Materials Other Operating $53,285 $75,969 $65,315 $13,710 $- $- Expenses and Services Capital Outlay $75,238 $10,000 $15,000 $- $- $- Other Outgo $- $- $- $- $- $- Program Totals $765,456 $2,392,798 $4,088,151 $4,088,157 $14,726 $14,726 BSI, SE, & SSSP Budget Totals $11,364,014 Figures are projected Recent and Ongoing Major Developments Key developments during the 2016-2017 year include various professional development and capacitybuilding opportunities, research, and projects aimed at improving student success and equity outcomes. With the 2016 directive from the Chancellor s Office to integrate BSI, Student Equity and SSSP planning, FCC is moving forward with creating a Student Equity, Access, and Success Committee, which will serve as a combined student success and equity committee for the whole campus and integrate the planning groups for several initiatives. Professional Development and Capacity-Building Because faculty, classified professionals, and administrators define the ethos of the college, FCC will specifically focus on professional development and capacity-building. To this end, FCC launched the inaugural Institutional Development for Equity Access and Success (IDEAS) Summit on May 24-26, 2016. The IDEAS Summit is sponsored by the SSSP, Student Equity, BSI, and Title V Co-Op programs. A primary goal of the IDEAS Summit is to provide faculty, classified professionals, and administrators with opportunities to learn about the effects of inequities and strategies to reduce them, such as effective practices and methods for addressing and improving outcomes for underrepresented students. Adding to FCC s professional development inventory, the college joined the Minority Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3) National Consortium on College Men of Color (NCCMC) on May 23, 2016. M2C3 is a national research and practice center of the Community College Equity Assessment Lab (CCEAL) that partners with community colleges to support their capacity in advancing outcomes for men of color. CCEAL is a national research laboratory under the Interwork Institute at San Diego State University (SDSU). As an M2C3/CCEAL member, FCC has access to webinars on men of color, virtual discussion boards, and participation in the annual NCCMC working group meeting at SDSU. Building on FCC s partnership with M2C3/CCEAL, the college partnered with their affiliate Center for Organizational Responsibility and Advancement (CORA) and made the following 15-hour online certificate training 7

programs available to all faculty, classified professionals, and administrators: a) Teaching Men of Color in the Community College, and b) Supporting Men of Color in the Community College. Research In addition to professional development, the Institutional Research Office continues to conduct research on student equity. In 2016, the Institutional Research Office conducted qualitative research studies as a result of the goals identified in the 2015 Student Equity Plan. The purpose of the qualitative research studies was to a) understand the lived experience, and b) factors that affect student success of the following student populations: Black and African American, Latinx, Native American and Indigenous, and Southeast Asian students. Additionally, as a result of an inclusive effort, the Institutional Research Office conducted a qualitative research study to understand how FCC might better serve our Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, and Transgender (LGBQT) community. Across the focus groups, in reflecting on the Research and Planning Group s six factors of success, students identified nurtured, focused, and directed as most important to their success at FCC. In an effort to bolster the Institutional Research Office s student equity research efforts, the college reviewed several organizations and ultimately decided to contract CCEAL to employ the Institutional Assessment Package (IAP). The college chose CCEAL over other organizations because of their commitment to support community colleges with research, assessment, and training activities that support the success of historically underserved students of color. The IAP includes three instruments that gain insights from students, faculty, and student services professionals. The IAP is designed to identify areas in need of enhanced attention for institutional practice and professional development. The IRAP Office and CCEAL will employ the IAP during the fall 2016 semester. Ultimately, survey results and reports will reveal areas of improvement and provided recommended professional development to improve practice and services. Guided Pathways Another key development includes the implementation of a prototype Guided Pathways model at FCC. The purpose of prototyping Guided Pathways is an effort to increase student engagement early in college and timely completion of their educational goal. Pathways will support students in focusing on courses in English, math, and core program areas aligned with discipline curriculum maps. FCC s preliminary efforts in fall 2017 include a one-week Summer Jam extended orientation and support through the first year with dedicated counselors, tutoring and supplemental instruction, and engagement activities. Going forward, the college plans to embed equity-minded and culturally responsive and relevant activities and resources in the Guided Pathway Model. Next Steps In spring 2017, FCC and the Center for Urban Education (CUE) launched a two-year, two-phase adaptive organizational learning process to examine and better understand the state of equity at the college, and how to improve equitable outcomes for students. CUE brings over 16 years of experience working with higher education institutions across the country to achieve equity in student outcomes. CUE will help FCC understand how to improve equitable outcomes for students by providing professional development, data tools, an inquiry process, a process of problem-solving, a theory of change, an approach to academic leadership, and an approach to embedding a culture of equity-mindedness. Consequently, partnering with CUE will enable FCC to better understand how to implement sustainable institutional change to close equity gaps. 8

Embedding Student Equity into Integrated Planning and the college requires faculty, classified professionals, and administrators to have a shared understanding of what equity, diversity, and inclusion mean, and how to sustain institutional change towards equity. Since there is no official definition from the Chancellor s Office, in spring 2017, members of the FCC Strategic Planning Council and Student Equity Committee teamed up to form a joint sub-committee to draft definitions of student equity, diversity, and inclusion. This effort required considerable deliberation but resulted in a thoughtful and collaborative process. The definitions will help the college foster a shared understanding of what equity is, and equally important, what it is not. In addition, a shared understanding will help to further institutionalize equity into the college. Over the next two academic years, FCC will continue to utilize the Student Equity, Access, and Success Committee, professional development and capacity-building activities, research, Guide Pathways, and partnerships with key organizations (e.g. CUE, CCEAL, etc.) to meet the needs of our local community and beyond. Contact Information Ray Ramírez, FCC Student Equity Coordinator (559) 442-8200 ext. 8778 raymond.ramirez@fresnocitycollege.edu Accessibility FCC Executive Summary of the BSI, SE, and SSSP Integrated Plan is posted on the college s website. 9