Serving the Equity Imperative 7_1

Serving the Equity Imperative: Intentional Action Toward Greater Student Success 2016
Serving the Equity Imperative:
Intentional Action Toward Greater Student Success
Katie Zaback, Andrew Carlson, Sophia Laderman and Sharmila Mann
State Higher Education Executive Officers and Complete College America
July 13, 2016

SHEEO-CCA Equity Brief - DRAFT
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Introduction
If statesare to achieve theirpostsecondaryeducationattainmentgoals,itisbecomingincreasinglyclear
that theymusttake directand immediate actiontoaddressthe equitygapsinpostsecondaryeducation
betweenunderservedpopulationsandthe more likelytosucceedwhite andAsianstudents.Notonlyis
earninga postsecondarycredential essential forindividualeconomicvitality,butitisnecessarytothe
economicvitalityof ourstatesandour nation.AsSteve Murdock, demographerand formerdirectorof
the U.S. CensusBureau,hassaid,the economicprosperityof the entire nationhingesonreducingthese
gaps,since reducingthemisthe single greatestwayforusto drive economicgrowth1
.
Unfortunately,thesestudentsare disproportionatelyimpactedbycomponentsof the educationsystem
that consistentlyfail all students. Underserved studentsare overrepresentedinaremedial education
systemfromwhich fewstudentseveremerge.Theyare more likelytoattendunder-resourced
institutionswithfewerstructuresknowntosupportstudentsuccessand, asa result,accumulate fewer
creditsintheirfirstyear.All these factorscontribute tothe gapin completionrates.
The data presentedinthispolicybrief supportthe notionthattime is,infact,the enemy andthat for
manyunderservedstudentsahighereducationcredentialunnecessarilytakestoolongtocomplete and
costs toomuch, ultimatelydrivingdowncompletionratesforthese students.Thesedatashow thatfew
gaps existacrossrace/ethnicityforstudentswhosuccessfullycompletethe educationpipeline.Infact,
studentswhograduate take aboutthe same amountof time andthe same numberof creditsto geta
degree regardlessof theirrace or ethnicstatus.We must addresseachstage of the educationpipeline
to make real progressinaddressingthe equitygap.
1 Murdock, Ph.D., Steve, Professor of Sociology,RiceUniversity. Population Changein the United States:
Implicationsfor Education and Socioeconomic Development. Presentation at SHEEO Higher Education Policy
Conference. August 5, 2015

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Background
Establishedin2009, Complete College Americaisanational nonprofit agency withasingle mission:to
workwithstatesto significantlyincreasethe numberof Americanswithqualitycareercertificatesor
college degreesandtoclose attainmentgapsfortraditionallyunderrepresentedpopulations.
As the national associationof statewidegoverning,policy,andcoordinatingboardsforpostsecondary
education,the State HigherEducationExecutive Officers Association(SHEEO) isfocusedonincreasing
postsecondaryeducationattainment.SHEEO’svisionstatementfocusesonstudentsuccessandsetsan
ambitiousgoal of at least60 percentof adultsfromeverysocioeconomicanddemographiccategory
completingapostsecondarydegreeorcredential of quality.
Both organizationsworkdirectlywiththeirstate membersand,since 2011, have collaboratedtocollect
the CCA commoncompletionmetrics.These dataprovide studentsuccesspointsthroughoutthe
postsecondaryeducationpipeline.Unlike the federalIntegratedPostsecondaryEducationDataSystem
(IPEDS),the CCA datasetincludes informationonremedialeducationandgatewaymathandEnglish
courses;student,first-yearcreditaccumulation;andthe time andcreditstodegree.Further,CCA data
can be disaggregatedbyrace/ethnicityinadditiontofull-time,part-time andtransferstatus.These data
provide apowerful tool forstatesinunderstandingtheirequitygapsandtheyprovide aunique
opportunitytolookat these trendsfromanational perspective.

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Equity Challenges and Opportunities through the Postsecondary
Education Pipeline
Equity Challenge 1:
Underserved groups are Over Represented at Less Selective Colleges with Lower Graduation
Rates
While,asa nation,we are startingto close accessgapsthrough increasing overall college enrollmentsof
Hispanic/Latinoandblack/AfricanAmerican students,these studentsare more likelytoenroll inless
selectiveinstitutionsdespitedatathatsuggestsmanymore are capable of attendinghighresearch
institutions.2
Infactfully60 percentof blackstudents enrolledin2-yearinstitutions whileonly8percent
enrolledinhighresearch4-yearinstitutions.Conversely,amuchhigherproportionof Asianstudents
enroll inhighresearchinstitutions thananyothergroup.
Figure 1.
Notes: Bars to not add up to 100% becausethe percent for each sector uses an individual median of state means.
AI/PI/NA: American Indian,Native Hawaiian or PacificIslander,NativeAlaskan.
2 Carnevale,Anthony P. and Strohl, J. Separate & Unequal: How Higher Education Reinforces the Intergenerational
Reproduction of White Racial Privilege.Georgetown Public Policy InstituteCenter on Education and the Workforce.
Retrieved onlineMarch 3, 2016 from https://cew.georgetown.edu/wp-
content/uploads/2014/11/SeparateUnequal.FR_.pdf
56%
43%
60%
54%
54%
31%
25%
27%
27%
31%
13%
34%
8%
18%
19%
AI/PI/NA
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
Distributionof StudentEnrollmentAcross InstitutionSectors
Two Year Four Year Four Year Research

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Figure 2.
Note:
AI: American Indian,Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander,NativeAlaskan
A: Asian
B: Black or African American
H: Hispanic or Latino
W: White
At all institution types, Black,HispanicandAmericanIndian,Native HawaiianorPacificIslander,Native
Alaskanstudentshave lowergraduationrates andthese differencesare especiallypronouncedatthe
typesof institutions whichminoritystudentsare more likelytoattend—community collegesandnon-
researchfour-yearinstitutions. Asnotedabove blackstudents are farmore likelyto enroll ina
communitycollege andof those whoentered full timeseekingadegree onlysevenpercentgraduated
withan associate degree within three years.Another13 to 16 percentgo on totransferto a four-year
institutionbefore receivingtheirdegree butonlyaportionof those studentsgoonto complete a
degree.
Figure 3.
Note: Bars to not add up to 100%because the percent for each sector uses an individual median of state means.
AI/PI/NA: American Indian,Native Hawaiian or PacificIslander,NativeAlaskan.
9%
38%
61%
16%
50%
72%
7%
31%
57%
12%
41%
63%
15%
50%
72%
0%
50%
100%
Associates Bachelors Bachelors Research
Graduation Rate in 150% Time (Full Time Students)
12%
5%
7%
6%
4%
39%
23%
36%
39%
32%
55%
73%
59%
57%
63%
AI/PI/NA
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
Distributionof StudentCompletionsby Degree Type
Certificate Associates Bachelors
AI A B H WAI A B H WAI A B H W

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Thisdisproportionate enrollment of minoritystudentsinlessselective institutions describedabove,and
lack of successat those institutions alsocontributestodisproportionate attainment.The datashowa
much smallerproportionof black,Hispanic,andAmericanIndian,Native HawaiianorPacificIslander,
Native Alaskan studentsreceive bachelor’sdegreesincomparisonwithAsianandwhite students.While
the completionof anypostsecondarycredential providesaboostinearningpotential overhighschool
graduationalone,national averagesshow that bachelor’sdegrees,onaverage,conferhigherlifetime
earningsthanassociate degreesjustasassociate degreesconferahigherboostthan certificates.
If statesare to improve the postsecondaryattainmentratesforunderservedpopulationsitiscritical for
themto focus theireffortsonequippingthe openaccessinstitutionsthese studentsattendwith
promisingprogramreformstobetterserve all students.Todate,manyeffortshave focusedon
improvingstudentchoice andmatching,butthisignoresthe factthatlocationandcost are the primary
driversof student’scollege decisions andthatselectiveinstitutionswill neverhave asufficientnumber
of seatsto serve all students. Giventhe growingdiversityinthe U.S. population,the equityimperative is
clear:We mustclose the gaps inenrollment,completion,andattainment all studentgroups if we wish
to have the workforce,wealth,andcivicparticipationwe needfromourcountryinthe 21st
century.
Thankfully,thereare policiesandpracticesemergingthatshow greatpromise forincreasingattainment
ratesfor all students andimprovingoutcomesforunderservedminoritypopulations.Complete College
Americacallsthese strategiesthatGame Changersbecause institutionsandstatesimplementingthese
reformsare seeing promisinginitial improvementsinstudentsuccess.
The Game Changer:
Creatingincentivesfor studentsuccessthrough outcomes-basedfunding
The firststep to ensuringthatall studentshave the opportunitytosucceedisensuringthatstudent
successisthe primarygoal of postsecondaryinstitutions.Formany years,statesfundedinstitutions
basedon the numberof studentstheyenrolledbut32 stateshave now shiftedtofundinginstitutions,at
leastpartially,oncompletionoutcomesratherthanmerelyenrollmentinputs3
.A well-designed
outcomes-basedfundingpolicytiedtoa state’sstrategicplancanhelpcreate the internal conditions
necessaryfora state to focuson completionandincreasingattainment.Outcomes-basedfunding
programs encourage participatinginstitutionstofocusoncompletionandthe stepsnecessarytoget
studentsthere.
Thoughoutcomes-basedfundingalone cannotincrease completion,thisinterventionprovidesa
financial incentiveforinstitutionstoimproveoutcomes. A growingbodyof researchshowsthese
modelsoftenleadtoinstitution-levelimprovementsinaligningwithstate goalstoimprove educational
outcomes4
.Stateswhodistributeall ora significantportionof theirstate appropriationsbasedon
outcomesratherthan enrollment,suchas TennesseeandOhio, are alsohighly involvedin institution-
level reformsthatfocusoninterventions thatshow promise in improvingcompletionandclosing
3 National Conference of State Legislatures onlinePerformanceBased Fundingdashboard.Retrieved February 26,
2016 at: http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/performance-funding.aspx
4 Hearn, James C. (2015). Outcomes-Based Fundingin Historical and ComparativeContext. The Lumina Foundation.
Retrieved May 25, 2016 at: https://www.luminafoundation.org/files/resources/hearn-obf-full.pdf

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achievementgaps.Additionally,bothstates includeweightingforbetterservingunderserved
populations,includingstudentswhoare older,low income, minority(inOhioonly) andotherwise at-risk.
A well-designedfundingformulathatprovidesincentive fundingforcredentialsearnedby blackand
Hispanicstudents mayhelpclose equitygapsinpostsecondaryeducation.
The U.S. will notachieve itsattainmentgoalsif we merelyavoidincreasingthe equitygapsthatexist
betweenstudentsubgroups—we mustclose those gaps.Asstatescontinue toexperimentwith
outcomes-basedfunding,we will learnhow touse thislever more effectively tobothclose equitygaps
and increase attainmentforall students.Bytrackingthe resultsof various outcomes-basedfunding
initiativesinthe states withclose attentionpaidto the equityimperative,we have the opportunityto
shape outcomes-basedfundingintoatrue game changerfor highereducationattainmentANDequity.
Equity Challenge 2:
Far too many students of color are lost in the traditional remediation system
Most studentswhoenternon-selectivefour-yearinstitutionsandcommunitycolleges musttake
placementtestsinmathandEnglishpriorto registeringforclasses.Thesetestsdetermine if astudent
will startincollege level workorbe placedintoremedial ordevelopmental education.Traditionally,
studentswhotestbelowcollege levelhave tocomplete aseries of courses,overmultiple semesters that
do notcount towarda degree before theycanevenenroll incollege level credit-bearingcourses.For
manystudents,these remedial classesare theirfirstandlastexperience incollege.Eventhose who
successfullycomplete the remedial sequence fartoooftenfail toevenenroll inthe associatedgateway
course5
.It isessential forstudentstocompletethese gatewaycourses earlyintheircareersince they
are oftenprerequisiterequirementsforothercoursesrequiredforadegree.What’smore,datasuggest
that manyof the studentsplacedinremediationcouldhave successfullycompletedcollege level
courseworkif they hadstartedthere,andmany more couldcomplete if providedwithadditional
supplemental support6
.
While remedialplacementburdensstudentsof all races,the effectsare particularlydire forstudents
fromhistoricallyunderservedpopulations. Attwo-yearinstitutions,more than70 percent of black
studentsand 60 percentof Hispanicstudentsenroll inatleast one remedialcourse compared tojust
over50 percentof white andAsianstudents.Atfour-yearinstitutions,the gapsare evenmore
pronounced.Infact, blackstudentsare more than twice as likelytoenroll in remediation.Additionally,
bothblack andHispanicstudentsare more likelytoneedremediationin bothmathandEnglish.
5 Bailey,Thomas R., Jeong, Dong W. and Cho, Sung-Woo (2009). Referral, Enrollment and Completion in
Developmental Education Sequences in Community Colleges. Economics of Education Review. Volume 29, Issue2.
6 Scott-Clayton, Judith. (2012). Do High-Stakes Placement Exams Predictcollege Success? CCRC WorkingPaper No.
41. Retrieved May 25, 2016 at: http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/high-stakes-predict-success.pdf

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Figure 4.
Note: Four Year Research institutions arenotincluded sincethese institutions offer very littleremediation.
Successinthe firstcollege levelgatewaycourse forthose studentswhocompletethe remedial
sequence alsovariesdramaticallybyrace.Inparticular,farfewerblackstudentsgoonto complete the
gatewaycourse (orcoursesassociatedwiththeirremedial needs) withintwoyears,whileAsianstudents
are highlylikelytocompletethe gatewaycourse.The gapsare lesspronouncedforwhite andHispanic
students.Acrossbothrace and subject,fartoo few studentsof nearlyanybackgroundcomplete their
associatedgatewaycourseswithintwoyearsof entry,whichsignificantlyimpactstheirabilityto
complete adegree ontime.
Figure 5.
Note: N/A = Sample sizeis too small.
Math 17%
20%
25%
27%
11%
24%
20%
15%
English 13%
12%
9%
7%
8%
8%
7%
4%
Both 22%
39%
30%
20%
6%
19%
12%
5%
0% 25% 50% 75% 100%
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
Perventof First Time StudentsWho Enroll in Remedial Courses
FourYearTwoYear
38%
52%
26%
50%
N/A N/A
14%
22%
7%
25%
39%
17%
23%
35%
18%
31%
51%
25%27%
34%
16%
37%
57%
28%
0%
50%
100%
Math English Math & English Math English Math & English
Percentof Remedial StudentsWhoComplete an AssociatedGateway Course in Two
Years
Two Year Four Year
A B H W A B H WA B H W A B H W B H W B H W

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While these datagive usan overall sense of inequityacrossstudentsubgroups, Figure6highlightsthe
overall impactof these trends more clearly.Forevery100 studentsenrollingin college, approximately
the same numberof studentswill be successfulinremediation ineachrace/ethnicitycategory.
However,since somanymore blackstudentsenroll inremedial educationandsofew completethe
associated gateway;twice asmanyblackstudentsfail tocomplete gateway courses aswhite students.
Althoughthe successratesfor white andHispanicstudentsare somewhatsimilar, manymore Hispanic
students are lostinthe pipeline because so manymore enroll inremedial courses.Asianstudents are
not onlylesslikelytoenroll inremedialcourses, theyare more likelytosucceedinremedial courses,
meaningthat,unlike foranyothergroup,almostas many Asianstudentswill succeedaswill dropoutof
the pipeline.
Figure 6.
Note: Total length of bars (green + red) represents the number of students who startin remediation
These data confirmwhatthe empirical research hasbeenshowingforsome time:the traditional
approach to remedial education isnotservingstudents well.These dataalsounderscore the importance
of disaggregatingoutcomes byrace and ethnicity.Implicationsformaintainingthe currentsystemare
greaterfor blackand Hispanicstudents whoare more likelytoenrollinremedial educationandless
likelytosucceed inthe current,statusquo,system.
The Game Changer:
Corequisite remediation
Addressingthisissuemeansabandoningthe systemthatdoesnotworkforsomethingthat continuesto
show far betterresults—corequisiteremediation. Withthisapproach,studentsare enrolleddirectlyinto
a college level course withadditionalcorequisite supportsystems. Remedial supportsare providedas
withcollege courseworkasa corequisite ratherthanbefore collegecourseworkasa prerequisite.
Colorado,Indiana,Georgia,Tennessee,andWestVirginiaare seeingdramaticincreasesingateway
completionrateswithin one semester(nottwoyears) forstudentsenrolledincorequisite models.
-16
-52
-35
-26
10
9
11
9
Asian
Black
Hispanic
White
First Year Pipeline for100 EnteringStudentsof Each Race
Fail to Complete Gateway Course Complete Gateway Course

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Figure 7.
The resultsin Figure 8 come fromthe Tennessee Boardof RegentsCorequisite RemediationPilotStudy7
and showthat minoritystudentssawsimilargainsinoutcomesunderthe corequisitemodelacrossall
levelsof preparationandforstudentswithlowerACTscoresgainsare perhapsmore dramatic.
Figure 8.
7 Retrieved May 25 at: http://completecollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/TBR-CoRequisite-Study-Update-
Fall-2015-pages-2.pdf
31%
16%
37%
31%
37%
20%
29%
12% 14%
64%
71%
55%
64%
68%
63% 64% 61% 62%
0%
50%
100%
Colorado Georgia Indiana Tennessee West
Virginia
Colorado Georgia Indiana Tennessee West
Virginia
Percentof Remedial StudentsWhoComplete an AssociatedGateway Course
Prerequisite Corequisite
English Math
N/A

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In lightof these results,six highereducationpolicyorganizationshave endorsedcore principlesfor
transformingremediation8
designedtohelpstatesfocusonthe keyelementsneededtoachieve results.
Reformingplacementtoinclude multiple measuresandcareerpathways,enrollingstudentsdirectlyinto
college-level courseswithadditional support,servingasmall numberof studentswhomaynotsucceed
inthe gatewaycourse rightaway,aligninggatewaycourseswithaprogramof study,and trackingdata
are the essential principlesthatprovidearoad map forimplementingnew modelsof remediation.
Equity Challenge 3:
Underserved Students don’t start out on trackfor on time graduation
Most Americansbelieve itshouldtake twoyearstocomplete anassociate degree andfouryearsto
complete abachelor’sdegree asthisishow these degreesare marketedanddescribed.Still,fartoofew
studentscomplete two-yearorfour-yeardegreesontime.9
One reasonforthis issimple math:most
associate degreesconsistof 60 credits;most bachelor’sdegreesconsistof 120 credits.To be on track to
graduate on time, studentsmustcomplete 30credits peryear. Far toofew studentsmeetthisthreshold.
Figure 9.
The numberof studentswhocomplete30 or more credits inthe firstyear differsmateriallyacrossraces
and institutiontypes.Again,Asianandwhite studentsare more likelytostartoff on-trackthan their
blackand Hispaniccounterparts.The difference isespeciallypronouncedattwo-yearand four-yearnon-
researchinstitutions,the institutionsthat blackandHispanicstudentsare more likelytoattend.Across
the board, toofewstudentsstartout theircollege careerbycompletingthe 30 credithours inthe first
8 www.core-principles.org
9 Complete CollegeAmerica. (2014). The Four-Year Myth. Retrieved OnlineJune 1, 2016 from
http://completecollege.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/4-Year-Myth.pdf

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yearthat theyneedtobe on track foran on-time degree.Evenatfour-yearresearchinstitutions,almost
a full 20 percentof studentsdonotstart out on time,andthe data are worse forblack andHispanic
students.
It isimportantto note that the acceptedstandardfor full time is24 credits peryear,rather than30, in
part due to federal financialaid parameters.Attwo-yearinstitutions,fewerthan40 percentof students
whostart full time intheirfirstsemestercompleteafull-time loadintheirfirstyearandfewerthan20
percentof blackstudentscomplete 24creditsintheirfirstyear.Pairthese data withthe fact that 62
percentof blackstudentsare attendingtwo-yearinstitutionsanditisclearthat we needtodo more to
encourage full-timeenrollment.
The Game Changer:
Set the Standard: 15 is Full Time and 30 is On Time
Lookingat theirstate level dataatthe 2010 CCA Convening, representativesfromthe UniversitySystem
of Hawaii were surprised tosee howfew creditsstudentswereaccumulating.Hawaii looked furtherinto
theirdata and foundthat studentswhoenrolledin15 credithoursin theirfirstsemesterwere more
successful onmultiple measures. Many students were notencouraged toenroll in15 credits;however
these studentsassumedtheywouldgraduate ontime. The Systemmovedforwardwithapublic
awarenesscampaigntitled “15to Finish”tohelpbothstudentsandadvisorsunderstandthe importance
of enrollingin15 creditsa semester.Todaythe systemhasseennotonlyagrowth increditcompletion
but alsoimprovedoutcomesforthe growingnumberof studentsenrollinginmore credits.
There are manythingsstatescan do to define full time as15 credits persemesteror30 creditsperyear.
As part of a LuminaFoundation-fundedproject,SHEEOinterviewedstaff atthe Universityof Hawaii to
understandhowthe programwas implementedsuccessfully.Twokeyfindingarose fromthisinterview.
First,institutionswithbandedtuitionpoliciessaw betterresultswithmore studentsattemptingand
succeedingin15 credits perterm.These tuitionpoliciesessentiallymade the extracourse (credits13 –
15) free aspart of a tuitionwindow.Those institutionswithlineartuitionstructureschargingforeach
credithour saw fewerpositivegains.Second,buy-infrominstitutional leadership—andmore
importantly,staff—wascritical tothe successof the implementation;specifically,shiftingthe default
definitionof 12 creditsequalsfull timethatalignswiththe federalPelldefinitionto15 for Hawaii’s
financial aidcounselors10
.
Complete CollegeAmericahasdrawnon thiswork,making “Full time is15” a key game changer, and
has workedwithstates (e.g.,Utah, Nevada, KentuckyandIndiana) toimplementtheirownpublic
service campaigns andidentifyotherwayspolicymakerscan reduce barriersforstudentstocomplete
on time by:
 Making the vastmajorityof theirdegrees60 or 120 credits
 Encouragingall institutions—notjustselective ones—toadoptbandedtuitionpoliciestomake it
more cost effectiveforstudentstoenroll in15 credits persemester
 Making 15 credits pertermor 30 credits peryearthe defaultnumberof creditsstudentsare
encouragedtoenroll in ratherthan 12 or 24
10 Carlson,Andy, Zaback,Katie. (2014) Moving the Needle: How Financial Aid Policies Can Help States Meet
Student Completion Goals.SHEEO Projectwith Lumina Foundation Support.

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 Urging statesas well asthe federal governmenttoprovide bonusesthatallow studentswiththe
mostfinancial needtoenroll fulltime
These policiesare yielding initial positive resultsintheirfirstyearof implementation.Between2011 and
2012, the Universityof Hawaii Systemsaw the numberof studentsattempting15or more creditsin
theirfirstyearrise from 36 percentto 52 percentat four-yearinstitutions.These resultshave remained
consistentacrossadditional years withpromisingimprovementsinfactorslike retention,withachange
from9 percentto 11 percent.11
These dataalsoshow that underrepresentedminoritypopulations
actuallyexperiencedlargergains.
Figure 10.
By takinga comprehensive approach Indianasaw similartrends.Inadditiontooffering15to Finish
campaignresourcestocampuses,the IndianaCommissionof HigherEducation tiedstate financial aid
policiesto30 credits peryear byprovidingbonusestostudentswhoenrollinorcomplete 30 credits.
Afterthischange,studentsinthe O’Bannonneed-basedaidprogramcompleting30 creditsintheirfirst
yearincreasedfrom51 percentto63 percent. The approach doesnothave to be “all or nothing.”
Indianahasmaintained24 creditsasthe baseline foritsO’Bannonneed-basedgrantprogram, butoffers
bonuspaymentsforstudentscompleting30creditsduringan academicyear. Finally,anumberof
institutionsinIndianahave startedtoofferorconsiderofferingbandedtuitiontofurtherfacilitatecredit
accumulation,ineffect,making15 creditsa termcost the same as 12.
If we are to close the equitygapsinthe highereducationsystemwe mustcreate systemsthatput
students ona path to on-time graduationthe momenttheywalkoncampus. 15 to Finishcan be
11 Retrieved May 25, 2016 at: http://15tofinish.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/15_to_Finish_4-
Yr_Combined_Report-September_2013.pdf and http://15tofinish.com/wordpress/ftf-
content/uploads/2015/07/15toFinish_Summary_Fall2014_v1.pdf

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complementedwithotherstructural changessuchas corequisite remediationandelementsof guided
pathwaysthathelpensure creditscount.
Equity Challenge 4:
More students are enrolled part-time and fewer part-time students succeed
Studentswhoenroll fulltime are more likelytograduate than are part-time ormixedenrollment
students. Studentswhoenroll fulltime completemore credits more quickly,therebydecreasingtheir
time to degree andincreasingtheirlikelihoodof success.Students whoenroll full time notonlyhave a
clearerpathto success,theyalsohave more access to supportservices suchasfaculty office hours,lab
hours,tutoring,counseling,andpeerstudygroups. Finally,full-time enrollmentmaximizesthe returnon
investmentbecause the economicbenefitsof the credentialare realizedsooner. Datafromthe National
StudentClearinghouseSignature Reports,whichcantrackdata across both institutionsandstates,
regularlyshowthatsix-yearcompletionratesare dramaticallyhigherforstudentswhoenroll fulltime all
the time.Unfortunately,only40 percentof studentsenroll full time all the time.
Data collectedfromCompleteCollegeAmericaAlliance of Statesshow thatthere are few differences
withinsectorsacrossrace groups.Onaverage,a little lessthan40 percentof studentsenrolledin
communitycollege are enrolledfulltime,70percentof studentsatfour-yearnon-researchinstitutions
are enrolledfull time,andclose to85 percentof studentsatresearchinstitutionsare enrolledfull time.
The one notable exceptionisthatAsianstudentsenrolledattwo-yearandblackstudentsatfour-year
researchinstitutionsare lesslikelytobe enrolledfull time thanstudentsfromothergroups.When
combinedwithenrollmentdatafromsectionone thatshows blackand Hispanicstudentsare much
more likelytobe enrolledintwo-yearinstitutionsandnon-researchfour-yearinstitutionsitisclearthat
to addressthe needsof these studentswe musthelpimprove outcomesforpart-time andmixed
enrollmentstudents.
Figure 10.
35%
68%
85%
39%
70%
78%
40%
72%
84%
41%
73%
86%
0%
50%
100%
Two Year Four Year Four Year Research
Percentof StudentsEnrolledFull Time
A B H WA B H WA B H W

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The Game Changer:
We must provide more structure and clearer pathways for studentsnot enrolledfull time
For all studentstobe successful,theyneedanexpectationandpathwayforcompletion.Institutionsand
systemsinIndiana,Tennessee,andNew Yorkhave implementedstructuredschedulingwithpromising
initial results. Structuredschedulingcreatesclassesofferedinablockduringa specifictime period
throughouta degree program.Manyfor-profitandprivate,nonprofitinstitutionsalreadyoffercourses
inthisway. The collegesof appliedtechnologyinTennessee have streamlinedthe pathtocompletionby
enrollingstudentsinwholeacademicprograms, andhave managedtoattainan average completionrate
of 75 percent12
.Atthe CityUniversityof New York(CUNY) StellaandCharlesGuttmanCommunity
College studentsparticipateinastructured,cohort-basedprogram.Atthisinstitutionjust under30
percentthe firsttwocohorts have graduatedcomparedtojustover 6 percentfor otherCUNY
institutions.13
In2015, the Texaslegislaturepassedabill requiring some healthdegreesandcareerand
technical programstoimplementstructuredschedules withhopes theywill yieldsimilaroutcomes.
In additiontoincreasingpredictabilityanddecreasingtimetodegree,structuredschedulingwithin
degree programsallowsinstitutionstobuildcohortsof studentsworkingtowardacredential together.
Providingstudentswithapeergroupas theyprogressthroughtheireducationisone of the highimpact
practices measuredbythe National Surveyof StudentEngagementandshowntohave positive
outcomes.These practiceshelpall students andearlyresultsindicate thattheyhelpunderserved
studentpopulationsmore.
Equity Challenge 5:
Reaching the End Goal (Time and Credits to Degree)
In 2011, Complete College Americareleaseditsreport, Timeis theEnemy, whichhighlighted evidence
that studentsare takingfar toolongto graduate,and that those whodograduate have far more credits
than theyneedtogettheirdegree.Studentsfromall race groups take more time andearn excess
creditsthanwhat is requiredfortheirdegree orcredential. Onaverage,ittakesassociate degree
studentswhoenterfull time almosttwice aslongtocomplete andalmostas longas a bachelor’sdegree
requires.Forbachelor’sdegreestudents, ittakesstudentsatnon-researchfour-yearinstitutionsan
extrayearto complete,andat researchinstitutions,anextrasemestertocomplete.
Thoughthere are manyreasonsthat studentstake extratime,excesscreditsare likelyone culprit. Over
the time takento earnthe credential,associate degree recipientsearn,onaverage,30percentmore
creditsthantheyneed.Bachelor’sdegreerecipientsgraduate withanaverage of 12 percentmore
creditsthantheyneed.
12 Based on calculations of data submitted in 2014 to Complete College America.
13 Brown, J. and Kurzweil,M. (20016). Student Success by Design CUNY’s Guttman Community College. Retrieved
OnlineJune 28,2016 at: http://www.sr.ithaka.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/02/SR_Case_Study_Student_Success_by_Design_Guttman020416.pdf

16 | P a g e
Figure 11.
Figure 12.
These data are perhapsmostinterestingwhenlookedat throughan equitylens.Inthiscase,whatis
mostinterestingisthe lackofdifference across race categories. Infact,Asianstudents are mostlikelyto
geta degree butalsotendto stayin the systemthe longerandaccumulate slightlymore credits. In
contrast, black students andlesslikelytograduate butforthose whodo so fasterandin manycases
withfewercredits.These similaritiessuggestthat,ingeneral,studentsare capable of completingcollege
withsimilaroutcomes andtheyoftendo.
The Game Changer:
Studentsneedto be put on direct pathways from day one
We are losingfar toomany students,particularlyblackand Hispanicstudents, inaneducationpipeline
that doesnotmeet theirneeds.The systemsandstructuresinourexistinghighereducation system
simplydo notmeetthe needsof today’sstudent. If we wantmore studentstocomplete,theymusthave
4.3
5.1
4.8
3.8
4.8
4.4
3.9
4.9
4.5
3.9
5.1
4.5
0
2
4
6
Average Time to Degree for Full Time Students
79
135 135
78
134 134
82
138 138
78
134 136
0
60
120
Average Creditsto Degree for Full Time Students

17 | P a g e
the supporttheyneedtokeepthemenrolledandonaclear pathto graduation. We must addressequity
by rethinkingandredesigninghighereducationdelivery inwaysthatwill helpclose achievementgaps
that clearly exist. Studentsneedsupportstochoose the rightpathwaysandtheyneedtobe put directly
on those pathways.Evenif theycannotcomplete on time,theyneedaclearexpectationabouthow
much time itwill take, andwhatthey will needtodoto accomplishit. There are manyexamplesof
institutions thathave implementedcomprehensive guidedpathwayssystems whichhave yielded
unprecedentedresults.
For example,overtenyears,FloridaState Universitywasable touse degree mapsandtechnology
solutionstoimplementthosemapstoincrease graduationratesto74 percentforall students,77
percentforblack students, and70 percentforHispanicstudents.GeorgiaState hasuseddegree maps,
intrusive advisingandotherstrategiestobecome the U.S.Universitythatconfersthe mostdegreesto
blackstudentsandtheyhave a 57 percentgraduationrate forAfricanAmericansand66 percentfor
Hispanicstudents14
.Strategieslike defaultpathways,informedchoice,meta-majors,academicmaps,
milestonecourses,andintrusive advisingcanstandalone or togetherwithothergame changerslike
corequisite remediation, fulltime is 15-strategies, andstructured schedules askeycomponentsof a
comprehensive guidedpathwaysapproach.
14 Complete CollegeAmerica. (2012) Guided Pathways to Success:Boosting College Completion. Retrieved online
May 25, 2016 at: http://www.completecollege.org/docs/GPS_Summary_FINAL.pdf

18 | P a g e
Conclusion
The CCA datasetallowsusto examine successbyrace/ethnicitycategoryandinstitutiontype
throughouteachstepof the postsecondaryeducationfromenrollmentthroughcompletion.Thislevel of
detail haspreviouslynotbeenavailable andallowsustodrill downintothe “blackbox”between
enrollmentandcompletion/non-completiontoreallyunderstandwhere equitygapsdeveloporgrow.
Nationally,the datapresentedhere show thatateachstage of the postsecondarypipeline,blackand
Hispanicstudentsare lesslikelytosucceedthantheirwhite andAsianpeers. Overthe course of the
pipeline,these effectscompounduponthemselvesandbecome cumulative;the endresultof whichis
that blackand Hispanicstudentsare lesslikelytoearna postsecondarycredential.
If we are to addressthiscountry’sattainmentgapswe mustaddressourequitygapsat the root.We can
no longeraffordtolose studentsinaneducationsystemthatdoes notmeettheirneeds.The game
changerscontinue to show promisinginitial resultsinclosingequitygapsthroughoutthe postsecondary
educationpipelineand inhelpingstudentscompletetheirdegree orcredential. These earlyresults in
pilotstatesare positive and,asthese studentsmove forwardthroughtheircourse of study,the CCA
datasetwill provide amore complete picture of the effectof these programs.
It isimportantto recognize andacceptthat the earlyresultsfromstatesandinstitutionsimplementing
these game changersdidnothappenovernight.Theyare the resultof intentional andcommittedaction
to change howstudentsupportsare deliveredandimprove successfortheirunderservedstudent
populations.Otherstatesandinstitutionscanrealize similarresultsonce theycommittoimprovingthe
likelihoodof successforunderservedpopulations.

Serving the Equity Imperative 7_1

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