1 1 MEASURES OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) identifies, evaluates and publishes goals and outcomes of student achievements appropriate to the institution’s mission, the nature of the students it serves, and the kinds of programs offered, using multiple measures to document success. SACSCOC Policy Statement on Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure states that an accredited SACSCOC institution is obligated to provide to its students, constituents, and the public information about itself that is complete, accurate, timely, accessible, clear and sufficient. Information that must be provided to the public includes the institution’s statements of its goals for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals. Information on student success may include reliable information in retention, graduation, course completion, licensure examinations, and job placement rates and other measures of student success appropriate to institutional mission. In accordance with SACSCOC requirements and in response to U.S. Department of Education directives regarding student success, Elizabeth City State University identified the Eight-Year IPEDS Graduation Rate metric as a criterion for student success and achievement. The University selected this indicator because the University wanted a valid and reliable way to compare itself to its peers and this indicator reflects the successful graduation of students as captured at the federal level outcome. As of November 2019, the ECSU Eight-Year graduation rate was 40%. By contrast, the completion rate of the set of peer schools the University identified to contextualize its performance on this indicator was an average of 38%. The University considers 38% to be the threshold of acceptability on this criterion of student success. ECSU also uses a number of internal indicators to evaluate the achievement of its students including enrollment, retention rates, graduation rates, and course completion rates. These criterions are governed by targeted performance goals and peer comparison groups. These performance measures are identified by the UNC-System, IPEDS peer comparison grouping sent to SACS-COC, programmatic accreditation requirements, state performance mandates and national ranking data found in various college ranking guides. Most of these measures, targets and metrics for student achievement are also integrated into ECSU’s strategic plan and the University of North Carolina System’s strategic plan, while others evolve from program accreditation and other institutional priorities. So our data will move from general (UNC System) external targets and achievement to specific (ECSU) internal targets and achievement. Measures and targets included are presented with their respective findings, including continuous improvement efforts. To ensure appropriateness, targets and criteria of comparison reflect accepted institutional data, methods and metrics, ECSU uses disaggregated data analyzed from various performance measures to inform institutional and operational decisions. In addition, ECSU engages in the strategic planning processes that are established by the UNC system. Since January 2017, metrics and targets from UNC System Strategic Plan have been utilized as an external and internal set of requirements or benchmarks. The Plan calls on the UNC System to achieve ambitious goals in access, student success, affordability and efficiency, economic impact and community engagement, and institutional excellence and diversity. Some of those goals also pertain to targets
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MEASURES OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Elizabeth City State University (ECSU) identifies, evaluates and publishes goals and outcomes of
student achievements appropriate to the institution’s mission, the nature of the students it serves,
and the kinds of programs offered, using multiple measures to document success.
SACSCOC Policy Statement on Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure states that an
accredited SACSCOC institution is obligated to provide to its students, constituents, and the
public information about itself that is complete, accurate, timely, accessible, clear and sufficient.
Information that must be provided to the public includes the institution’s statements of its goals
for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals. Information on
student success may include reliable information in retention, graduation, course completion,
licensure examinations, and job placement rates and other measures of student success
appropriate to institutional mission.
In accordance with SACSCOC requirements and in response to U.S. Department of Education
directives regarding student success, Elizabeth City State University identified the Eight-Year
IPEDS Graduation Rate metric as a criterion for student success and achievement. The
University selected this indicator because the University wanted a valid and reliable way to
compare itself to its peers and this indicator reflects the successful graduation of students as
captured at the federal level outcome. As of November 2019, the ECSU Eight-Year graduation
rate was 40%. By contrast, the completion rate of the set of peer schools the University identified
to contextualize its performance on this indicator was an average of 38%. The University
considers 38% to be the threshold of acceptability on this criterion of student success.
ECSU also uses a number of internal indicators to evaluate the achievement of its students
including enrollment, retention rates, graduation rates, and course completion rates. These
criterions are governed by targeted performance goals and peer comparison groups. These
performance measures are identified by the UNC-System, IPEDS peer comparison grouping sent
to SACS-COC, programmatic accreditation requirements, state performance mandates and
national ranking data found in various college ranking guides. Most of these measures, targets and
metrics for student achievement are also integrated into ECSU’s strategic plan and the University
of North Carolina System’s strategic plan, while others evolve from program accreditation and
other institutional priorities. So our data will move from general (UNC System) external targets
and achievement to specific (ECSU) internal targets and achievement. Measures and targets
included are presented with their respective findings, including continuous improvement efforts.
To ensure appropriateness, targets and criteria of comparison reflect accepted institutional data,
methods and metrics, ECSU uses disaggregated data analyzed from various performance measures
to inform institutional and operational decisions. In addition, ECSU engages in the strategic
planning processes that are established by the UNC system. Since January 2017, metrics and
targets from UNC System Strategic Plan have been utilized as an external and internal set of
requirements or benchmarks. The Plan calls on the UNC System to achieve ambitious goals in
access, student success, affordability and efficiency, economic impact and community
engagement, and institutional excellence and diversity. Some of those goals also pertain to targets
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useful in increasing student achievement at ECSU:
Increase Rural Enrollment
Undergrad Degree Efficiency
Achievement Gaps Undergrad Degree Efficiency
5-Year Grad Rate any Institution
Retention Rate
Course Completion rates
State Licensing Examinations
ECSU selected these student achievement metrics and benchmarks among others in an effort to
reflect targeted success across the diversity of the student body. These internal and external criteria
and benchmarks are discussed below in addition to the ways in which ECSU monitors student
success and carries out continuous improvement in each outcome and target area. Since 2017,
ECSU expanded its focus on the enrollment metrics and targets related to the criteria created in
consultation with the UNC System Office. The metrics, targets and actuals will follow in the
discussion under External Metrics from UNC System Strategic Plan.
Rural Enrollment
Elizabeth City State University is uniquely located in a geographic region with a population that
is primarily characterized as both low-income and rural. Often students from this region are first-
generation college students. Although ECSU recruits beyond its 21-county service region, the
University strategically maximizes its recruitment resources to serve the citizens of northeastern
North Carolina. Students whose families did not attend college can have a difficult time navigating
the college admissions processes. Hence, rural students and their families who live in economically
challenged areas will benefit from ECSU’s proactive recruitment efforts, which include regular
high school visits from admissions counselors, assistance for parents in completing the federal
financial aid application, financial literacy workshops, etc. ECSU is proud to serve students from
the rural counties of the state.
Table 1: Rural Enrollment
Year (Fall)
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Actual 924 943 1035 1094
Goal 1041 1187 1344 1508
As part of the UNC System’s commitment to increasing access to students from underrepresented
populations and geographic areas, this metric is defined as undergraduate students who enroll in a
baccalaureate degree within a given academic year and who are from a county designated as
“rural” within the state of North Carolina. ECSU seeks to enroll 1508 students from rural counties
by 2022, an increase of 434 over the present 2019 actual figure of 1084 rural students.
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ECSU is making gradual progress toward this goal, and, in the most recently reported data (AY
18/19), is at 1084 up from 1035 in 2018 and 943 in 2017. These rural student enrollment numbers
have increased for three years but they are still below the yearly targets set with the UNC System.
The margins are small 2018 (-0.6) and 2019 (-8.7). Activities to further annual progress are
ongoing.
Undergraduate Degree Efficiency (UDGE)
By 2021-22, ECSU will improve its undergraduate degree efficiency to 18.2 over a base of 12.3.
ECSU endeavors to produce graduates for leadership roles and life-long learning. The University’s
mission is to recruit, retain, and graduate students who are prepared to become productive
members of a global and increasingly interdependent society. Through the enhanced efforts of the
Student Success Initiative and other student support services, such as academic advising and career
counseling, the University will retain more students through degree completion. For students who
cannot return to campus to complete their degrees, ECSU has an online degree program in
Interdisciplinary Studies that offers a number of concentrations, giving students the flexibility to
find a suitable pathway to degree completion.
Undergraduate Degree Efficiency (UDGE) is the ratio calculated by dividing the total number of
undergraduate degrees in the 2018-2019 academic year by the total number of undergraduates
enrolled in Fall 2018. Therefore, the UDGE for 2018 is 13.5.