What is Student Success?

The stakes are higher than ever for colleges and universities across the country.  The next three years are critical as 2018 will bring a significant change to how federal funding is awarded to institutions based upon their performance over these next three benchmark years.  Student success is no longer just an institutional goal – it’s a federal mandate.

But as student success is being evaluated at the national level, how does this translate to an individual institution better serving its students to reach their goals?

Most of us would assume a successful student is one that has graduated or completed a degree….but there is more to it as civic and economic impacts of higher education are being taken into account, and as institutions are being called to task and evaluated for multiple factors that contribute to a students’ success.

Let’s start by looking at the metrics that have historically defined student success and how they measure up.

Retention, completion and persistence are only part of the picture

Traditionally schools have been evaluated on their retention and completion rates, with trends across higher education being carefully tracked in these areas. Only recently have persistence rates entered into the equation, which take into account more fully the varying and often divergent ‘pathways’ a student takes in attending college and pursuing a degree or certificate.

Here’s a quick rundown on these key metrics:

Retention Rate is defined as a measure of how many students continue their enrollment from their first to second year at an institution.  Since retention rates are institution-based, they do not account for students who continue to pursue their studies at other institutions.

Completion Rate traditionally calculates the number of students who attained a degree within a 6-year timeframe.

Persistence Rate is a measure of how many students return to college at any institution for their second year.

Organizations like the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center (NSCRC) are publishing data and trends that look across higher education in general, taking into account the dynamic of varying student pathways to completion, and that many students continue or complete their education at different institutions.

But while institutions of all types are facing lost enrollments due to a number of pressures and factors influencing individual students’ decisions to continue their education, the need for a strategic focus on student success at the institutional level is at an all-time high.

That begs an important question…what is student success?

Federal and State Views on Student Success

So while federal agencies and other higher education advocacy groups and organizations each put their spin on how student success should be evaluated, how can an institution define what student success means?

It’s not a straightforward answer – it’s a multi-level answer at best, and a confusing dilemma at worst.

At the national level there are plenty of heavy-hitters weighing in on the issue pushing for a broader perspective on the measures of student progress and completion across higher education.  A letter recently published by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) recommends some specific changes to the President’s recommended ratings system, contending that students, families and institutions would be better served with adjustments to the model to provide ‘more accurate’ information that reflects diversities in student populations and pathways.

One specific recommendation: the APLU and other prominent organizations like the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) sponsor the Student Achievement Measure (SAM) as an alternative to the federal graduation metric, which accounts for ‘an increasingly mobile student population.’

A quick comparison of a few schools on the federal College Scorecard and the SAM metrics show improved graduation rates under the SAM model, taking into account ‘mobility.’

At the state level there are currently 30 states that have some type of performance-based funding in place.  The metrics used to evaluate institutions vary – typically by institution type – and run the gamut from outcomes-based metrics like degree or certificate attainment and employment to performance milestones like retention and persistence to in-state enrollment and in-state tuition measures.

Student Success is Unique to Every Institution

At the institution level every college and university is trying to interpret and implement student success as the focus continually shifts from an enrollment management-based focus to a student outcomes-based focus.  And while there are similar frameworks or contexts for schools to work within taking the lead from their respective state’s policies as well as federal mandates, student success is inherently different for every institution.

A few examples of how student success is interpreted and/or pursued at different institutions…

A small group of private liberal arts colleges suggest the focus on academic engagement is key to student success based on data collected from graduating students.

A large, research institution outlined eight areas to create campus-wide change to influence retention and graduation rates in its student success plan.

A statewide community college system developed a framework for success that calls for a targeted focus on student connection/preparation and progression strategies that lead to completion, which may be employment, a degree or certificate awarded, or transfer.

Strategic Planning for Student Success

As schools determine how to work within federal and state guidelines, they are dually challenged to coordinate their own resources and initiatives to align to their institutional mission and develop strategic goals for student success.

Developing a strategic plan for student success requires a thoughtful approach and integration with the campus culture to effectively incorporate all faculty, staff and students.

Engaging a holistic approach to strategic planning for student success can create a pathway to balancing the external mandates with the institutional mission.

 

 

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