Path Finders : Improving the Quality of Our Services

1. El Centro Community College * Title V Testing ComponentOutreach through Testing: Early Intervention to Achieve College ReadinessBy Monty Francis, Director of Testing Path Finders: Improving the Quality of Our Services

2. Our Mission, Strategy and Goal • The mission of Path Finders is " Early Intervention to Achieve College Readiness" (EIACR) • The main strategy is to provide diagnostic testing and tailored content -instruction to students whose deficiencies and competencies have been measured. • The goal is to lead each student to a path of: • College Ready status • Minimum need for Developmental Education  • Career choice

3. Path FindersHigh School Outreach Program • DCCCD guidelines address remedial instruction provided to high school students for either remedial work to prepare students to pass the TAKS test or to prepare students to pass TSI test. • Path Finders is a High School Outreach Program designed to identify those students who have potential; yet who may potentially fall through the cracks. The aim is to place these students on a path for which their " at risk status" renders impossible. The mission of Path Finders is " Early Intervention to Achieve College Readiness" (EIACR) The main strategy is to provide diagnostic testing and tailored content instruction to students whose deficiencies and competencies have been measured. The goal is to lead each student to a path of career choice, College Ready status and minimum need for Developmental Education.  

4. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramTHECB & DCCCD rules & regulations • DCCCD guidelines address remedial instruction provided to high school students for either remedial work to prepare students to pass the TAKS test or to prepare students to pass TSI test. • The college may contract with school districts as outlined in the DCCCD GUIDELINES to provide remedial courses for students enrolled in public secondary school in preparation for graduation from High School. Such courses are not eligible for state formula funding. High school students who passed all sections of the 11th grade exit-level TAKS test may be permitted to enroll in state-funded developmental courses offered by the college at the college’s discretion if a need is indicated by a student performance on a TSI- associated assessment instruments. Such courses may not be offered for Dual Course Credit. The college may not waive tuition for remedial courses unless approved by the DCCCD Board.

5. High School Outreach ProgramPilot Opportunity The College Board is looking for some model programs that use the new ACCUPLACER Diagnostic tests. To participate in the ACCUPLACER Diagnostic Pilot they ask that we send us a proposal that describes our proposed pilot including • how diagnostics will be use • your intervention strategy • number of students to be tested • the purpose (expected outcomes) If your proposal is approved, the College Board will provide you with up to 4000 test units to use in the pilot.

6. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramThe Components

7. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramTheOperation

8. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramTesting and Tracking

9. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramReadiness & Retention

10. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramDiagnostics & Retesting Centers

11. Path FindersHigh School Outreach Program

12. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramAdvisor Case loads

13. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramEnrollment; Triple A ProcessAdmissions, Advising & Assessment (not Colleague system tracking)

14. Path FindersHigh School Outreach ProgramMeetings & Planning SessionsInstruction & Course offerings

15. Launching an effective Outreach & Retention effort Develop a program that has the following in mind: • Participate in Student Success & Retention efforts of the college and DCCCD through our effort to manage data through a database in conjunction with the use of Colleague. We will do Outreach & Retention through utilizing the duties of a Database Analyst. Students often need a follow-up effort from the college to introduce choices. • We will make better use of ACT & SAT national scores from students who do not proceed in entering college. Likewise, we will follow-up after we test students who do not proceed into college after testing Accuplacer or other TSI instruments. Student Success and Retention would be emphasized through a systemic program which tracks and facilitates outreach and follow-up efforts. Our aim is to do the following : • The Staff: Offsite Testing Assistant, Database Analyst and Program Director • A Database Analyst whose task is to track students by test-type and pass or fail cut scores. The task includes queries and follow-up with students whose test scores reveal a need to do so and with students who have not proceeded to enroll in coursework. • The Program: • Outreach through Testing • Identify those students whose SAT & ACT scores are received and who are not TSI met • Identify those students who after testing Accuplacer or any other TSI instrument but have not proceeded into Credit or non-credit coursework. • Identify students who have tested for Continuing Education, Workforce Education and Certificate programs, but have not proceeded into coursework or a program. • Retention through Testing: Follow-up with students through student contact • Mail-outs: Provide Marketing Brochures on Testing: brochures that explain test scores and help identify programs of interest which students test performance indicate eligibility to enter. • E-mails: Communication that provides information and website links that explain test scores and help identify programs of interest which student test performances indicate eligibility to enter. • Phone calls: Speak with students when this is the most efficient and accurate means of contact; referring the student to advising for an explanation of test scores and help in identifying programs of interest which test performance indicate eligibility to enter.

16. Our EvaluationsGoal Three Provide a Student Services program that would launch an effective Outreach & Retention effort We will track the following quantitative data elements: • Utilization Reports: • We will measure the number of contacts made through follow-up. • We will measure the percentage of contacts that resulted in student retention. • We will measure the number of students that resulted in success We will assess the following qualitative measures of success or completion of tasks: • Statistical Data to measure Responses, Outcomes and & Benchmarks as students are recruited to • Continuing Education • Developmental Education • Credit Coursework • Health Occupations • No Enrollment What will improve through this proposed goal? How will this goal makes a difference? • As a result of this goal we expect to: • Establish the method of monitoring student success rates and reporting of our findings • Improve the success rate of students in general • Become a service unit involved in the retention of students as encouraged by DCCCD.

17. Outreach through Testing Budget Budget = 77,865. or less 19,072. = 58,793.00 Outreach through Testing Budget • Personnel and Job description: • Full-Time Staff: $27,197.00 annual • Part-time staff: $29,688.00 annual or 10,596. • Tests & Testing Services: $17,000.00 annually • Marketing tools: $4,000.00 annual • Purchase of Database “Who’s Next” or Estudias: $5,000.00 to $15,000.00 ( contingent upon which database program)

18. ACCUPLACER Uses of Diagnostic Tests

19. Using Diagnostic Tests in High Schools Administer the diagnostic tests: • to students in the 11th or 12th grade as a tool to assess academic skills, • to students enrolled in academic intervention programs, • to student preparing for placement tests, • to prepare students for dual-enrollment courses or middle college programs, • to students in GEAR UP or Curriculum Alignment programs.

20. Using Diagnostic Tests in College Administer the diagnostic tests: • after taking the placement tests to identify areas of strengths and weaknesses, • in preparation for the placement tests, • in the summer months between academic years, • in collaboration with your ABE, GED or ESL programs.

21. ACCUPLACER® Diagnostics

22. Why Diagnostics…… • To serve a growing demand for solutions to the need for student remediation in college. • To provide an analysis of a student’s strengths and weaknesses so that targeted study can be prescribed. • To provide information for curriculum analysis.

23. Diagnostic Tests The ACCUPLACER diagnostic tests are designed to provide detailed information about students’ skills in reading, English and mathematics. • Tests: Reading Comprehension, Sentence Skills, Arithmetic and Elementary Algebra • Items: 40 items per test – 5 domains, 8 items per domain • Time: Untimed (designed for less than 1 hour) • Design: Computer Adaptive • Cost:2 units

24. Diagnostic Tests - Domains Arithmetic Elementary Algebra Real Numbers Linear Equations, Inequalities, and Systems Quadratic Expressions and Equations Algebraic Expressions and Equations Word Problems and Applications • Computation with Integers and Fractions • Computation with Decimal Numbers • Problems Involving Percent • Estimation, Ordering, and Number Sense • Word Problems and Applications

25. Diagnostic Tests - Domains Reading Comprehension Sentence Skills Agreement Modifiers Diction/Logic Sentence Structure Sentence Boundaries • Passage-Based Reading: Main Idea • Passage-Based Reading: Supporting Detail • Sentence Relationships • Passage-Based Reading: Inference • Passage-Based Reading: Author's purpose/Rhetorical Strategies For more details on each domain, see the Program Manual found under the Resources tab.

26. Domain Scores Range from 1 to 15 It was determined that a score scale of 1 to 15 would be used in order to emphasize the difference in the two assessment types. (Placement vs. Diagnostic) The information provided by the diagnostic domain scores is not comparable to corresponding placement test scores. It was visually different than ACCUPLACER placement test scores. It provided sufficient score points to accommodate the number of items that are administered for each diagnostics test domain.

27. A Total Score Is Not Reported • The five diagnostic test domains are distinct skill sets. • Items were written specifically to each domain to enable the reporting of the five diagnostic scores. Domain Scores Cannot Be Used In Placement Rules Or As A Condition In A Branching Profile • Diagnostic domain scoresassess proficiency in a single domain. • ACCUPLACER placement scores provide an estimate of students’ ability within a larger context measuring a number of skills within a content area.

28. Individual Score Report Category scores • Needs Improvement (1-4) • Limited Proficiency (5-9) • Proficient (10-15) Standard Error of Measure (SEM) SEM’s can be reported for each domain, or they may be turned off in Test Settings. Proficiency Statements See the ACCUPLACER Program Manual for complete list of proficiency statements for each diagnostic test.

29. Test Settings for Diagnostics

30. ACCUPLACER Score Reports

31. Diagnostic Test Score Roster Report

32. Diagnostic Test Score Roster Report • Provides a roster of students’ domain scores. • Report can be exported using various formats: Delimited Text, CSV, Excel, XML.

33. Diagnostic Test Summary Report

34. Diagnostic Test Summary Report Shows the percent of students by domain who scored in each of the categories. Provides mean and standard deviation of domain scores. Results can be used • to analyze the need for curriculum changes, • to design intervention programs.

35. Contact Information Name: M. E. Francis By mail: El Centro Community College 801 Main Street Dallas, TX 75202 By phone: 214-860-2245 By email:MEFrancis@dcccd.edu for general questions 

36. Contact Information By mail: College Board – ACCUPLACER 45 Columbus Ave New York, NY 10023 By phone: 866-607-5223 By email:info@accuplacer.org for general questions or technical support To order tests: accuplacerorder@collegeboard.org