Strategic Allocation Model

1. Strategic Allocation Model Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement East Los Angeles College

2. Design Principles • Allow for targeted expansion and contraction that is transparent, predictable, and objective • Give chairs, departments, and program directors goals to strive towards • Make the process of supporting completions, transfers, and innovations a larger and more transparent part of the allocation process • Ensure that the proportion of classes offered is optimal, even in times of budget reduction • Ensure that student demand and innovation are balanced

3. Allocation Groups • Each of the following groups receives a separate allocation for summer/ fall and winter/spring • Main campus, online, and hybrid (lumped together), by discipline • South Gate Educational Center, by discipline • Offsite, including dual enrollment • Fixed cohort groups have a fixed allocation. These include: • Nursing • Respiratory Therapy • Special Programs – FYE, STEM, Honors, and Delloro

4. Allocation Process Overview • The allocation of hours to each allocation group takes place in three pieces • Primary Allocation – targets student demand at the discipline or program level • Growth Allocation – targets student demand at the course level • Completion, Transfer, and Innovation Allocation – targets areas that may not be high demand, but contribute to completions or to innovation. New special programs can petition for their initial allocation here.

5. Allocation ProcessStep 1: College-wide Allocation • After fall census, but before Mid-November, the College president determines summer and fall allocations for the following year. • After spring census, but before Mid-April, the College president determines winter and spring allocations for the following year. • These allocations are the total number of credit hours for each term.

6. Allocation ProcessStep 2: Primary Allocation to each Group • Each group is given a primary allocation based on a simple formula involving two cutoffs – an Expansion Cutoff and a Contraction Cutoff. • These cutoffs are determined by the College president, using budget data and enrollment projections. • Primary allocations are distributed in two lumps, summer/fall and winter/spring.

7. Allocation ProcessStep 2: Primary Allocation to each Group • If the average census enrollment rate for a group is above the Expansion Cutoff, then the group’s allocation automatically expands, up to 10%. • If the average census enrollment rate for a group falls between the two cutoffs, in the “Base Zone,” then the group’s allocation remains the same as the previous term. • If the average census enrollment rate for a group is below the Contraction Cutoff, then the group’s allocation contracts, up to 10%. Expansion Cutoff { Base Zone Contraction Cutoff

8. Allocation ProcessStep 2: Primary Allocation to each Group • Expansion and contraction is done proportionally. • Ex: If the discipline's average census enrollment rate is 102%, and the Expansion Cutoff is 93%, then the group’s allocation expands by 102% - 93% = 9% for the term. • Ex: If the discipline's average census enrollment rate is 70% and the Contraction Cutoff is 75%, then the group’s allocation contracts by 75% - 70% = 5% for the term. • Falling in between the two cutoffs, in the Base Zone, results in a stable allocation. • Calculations are rounded to the nearest hour.

9. Allocation ProcessStep 2: Primary Allocation to Fixed Cohorts • Fixed cohorts have no Expansion Cutoff, and are subject to a lower Contraction Cutoff • The goal is for fixed cohorts to remain stable in size until they are ready to grow or the college determines they should grow.

10. Allocation ProcessStep 3: Compare to the Total Allocation • If the total number of hours from the primary allocation is more than what the president has allocated for the term, then all groups(except fixed cohorts) are contracted proportionally. Groups will have the same proportion of the total hours after contraction. “You get the same piece of the pie, but the pie is smaller.” • If the total number of hours from the primary allocation is less than what the president has allocated for the term, then the remainder of the hours are distributed through two processes: • The Growth Allocation receives 50% of the remaining hours. • The Completion, Transfer, and Innovation Allocation receives 50% of the remaining hours.

11. Allocation ProcessStep 4: Secondary Allocations • The Growth Allocation is managed by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement targeting high demand areas. Hours allocated through this process will be designated with specific section numbers for tracking and a semester report to EMC. • The Completion, Transfer, and Innovation Allocation is managed directly by EMC, via a rubric developed by EMC. This process should heavily weigh completions, transfers, innovation, the expansion of fixed cohorts, and intangibles. Hours allocated through this process will be designated with specific section numbers for tracking and a semester report to EMC. • Hours allocated through either of these processes are counted in the corresponding group for future primary allocations. In other words, Growth or Completion, Transfer, and Innovation Allocations can be kept by groups if these result in them landing in the Base Zone or above.

12. Allocation ProcessStep 4: Secondary Allocations – Fixed Cohorts • The primary mechanism for growth of a fixed cohort program is requesting hours from the EMC via the Completion, Transfer, and Innovation Allocation • In the event that a fix cohort contracts by falling below the Contraction Cutoff, the cohort can petition the EMC for hours • Requests for hours from EMC, both from fixed cohorts and other groups, should be tied to the Annual Update.

13. Advantages of the Strategic Allocation Model • Transparency • The model is self-correcting – group allocations expand and contract automatically to meet changing demand • Chairs can more closely and effectively monitor the status of their department • Allocations will be timely since this a much simpler model • Departments will have clear goals to strive for that will have a direct impact on their allocation • Directly integrates completions and innovation into the allocation process • In terms of budget reduction, ensures an optimal distribution of hours to all areas • This process can be easily integrated into Program Review and Annual Updates – departments can request Completion, Transfer, and Innovation or Growth hours in the AUPs.

14. Practical Considerations • Chairs are still able to move hours across disciplines. • Hours from cancelled classes can still be moved to later terms (within the academic year), allowing a group to attempt to retain the hours in an allocation for a different term. • Chairs can still use hours from cancelled classes within the same term • Until EMC develops a rubric for the Student Success Allocation, OIEA will distribute the hours in meetings with chairs.

15. Evaluation • A major missing component of the EMC Rubric is evaluation of the rubric’s impact on completions and transfer. • This model will allow direct evaluation of the impact of the bi-yearly allocation on completers, transfer-ready students, and other areas. It is the responsibility of OIEA to report twice per year on how the allocation is correlated, or not, to these areas. • Evaluation will include looking at specific increases/decreases in hours to groups and corresponding changes in degrees, certificates, and transfer-ready students.

16. The Cutoffs • The cutoffs have been set in such a way as to “phase in” contraction and give groups an opportunity to plan for, or prevent through planning, potential contractions. • For fixed cohorts, the Contraction Cutoff is set to 75%.