The institution evaluates success with respect to student achievement, including, as appropriate, consideration of course completion, state licensing examinations, and job placement rates.

 _X_ Compliance                    ___Partial Compliance                       ___Non-Compliance

Narrative

St. Petersburg College is in compliance with this federal requirement because it measures student success using multiple direct and indirect measures, including student course completion rates, state licensing examinations and job placement rates to evaluate success of the College’s mission.

St. Petersburg College Web page with Mission Statement

In addition, the State of Florida’s accountability measures for community colleges include evaluation of student program completion, licensure examination pass rates and job placement rates.

Completion Rates

The Florida Community College System provides Statewide Accountability Measures that include retention of AA and AS degree students, success of AA and AS students, AA degree transfer performance and program completion rates of AS degree and vocational certificate completers.  These Statewide Accountability Measures are provided to the colleges on an annual basis.

Excerpt from State Accountability Measures for Community Colleges in the State of Florida

Retention rate is defined as the percentage of students who graduated or are still enrolled at SPC.  For the cohort of all SPC lower division program and college credit certificate program students whose fourth year of attendance ended in Spring 2005 and Post Secondary Certificate students whose third year of attendance ended in Summer 2003, the retention rate was 70.6% compared to 63.9% statewide.  Thus, SPC achieved its goal of 70%.  The graduation rate for these students was 35.5% for SPC compared to 32.6% statewide.  SPC also met its target for the subgroup of students who had completed required college preparatory courses.  The SPC retention rate was 72.2% compared to the statewide average of 67.3%.  Note that the retention rate for students requiring college preparatory courses is calculated after the students who do not complete the highest preparatory requirement are eliminated from the pool.

Student success is defined as the percentage of students who have graduated, are enrolled in good standing, or left in good standing.  For the cohort of all SPC AA and AS degree students whose fourth year of attendance ended in Spring 2005 and Post Secondary Certificate students whose third year of attendance ended in Summer 2003, the success rate was 91.3% compared to 85.3% statewide.  The success of the AA and AS students also showed an increase from the prior two years (87.8% to 90.8% to 91.3%).  Thus the College met the statewide benchmark of 80% and the SPC target of 90%.  For students who had required college preparatory courses, SPC’s student success was 93.2% compared to a statewide average of 86.4%. SPC met its target for this group of students.

For 2006, SPC’s AA degree transfer with GPA’s greater than 2.5 was nearly identical to the statewide performance (74.7%) and the College met its target of 70%. The mean GPA for the SPC transfer students was 2.87 and was essentially identical to the statewide mean GPA (2.92).

National and State Licensing Examinations

SPC offers a number of programs that require licensing examinations, either state or national, of graduates.  These programs include: Dental Hygiene, Emergency Medical Technician, Funeral Services, Health Information Management, Health Services Administration, Medical Laboratory Technician, Nursing, Paramedic, Physical Therapist Assistant, Radiologic Technologist, Respiratory Care, and Veterinary Technology.  State Licensure passing rates are included as one of the Florida Statewide Accountability Measures that are provided to the colleges on an annual basis.

Excerpt from State Accountability Measures for Community Colleges in the State of Florida

In 2005-2006, SPC pass rates were 86% or greater.  Several programs (Corrections, Fire Academy, Law Enforcement, Medical Laboratory Technician and Respiratory Therapy) had 100% pass rates.

Job Placement Rates

Job Placement rates are included as one of the Florida Statewide Accountability Measures that are provided to the colleges on an annual basis.

Excerpt from State Accountability Measures for Community Colleges in the State of Florida

The SPC Institutional Research Department conducts a Recent Alumni Survey.  Graduating students are contacted 7-12 months following their graduation from the College.  Students are surveyed regarding their current employment status, military service or continuing education.  Job placement for technical/vocational programs was 81.3% for 2003-04 and 82.3% for AA degree graduates.

The data obtained from the Recent Alumni Survey is used to verify data provided by Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP).  FETPIP provides aggregate data regarding placement of former SPC students, including job employment, continuing postsecondary education activities, military association and public assistance participation and incarceration status.  This information is disseminated to Program Directors and is incorporated into the program reviews described above.

Use of findings

St. Petersburg College uses completion rates, licensure rates, and job placement rates, as well as other internal and external measures, to assist in evaluating programs and making improvements through program reviews, end-of-program assessments, and general education outcomes assessments.  SPC also uses completion and enrollment data when monitoring students receiving financial aid.

Program Reviews.  The Board of Trustees Rule 6Hx23-3.04 states that the College will periodically conduct a comprehensive program review of all AS degrees and Certificate programs.  The program review process at St. Petersburg College is a collaborative effort to continuously measure and improve the quality of educational services provided to the community.  The procedures described below go far beyond the “periodic review of existing programs” required by the State Board of Community Colleges.

Each program review report first summarizes existing quantitative data available in the following key measures of enrollment, graduation, and employment:

• Enrollment Trends with table of Annual Unduplicated Headcount (Enrollment in Programs)

• Graduation Trends with table of Annual Graduates by Program

• Employment Trends with:
   

• Florida Occupational Employment Estimates

• Pinellas County Occupational Employment Estimates

• Florida Occupational Wages 1999

• Tampa – St. Petersburg – Clearwater MSA Occupational Wages 2001

• Other Wage and Employment Data

Next, focus group research is employed to explore industry needs, job features, major core competencies in the field, and program curriculum with detailed questions relating to:

• Overall Perception of the Program

• Perception of Program Curriculum

• Job Titles & Openings

• Skills Needed for Employment

• New Trends in the Field

• Educational Opportunities

A thematic analysis of the focus group interaction is presented in each program review report along with a summary of findings, so that program directors may develop an action plan to address the findings.  Final steps in the program review process require the Program Director to incorporate these findings into an Action Plan, and for Educational and Student Services to evaluate the need for follow-up including subsequent reviews.

Key contributors in the SPC program review process include:  Students, Alumni, Faculty, Program Directors and Deans, Provosts, Administrators in Educational and Student Services, the President’s Cabinet, Advisory Board members, and local practitioners and opinion leaders in the program field.

One example of the use of results for making programmatic improvement through program review process is the inclusion of additional licensing examination preparation for the Respiratory Care Program.  The inclusion of this additional examination preparation was based on the results of the 2003-2004 Respiratory Care Program Review.  The summary of the assessment findings from that report is as follows:

Excerpt from 2003-2004 Respiratory Care Program Review

…[focus group] participants suggested the program could provide additional educational opportunities in the form of prep courses for the CRT and RRT respiratory therapy credential exams, as well as the CPFT and RPFT polysomnographers credential exams, and the neonatal credential exam. Currently, students are likely to seek this type of exam preparation from third party companies like Kettering.

The 2003-2004 Respiratory Care Program Review report contained an action for the inclusion of this additional examination preparation.  The completion of this action item was published in the corresponding 2003-2004 Respiratory Care Program Review follow-up report as follows:

Excerpt from 2003-2004 Respiratory Care Program Review

Another example of the use of results for making programmatic improvement through program review process is the recently developed certificate program in Homeland Security (HLS-CT).  The creation of this certificate program was based on the results of the 2004-2005 Emergency Administration and Management Program Review.  The summary of the assessment findings from that report is as follows:

 Excerpt from 2004-2005 Emergency Administration and Management Program Review

The 2004-2005 Emergency Administration and Management Program Review report contained an action for the creation of the Homeland Security certificate.  The completion of this action item was published in the corresponding 2004-2005 Emergency Administration and Management Program Review follow-up report.

In the end, this review process not only continuously measures and improves the quality of existing educational services provided to the community, but also anticipate the future educational needs of the community.

The College has recently enhanced its program review model to include a number of programmatic outcomes. The comprehensive academic program review (CAPR) is conducted on a three-year cycle and includes programmatic measures such as:

1)      Program Performance Measures

   a)      Enrollments

   b)      Productivity

   c)      Graduates

   d)      Success (grade distributions)

   e)      Full-time/Adjunct Faculty Ratio

2)      Program Profitability Measures

   a)      Relative Profitability Index (RPI)

3)      Program Academic Outcomes

4)      Stakeholder Program Perceptions

   a)      Student Survey of Instruction (SSI)

   b)      Technical Education Advisory Committee Minutes Summaries

   c)      Recent Graduate Survey Results

   d)      Employer Survey Results

5)      Program’s Occupation Profile

   a)      Occupation Description

   b)      US, State, and Area Wage Information

   c)      US, State, and Area Trend Information

   d)      State Accountability Measures

General Education.  The College mission/goals statement includes specific general education outcome goals addressing students' achievement of the following educational outcomes:

• Communicate effectively by demonstrating the ability to speak, listen, read and write in an organized and analytical manner.

• Demonstrate effective mathematical skills emphasizing practical problem solving and data interpretation.

• Utilize the scientific method as it applies to understanding scientific and social phenomena.

• Recognize basic scientific principles underlying human influence upon the earth and its inhabitants.

• Implement appropriate forms of existing and evolving technology for personal, educational, and professional purposes.

• Demonstrate the ability to work effectively with others in a variety of settings.

• Demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of the humanities and fine arts including participating in cultural activities featuring art, music, literature, dance and/or theater.

• Participate as informed and responsible citizens in solving social, economic and political problems in a multicultural and global society.

• Recognize ethical issues and dilemmas in the per­sonal, business and social areas of their lives and apply ethical principles and logical problem-solving skills when making ethical decisions.

• Think logically, critically and creatively to solve prob­lems and make decisions.

• Recognize the importance of life-long learning process in the pursuit of personal, intellectual and career development.

The Board of Trustees Rule 6Hx23-3.04 also requires the College to periodically conduct an assessment of general educational outcomes for all degrees.  These General Education Outcomes are assessed on a regular basis using specific instruments for each goal.  Multiple measures include a nationally-normed test, the ETS Academic Profile, rubrics, and embedded tests.  Information on students’ values, attitudes, and self-reports on learning are collected using graduating student surveys and are compared to entering student surveys.  The results of each assessment are reviewed by Program Directors and Faculty and used to prepare Action Plans to address improvement of student outcomes.  For example, the outcomes of speech and writing assessments obtained during 2004-05 prompted the Communications Faculty to develop cross-disciplinary workshops on using the speech and writing rubrics across the curriculum.  In addition, outcomes from the Humanities and Arts assessments in 2004-05 indicated the need for Faculty to place more emphasis on music in the classroom, both face-to-face and online.  In face-to-face classrooms, several Faculty reported playing more musical selections in class in order to expose their students to music from different cultural areas.  Online Humanities Faculty provide links to the same musical selections within the online course structure.  Many Humanities Faculty require students to attend live musical performances.

Program Assessments.  The college mission/goals statement includes a goal to prepare lower-division students for careers requiring post-secondary education through Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science, selected Technical Certificate and Applied Technology programs.  The Board of Trustees rule states that the College will periodically conduct an End-of-Program Assessment of major learning outcomes for AS degrees and an assessment of general educational outcomes for all degrees.  These programs are assessed continuously using end-of-program assessments developed or selected by committees of Faculty, Program Directors, and an assessment expert.  A wide variety of assessments is used, including state licensure exam analysis, rubrics (to evaluate projects, portfolios, and co-operative work experiences), and embedded test instruments.  Most of health and criminal justice programs currently use licensure examination pass rates to assess programs.  On a three-year cycle, programs are evaluated using the results of program assessments.  These results are reviewed by Program Directors, Provosts, Senior Vice President and the Educational Oversight Committee and used to prepare action plans to address improvement of student outcomes.

Baccalaureate program.  The College mission/goals statement includes a goal to “prepare students for work in selected professional fields through Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts, and Bachelor of Applied Science degree programs.”  These programs are assessed using capstone projects or portfolios.  Completion rates, state licensure exam results, and job placement rates are included in the program reviews.  The results are reviewed by College Deans and used to prepare action plans to address improvement of student outcomes.

Distance Education.  Included in the goals supporting the mission statement of the College is a direct reference to distance education:  “…serve target populations beyond the borders of Pinellas County through distance learning programs and other means that emanate from the institution’s history of services and specialized expertise.”  Numerous quality control measures, assessments and reviews including enrollment reports, grade and withdrawal distributions and student survey results are reported throughout the school year to ensure that, courses are equivalent regardless of the delivery.  Completion rates for most distance education programs are difficult to disaggregate from traditional students because many traditional students take a number of online courses while pursuing their degree program; however, in the AS degree programs taught entirely online, completion, licensure, and job placement rates are evaluated during program reviews as they are for programs taught in traditional settings.

Developmental Education.  The college mission/goals statement includes a goal to “provide opportunities for under-prepared students to achieve college entry-level skills in reading, writing and mathematics through the college preparatory programs.”  As stated earlier, SPC closely monitors completion rates for developmental students and exceeds the state mean in this measure.  For students who had required college preparatory courses, the SPC retention rate was 72.2% compared to the statewide average of 67.3% and SPC’s student success who had required college preparatory courses was 93.2% compared to a statewide average of 86.4%.  In the May 2006 State Accountability Measure for College Prep Success Rates, the success rates for college preparatory reading and writing courses exceeded the SPC targets and the statewide rates.  The college preparatory success rates for math been declining in the past few years (Fall 2000 cohort, 48.0%, Fall 2001 cohort, 46.9%, Fall 2002 cohort 45.6%).  The statewide success rates for the same period have demonstrated similar declines (Fall 2000 cohort, 53.1% to Fall 2002 cohort 52.1%).  SPC acted to improve these results during a 2005-2006 statewide review of developmental programs by forming a cross-campus committee to review and incorporate the latest research in teaching developmental subjects.

Monitoring Financial Aid.  In compliance with Title IV federal programs, the SPC Scholarships and Student Financial Assistance office monitors student success and academic achievement of financial aid recipients.  There are also annual reviews by state and federal auditors to ensure proper tracking of satisfactory academic progress and withdrawals, both official and unofficial, for all students.

Historically, SPC has awarded financial aid to 45-50% of students.  The SPC Scholarships and Student Financial Assistance (SSFA) office monitors the academic achievement of financial aid recipients according to standards specified in the Financial Aid Standards of Progress that are included in the SPC College catalog.  Students must demonstrate academic progress by completing a specified number of credit hours relative to the number of semester hours attempted.  Students must also maintain specified Grade Point Averages (GPA’s) based on total semester hours earned.  Students are not allowed to receive financial aid after they have taken 150% hours required for their degree program.  Students who fail to meet these criteria are placed on probationary status for the following year and are ineligible to receive additional financial aid until these criteria are met.  SPC does have an appeal process in place to assist the students with extenuating circumstances which may have occurred during the year in question.

The College tracks enrollment status of all students according to the College’s attendance (District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx23-4.30) and withdrawal policies (District Board of Trustees’ Rule 6Hx23-4.31).  It is the responsibility of the instructor to take regular attendance for students enrolled in his/her class(es) within the Angel Learning Management system.  Program Directors provide oversight to insure that the attendance is posted and that the withdrawals are performed on a timely basis in the separate PeopleSoft Student Administration System.  The “W” and “WF” grades enable the Registrar to identify, through weekly system reports, any student who has officially withdrawn.  Term withdrawal is then completed and Return of Title IV Assistance is calculated.  When a credit student has been involuntarily withdrawn for excessive absences, the student will receive a final grade of "W" through the deadline date listed in the College Catalog for each term.  After the deadline, the instructor may not assign a grade of "W", but must assign the grade of “WF”.  Violation of an instructor's attendance policy after the voluntary withdrawal date will result in a grade of "WF" for the student.  A student who elects to withdraw voluntarily from a course prior to the deadline of a session or term will receive a final grade of "W".

The SPC Scholarships and Student Financial Assistance (SSFA) office receives weekly reports from the College Registrar which identifies students who have withdrawn from classes during the term.  This data is used to calculate the student’s refund due to the US Department of Education through the Return of Title IV Assistance process.  The SSFA processes Return of Title IV Assistance and notifies the student and the US Department of Education of grant overpayments which may have occurred.

Use of external consultants’ findings.  A part of continuous improvement efforts, SPC has engaged two consultant firms to review all student services, looking to integrate Enrollment Management to enhance the synergy that SPC believes can be achieved to improve retention.  These contracts currently are underway and recommendations will be reviewed for incorporation into the upcoming 2007-2008 Strategic Planning cycle.