Achieving the Dream Leader College Guidelines and Application

Achieving the Dream Leader College Guidelines and Application

Spring 2012

Application Deadline: July 12, 2012

Achieving the Dream Leader College Guidelines and Application

Spring 2012

Overview

Achieving the Dream Institutions that have met high standards of practice and performance will be recognized as “Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges.” Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges have demonstrated commitment to and progress on the four principles of Achieving the Dream: committed leadership, use of evidence to improve programs and services, broad engagement, and systemic institutional improvement. They have also shown at least three years of sustained improvement on at least one of the Achieving the Dream measures of student success.[1] Leader Colleges serve as mentors within the Achieving the Dream community of learners as well as advocates for the principles of Achieving the Dream.

Below are the rights and responsibilities of Leader Colleges, including the criteria for performance and practice institutions must meet to be designated an Achieving the Dream Leader College. Guidance about the 2012 Leader College application and review process are also included.

PLEASE NOTE:

v  All Achieving the Dream Institutions that meet the Leader College criteria (refer to the following pages) may apply for Leader College status

v  There are no fees associated with Leader College designation

Contents of this Document

·  Rights and Responsibilities of Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges

·  Criteria for Practice

·  Criteria for Performance

·  Application and Review Process

·  Attachment 1: 2012 Achieving the Dream Leader College Application

·  Attachment 2: More to Most Scaling Framework

·  Attachment 3: Achieving the Dream Leader College Assessment Tool

Rights and Responsibilities of Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges

Rights

Leader Colleges are:

·  Given priority when opportunities for competitive grants occur within the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network and when circumstances allow. This priority may be subject to regional restrictions, legal limitations, funder interests, or other constraints.

·  Recognized as sources of expert advice at DREAM - Achieving the Dream’s Annual Meeting on Student Success:

o  Institution recognized as a Leader College in the program

o  Institution’s attendees identified as Leader College representatives

o  Institution’s representatives featured as panelists, speakers, and presenters for special sessions

·  Featured in Achieving the Dream promotional and technical assistance materials:

o  Institution listed on a prominent, dedicated section of the Achieving the Dream website

o  Institution’s results shared nationally in speeches, press releases, field guides, toolkits, and training materials

·  Invited to use the Achieving the Dream Leader College logo:

Responsibilities

Leader Colleges are expected to:

·  Mentor other Achieving the Dream Institutions (this ranges from having conversations at learning events - DREAM, etc. - to being available for learning-centered site visits from other Achieving the Dream Institutions as feasible)

·  Advocate for Achieving the Dream principles and practices and help disseminate lessons from Achieving the Dream (this could range from presentations at national conferences to authoring local or national op-eds about student success and equity)

·  Support efforts to build a policy environment in their state and nationally that promotes student success

·  Continue to pursue Achieving the Dream’s Model of Institutional Improvement and strive for higher levels of student success

·  Remain active within the Achieving the Dream community of learners, pay annual participation fees, and continue to implement practices that focus on equity and excellence

·  To retain Leader College status, colleges must reapply every three years. Reapplication requires a site visit by a Data Coach and Coach during the year leading up to reapplication, funded by the college.

Criteria for Practice

Coaches and Data Coaches use the tool found in Attachment 3 to assess college progress in implementing practices that reflect the Achieving the Dream Model of Institutional Improvement. The tool is organized around the four principles of the model:

1) Committed leadership

2) Use of evidence to improve programs and services

3) Broad engagement

4) Systemic institutional improvement

The tool provides examples of practices that exemplify each principle. The extent to which a college has implemented practices that show progress toward successful realization of each principle will be indicated on a five-point scale.

While Achieving the Dream does not expect colleges to follow every practice listed below, we believe that effective colleges operate in ways that manifest all four principles. The experience of Achieving the Dream Institutions also suggests that certain practices are essential to improving the impact of programs and services on student success. These include:

·  Active support from the CEO and leadership team for efforts to improve student outcomes, not just enrollments (Practice 1.1a)

·  Commitment by top leadership to achieve equity in outcomes across racial/ethnic and income groups (Practice 1.1b)

·  Collection and reporting of data to track progression and outcomes of student cohorts over time (Practice 2.2a)

·  Routine disaggregation of student cohort data by age, race, gender, income, and other factors to identify gaps in achievement among student groups (Practice 2.2b)

·  Engagement of faculty in evaluating program outcomes and developing and implementing strategies to close achievement gaps (Practice 3.1a)

·  Active steps to scale up and sustain pilot programs or practices that prove effective (Practice 4.1f)

Therefore, to meet the Achieving the Dream Leader College criteria for practice, colleges must meet these minimum requirements:

Indicator Practice / Minimum Score
1.1a CEO support for improving student outcomes / 4
1.1b Commitment to achieving equity in outcomes / 3
2.2a Longitudinal tracking of students / 4
2.2b College disaggregates student cohort data / 3
3.1a Engagement of faculty in the improvement process / 3
4.1f College works to scale up and sustain effective pilot programs or practices / 3
At least one practice under every sub-principle (1.1, 1.2, 2.1, etc.) / 3

Criteria for Performance

To meet the Achieving the Dream Leader College criteria for performance, colleges must present evidence of improvement in student achievement on one of the measures below over three or more years:[2]

§  Successfully complete remedial or developmental instruction and advance to credit-bearing courses

§  Enroll in and successfully complete the initial college-level or gateway courses in subjects such as math and English

§  Complete the courses they take with a grade of "C" or better

§  Persistence from one term to the next

§  Earn a certificate or associate degree

The evidence should be provided in the attached Leader College application by July 12th in a table or graph with baseline performance data and three years of performance data.

The performance data should be represented as a rate (percentage) and as a number of students. Also, show the number of students represented as a percentage of total enrollment. Data should be disaggregated. While variation year-to-year is to be expected, the data must show a trend of improvement. Any variations in data must be identified and explained.

Each college should also provide a brief description of at least one intervention it has implemented to achieve the documented improvement in student outcomes and include the number of students served and that number as a percent of total enrollment and of the target population. Data should be disaggregated. The intervention described should target a population that is integral to the overall student success agenda at the institution. In addition, the target population the intervention serves should represent a significant portion of the total student enrollment at the institution.

The intervention should also currently be of sufficient scale to benefit a substantial proportion of the total target population and must have been in effect during the increased student outcomes shown in the table or graph mentioned above. For the purposes of the 2012 Leader College application, Achieving the Dream will adopt the More to Most framework of scale. This framework is presented in a report by MDC, Inc., More to Most: Scaling Up Effective Community College Practices. Achieving the Dream will award Leader College status to those institutions that can show how they have successfully increased the reach of successful intervention(s) to serve “more” or “most” of a target population. For more information on this scaling framework as it relates to the 2012 Leader College application, please refer to Attachment 2. To access the full More to Most guide from MDC, Inc. please go to www.more2most.org.

The Review Process

Coaches, Data Coaches and colleges should follow these steps to produce and submit the documentation required for an institution to be eligible for Achieving the Dream Leader College status.

1)  Colleges applying for Leader College status must conduct a Leader College exploratory conversation between their president and both their assigned Coach and Data Coach. The purpose of this conversation is for the Coach and Data Coach to provide feedback to the college about the college’s readiness to apply and the application process.

2)  Coaches and Data Coaches will jointly agree on an annual assessment of each of their colleges using the tool in Attachment 3 and submit this by June 2012. Coaches and Data Coaches may discuss their ratings with their colleges if they choose to do so.

3)  Colleges should submit documentation that they have met the criteria for performance by July 12th, 2012 (independent of the annual report). You will be able to upload your application via a link on achievingthedream.org/LeaderColleges at the end of June 2012.

4)  In late summer/fall 2012, the college and their Coach and Data Coach will be notified whether the college will receive the Leader College designation. In the event that an institution is not accepted as a Leader College, a formal letter will be sent providing feedback on the institution’s application.

For More Information Contact Achieving the Dream at . Please include the words “ATD Leader College Designation” in the subject line.

Achieving the Dream Leader College Guidelines and Application

7

ATTACHMENT 1

ACHIEING THE DREAM LEADER COLLEGE APPLICATION

Spring 2012

Applications Due: July 12th, 2012

Institution Name:

Years Active in Achieving the Dream:

Main Contact (Individual to contact regarding the status of this application)

Name:

Title

Email:

Phone number:

1.  Certification of Conversation with Coach and Data Coach

All institutions applying for Leader College status should have a conversation with their assigned Achieving the Dream Coach and Data Coach regarding this application. The discussion should address the institution’s readiness to apply for Leader College status, keeping in mind the required criteria of practice and performance, and the roles and responsibilities required of institutions that are Leader Colleges in the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network.

Coach Name / Date of Conversation re LC Application
Coach:
Data Coach:

Name and Signature of Institution President

Name: Signature:

2.  A. Provide a graph or table presenting evidence of improvement in student achievement over three or more years on one of the following Achieving the Dream measures.

Note: Institutions were required to submit this information as part of the Achieving the Dream 2012 Annual Report. Institutions may want to cut and paste responses from their 2012 Annual Report submissions.

·  Successfully complete remedial or developmental instruction and advance to credit-bearing courses

·  Enroll in and successfully complete the initial college-level or gateway courses in subjects such as math and English

·  Complete the courses they take with a grade of "C" or better

·  Persistence from one term to the next

·  Earn a certificate or associate degree

In the table or graph:

·  Include baseline performance data and three additional years of performance data

·  Include the data source (e.g., College SAS Data File, DataTel, etc.)

·  Represent the performance data as a rate (percentage) and as a number of students

·  Include the number of students as a percentage of total enrollment

·  Disaggregate data, if applicable

Measures do not have to apply to the entire student population. Institutions may present student sub-group data on the five measures. For example, colleges may submit course completion data for minority male students in developmental education if the intervention targets this population.

B. Briefly describe the intervention(s) you have implemented to achieve the improvement in student outcomes documented in Question 2A above, including why you believe the intervention(s) helped to improve the student outcomes.

C. Provide any additional information about the data that may be relevant (i.e. explanations of data fluctuations, trends in cohort sizes, etc.)

Note: To be considered for Leader College status, the institution must be able to show a general trend upward in student achievement. Because data can fluctuate, Achieving the Dream realizes that this may not be a constant increase in student achievement from year to year. However, any fluctuations or downward trends must be thoroughly explained.

D. Regarding the intervention(s) described above:

1)  Was this intervention(s) developed as part of your college’s Achieving the Dream work?

2)  Were there any new or existing policies (include institutional, state, and federal level) that allowed your institution to implement this intervention(s)? What were these policies and how do you plan to sustain and expand them?

3)  Complete the following chart, adding or deleting rows as necessary:

Students involved in [intervention]:

Reporting Year / Number of Students in [intervention name] / Students in intervention as % of total enrollment / Students in intervention as % of target population [describe target population]
# / % / %
# / % / %
# / % / %
# / % / %

3.  Explain why this target population is an important population to serve/focus on and what contribution this focus has had to your institution’s overall Achieving the Dream student success reform work.

4.  Describe how your institution has worked to scale the intervention(s) over the years to effectively increase the number of students being served.

a.  An integral part of the Achieving the Dream model is to effectively scale successful interventions. Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges are those institutions that can prove that they have gone from serving “some” students (pilot program) to serving “more” or “most” students[3]. (Some = pilot programs, More = serving a significant portion of the target population, Most = serving almost the entire target population.)