MEMORANDUM

To: WA Basic Education for Adults Deans and Directors

From: Basic Education for Adults Office, WA SBCTC

RE: High School Credit for Federal Student Progression and Student Achievement Initiative Points

Date: April 20, 2017

The Option

Beginning with the 2016-17 Basic Education for Adults (BEdA) Assessment Policy, students can demonstrate Federal Student Progression (FSP) and earn Student Achievement Initiative (SAI) points in ABE Levels 5 and 6 by earning high school credit. Also, colleges can place students at ABE Levels 5 and 6 by using earned high school credit; colleges will locally determine students’ ability to perform at these levels through their intake process. This option is available to all colleges offering High School Completion (HSC) through their Basic Skills program, primarily High School 21+ (HS 21+). Colleges choosing to utilize this option will no longer need to CASAS test students with HSC and HS 21+ intent at ABE 5 and 6. CASAS testing to demonstrate FSP at all levels remains an option.

History

The BEdA Office incorporated the option into the 2016-17 Assessment Policy. In July 2016, WABERS+ launched for Program Year 2016-17 with the needed programming changes to track prior and earned credits for all existing Washington graduation cohorts, and the option went live for all the colleges. Through April 17, 2017, 22 colleges had entered 1,470 students into the option. SBCTC BEdA and Research staff began analyzing Summer and Fall 2016 HS Credit option data in March 2017. In addition, the HS Credit Taskforce (comprised of a college president, two vice presidents of instruction, two registrars, two institutional researchers, two CBS members, and SBCTC BEdA staff) approved and adopted the SAI Advisory Group’s Guiding Principles as their own (Guiding Principles on reverse).

Moving Forward

The next step is to incorporate the Winter Quarter data into the current analysis. This should be completed by the end of April 2017. In May, the HS Credit Taskforce will meet to consider the data and discuss options for awarding SAI. The process is still on pace to have a final plan by Summer 2017 (with SAI awarded for the High School Credit Option for Program Year 2016-2017) for Fall 2017.

Guiding Principles of High School Credit Taskforce

Overall Principles for Accountability and Performance Funding:

  • The initiative supports improved educational attainment for students, specifically degree and certificate completion.
  • The initiative allows colleges flexibility and supports innovation to improve student achievement according to their local needs.
  • The initiative accounts for opportunity gaps for underrepresented students and provides incentive for colleges to focus on closing the achievement gap.

Principles for Measurement:

  • Performance measures recognize students in all mission areas and reflect the needs of the diverse communities served by colleges.
  • Performance measures must measure incremental gains in students’ educational progress irrespective of mission area.
  • Measures are simple, understandable and reliable points in students’ educational progress.
  • Measures focus on student achievement improvements that can be influenced by colleges