Please provide a written response to each of the following questions in 15 pages or less. Answers should be complete and concise.
1. Please refer to the “Introduction and Overview” section of this RFA. What components of Guided Pathways implementation have you already accomplished, what are you best prepared to tackle, and what presents the biggest challenge? Why is this the right time for your college to implement Guided Pathways?
2. Provide two examples of instances when you used disaggregated student outcome data (including by race and socioeconomic status) to make changes to policy and/or practice in instruction or in student services. Were equity gaps reduced as a result of the changes you made? What equity gaps have you targeted and what are your equity goals for your college?
3. Student success is often measured by retention rates, SAI point accumulation, completion of gatekeeper courses, completion rates, and other metrics. Give two specific examples of how clearly defined metrics for monitoring student progress and success have been used for decision-making within the campus community. Provide the data on improvement to student outcomes that demonstrates your college’s ability to apply changed to the student experience with measured improvements in student success.
4. Describe a time when your institution enacted a significant policy change that was mandatory or prescriptive for students and provide any relevant data that demonstrates the impact of the change. Also describe the benefits and challenges associated with the policy shift.
5. Provide an example of a large scale student success initiative that your institution pursued, based on evidence. Describe the process of change that occurred, how you managed the challenges that came with it, and how you achieved scale.
6. Please describe your current advising model including (a) what percent of new students participate in your advising model(s) within their first year, (b) whether and in what ways advising is intrusive and mandatory (c) where student advising takes place on your campus, (d) faculty and/or staff involvement, and (e) time dedicated to advising on campus.
7. Please describe the changes to your advising model that you anticipate will be included in your Guided Pathways work.
8. Describe your current placement practices for math and English, including the percentage of students that are placed by different placement methods (e.g., placement test, GPA, high school transcript, or other alternative placement methods). Please describe any changes to placement policy or practice you have made in the past five years, and provide data to describe their effectiveness.
9. Over the past 5 years, what has been the change in the percentage of students who earn college-level math within one year of enrollment? Please describe any (a) reforms implemented to this point, and (b)the changes to the structure of developmental education you anticipate making to facilitate successful implementation of Guided Pathways and increase the percentage of students who earn college-level math within a year to at least 50%.
10. Does your college currently offer an alternative math pathway to pre-calculus? If so, is it offered at scale? Please describe. Which programs utilize a non-algebraic math pathway?
11. How does your institution align learning outcomes with requirements for success in post-program education and employment? Please provide specific examples.
12. Colleges selected to receive funding will be asked to track and measure early progress measures that assess the extent to which Guided Pathways elements are being implemented at scale. Likely examples include things like number/percent of students choosing a meta-major upon enrollment, number/percent of students entering a program of study within 1 to 2 quarters, and number/percent of college credits earned in the first year tied to meta-major or program of study per student. Do you commit to finding ways to track and measure these metrics? What tools do you have in place to do so, or what tools are you considering utilizing/purchasing that might help you do so? College Spark is interested working with initiative colleges to identify ways to track these measures.
13. Who is the primary contact for this application? Please include name, title, phone, and email. If more than one person should be included in correspondence regarding this application, please include information for each person.
RFA 2017: Applicant Questions