2011 NASPA Annual Conference s Philadelphia, Pennsylvania s March 12–16, 2011

Creating purpose:Approaches for working with

at-risk students

Monday, March 14th

12:15-1:30Convention Center, 113 B

Patty Munsch and Tania VelazquezSuffolk County Community College

Creating Purpose:Approaches for working with at-risk student

• Defining at-risk students• Characteristics of at-risk students• Utilizing a holistic approach• Characteristics of successful support programs• The College Success Program Model• Sharing

Defining at-risk studentsResearch has used the following characteristics in defining at-risk students:• First-generation student• Placed into developmental or remedial education courses • Lower socio-economic status• Minority students• Students with disabilities• Allen, Robbins, Sawyer, 2010; Boylan, 2000; Hand & Payne,

2008; Perin, 2004

The program specific to our institution utilizes the following characteristics:•Placed into 2 or more developmental classes•Academically and financially disadvantage•Student with documented disabilities•First- generation student

At-Risk Students: Understanding Their Characteristics and Challenges

Academic Preparation• Lower high school grades• Lower standardized test scores• Less academic rigor of high school• Less college knowledge• Lack knowledge of the bureaucratic operations of higher education • -Adelman, 2004; Thayer, 2000

At-Risk Students: Understanding Their Characteristics and Challenges

Psychosocial Factors• Encounter a cultural conflict between home and College community • More difficulty acclimating themselves to College once they enroll• Lower levels of social adjustment• Strong desire to accomplish degree goals• Express high levels of commitment to earn a degree• Show resilience in family and communities• May see the collective value of earning a College degree (help parents

financially, better housing situation, better health for parents). Have significant family and work obligations.

• Lack of or absent parental support– Porchea, Allen, Robbins & Phelps, 2010; Thayler, 2006

At-Risk Students: Understanding Their Characteristics and Challenges

Socio-demographic• Low monetary resources• First generation college students• Lack of Social capital through parental involvement• Lack of Social network and resources through high school

Situational•Part-time enrollment•More Work obligations•Stronger Family obligations•Increased travel to work, campus and home

-Porchea, Allen, Robbins, Phelps, 2010

At-Risk Students: Understanding Factors for Success

• Goal orientation for a four-year degree• Academic discipline• Commitment to college• Social Activity• Plan on enrolling full-time- Porchea, Allen, Robbins, Phelps, 2010

Utilizing the Holistic Approach

• According to Baxter-Magolda (2009)- Bring multiple perspectives into dialogue

• There has been an emphasis on separate rather than integrated theories when examining student development.

• Refine existing theories and identify new possibilities

• Important to understand how students make meaning of their experiences

Utilizing the Holistic Approach

Terenzini and Reason (2005) concluded that there are 4 areas of influence in the students’ outcomes-• Student precollege characteristics and experiences• Organizational context• Student peer environment• Individual student experiences

• Terenzini and Reason 2005

Utilizing the Holistic Approach

The College ExperienceStudent

Precollege Characteristics

and Experiences•Socio-demographic traits •Academic preparation and performance •Student disposition

Organizational Context

Peer Environment

Individual Student Experiences

Classroom

Out-of-Class

Curricular

Persistence

Adapted from Terenzini and Reason, 2005

Characteristics of Successful Support Programs

• Utilize learning assistance centers • Perin, 2004

• Targeted academic advising and placement • Use student assesments beyond cognitive testing• Provide on-going academic advising• Provide course and support programs

• Boylan, 2009• Organizational structure of program

• Career Development and workforce development• Integrated Learning Centers• Commitment to funding and staffing• Full-time committed faculty• Continued assessement• Consistent curriculum in a rational sequence

• Levin, Cox, Cerven, Haberler, 2010

Characteristics of Successful Support Programs

• Provide Faculty Teaching and Learning training specifically geared to developmental coursework

• Monitor student participation in learning centers through computerized program

• Have counselors work one-on-one with students including the discussion of monitored time in learning centers

• Regular communication between counselors, faculty and administrators connected to developmental education programs

• Use of cohort model for developmental coursework• Including peer mentors

• Gallard, Albritton, Morgan, 2010

Characteristics and Aspects of theCollege Success Program

• 687 students total College-Wide254 new students College-Wide433 returning students College-Wide

• Combination of seminar, counseling engagement, and faculty mentorship

• Retake of College Placement test• Summer tutoring• College Success Club

Developmental Sequence

Characteristics and Aspects of theCollege Success Program

• Freshmen Seminar– Begins over the summer and continues

throughout the fall semester– Same professor throughout allowing for

relationship to develop– Class is worth 3 credits instead of 1.5 for regular

Freshmen seminar. – Provides students with some college credits while

fulfilling developmental (non-credit) coursework.

Course syllabusI. Course Overview•This course, which will begin during the month of August in concentrated form, and then continues into the Fall Semester, is intended to do the following:

•To aid students in the transition to College life•To help students develop the skills, strategies, values and attitudes necessary to meet with “college success” goals.•To encourage the personal self-examination, change and growth that is needed to be successful in all future educational, professional and personal undertakings.

II. Textbook•The Community College Experience: PLUS,Full Edition by Baldwin, Amy, Prentice Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ., 2008. ISBN-13: 978-0-558-25336-3; ISBN-10: 0-558-25336-9III. Grading

Writing Assignment 15%Research Assignment 15%Final Examination (paper) 15%Journal entries/textbook exercises/Quizzes 30%Oral Presentation 10%Class Participation 15%

College Success Counseling

• Student has a counselor assigned to them• Counselor remains with student throughout

the students’ duration of study.• Part of the counseling relationship

– Noel-Levitz- Student Satisfaction Inventory– 3 year academic plan– Progress Reports

College Success CounselingCollege Success ProgramStudent Three-Year Academic PlanStudent Name _____________________________________ ID# ________________________________Current Curriculum ________________________________ Matriculation (Sem/Yr)_________________Career Aspiration _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Educational Path:Target SCCC Degree _________________________________ Anticipated Graduation (Sem/Yr)_________Post- SCCC Degree(s) _______________________________________________________________________Target Transfer Institution(s) and Programs ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Campus Activities Relevant to the Academic Plan with Dates:Activity______________________________________ Date(s) Attended___________________________ Activity______________________________________ Date(s) Attended___________________________ Activity______________________________________ Date(s) Attended___________________________ Activity______________________________________ Date(s) Attended___________________________ Noel Levitz College Student Survey Date completed ____________________________Social Integration Survey Date completed ____________________________Career Interest Inventory ________________________ Date(s) completed __________________________Aptitude testing Result __________________________ Date(s) completed __________________________Other surveys _________________________________ Date(s) Completed ________________________________________________________________ Date(s) Completed __________________________

College Success CounselingCollege Success Student Academic Progress Report2009 Fall semesterDear Professor,As counselors of College Success students, we strive to be proactive in order to insure their success. To achieve this objective, we need your assistance in evaluating the classroom progress of our students as your role is just as important to their academic success. Please complete this form for the student listed below. Your comments will be shared with the individual student privately.If you have any questions, please call me at Note: If any student is in jeopardy of failing, please let me know right away so that I may arrange a discussion with the student immediately. Please Return To: Please Return By:

Friday, October 16Student:___________________________________________ID#______________Class and Section #:_________________________________Attendance:Absent:__________ Late:_______Assignments:Homework/Papers_______________________Quizzes/Tests (if applicable)_______________Do you recommend tutoring?______________Participation/Motivation level:Suggestions/Comments:Instructor Signature_________________________________ Date_____________

College Success Summer Program

• Student will participate in intensive tutoring• Campus orientation, begin to build

relationships, and learn how to study for college

• End of summer, students retake the College Placement Test

• End of Summer celebrations- Code of Arms, breakfast, guest speakers

College SuccessA Model of the Holistic Approach

Student

Freshman Seminar Course taught Summer

through FallPersonal

Relationship with a

Counselor

Peer Support through Student

Club and Freshman Seminar

Academic Support through

Summer Tutoring and Skill Centers

College Success Summer Program

• Overall 2010 Retest Results:– College-wide 183 students took the retest in at

least one area.– Of these, 151(82.5%) moved up or out of at least

one developmental area.– The 151 students represent 66.8% of all CSP

students.– Some students choose not to retest– There is some attrition in the CSP program– Some students were unable to attend the re-test

Sharing• What programs are in place at your institution for at-risk

students?• What characteristics of this program do you feel are most

effective?• What is the relationship or connection between programmatic

interventions and academic coursework for at-risk students?• What are other interventions do you feel we, as a profession,

should be doing to increase access and retention of at-risk students?

• With the current cut backs that most of our school are experiencing , what are some creative ways in which we can work with at-risk students?

ReferencesAllens, J., Robbins, S.B., & Sawyer, R. (2009). Can measuring psychosocial factors promote college success? Applied Measurement

in Education, 23, 1-22. doi:10.1080/08957340903423503Adelman, C. (2006). Moving into town-and moving on: The community college in the lives of traditional-age students.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.Baxter Magolda, Marcia, B. (2009). The activity of meaning making: a holistic perspective on college student development. Journal

of College Student Development, 50, 621-639Boylan, H.R. (2009). Targeted intervention for developmental education students (T.I.D.E.S.). Journal of Developmental Education,

32, 14-28. Gallard, A.J., Albritton, F., & Morgan, M.W. (2010). A comprehensive cost/benefit model: Developmental student success impact.

Journal of Developmental Education, 34, 10-18.Hand. C., & Payne, E.M. (2008). First-generation college students: A study of Appalachian student success. Journal of

Developmental Education, 32, 4-14.Levin, J.S., Cox, E.M., Cerven, C., & Haberler, Z. (2010). The recipe for promising practices in community colleges. Community

College Review, 38, 31-43.Perin, D. (2010). Remediation beyond developmental education: The use of learning assistance centers to increase academic

preparedness in community colleges. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28, 559-582. doi:10.1080/10668920490467224

Porchea, S.F., Allen, J., Robbins, S., & Phelps, R.P. (2010). Predictors of long-term enrollment and degree outcomes for community college students: Integrating academic, psychosocial, socio-demographic, and situational factors. The Journal of Higher Education, 81, 750-778.

Reason, R.D., (2009). An examination of persistence research through the lens of comprehensive conceptual framework . Journal of College Student Development, 50, 659-682

Terenzini, P.T., & Reason, R.D. (2005, November). Passing the first year of college: Rethinking the effects of college on students. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, Philadelphia, PA.

Thayer, Paul B. (2000). Retention of Students from First Generation and Low Income Backgrounds (ERICED446633). Opportunity Outlook (May), 2-8.