College Completion

Brief by Bruce Vandal for NGA; highlights approaches to improve productivity, student success in remedial education; also has college completion implications

Piece from Jamie Merisotis of the Lumina Foundation and Stan Jones from Complete College America on creating and developing cohort based, time constrained degrees.

Research at Sacramento State University on the California State University Early Assessment Program (EAP). Research finds a positive impact of the program on college readiness for students entering Sacramento State University

The Louisiana Postsecondary Education Review Commission's final report with recommendations on reforming the state's higher education system and increasing graduation rates to include admission standards, performance funding and developmental education reform.

Report done by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning on the use of Prior Learning Assessments to award degree credit.

Report from JFF on Virginia's state strategy to improve community colleges through Achieving The Dream.

Short piece from Jamie Merisotis on value of encouraging accelerated two-year programs.

Web page for Governor Manchin's Initiative for the National Governors Association on challenging states to adopt common metrics for measuring college completion rates in their state

New initiative funded by Gates and Lumina to work at the state policy level to increase college completion rates.

Gates Foundation Web site on its Postsecondary Success Initiative

Analyzes students' transfer behaviors to better understand their postsecondary pathways. Among the study's findings: One third of all students transferred at least once within five years; the majority of transfers occurred in students' second year; part- and full-time students had similar transfer rates over five years; and over one quarter of all transfers crossed state lines. (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, February 2012)

Story on a proposal to review the funding model for higher education in North Dakota.

Describe four mechanisms that allow students to convert or exchange their college credits and prior learning assessment for academic credit. These include: articulation agreements; prior learning assessments; services to support transfer and prior learning; competency-based programs. Offers recommendations for policymakers.

Summarizes preliminary results from performance-based scholarship programs in Ohio, New York, and New Mexico, in addition to the original results in Louisiana. The results show modest but positive effects on markers of academic progress, including increases in credits earned. (MDRC, May 2012)

Story on how West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and the Department of Education have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to create a longitudinal data system.

Story on how the significant increase in community college enrollments will inevitably result in a wave of transfers to four-year institutions. The commentary suggests that institutions aren't ready and that public policy makers will be concerned

Annual report on key postsecondary indicators developed by SREB

Presidents of West Virginia's 10 community colleges signed a "completion agreement" and promised to push for an additional 16,000 residents to have a degree or professional certification by 2015. (Wheeling Intelligencer, 01/28/11)

Discusses how governors and policymakers in some states are demonstrating that state governments-through leadership, policy decisions and funding strategies-can help higher education institutions embrace the critical role they play in preparing a state's workforce for jobs that will enable the state to prosper in the new economy. (National Governors Association, March 2011)

Report from NGA on how higher education is aligned with the workforce. Features case studies of four states.

Overview of higher education issues for the 2011 Tennessee legislature