Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel Community College is focused on students’ success in gatekeeper courses, such as Psychology and Biology, which are notoriously difficult for some students to navigate. Once the student has successfully completed these courses, the student will have a greater chance of acquiring a degree. AACC hopes to implement this change with interventions such as:
- Helping students achieve excellence in the developmental math and English courses that, for some students, precede these gatekeeper courses (if the student fares well and retains the material from the developmental course, the student will begin the gatekeeper courses prepared to learn the material and will be more likely to succeed)
- Increasing relevant professional development to educate faculty in assisting at-risk students in their challenging times
- Strengthening data collection, organization, and application to inform positive change
These efforts will complement the college's Student Success 2020 initiative that aims to double the number of AACC students who earn degrees in the next 10 years.
Anne Arundel Community College (AACC), located in the Chesapeake Bay area, is the largest single-campus community college in Maryland. In Fall 2009, AACC served 16,740 students.
In its 50 years, AACC has been a leader in several areas, notably information systems security, where it has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information System Security Education for Information Assurance Two-Year Education for 2010-2015.
The health care department is also strong, with a 100% board pass rate for Medical Laboratory Technician, Pharmacy Technician, Radiologic Technology, and Licensed Practical Nursing programs [2009].
AACC is heavily involved in the community and has been on the President’s higher education community service honor roll for four consecutive years.
Despite the strengths of the school, 67% of the 2009 entering Achieving The Dream cohort needed at least one developmental course and, of those, the pass rate for such courses is 52%. Seventy-six percent of African-American students required one or more developmental courses. Only 24 of every 100 students with developmental needs will complete all developmental requirements within one year.
The Achieving the Dream Model
Achieving the Dream community colleges commit to our Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. Based on four principles, the model frames the overall work of helping more students, particularly low- income students and students of color, stay in school and earn a college certificate or degree.
Each college approaches the work differently, but Achieving the Dream’s five-step process provides practical guidelines for keeping the focus where it belongs and building momentum over time. Throughout the process, Achieving the Dream coaches offer customized support and help each college’s core team implement data-informed programs and policies that build long-term, institution-wide commitment to student success.
