College of the Mainland
College of the Mainland’s (COM) success rates in developmental education have shown dramatic improvement relative to baseline data, especially in developmental reading and English. These increases have been so promising that the college is scaling up its student success course and operating a student success club (Success for Life).
As part of their Achieving the Dream work, COM developed a student success course and made it a pre- or co-requisite for students in developmental math, reading, or English courses.
Since implementing Achieving the Dream strategies like this one, the college has seen steady increases in the percentage of students successfully completing developmental courses:
- From the baseline data (2003-2006) to 2009, success in reading has increased from 58% to 80%
- Success in math has increased from 47% to 55%
- Success in English has also increased from 52% to 71%
COM enrolls almost 6,000 students each year and serves the mainland area of Galveston County, which has a median household income of $55,883. At COM, 25% of all students receive Pell grants, 53% of students are white, 22% are Hispanic, and 17% are black. In addition to the main campus in Texas City, COM has six other learning locations. Process Technology, Nursing, Criminal Justice, Pharmacy Technician, Business, and Computer Science are the most popular programs. Several of the school’s technical programs regularly see a 100% pass rate for state board examinations.
Developmental education is the focus of many of COM’s Achieving the Dream interventions. Since COM joined Achieving the Dream, its student success rates in developmental education courses have increased considerably.
COM has made great strides towards creating an evidence-based culture that informs student success strategies like its:
- Student Success Course, which is designed to help students navigate their personal and academic college experience. It is a prerequisite or co-requisite for any developmental courses in reading, writing, or math. The classes are visited by a diverse set of role models from the newly created Success Speakers Bureau.
- One-Stop Advising, which is COM’s revised model of advising focused on fair procedures that support students in a user-friendly, consistent, and prescriptive manner.
- Student Engagement Strategies, which enhance relationships between faculty and students with the aim of increasing retention and course completion.
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.
Achieving the Dream Leader Colleges
Leader Colleges are demonstrating the power of the Achieving the Dream Student-Centered Model of Institutional Improvement. They show us it is possible to raise persistence and graduation rates, close achievement gaps, and change lives. Leader Colleges embody the ultimate goal of Achieving the Dream, and as such, serve as mentors within our community of learners.
To be eligible for Leader College distinction, colleges must show three or more years of improvement on one or more of these five measures:
- Course completion
- Advancement from developmental to credit-bearing courses
- Completion of college-level math and English courses
- Term-to-term and year-to-year retention
- Completion of certificates or degrees
