Community College of Beaver County
Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) is building a widespread culture of evidence prompting the implementation of 11 new policies and procedures which are facilitating student success at a steady, positive rate.
CCBC is making many institutional changes to ensure that data is collected, assessed, and used to make decisions about programs and policies that support student success. The college sees improvements in persistence and course completion as a result. For example:
- Establishing an Office of Institutional Research and hiring the first Director of Institutional Research and Dining Mining Coordinator positions
- Founding of the Leadership Academy, a professional development retreat for faculty and staff to sharpen leadership skills and increase the use of evidence across campus
- Instituting polices that require students to take the placement test, that change the placement test cut-off scores, and that require students placing into two or more developmental classes to enroll in a College Success Strategies course
- Creating the Institutional Assessment Council and the Planning Council, which make strategic recommendations based on data assessment
- Piloting the Athlete Success Program, an intervention initiative that is showing results in helping student athletes meet their academic goals in the classroom
CCBC is an open door admissions institution in Center Township and located northeast of the city of Pittsburgh, PA. The college hosts approximately 3,000 credit students each semester and offers degree, certificate and diploma programs in the arts and sciences, aviation, business, health care, human services, education, and technology. Non-credit courses and workforce development are also available.
In Fall 2009, 26% of undergraduates received Pell grants, 80% were Caucasian, and 9% were African American. As a result of joining Achieving the Dream, CCBC is committed to a shift in focus from access to student success by implementing a number of new policies and procedures to support students, particularly students enrolling in developmental education courses.
The strategies below exemplify how CCBC is establishing pathways to success through policies and intervention strategies. CCBC sets clear, ambitious goals reaches them through the following methods:
- A mandatory College Success Strategies course that is now required of all students who place into two or more developmental classes
- My Math Lab, a self-paced, web-based learning resource that is now incorporated into al developmental math courses offered at CCBC
- Policies like Certification of Enrollment (faculty identification of students who have not attended any classes within the first three weeks of the semester), which create opportunities for students to seek support before the end of the semester
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
