Kilgore College
Kilgore College is committed to establishing a culture of evidence as a catalyst for improvement. Achieving the Dream will help the college:
- Increase completion and success, focusing on African American males as well as on developmental education and the gateway English course by implementing a Mandatory College Success Strategies (COLS) Course
- Redesign developmental math, reading and English curriculums – combined lecture with lab format; and Developmental/Gateway English curriculum redesign – concurrent English enrollment format
- Improve student persistence from fall to spring with a focus on African American male students who are required to take all three areas of developmental education (they will be assigned to an African American male advisor, who will provide intensive advising to provide encouragement and assist them with student support services)
- Raise the percentage of African American male students referred to all three developmental areas who complete all first semester courses with a C or higher from the current rate of 14% to 15% the first year, 17% the second year, 19% the third year, and 21% the fourth year (the comparison group - all non-African American males meeting the same criteria - success rate is 28%)
- Bring a heightened sense of urgency to helping students across all demographic categories attain their goals
Additional recent efforts to assist underprepared students include mandatory new student orientation, online and peer tutoring, an early alert intervention system, a summer bridge program for developmental education students, and a service learning initiative. Developmental English and reading courses include information on certificates and associate’s degrees that are offered at Kilgore, emphasizing career choices and pathways to enhance success.
Kilgore College was founded in 1935 as a public junior college to serve the people who flocked to the area following the discovery of oil in and around the city of Kilgore. The college’s facilities include an agriculture demonstration farm, the East Texas Oil Museum, and the Rangerette Showcase and Museum. The college has a strong athletic program and also hosts the Texas Shakespeare Festival. In Fall 2009, the college had 6,375 students, 33% were students of color, and of these students, 54% were referred to one or more developmental courses upon enrollment in 2009.
As the college's enrollment grows, so has its commitment to student success and equity. The college's strategic goals include ensuring access, enhancing student learning and success, increasing retention, and improving course, degree, and certificate completion rates.
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.
