Westmoreland County Community College
Westmoreland County Community College (WCCC) changed numerous policies and faculty redesigned all developmental and gateway courses so every course section uses common syllabi, assessments, and outcomes.
To address the needs of first-time, full-time degree-seeking students who test into two or more developmental courses, WCCC offers 100 additional sections of developmental math, reading and English than it did in 2006 to accommodate the new requirement that all incoming full-time students take placement tests. In addition, those who tested into two or more developmental courses must complete them before enrolling in college-level work in those subjects.
Students are taking redesigned developmental courses and great numbers of them are succeeding and persisting. For instance:
- 91.3% of the 500 students who took developmental Math 052 in the Fall 2009 semester persisted to the spring semester as compared to the 87% of 586 students who took the course in Fall 2006, which is the year before the Achieving the Dream innovations were introduced. Additionally, successful course completion increased by 3.5% in the Fall 2009 as compared to Fall 2006.
- 81.6% of the 56 students who took the developmental English 030 course in the Fall 2009 semester persisted to the next fall term as compared to 48.5% of 61 students who took the course in Fall 2006; this is the year before the Achieving the Dream innovations were introduced. Successful completion of the course also increased by 13.8% in the Fall 2009 as compared to the Fall 2006.
WCCC serves the residents of southwestern Pennsylvania from its main campus and seven off-campus centers. In Fall 2009, Westmoreland County CC had 7,100 students; 4% were African American, 1% were Hispanic and 30% of students received Pell grants.
After examining race, gender, and income data, the college determined that the greatest achievement gaps occur between its large population of underprepared students and its population of college-ready students.
In addition to policy and curricular changes, WCCC eliminated developmental course sections that met weekly for three hours and those delivered through video conferencing; it also reduced developmental class sizes to 20 or 24 students depending on the subject; and added tutoring software in all developmental education courses.
WCCC integrated its Achieving the Dream work into its strategic planning process and general operations. For instance, it used funds from a Title III grant to scale case management advising for the target population of underprepared students, in order to help increase their success in college-level courses. After the first year, WCCC assimilated a greater portion of the Student Support Services Assistants’ salaries into the college budget. When the grant ends these employees will be retained with college funds.
In Fall 2011, WCCC plans to:
- Bring to full scale the accelerated College Success Course piloted in the Fall 2010 semester
- Introduce redesigned Supplemental Instruction and Learning Communities to its students
- Test new and specialized Tutoring strategies
- Revise Introductory Courses and continue to revise the syllabi
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
