Zane State College
By improving retention among target populations, the College Student Inventory (CSI) intervention and targeted developmental advising at Zane State College have increased the number of students who complete developmental education during their initial academic year and significantly improved overall first-year retention.
CSI targets students whose scores on the Noel-Levitz College Student Inventory identify them as likely to drop out.
- Retention from first to second terms for students who received the individualized, face-to-face CSI intervention ranged from 74% to 100% while the entire college’s retention rate ranged from 53% to 83%
- New students enrolling during the traditional academic calendar who successfully returned the following fall ranged from 52% to 70% for students who received the CSI intervention, while the highest subsequent-fall retention rate for cohorts that did not receive the intervention was 50%
Zane State College serves residents of rural Appalachia. In Fall 2009, it had 2,600 students and 60% were women. Although women’s completion rates in developmental reading and English and gatekeeper courses exceed men’s, it generally takes women longer than men to complete degrees. Sixty-six percent of the college’s students receive Pell grants.
Zane State College has twice received special recognition in the Leah Meyer Austin Institutional Student Success Leadership competition: in 2010 for creating a culture of evidence and in 2011 for completion.
Nearly all 140 college employees are involved with the work of Achieving the Dream. Employees receive progress reports at quarterly town hall meetings. The college also consistently engages students and institution stakeholders in dialogue.
Zane State College has fully integrated its Achieving the Dream work and strategies into its continuous quality improvement efforts and reaccreditation.
In addition to CSI, Zane State College has scaled Intensive Advising for all students who place in developmental courses. Results are promising for 2008 and 2009 cohorts that started in developmental: 84% passed college-level English; 83% passed college-level math; 78% passed Psychology 101; 84% passed Sociology 101.
To meet the needs of its growing interventiontargeted population amid diminishing state financial resources, Zane State College is exploring alternative ways to track student success and to conduct student advising using social networks and email.
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
