Statement of Goals for Student Achievement

In its Policy “Institutional Obligations for Public Disclosure”, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requires that institutions publish “statements of goals for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals.”  Compliance with SACSCOC Core Requirement (CR) 8.1 (Student Achievement) includes the requirement that institutions publish goals and outcomes for student achievement appropriate to the institution’s mission, the nature of the students the institution serves, and the kinds of programs offered.

The specific criteria Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC) has selected are: retention rates, graduation rates, credential completion, and participation and pass rates on national licensure exams.  The goals for student achievement (target levels of student performance), thresholds (minimum accepted student performance), and outcomes (actual results) are reported for each of these criteria.  The goals, thresholds, and actual outcomes will be updated regularly and provide evidence of compliance with the SACSCOC policy and the Core Requirement to peer evaluators..

BRCC measures student achievement annually as part of its ongoing, integrated, institutional effectiveness process for evaluating how well it is achieving its mission, vision and values.  These efforts result in measures of student achievement that demonstrate the institution’s compliance with SACSCOC CR 8.1, to achieving the Key Student Completion Indicator, and, its commitment to meeting the performance indicators monitored by the Louisiana State Board of Regents.

Mission

The mission of Baton Rouge Community College is “to be the preferred provider of talent for a global marketplace”. The College is an open-enrollment institution that prepares  students to transfer to a four-year institution and pursue baccalaureate and higher programs, and provides vocational, technical, and adult education to enable students to take advantage of the developing workforce needs in the State of Louisiana.

1.   Retention
Fall-to Fall Retention

The Fall-to-Fall (first-to-second year) retention of first-time, full-time, degree- and credential-seeking students is a metric that BRCC tracks and reports to federal and state governing entities each year.  At BRCC, these cohorts consist of students who are attending college for the first-time, are enrolled for at least 12 semester credit hours, and are enrolled in a credit-earning program leading to a credential recognized by the Board of Regents.

The Fall-to-Fall retention rate is calculated based on the number of these students who enroll each fall and who are still enrolled in the subsequent fall.

Table 1.1:  Fall-to-Fall Retention Rate for First-time, Full-time, Degree- and Credential-Seeking Students

Fall-to-Spring Retention 

The Fall-to-Spring retention of first-time, full-time, degree- and credential-seeking students is a metric that BRCC tracks.  At BRCC, these cohorts consist of students who are attending college for the first-time, are enrolled for at least 12 semester hours, and are enrolled in a credit-earning program leading to a credential recognized by the Board of Regents.

The Fall-to-Spring retention rate is calculated based on the number of these students who enroll each fall and who are still enrolled in the subsequent spring.

Table 1.2:  Fall-to-Spring Retention Rate for First-time, Full-time, Degree- and Credential-Seeking Students

2.   Graduation Rates

 Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) “Outcome Measures” 8-Year Completion Rate (Key Student Completion Indicator)

Graduation rates, like retention rates, are standard metrics that BRCC tracks and reports to federal and state governing entities each year.  In 2017 and 2018, SACSCOC charged member institutions to select, from four available measures of graduation rates, the “Key Student Completion Indicator” that best represented the institution’s mission, the type of students served, and the nature of the programs offered.  

The Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data System (IPEDS) “Outcomes Measures” Eight- (8-) Year Completion Rate was selected by BRCC as its Key Student Completion Indicator because it includes all students entering the College (First-Time and Transfer-In; Full-Time and Part-Time).  BRCC enrolls a significant number of nontraditional, part-time students (who advance at a slower pace than traditional students).  An eight-year completion rate allows better tracking of long-term success of all BRCC students.

Table 2.1a:  IPEDS “Outcome Measures” Eight Year Completion Rate - Key Student Completion Indicator

IPEDS Graduation Rate, Traditional Measure

The graduation rate typically assessed in higher education is a measure of the first-time, full-time, degree- and credential-seeking students who complete in 150% of normal time.  This measure allows for comparison with institutions around the country as well as with peer institutions accredited by SACSCOC.  At BRCC, these cohorts consist of the first-time, credential-seeking students who enroll during a given fall, and complete their program within 150% of the normal time to completion for their program (for example, an associate degree program is normally two years in length, so 150% of normal time is three years).

Table 2.2:  Graduation Rate for First-Time, Full-Time, Degree- and Credential-Seeking Students

Table 2.1b:  IPEDS “Outcome Measures” Eight Year Completion Rate – Key Student Completion Indicator disaggregated by PELL recipient status (total entering student population)

3.   Students Earning a Credential

 Total Unduplicated Count

The number of students (total unduplicated count) earning a credential recognized by the Board of Regents is a metric that BRCC tracks and reports to federal and state governing entities each year.  This metric aligns with the Student Success Pillar of BRCC’s Strategic Plan, 2023-2028 and with the Board of Regents’ 2019 Master Plan and Strategic Plan (2020-21 to 2024-25). 

Table 3.1:  Students earning a credential (certificate, technical diploma, associate degree)

Adult Student Completers

The number of adult student completers (age 25 and older) who complete a credential recognized by the Board of Regents is a performance indicator to which BRCC contributes towards achievement of goals of the Board of Regents Strategic Plan (FY 2020-2021 through FY 2024-2025) and aligns with the primary goal of the 2019 Board of Regents’ Master Plan – for 60% of all working adults (ages 25-64) in Louisiana to hold a degree or high-value credential^[1] by 2030.  Adult learners are a core constituency of BRCC.

 Table 3.2:  Adult Student Completers

Under-Represented Minority Completers

The number of under-represented minority students earning a credential recognized by the Board of Regents is a performance indicator to which BRCC contributes toward achievement of goals of the Board of Regents Strategic Plan (FY 2020-2021 through 2024-2025).  Under-represented minority students are defined by Board of Regents as those with a race/ethnicity of: Black, Non-Hispanic; Hispanic; Native American or Alaskan Native; and Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. The College’s principal service area, East Baton Rouge Parish, is majority-minority (2020 U.S. Census).  

Table 3.3:  Under-Represented Minority Student Completers

4.   Transfers

BRCC has transfer-ready associate degrees for students who seek admittance to a four-year college or university.  BRCC has transfer articulation agreements with numerous four-year institutions in the state of Louisiana and a few outside the state.  The number of students transferring to a four-year institution is a performance indicator that aligns with the “Start Here, Go Anywhere” initiative of the LCTCS.  LCTCS has developed a number of transfer agreements applicable for students at all of its institutions to support this performance metric. A student is counted as transferring to a four-year institution if the student is enrolled at BRCC in a given academic year (July 1 – June 30), and enrolled at a four-year university in the following academic year. 

Table 4.2:  Students transferring to a four-year college or university

5.   Participation and Pass Rates on National Licensure Exams

BRCC is currently tracking its passage rates on national licensure exams for candidates seeking licensure in Nursing and Allied Health professions as well as for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certifications in Aviation Maintenance.  The achievement of professional licensure is a critical indicator of the quality of BRCC’s educational programs and of student achievement.  In addition, continued programmatic accreditation for some programs requires that BRCC students achieve a minimum participation rate (i.e., percent of program graduates taking the exam) as well as a minimum pass rate.  For most of the licensure exams, BRCC students sitting for the exam have completed a program of study; for the others, students complete one or two courses.  The information that follows indicates the program of study or courses that prepare students for the licensure exam.  Student achievement in this category is recorded by the relevant program or course.

Nursing, Associate of Science (AS)

Table 5.1:  Pass Rate, Registered Nurse (RN), National Council Licensure Examination/ NCLEX-RN, Louisiana State Board of Nursing

Practical Nursing, Technical Diploma (TD)

Table 5.2:  Pass Rate, Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN), NCLEX-PN, Louisiana State Board of Practical Nursing Examiners

Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Associate of Applied Science (AAS)

Table 5.3:  Pass Rate, American Registry of Diagnostic Medical Sonography

Surgical Technology, AS

Table 5.4:  Participation and Pass Rates, Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) Exam, Accreditation Review Council on Education in Surgical Technology and Surgical Assisting

Veterinary Technology, AAS

Table 5.5:  Pass Rate, Veterinary Technician National Exam (VTNE), American Association of Veterinary State Boards/Louisiana Board of Veterinary Medicine

General Maintenance Practices (AMTG 1016) and General Maintenance Processes (AMTG 1026)

Table 5.6:  Pass Rate, Aviation Maintenance Technician General Knowledge Exam, FAA

 Aviation Maintenance Technician, Airframe CTS; Aviation Maintenance Technology AAS:

Table 5.7:  Pass Rate, Aviation Maintenance Technician Airframe Exam, FAA

 Aviation Maintenance Technician, Powerplant CTS; Aviation Maintenance Technology AAS:

Table 5.8:  Pass Rate, Aviation Maintenance Technician Powerplant Exam, FAA

^[1]     A “Quality Postsecondary Credential of Value”, as defined by the Board of Regents, meets the following five standards:

·         It provides valid, reliable, and transparent evidence of the competencies mastered by credential holders and is conferred by an entity recognized by business and industry and/or the State of Louisiana.

·         It directly aligns to an occupation that has a 3-, 4-, or 5-star rating as defined by the Louisiana Workforce Commission, which is based on job demand, projected job growth, and earnings.

·         It leads directly to an occupation that, at a minimum, maintains a 20% wage premium over a high school diploma in Louisiana.

·         Evidence can be provided for employment and wage outcomes.

·         It meets these criteria as a stand-alone credential, independent of another credential.