Getting Started with Data Tracking

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Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 3115] Re: Getting started with I-BEST at TCC - Data tracking
From: Katherine Shields KShields at commcorp.org
Date: Thu Feb 26 16:39:11 EST 2009

Hello -

Commonwealth Corporation, a quasi-public workforce development agency, is in the process of awarding grants to Massachusetts community colleges to develop Innovative Post-Secondary Education Models that integrate basic and occupational skills and accelerate progress toward a credential or degree. Grant funding includes a six-month planning period that begins this spring.

As a research analyst working with this new program, I was very interested in Tina Bloomer's comments (copied below) about tracking students' progress over time through milestones in the program. Being able to track this data seems like a very important tool for understanding student outcomes, but I imagine it might be challenging for some colleges' data systems. It raised some technical questions for me:

a) To track students longitudinally through milestones, were individual colleges able to use their existing student databases, or did they need to set up shadow databases? Was it challenging to pull together different types of information such as English language test scores, credit hours, etc.?

b) What advice do you have for other colleges setting up such data tracking systems?

c) In addition to the I-BEST institutions, what have other colleges experienced in trying to collect and track student data over time through milestones like basic skill gains, credits, and certificates?

Thanks,
Katherine

Katherine Shields
Research and Evaluation Analyst
Commonwealth Corporation
529 Main Street, Suite 110
Boston, MA 02129
T. (617) 727-8158 ext. 1384
F. (617) 242-7660
kshields at commcorp.org
www.commcorp.org

Re: [ProfessionalDevelopment 3097] Re: Getting started with I-BEST at TCC Tina Bloomer tbloomer at sbctc.edu [ProfessionalDevelopment 3097] Re: Getting started with I-BEST
Tue Feb 24 14:30:39 EST 2009

"...To document that I-BEST worked, we utilized our system data to look at progression of the students in terms of accumulation of college level credits and basic skills gains. We published the results in one of the research reports provided by Jackie as background reading. Colleges also tracked their own data. One of the pilot colleges also tracked the students using a comparison group of traditional workforce students and saw excellent results in terms of GPA and basic skills gains.

"Washington has implemented a new performance measurement system since I-BEST started. We are now measuring the students in terms of the achievement points (milestones) developed in that system...."

Subject: [ProfessionalDevelopment 3116] Re: Getting started with I-BEST at TCC - Data tracking
From: Tina Bloomer tbloomer at sbctc.edu
Date: Thu Feb 26 18:34:44 EST 2009

Hi Katherine,

a) To track students longitudinally through milestones, were individual colleges able to use their existing student databases, or did they need to set up shadow databases? Was it challenging to pull together different types of information such as English language test scores, credit hours, etc.?

Washington already had a statewide student management system that it was able to use for this purpose. So while not an easy task, it did make it somewhat simpler. The State Board office sends the milestone information back to the colleges at the end of each quarter.

b) What advice do you have for other colleges setting up such data tracking systems?

I would recommend they review the Community College Research Center's, Using Longitudinal Data to Increase Community College Student Success: A Guide to Measuring Milestone and Momentum Point Attainment (CCRC Research Tools No. 2) http://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/Publication.asp?uid=570

And they are welcome to check out the SBCTC webpage on the Student Achievement Initiative at: http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/e_studentachievement.aspx

c) In addition to the I-BEST institutions, what have other colleges experienced in trying to collect and track student data over time through milestones like basic skill gains, credits, and certificates?

I'm not sure I understand your question. Are you asking about the results of basic skills student in terms of the milestones? If so, please check out the publication titled, Research Report No. 08-1 - Increasing Student Achievement for Basic Skills Students (Jan 2008) available on our website at: http://www.sbctc.ctc.edu/college/d_studentachievement.aspx

Tina

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