New Funding Formula Q & A
The Chancellor’s Office recently released a new Q & A document about the Student Centered Funding Formula (SCFF). The document includes several questions of interest to CR, some of which were answered, and some of which were not. The unanswered questions are interesting because they provide a window into the continued work on the SCFF and reveal what has not yet been worked out. Questions included:
· Q: The awarding of points for multiple degrees could incentivize colleges to encourage students to get multiple degrees which may not be useful for the student. For example, you could potentially earn an ADT and multiple AAs in the same subject with just one or two classes different. This seems to be contrary to what Guided Pathways is encouraging.
o A: The legislation for the requires for the CO to create audit protocols for examining situations described in this question. The legislative Advisory Committee for SCFF will also be exploring this aspect of the formula.
· Q: Can the Chancellor’s Office help small colleges correct their data that will be used for the student success metrics?
o A: The Chancellor’s Office will be coordinating a number of training workshops in spring 2019 to provide technical guidance to our colleagues related to student Success Metrics, Student Centered Funding Formula, and the Vision for Success metrics.
· Q: How do colleges get funded for students that transfer but opt-out of their data going to National Student Clearing House?
o A: The CO will explore options to reduce the number of students that opt out of sharing their data over the following months. MIS does improve the quality of this data by augmenting it with data from CSU and UC.
· Q: What if an ADT does not include ADT math?
o A: The Chancellor’s Office will investigate this question. Thankfully CR does not have such an ADT.
· Q: In regards to completion of Math and English in the “first” year it seems unfair to students and colleges to count that as only Summer, Fall, Spring. What about a student who takes their first classes in the Spring? Should allow each student a year from when they start.
o A: The solution proposed is more complex than what the data team can implement at this time. We will study the data/outcomes and recalibrate with consideration to these types of questions after the first 2 years of the funding formula implementation
· Q: What will happen to Non-Credit and Dual Enrollment funding rates. There is nervousness because they are pulled out of the formula.
o A: This concern will be taken into consideration in the next iteration of the formula in 2020-21.
Program Viability Committee (PVC) Update
The PVC recently sent its recommendations for the Agriculture Program to the President, who accepted the recommendations and directed his administrative team to begin implementation. The committee is currently looking at Digital Media and Restaurant Hospitality Management in terms of program revitalization or discontinuation, and Social Justice in terms of potential new program development. I am impressed by the willingness of the committee members to analyze reams of data and painstakingly gather all of the information necessary to make recommendations in the best interest to the college and students. The committee requires a tremendous amount of work from its members, but it is important work.
Lending Libraries at CR
CR students have access to textbooks that might not be on your radar. Did you know about these lending libraries? If you don’t know about them, your students probably don’t either. Help get the word out!
- BSU has a Lending Library -- starting out small, but hopes to grow.
- CR Library has a bunch of textbooks that students can check out for the full semester -- see message from Greg Toleno below.
- Some special programs also have lending libraries (e.g., EOPS, adult education).
Fast Fact
California Community College Students who opt out of sharing transfer information with the Clearing House (used for the new funding formula): 11%
Bachelor’s degree earners who attended more than one college before finishing: 64%
Students from low-income high schools who complete a college degree in 6 years: 25%
Students from higher-income high schools who complete a college degree in 6 years: 47%
Source: National Student Clearinghouse