Title: The Vision Project A Public Agenda for Higher Education in the Commonwealth
1The Vision ProjectA Public Agenda for Higher
Education in the Commonwealth
- Report to the Board of Higher Education March
16, 2010
2The Vision Project
- The Vision Project seeks to
- Articulate the most important contributions of
public higher education to the Commonwealth - Engage all public campuses in achieving these
contributions - Hold public higher education accountable for a
high level of achievement in this work - Generate greater appreciation of and support for
public higher education - In sum, the goal of the Vision Project is to
demonstrate that public higher education can act
in a unified and focused way to ensure the future
well-being of the Commonwealth and that we are
ready to hold ourselves accountable for results
to the people of the state.
3The Vision Project
- Background Why the Vision Project?
- State Context
- Weak public perceptions of importance/contribution
s of public higher education - History of modest financial support for our
public campuses - National Context
- Concern that US is losing ground in
competitiveness - Calls for more accountability Opportunities for
support - Responsibility of BHE to set overall directions
for public higher education
4The Vision Project
- Background History of Vision Project
- Secretarys Retreat August 2009
- BHE Retreat September 2009
- Initial BHE Meeting Discussion October 2009
- Purpose of Todays Presentation
5The Vision Project
- Structure of Presentation
- Progress Since OctoberRichard Freeland,
Commissioner - The MetricsJonathan Keller, Associate
Commissioner for Research, Planning, and
Information Systems - Strategic DirectionsAundrea Kelley, Deputy
Commissioner for P-16 Policy and Collaborative
InitiativesFrancesca Purcell, Associate
Commissioner for Academic and P-16 PolicyDavid
McCauley, Deputy Commissioner for Workforce
Development Patricia Crosson, Senior Policy
Advisor - Institutional Perspectives
- John Sbrega, on behalf of Community
CollegesRichard Gurnon, on behalf of State
CollegesMarcellette Williams, on behalf of
University of Massachusetts - Wrap-up and Next StepsRichard Freeland,
Commissioner
6The Vision Project
- Activities Since October 2009
- Work with college presidents to shape/refine
project - Forging a partnership with UMass
- Outreach to other stakeholders
- Campus leaders Faculty union leaders,
institutional research professionals - Government leaders Executive branch,
Legislature, U.S. DOE - Civic leaders Massachusetts Business Alliance
for Education, Boston Chamber, MassINC - Private higher education AICUM
- Organizing DHE to support project
- Fundraising activities
7Current Status of Vision Project
8The Vision Project
-
- We will produce the best-educated citizenry and
workforce in the nation. - We will be a national leader in research that
drives economic development. -
9The Vision Project
- National Leadership in Education
- College-going rates of high school graduates
- Graduation and student success rates
- Alignment of degree production with key areas of
workforce need - Academic achievements on campus-level and
national assessments of learning - Comparable learning outcomes among different
ethnic/racial, economic and gender groups - National Leadership in Research
- Level of research expenditures
- Level of licensing income
10The Vision Project
- Other Elements of Vision Project
- Metrics
- Annual report to the Commonwealth
11Outcome Metrics
12The Vision Project Outcome 1 Metrics
- College-Going Rates of HS Graduates
- Percent of 18- to 24-year-olds enrolled in
college by race, with multi-state comparisons - Source National Center for Higher Education
Management Systems - Ratio of MA residents attending college out of
state to non-residents attending college in MA
(net migration), with multi-state comparisons - Source Integrated Postsecondary Data System
- College enrollment of MA public high school
graduates by race, gender, income level, in
state/out-of-state and public/private college - Source MA Department of Elementary and Secondary
Education - College-level assessment scores of recent high
school graduates enrolling in public higher
education - Source DHE
13The Vision Project Outcome 2 Metrics
- Graduation and Student Success Rates
- State Colleges/University
- Six-year state college/university graduation
rates from initial institution by race and
gender, with multi-state comparisons - Source Integrated Postsecondary Data System
- Six-year state college/university graduation
rates from any institution in the system, state
or anywhere in the United States - Source DHE
- Community Colleges
- Current national standard measure of 150 time
completion rates for degrees/certificates for
community colleges by race and gender, with
multi-state comparisons - Source Integrated Postsecondary Data System
- More inclusive student success rates using
Maryland Model and Achieving the Dream, both
of which include transfer and still-enrolled
data, with some multi-state comparisons - Source DHE and Jobs for the Future
14The Vision Project Outcome 3 Metrics
- Production of Graduates in Key Areas of Workforce
Need
- Number/share of degrees produced in business,
education, health, STEM and other key
occupational areas with national comparisons - Source IPEDS, Donahue Institute
- Number/share of degrees conferred in key
occupational areas compared to forecasted growth
in Massachusetts - Source IPEDS/ Commonwealth Corporation
- Student persistence and degree completion in
business, education, health and STEM fields, by
race and gender - Source DHE
- Number and percent of graduates employed, and/or
continuing their educations in Massachusetts - Source A system-wide measure is not currently
available, but the DHE is endeavoring to
collaborate with the Department of Revenue to
merge relevant data in fulfillment of this
important indicator.
15The Vision Project Outcome 4 Metrics
- Academic Achievements on Assessments of Learning
- Pass rates on a broad range of professional
licensure tests, i.e., MTEL, CPA, NCLEX and
other allied health licensures, with multi-state
comparisons - Source Appropriate licensure and testing
agencies - Pass rates on a broad range of graduate school
entrance examinations, i.e., GRE, MAT, MCAT and
LSAT, with multi-state comparisons - Source Appropriate licensure and testing
agencies - A working group on student learning outcomes and
assessments is examining potential assessments of
student learning that allow for comparability
with peers in other states. Where possible,
assessment results will be presented by race,
gender and major.
16Strategic Directions
- Aundrea Kelley, Francesca Purcell, David
McCauley, Patricia Crosson
17The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- College-Going Rates of HS Graduates
- Goal College Participation
- Increase the proportion of recent high school
graduates enrolling in college with comparable
rates among different groups - Current Status
- Determination of metrics
- Future Activity
- Review data with study group
- Prioritize issues that emerge from data analysis
- Recommend strategies to address priorities
- Share best practices
18The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- College-Going Rates of HS Graduates
- Goal College Readiness
- Increase the proportion of students who begin
college coursework without the need for
remediation and with comparable rates among
different groups - Current Status
- Cross-agency workgroup priority recommendations
- Future Activity
- Revive school-to-college data reporting
- Refine and communicate college readiness
definition and agenda - Advance school to college curricular alignment
- Incentivize rigorous course taking in high school
- Expand early college opportunities
19The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Graduation and Student Success Rates
- Goal
- More students graduating more efficiently while
also closing attainment gaps for traditionally
underserved populations, without compromising
academic standards. - Current Status
- Campus efforts
- Statewide policy and practices
- Future Activity
- Support effective campus and statewide work
- Reform existing or identify new state-level
policies and practices - Review annual graduation and student success
goals - Leverage participation in national initiatives
for direction and support -
20The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Production of Graduates in Key Areas of Workforce
Need
- Goal
- Increase production of graduates in high-demand
fields such as STEM and allied health - Current Status
- Expand higher education/employer statewide
partnerships in STEM and health that incorporate
best practices and national trends - Promote higher education and workforce/economic
development regional collaborations - Engage with state agencies and workforce/employer
stakeholders to align policies, resources and
data - Develop shared risk approaches for workforce
partnerships
21The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Production of Graduates in Key Areas of Workforce
Need
- Future Activity
- Form a state-level permanent structure of higher
education/employer/ government stakeholders to
clarify core, stable workforce needs - Identify number and fields of degrees needed to
meet historical and projected shortages - Implement tested, scaled-up strategies to
increase the participation of minority and
under-represented groups in high-growth
professions
22The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Academic Achievements on Assessments of Learning
- Goal Work with campuses to
- Support strong campus-based, faculty-led programs
of learning outcomes assessment that result in
program improvement - Review, modify, or reaffirm DHE policies and
practices that ensure the continued excellence
of campus programs and effective accreditation
relationships with NEASC - Examine approaches that result in comparable
learning achievements among students of
different race/ethnicity, gender, and
socio-economic status - Identify and implement metrics that allow
colleges and the DHE to compare student learning,
by segment, with peer institutions and other
states - Identify and implement metrics that allow for
public accountability
23The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Academic Achievements on Assessments of Learning
- Current Status
- Two metrics identified
- Pass rates on a broad range of professional
licensure tests - Pass rates on a broad range of graduate school
entrance examinations - The challenges of evidence-based learning
assessment in higher education - Lack of agreement about best measures
- No one size fits all solutions
- Tension between assessment for improvement and
assessment for accountability - Early stage of national effort to build
comparability across campuses, states and nations - Different approaches to public accountability
24The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Academic Achievements on Assessments of Learning
- Current Status
- Working Group on Student Learning Outcomes and
Assessment - Phase 1 Focus on campus-based programs
- Review literature and national best practice on
learning outcomes, assessment measures,
organizational arrangements - Survey and review of campus programs
- Review of CAGUE Report and Presidents Comments
on CAGUE - Report to Commissioner by end of May 2010
- Phase 2 Focus on state-level policy and
practices - Review literature and best practice for state
system activity - Review assessment approaches and metrics that
allow for comparability and public accountability - Report to Commissioner by end of December 2010
25The Vision Project Strategic Directions
- Academic Achievements on Assessments of Learning
- Future Activity
- Will be planned as result of reports from Working
Group on Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment
but will probably include - Ongoing mechanisms for DHE/campus/NEASC
collaborations - Ongoing implementation activities including
efforts to find financial support for best
practice initiatives
26Institutional Perspectives
- John Sbrega, Richard Gurnon, Marcellette Williams
27Wrap-Up and Next Steps