UNDERSTANDING PIECES OF THE PUZZLE: HELPING ABE LEARNERS TRANSITION TO TWO-YEAR MNSCU INSTITUTIONS Wednesday, August 17, 2011 / ABE Summer Institute

WELCOME!  You will be given five minutes before the end of this session to update your Personal Education Plan that was mentioned at the welcome  You will be given three minutes to complete a session evaluation. I appreciate your feedback so that I can improve this presentation for other audiences.  Ask questions throughout the presentation.  I made the assumption that this audience knows just a little about MnSCU.

OBJECTIVES At the end of this session…  Participants will have familiarity with the organizational structure of the MnSCU system  Participants will have knowledge on the number of ABE consortia that are partnering with MnSCU institutions  Participants will have a basic understanding of some of the MnSCU policies that have a particular impact on Adult Basic Education learners

Helping ABE learners …  You can help Adult Basic Education learners by having a better understanding of one of the systems they might be trying to transition to.  You don’t have to have the knowledge that a college counselor has, however, knowledge in some of the basic areas where ABE learners struggle to make the transition is helpful in guiding them.

STOP! Before we go any further, can anyone tell me what MnSCU is an abbreviation for?

MnSCU Minnesota State Colleges and Universities

FORMATION OF THE SYSTEM  The law creating the system was passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 1991 and went into effect July 1, The law merged the state's community colleges, technical colleges and state universities into one system.  Instead of three separate governing boards and three chancellors, there is now one board and one chancellor for the entire system.

SYSTEM ORGANIZATIONAL CHART

Board of Trustees  The Minnesota State Colleges & Universities system is governed by a 15-member Board of Trustees. Trustees are appointed by the governor. Twelve trustees serve six-year terms, eight representing each of Minnesota's congressional districts and four serving at large. Three student trustees - one from a state university, one from a community college and one from a technical college - serve two-year terms.Board of Trustees  The Board of Trustees selects the system chancellor and has broad policy responsibility for system planning, academic programs, fiscal management, personnel, admissions requirements, tuition and fees, and policies and procedures.chancellorpolicies and procedures

THE MnSCU SYSTEM There are 31 institutions within the MnSCU system.  24 two-year colleges  7 state universities

THE MnSCU SYSTEM There are 54 campuses within the MnSCU system. 54 Total Campuses -10 University Campuses 44 Community and Technical Campuses

THE TWO-YEAR COLLEGES Why is Adult Basic Education in Minnesota focused on moving adult learners to MnSCU’s two- year community and technical colleges?

1. Research: Washington State Study A study…that tracked the educational and labor market outcomes of the system’s basic skills students found that students who went on to earn at least one year of college-level credit and a credential within a five-year period earned substantially more than students who did not make it to that “tipping point” (Prince & Jenkins, 2005).

Research Continued The study also found, however, that few basic skills students advance to college- level courses, much less reach the tipping point. * The ability to earn a credential or certificate in as little as one semester means students can get into their professional field of interest sooner, rather than later.

Research: Georgetown University  Why do we need individuals entering their professional field of interest sooner, rather than later?  A report from the Center on Education and Workforce found:  By 2018, 70% of jobs in Minnesota will require post- secondary education  Minnesota ranks 3 rd in post-secondary education intensity for 2018 Anthony P. Carnevale, June 2010

2. Affordability

3. Open Admissions Policy  All of the MnSCU system's two-year community and technical colleges have an open admissions policy, which means that anyone with a high school diploma or GED may enroll. (more on this later)  While two-year colleges generally do not require new students to take a college entrance exam (such as the ACT or SAT), most new students are required to take a placement test to determine which level of courses are appropriate for them.

4. Transferable Credits  The Adult Basic Education population is mobile. If a learner starts at one two-year community college in Minnesota and they move to another community they are likely to be near another MnSCU institution. Their credits will transfer with them!  Many credits from MnSCU two-year community and technical colleges articulate with the MnSCU four- year institutions

5. Connection to Local Labor Market  Programming aligns to employer needs in the region (Local Labor Market Driven)  Access-there are 44 campuses throughout Minnesota  Industry connections to colleges for hiring

And if that isn’t enough, the President says: Community colleges play an important role in helping people transition between careers by providing the retooling they need to take on a new career. Barack Obama Barack Obama

TWO-YEAR MnSCU COLLEGES There are 5 community colleges. There are 5 technical colleges. There are 14 consolidated colleges (community and technical)

ABE / MnSCU two-year colleges  There are 24 two-year MnSCU institutions. Adult Basic Education is co-located at 18 of the 24.  There are 44 campuses. Adult Basic Education is co-located on 26 of the 44 campuses.

Which eight do not have ABE co- located? 1) Century College 2) Dakota County Technical College 3) Hennepin Technical College (Osseo and Robbinsdale) 4) Inver Hills Community College 5) Normandale Community College (SHAPE) 6) Riverland Community College 7) Rochester Community and Technical College (Rochester ABE) 8) Saint Cloud Community and Technical College (St. Cloud ABE and WEST ABE)

State Average

Barriers to Transitioning Learners

MnSCU Policies to be familiar with… MnSCU policies can be found at: Adult Basic Education learners, and others, can become confused about assessment, developmental education, academic programs. These policies help clarify some of the issues:  Policy 3.3 Assessment for Course Placement  Policy 3.36 Academic Programs

Assessment for Course Placement Policy 3.3

Part 1. Purpose.  The purpose of this policy is to improve student success in college and university courses through student assessment and course placement that addresses reading comprehension, written English, and mathematics knowledge and skills.

Part 2. Course Placement Assessment  Subpart A. College and University Policy. Each college and university shall develop and implement a course placement policy that addresses how student knowledge and skills shall be assessed for course placement decisions according to Procedure Course Placement.

Part 2. Course Placement Assessment  Subpart B. System-Endorsed Placement Instrument. The chancellor shall select the system- endorsed placement instrument for assessment of reading comprehension, written English, and mathematics according to Procedure Course Placement.

Assessment for Course Placement Procedure 3.3.1

Part 1. Definitions.  Subpart A. College-level courses. A college-level course is a college or university course that meets college- level standards. Credits earned in a college-level course apply toward the requirements of a certificate, diploma, or degree.

Remember the term “college-level”  A learner doesn’t have to necessarily be “accepted” into a two-year community or technical college. They have “open admissions”.  If a learner does not meet the “college-level” cut scores then many of them are placed in developmental education.  Even if a learner does meet college-level cut scores they may not meet the requirements to enter their program of choice.

Part 1. Definitions Continued  Subpart B. Developmental-level course. A developmental-level course is a course designed to prepare a student for entry into college-level courses. Developmental-level course credits do not apply toward a certificate, diploma, or degree.

Part 6. Course Placement, sub part B  The following course placements based on Accuplacer subtest scores indicate that a student is ready for introductory college-level courses. A student who obtains the minimum score or higher shall be placed in the corresponding college-level course(s).

3.3.1 Assessment for Course Placement

The Ability to Benefit  Degree seeking individuals, 18 years of age or older, who have not earned a high school diploma, GED, or have not earned 60 hours of college credits must demonstrate they have the ability to benefit from a college education.

The Ability to Benefit  To demonstrate this ability, the individual must achieve federally determined minimum scores on the Accuplacer exam. The required scores are: Arithmetic 34; Reading Comprehension 55; and Sentence Skills 60.

Accuplacer/TABE –different purposes  TABE is norm-referenced  Accuplacer is criterion referenced  TABE identifies skill deficiencies  Accuplacer is a placement exam

Academic Programs Policy 3.36

Part 2. Definitions.  Subpart A. Academic award. Academic award means a certificate, diploma or degree.  Subpart B. Academic program. Academic program means a cohesive arrangement of college-level credit courses and experiences designed to accomplish predetermined objectives leading to the awarding of a degree, diploma, or certificate. Undergraduate degree programs shall include a general education component.

Transitions Professional Development  Formation of a Transitions “Advisory Committee”  Career Awareness Project  Transitions state-wide professional development plan

For more information: Julie Dincau ABE Transitions Specialist Minnesota Department of Education