What Works in Student Retention April Hansen, Director of Postsecondary Services Rae Jones, Director of Secondary Services Tom Osborn, Senior Consultant for Postsecondary Services

By definition: Retention is the process of holding or keeping in one’s possession Persistence is to continue to exist or prevail Attrition is becoming fewer in number

Why Should We Care? By 2020: Cost of the average private--$60-70,000 per year Cost of the average public--$17,500-27,500 per year In 2008: Out of approx. 1.8 million first year college students, 450,000 did not return to the college or university where they began their college career.* That’s 25%. *Bryan Matthews, Retention Matters, Inside Higher Ed, Nov. 2, 2009

Why Should We Care? Retention rates vary widely among different types of schools.* Two-year schools % Four-year private colleges -- 73% Four-year public -- 71% Nearly all four-year institutional categories have experienced declines in retention over the past two years or more. *Wes Habley, ACT, January 2009

Do the math! If you have an incoming class of 1000, and lose even 10% of the class (100 students), that’s 100 x $30,000 = $3 million $3 million x 4 years = $12 million Retaining students allows you to maintain revenue streams while keeping tuition increases down. It’s the low hanging fruit.

Prior academic achievement and cognitive ability surpass all other factors in their influence on student retention and persistence.* 1.Students who meet all four of the ACT Readiness Benchmarks re-enroll at a higher rate by up to 13%. (English 18, Math 22, Social Science 21, Science 24) They are also more likely to complete a college degree and achieve a 2.5 cum. GPA. 2.Students who take higher level math, social studies, and/or science courses in high school re-enroll at a higher rate by up to 16%. 3.Academic factors (ACT scores and High School GPA) account for 68% of the model that predicts college success. *These findings are generally consistent across gender, ethnic, and family income groups. “What We Know About College Success” ACT 2008.

Non-academic factors can also influence retention and persistence, but cannot substitute for academic achievement.* 1.Students who are academically self-disciplined, socially engaged, and committed to college are more likely to have higher first-year GPAs, return to the same college and graduate. 2.Of the psycho-social factors, academic self-discipline accounts for 21% of the model that predicts college success. All other non-academic factors comprise 11% of the model. 3.Students from a higher socio-economic status are more likely to return. *The Role of Nonacademic Factors in College Readiness and Success, ACT 2007 *These findings are generally consistent across gender, ethnic, and family income groups.

Relevant nonacademic factors can be classified into 3 groups: 1.Psychosocial: motivation, academic self-discipline, commitment to school, self-regulation, emotional control, academic self-confidence 2.Family factors: involvement, stability, attitude toward education 3.Career planning: identifying a good fit between a student’s interests and their postsecondary work. Students with these characteristics are more likely to earn higher GPAs in college and persist through the 3 rd year of college

Used in conjunction with ACT or COMPASS scores, the SRI increases your institution’s ability to detect risk with the use of two predictive indices: Retention Index: likelihood of returning second year Academic Success Index: likelihood of GPA 2.0 or higher The SRI is an assessment that helps postsecondary educators: evaluate students’ psychosocial and study skills attributes determine their levels of academic risk apply specific interventions to help them persist in their studies and achieve academic success identify student strengths and areas for improvement in student motivation, social engagement, and self-management

Used in conjunction with EXPLORE scores, Middle School SRI (can be administered in grades 6-9) also provides an academic success index to help identify at-risk students and identify where school or district-wide interventions may be needed. The SRI is an assessment that helps middle school educators: evaluate students’ personal, behavioral, and academic skills critical to middle and high school achievement determine their levels of academic risk apply specific interventions to help them persist in their studies and achieve academic success identify student strengths and areas for improvement in student motivation, social engagement, and self-regulation identify school safety climate

Why SRI? Grounded in research: Reviewed meta-analysis of 109 studies that examined predictors of academic performance and retention Allows you to consider the whole student: Motivation, academic skills, effort, social involvement and connection, self- management, etc. You will be able to: Administer at orientation and have reports for early in the semester Identify areas of challenge for individuals within known “at-risk” groups Create a cross walk of scales to your services and use within an existing framework of services including: Academic coursework for freshmenWellness Student Affairs programs and servicesTutoring/Learning Centers Academic/Career AdvisingDevelopmental Workshops

Postsecondary SRI: 108 Psychosocial factors organized in 3 broad domains, scored on a scale of 1-100: Motivation and Skills Commitment to College Goal Striving Academic Discipline General Determination Study Skills Communication Skills Social Engagement Social Activity Social Connection Self-Management Academic Self-Confidence Emotional Control

Middle School SRI: 106 Psychosocial items that measure 10 attributes, scored on a scale of 1-100: Commitment to School Academic Discipline Family Involvement Family Attitude Toward Education Managing Feelings Optimism Orderly Conduct Relationships with School Personnel School Safety Climate Thinking Before Acting

SRI Scale Definitions & Sample Items

Reports & Resources Reports: Student Advisor Roster Aggregate Resources: User Guide Student Toolshop

Nuts and Bolts Paper and Pencil or Online $5.00 per assessment (1-250) $4.75 per assessment ( ) $4.50 per assessment (1001+) Local questions are allowed ACT sends data electronically (fastest), or paper reports 3 days to ship from order date Reports sent within 10 days of receipt at ACT SRI web site: SRI User Guide and Technical Manual:

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