By Adrienne Lefebvre
A new formula to measure student achievement is being considered by state leaders and could impact funding for Pellissippi State.
“This is a national discussion about what should be expected from higher education,” said Dr. Allen Edwards, president of Pellissippi State.
A brief by the National Governors Association, released earlier this month, points out that “improving the performance of postsecondary institutions, including community colleges, has increasingly taken center stage in state economic recovery plans.”
The NGA brief finds that “existing measures of student achievement exclude far too many students and track too few student milestones,” exclusions that can sometimes “penalize institutions.”
Graduation rates are one way that institutions are now evaluated for performance, but these “can’t be the only measure for us,” said Edwards.
“We are democracy’s college. We don’t control who comes in the front door,” said Edwards.” If you have a high school diploma and you want to attend college, by God, we’re going to be your shot.”
The NGA brief agrees many community colleges risk being marginalized in productivity evaluations. State and federal data can be “misleading when applied to two-year colleges” because standards of performance were “originally designed for four-year institutions.”
Edwards shares this concern and advocates measures included in the NGA brief that would more accurately gauge success at Pellissippi State.
In addition to graduation and job placement rates, “measures ought to be: Students who successfully transfer to another institution, students who successfully complete remedial courses and move into collegiate courses and completion of any certificates,” said Edwards. “These are successful completions of skill levels that ought to be recognized.”
Edwards said Governor Phil Bredesen is leading this discussion and expects these new measures to be addressed in the next legislative session.
Post a Comment