OEA Report Card

OEA report card requires more explanation

By Daniel Bell
Editor

The Office of Education Accountability (OEA) recently released to the general public its first annual report on the University System of Georgia (USG).

The report card, which can be viewed at www..ga-oea/report_card.org, may reflect poorly on Georgia Highlands College to the uninformed viewer. Report Card Graph

Dr. Randy Pierce, President of Georgia Highlands College, said, “I am not satisfied with the results. We need to work to improve everything. But there are special circumstances that need to be considered.”

The OEA’s 2001-2002 report card focuses on four indicators: retention rates of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking students; graduation rates; pass rates on both parts of the Regents’ Test; and pass rates on licensure/certification exams.

A student is considered a first-time, full-time freshman if he or she is in his or her first semester of college and taking at least 12 hours.

According to Pierce, the report card only takes into account a small portion of the total enrollment at Georgia Highlands College.

“Less that half of our students are full-time,” said Pierce. “We have a lot of non-traditional students who work and have families and may be only taking one or two classes.”

Retention rates for an institution of higher education are an indicator of the institution’s success in keeping students enrolled from their first year to their second year. The rates are based on first-time, full-time freshmen that continue enrollment the following fall semester, one year after they began.

The report shows not only the number of students who remained at FC for their second year but also the number of students who enrolled at another USG institution after their first year at FC.

Georgia Highlands College shows a retention rate of 53 percent. That means that 53 percent of the first-time, full-time college students who were freshmen in fall 2000 were still at FC fall 2001. When the number of former Floyd College students who enrolled at another USG institution Fall 2001 is considered, the total becomes 56 percent.

These totals are slightly lower than the average for all two-year colleges in Georgia. The average institution-specific retention rate for the 13 two-year colleges is 60 percent. The system-wide average (meaning students who are still enrolled somewhere) is 67 percent.

The Office of Educational Accountability reports graduation rates of all USG institutions. The normal duration for associate degrees is two years, but the USG uses a “time-and-a-half” rate that reports the percentage of students completing their associate or transferring to four-year institutions within a three-year period.

Georgia Highlands College’s institution-specific graduation rate refers to students who earned a degree from FC within three years. That total is 8 percent. Another 19 percent transferred to four-year institutions in the University System of Georgia.

These numbers, when compared to the two-year college average, are somewhat low. The average institution-specific graduation rate is 15 percent and the system-wide total (students who transferred) is 28 percent.

“Most students who come to Georgia Highlands College never intend on graduating from here. They come to get their start and then transfer,” explained Pierce.

The Regents’ Test is used to ensure that students receiving degrees from USG institutions possess certain minimum skills in reading and writing.

Non-career students are required to take the two-part test the semester after they have completed 30 semester hours and before they reach 45 hours.

Students who do earn 45 semester hours and have not taken the Regents’ Test, or who have failed one or both parts, must enroll in remedial courses until they pass both parts.

The OEA report card showed that Georgia Highlands College had a passing rate of 65 percent on the essay portion and 66 percent on the reading portion of the exam during 2000-2001. Both totals are lower than the two-year college average. The overall totals for all USG two-year colleges for the essay and reading portions are 77 percent and 75 percent, respectively.

Georgia Highlands College’s numbers did increase with the administration of the Regents’ Test last fall. Of the first-time examinees, 77.99 percent passed the essay portion and 77.99 percent passed the reading portion. These numbers are not reflected in the OEA report.

At press time the licensure/certification exams totals were not available. Licensure/certification exams only apply to FC with the nursing and dental hygiene programs. When students complete their degrees in these areas, they then have to take the exams to become licensed or certified before they can practice.

According to Pierce this is one area in which Georgia Highlands College excels.

“Our dental hygiene program had a 100 percent pass rate last year and the nursing program had a 94 percent pass rate,” he said.

Former governor Roy Barnes established the Office of Education Accountability in July 2000 with the goal of improving student achievement and school completion.

OEA’s major purpose is the establishment of performance-based accountability standards for all of Georgia’s education system, from pre-kindergarten through postsecondary grades.

The report card on the University System of Georgia is a part of this goal. USG’s Board of Regents governs 34 institutions: including four research universities, two regional universities, 13 state universities, 2 state colleges and 13 two-year colleges.

Data are reported as provided to OEA by USG and currently reflects the 2000-2001 academic year.