As the college completion movement evolves, there is a growing recognition that dramatic improvements in student completion will not be achieved without postsecondary institutions fundamentally transforming their culture and structures. Ten years of research and practice have proven that isolated reforms will likely only result in marginal improvements in student success. Conversely, the prospect of institutional transformation is daunting. The phrase conjures an image of faculty and administrators mired in multi-year planning processes that don’t yield immediate results. Momentum Pathways recognizes the comprehensive nature of institutional reform, but articulates a set of concrete, evidence-based strategies that can be implemented in a logical sequence that provides more clarity to the institutional transformation process.
The Momentum Pathways Framework incorporates many of the key features of successful institutional transformation efforts to include a data driven approach to implementation and continuous improvement, the elimination of critical structural barriers to student success; a recognition that these barriers have a disproportionately negative impact on low-income students; students of color and adult students, and a holistic approach that synergizes academic and student support services functions on campus.
Momentum Pathways are Data Driven
CCA’s Momentum Pathways are a set of concrete and aligned Game Changer strategies that have a proven track record of dramatically improving the success of students on critical first-year momentum metrics that are highly predictive of student completion of postsecondary credentials. Evidence shows that students who earn 30 credits in their first year, complete gateway math and English courses, enter a program of study and enroll in 9 credits in their program are more likely to earn a postsecondary credential. The CCA Game Changer strategies that make up the Momentum Pathways framework have a proven track record of dramatically moving the needle on these metrics, making them critical data-driven cornerstones for any institutional transformation strategy.
Momentum Pathways Address Structural Barriers to Student Success
The Game Changer strategies that make up the Momentum Pathways are specifically designed to address the commonly recognized barriers to student success. Corequisite Support addresses the high percentage of students placed into remedial education who never enroll in and complete a gateway math and English course. 15 to Finish counters the perverse incentives of financial aid policies that only award financial aid at 12 credits,thus creating a cultural norm that 12 credits is a “full load.” Purpose First and meta-majors allow students to navigate the myriad of choices they encounter as they enroll, which often results in delayed choice of a program and extended time and credits to degree. Academic Maps and Proactive Advising address the inefficient and often confusing process of registering for courses that are aligned to a program of study, which also results in extended time and credits to a degree.
Momentum Pathways Achieve Equity
While the Game Changer strategies in Momentum Pathways are structural changes that benefit all students, there is ample evidence that these reforms can contribute to the closing of achievement gaps. Corequisite Support counters the reality that students of color and low-income students are far more likely to be placed into ineffective remedial education courses by ensuring that all students can start in college-level courses and receive additional support. The structural barriers that delay student entry into programs of study and support their progress to a degree also have a disproportionately negative impact on students of color. Colleges, like Florida State University and Georgia State, that have implemented these reforms have seen their equity gaps close. Finally, strategies like Purpose First and Math Pathways provide the opportunity for students of color and low-income students to access programs of study that provide greater economic and social mobility. By providing students the opportunity to use workforce information and other tools to make an informed choice and ensuring students complete the necessary gateway math in the first year for math intensive programs of study, many more students of color and low-income students can access these program paths.
Momentum Pathways Synergizes Both Academic and Student Services Toward a Common Goal
A key component of successful institutional transformations is greater synergy between the academic and student services functions of the typical college. Momentum Pathways clearly identifies the roles that faculty, academic advisors and student services professionals play in larger institutional transformation efforts. More importantly, the Game Changer strategies require collaboration among the key constituencies within the institutions to develop, implement and continuously improve student success strategies.
Momentum Pathways as Manageable Process for Institutional Transformation
As envisioned by CCA, the Game Changer strategies that make up the Momentum Pathways Framework can be implemented in a sequence that can logically build on themselves over time. For example, 15 to Finish is a straight forward campaign targeted at students and parents that academic advisors and orientation leaders can immediately implement to increase the percentage of students who earn 30 credits in a year. In as little time as as one semester, campuses have seen dramatic improvements in the percentage of new entering students enrolling in and completing 15 credits in their first semester. The immediate results from 15 to Finish can galvanize support for more time-consuming strategies like the design of meta-majors, academic maps and other academic advising strategies that move students from simply enrolling in 15 credits to enrolling in the “right 15” aligned to a program of study. Hawaii, after seeing dramatic improvements in the enrollment of students in 15 credits, were able to build on their success by using their STAR degree auditing system to ensure students enrolled in the 15 credits aligned with their program path. The end result was dramatic improvements in student retention, particularly for students who were assessed lower academic levels upon enrollment.
Designing Math Pathways by developing a new or aligning an existing quantitative reasoning course that students pursuing a non-STEM degree can use to fulfill program math requirements can result in immediate improvements in completion of gateway math courses. Combining the quantitative reasoning course with a Corequisite Support option for students in need of additional academic support can result in even more dramatic improvements in gateway math success rates in the first year. From there, faculty can further define Math Pathways that are aligned to more math intensive majors, ultimately incorporating the choice of a gateway math course into a program of study.
Momentum Pathways is a powerful foundation to institutional reform efforts. Implementation of this framework of evidence-based reforms ensures that all key actors in your institution are engaged in the process that will generate positive outcomes for students. Once in place, these reforms will likely reveal new challenges and opportunities to improve student success. These opportunities can be strategies to continuously improve each Game Changer or lead the institution to tackle structural barriers that are revealed only after the scaled implementation of the Game Changers.
Momentum Pathways provides an impactful infrastructure for institutional transformation efforts. By viewing these strategies as the foundational and essential, college can achieve immediate results and build momentum for fully transforming institutions.
