Getting Past Go - North Carolina

Overview

The majority of developmental education instruction occurs at the 58 two-year institutions in the North Carolina Community College System. Institutions in the University of North Carolina System may choose to deliver developmental coursework or contract out these courses to local community colleges. The community college system uses a common set of three assessments—ASSET, COMPASS, and/or ACCUPLACER—for determining college readiness. The same policy directs colleges to use uniform cut scores for math and English composition placement.

Summer bridge programs allow university campuses to provide remedial instruction before students enter their first academic year. Through its partnership with the Developmental Education Initiative (DEI), the community college system has entered the initial stages of developmental education redesign. The initiative started with recommendations to develop and implement instructional modules, which could decrease time-in-program for students requiring developmental education. More recently, the DEI state team has recommended diagnostics to support proper student placements and accelerate progress. The redesign, if adopted by the State Board of Community Colleges, would align the diagnostics with the instructional modules and competency-based learning approaches. Based on January 2012 board minutes, the proposed deadline for the approval and implementation of these changes is fall 2013.

The community colleges systems operate under a performance accountability system that contains 8 performance standards. Both the community college and university systems publish annual reports on performance outcomes. A new set of performance measures for the community college system will be implemented in fall 2012.

Policy Lever Importance:

This data does not appear to have been added yet.

Participation in National Projects:

Accelerating Opportunity (ABE to Credentials)

Achieving the Dream

Adult Completion Project

Breaking Through

Center for Analysis of Postsecondary Education and Employment (CAPSEE)

College Access Challenge Grant

Common Core Standards Initiative

Completion by Design

Developmental Education Initiative (DEI)

SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium

Leaders:

Dr. Sharon Morrissey, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer for North Carolina Community College System

Dr. Suzanne Ortega, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of North Carolina

State Strengths:

• Common assessment and cut score policy for community colleges
• System of cooperative agreements for delivery of remedial instruction
• Community college metrics, or Critical Success Factors (CSFs), hold institutions accountable for student performance
• Career and College Promise legislation enabling structured dual enrollment pathways that lead to Career Technical Education certificates and diplomas, College Transfer certificates, or associate degrees in Cooperative Innovative High School Programs
• Comprehensive Articulation Agreement between the North Carolina Community College System and the University of North Carolina
• Basic Skills Plus legislation authorizing tuition waivers for State Board approved community college programs to dual-enroll GED students in occupational training classes
• State Board of Education adoption of ACT Assessment suite, including EXPLORE in 8^th grade, PLAN in 10^th grade, and ACT in 11^th grade

GPG Policy Database

Policy Authority:

State

The state legislature has been instrumental in creating a performance accountability system for community colleges. The legislature, in conjunction with the University of North Carolina system, is creating a performance accountability system for four-year institutions.

System

The community college system holds the authority to set assessment and placement policy.

Institutional

Institutions reserve the authority to set academic policies, as long as they do not conflict with legislative or system-level prerogatives.

Comparison States

North Carolina, like Ohio, Tennessee, and Washington, has instituted a performance accountability system that includes remedial education indicators.

Like Alabama, Louisiana, and Minnesota, North Carolina community colleges operate under a uniform cut score policy.