Section II

4.1. When evaluating success with respect to student achievement in relation to the institution’s mission, the institution includes, as appropriate, consideration of course completion, state licensing examinations, and job placement rates.

Northeast Alabama Community College demonstrates compliance. The college employs an institutional effectiveness process that originates with the mission, assesses outcomes in all areas of the college with respect to fulfillment of the mission, and incorporates the results of assessment into a continuous planning and evaluation process.

The effectiveness process includes regular assessment of the outcomes of the educational programs with respect to the institutional mission, including consideration of course or program completion, student performance on state licensing examinations, and job placement rates.

Goals Two and Six of the institutional mission relate specifically to student learning outcomes:

· General education at the freshman and sophomore levels that prepares students to continue their education through transfer.

· Technical, vocational and career education programs that prepare students for employment in occupational fields and which lead to certificates, diplomas, and/or associate degrees.

The following indicators are among those used to assess fulfillment of these two goals within the mission:

The CAAP as administered at Northeast yields standardized scores each spring in two of five subjects on a rotating basis: writing skills, reading, mathematics, science reasoning, and critical thinking. Sophomores in all degree and certificate programs of study are asked to participate in the assessment. The mean of NACC sophomores on the CAAP subjects is compared to that of other public two-year college sophomores.

Program of study completion is another indicator of success. Both the A.A./A.S. programs and the A.A.S./Certificate programs are monitored for program completion rates.

The indicator specific to the A.A./A.S. (transfer) programs is successful transfer to a four-year college.

Indicators specific to A.A.S./Certificate programs are performance on state licensing examinations and job placement.

Monitoring of these indicators is done by personnel of the respective programs, by the Office of Technology and Workforce Development, and by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

Personnel responsible for oversight of the programs are normally the first to take action, developing plans to rectify any deficiency observed by the indicators. Such actions are incorporated into annual goals set each fall by the respective curricular units; the goals are evaluated in the spring and the results are cycled back into applications for continuing improvement, through subsequent annual goals.

Additionally, the Institutional Management and Planning Committee formally reviews the outcome indicators, including program completion, performance on state licensing exams, and job placement. The committee incorporates into the upcoming Institutional Management Plan (IMP) action to address any deficiencies. These actions are inclusive of plans the respective departments may already have initiated in response to the indicators.

Indicators drawn from documentation reviewed by the IMP Committee Spring 2003 are shown as follows:

Year	Topic	NACC			Public Two-year Colleges
Year	Topic	Mean	S.D.	Number	Mean	S.D.	Number
1991	Writing Skills	62.3	4.3	399	62.0	4.0	4,209
1992	Mathematics	54.9	3.1	214	56.1	4.0	3,542
1992	Critical Thinking	60.3	4.4	214	61.3	5.3	4,147
1993	Mathematics	56.1	3.7	216	56.4	3.7	5,421
1993	Reading	62.1	4.9	216	61.2	5.4	5,473
1994	Writing Skills	63.4	4.5	160	62.2	5.0	13,377
1994	Science Reasoning	58.7	4.0	160	59.0	4.2	4,853
1995	Mathematics	56.7	4.0	188	56.2	3.6	14,144
1995	Critical Thinking	61.4	5.0	188	61.1	5.2	12,909
1996	Reading	62.0	4.9	159	61.0	5.3	13,956
1996	Science Reasoning	59.3	3.5	159	58.8	4.1	7,783
1997	Writing Skills	63.8	4.3	142	62.7	4.7	18,207
1997	Critical Thinking	61.5	4.8	142	612	5.1	14,630
1998	Mathematics	56.0	3.2	200	56.2	3.5	16,442
1998	Reading	61.5	4.8	200	61.3	5.2	17,443
1999	Writing Skills	63.8	4.5	131	62.7	4.7	20,754
1999	Science Reasoning	59.2	4.0	131	59.0	4.1	11,382
2000	Reading	62.7	4.7	115	61.0	5.3	20,877
2000	Critical Thinking	62.4	5.1	115	61.1	5.2	17,456
2001	Writing Skills	64.2	4.2	88	62.6	4.7	24,558
2001	Mathematics	56.8	4.3	88	56.3	3.6	22,003
2002	Writing Skills	64.3	4.4	115	62.6	4.7	25,209
2002	Science Reasoning	60.3	3.5	115	58.9	4.3	15,639
2003	Writing Skills	63.9	4.2	104	62.5	4.8	25,884
2003	Mathematics	57.5	3.6	104	56.0	3.2	921*
*Mathematics test changed effective September 2002 to assess skills through college algebra (four calculus items were removed and replaced with four college algebra items).
Sources: NACC CAAP Records: Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Cohort of first-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen Fall 1999*	385
AA or AS seeking or intent to transfer	269
Known to have transferred, under 62 hours completed	23
Went to military service	1
Deceased	1
Adjusted cohort	244
Received degree and/or completed two-year program (62 or more hours @ 2.0 or greater GPA) eligible for junior standing at transfer institution	66
Percent completion within three years	27%
*Per IPEDS guidelines, includes entering freshmen of previous summer
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS) data, Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Cohort of First-time, full-time, degree-seeking freshmen Fall 1999	385
Number who either originally or later indicated an AAS or Certificate major	116
Number of AAS or Certificate indicators who transferred or went into military	11
Revised AAS/Certificate Cohort	105
Number of revised cohort who achieved degree or certificate by Spring 2002	37
Overall completion this cohort, as of Spring 2000	35.2%
Source: Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Systems data, Office of Institutional Effectiveness

Program	No. Starting Fall 1999	Achieved C26 within 1 year
EMS-Basic	20	11
EMS-Paramedic	18	13
Source: Office of Adult Education and Skills Training