Retention, Persistence, Graduation Rates, & Grade Point Average
Students who participate in First-Year Experience (FYE) programs have shown longitudinally to be more at risk than the overall entering first-year students. FYE students will be retained, persist, and graduate at similar levels to the overall cohort. Their GPAs will be at similar levels.
Objective
One-Year Retention Rate
FYE students will be retained at similar level as the overall cohort.
Indicator
Institutional Research Report On First-Year Student Cohort & URRS Report
Institutional Research Report indicates one-year retention rates. The URRS Report uses the Risk-Adjusted Retention Indicator (RARI) to make adjustments in retention reflecting at-risk students.
Criterion
One-Year Retention Rates
The one-year retention rate of the current first-year cohort will be similar to the one-year retention rate of the overall first-year cohort.
Finding
One-Year Retention Rates
SAM 136 - 68% Freshman Learning Community - 71% Overall Freshman Class - 71%
Action
One-Year Retention Rates
Both the SAM 136 and FLC one-year retention rates were similar to the overall freshman class retention rate. SAM 136 retention rate is usually a little lower, but 71% of the students in that course were admitted as PREP students meaning that they were at-risk to some extent. We will continue to research why the retention rate might have been lower for SAM 136 and look into ways to continue to improve. One instructor from last fall has kept in close contact with her students via email and has a 76% retention rate. Emphasizing the continued contact with students will be reintroduced to the instructors.
Objective
2nd & 3rd Year Persistence Rates
FYE students will persist at similar level as the overall cohort.
Indicator
Institutional Research Report On First-Year Student Cohort & URRS Report
Institutional Research Report indicates persistence rates. The URRS Report uses the Risk-Adjusted Retention Indicator (RARI) to make adjustments in persistence reflecting at-risk students.
Criterion
Persistence Rates
The persistence rates for FYE cohorts will be similar to the persistence rates of the overall cohorts.
Finding
Persistence Rates
Fall 2008 - Two-Year Persistence Rate
SAM 136 - 61%
FLC - 51%
Overall Freshmen - 62%
Fall 2007 - Three-Year Persistence Rates
SAM 136 - 52%
FLC - 62%
Overall Freshmen - 55%
Action
Persistence Rates
The FLC two-year persistence rates are disappointing. They are 11 percentage points below the overall cohort. Their one-year retention rate was the same as their freshman cohort, but their GPA was lower. We will need to look more at this cohort to determine what might have caused this huge dip in persistence. We will look at the number of those students who came in at-risk and look at the number of hours earned vs. attempted.
Objective
Graduation Rates
FYE students will graduate at similar levels as the overall cohort.
Indicator
Institutional Research Report On First-Year Student Cohort
Institutional Research Report indicates four, five, and six year graduation rates.
Criterion
Graduation Rates
The graduation rates for FYE cohorts will be similar to the graduation rates of the overall cohorts.
Finding
Graduation Rates
Fall 2004 - Six-Year Graduation Rates SAM 136 - 46%
FLC - 50%
Overall Cohort - 49%
Action
Graduation Rates
This is the first year to have six-year graduation rates, so we will continue to look at these rates for future years to see what we can do to continue to raise these rates.
Objective
Grade Point Average
FYE students will have similar GPAs as the overall cohort.
Indicator
Institutional Research Report On First-Year Student Cohort
Institutional Research Report indicates SHSU GPAs for one through six years.
Criterion
Grade Point Averages
The GPAs for FYE cohorts will be similar to the GPAs of the overall cohorts.
Finding
GPAs
SAM 136 - 2.38 FLC - 2.65 Overall Freshmen - 2.61
Action
GPAs
The SAM 136 GPA is concerning. We will look over the particular variables to see if we can see if this group of students was even more at risk than previous cohorts or if we have changed something in our teaching methods. We did change to a new textbook for the SAM 136 course and this may have caused the course to not be as effective. We will research this further and make the needed changes.