Graded Achievement,Tested Achievement,and Validity

Twenty-eight studies of grades, over a century, were reviewed using the argument-based approach to validity suggested by Kane as a theoretical framework. The review draws conclusions about the meaning of graded achievement, its relation to tested achievement, and changes in the construct of graded achievement over time. Graded achievement reflects students' broad accomplishment of classroom and school learning goals, including goals about how to learn. Both high school and elementary grades contain information about school achievement that includes being socialized into the way learning happens in classrooms. Graded achievement reflects specific course learning goals and therefore varies according to subject; academic course grades align more closely with tested achievement than noncore course grades. Graded achievement also reflects individual teachers' grading practices and emphases about what is important to learn. Report card grades can be reliable and valid measures of graded achievement, but may not be depending on individual teachers' grading practices.     

The Influence Theory: Factors That Influence the Transfer Advising Process

The transfer rate from community college to four-year institutions has been dropping for the past 70 years. In the most recent statistics, the national rate of transfer is 23% (Cohen & Brawer, 2008). In the state of Alabama the transfer rate is approximately 4%, and in the rural counties of Alabama the transfer rate hovers around 1%. Many studies have been conducted on the transfer process, but none have focused on the transfer process from a theoretical perspective. Most studies focus attention on disparate pieces of the transfer puzzle. To date, there is no overarching theory of the transfer process that will bring coherence to this field of study. This study views the transfer process through the experience of nine transfer advisors who serve students in 11 community colleges located in rural counties in the state of Alabama. The findings establish a substantive theory that will provide a contextual framework for researchers who wish to study specific features of the transfer process. The Influence Theory establishes five factors that play a prominent role in the transfer advising process: institutional, cultural, contextual, advisor, and student. This article concludes with implications for practice and future research.     

BETTER COLLEGE INFORMATION FOR STUDENTS: THE ROLE OF THE STATE TWO‐YEAR COLLEGE AGENCY

Prospective two‐year college students often lack adequate information on the range of educational alternatives available to them. Increasingly, state level agencies are playing a role in responding to that need. This article reports on a. national study of state two‐year college agencies to determine the extent and comprehensiveness of the postsecondary educational information they provide to students. Results indicate that most states have information they send to prospective students, but it varies widely in quality and often overlooks information students say they want to know. States with model information are identified.     

COMMUNITY SERVICES: COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY PERCEPTIONS AND PARTICIPATION

This study determined full‐time faculty members’ perceptions of and involvement in community services at community colleges in Ohio. A total of 249 full‐time faculty responded to the survey instrument representing 83.0% of the total sample. Data were analyzed by either the t test or the one‐way analysis of variance and Scheffe's post hoc analysis.

Results showed that involvement in planning and teaching within community services seem to be a key factor relative to how full‐time faculty perceive community services activities. Moreover, certain personal and professional characteristics of full‐time faculty members seem to influence their attitudes toward and their involvement in community services.     

THE WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIUM: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

Community college presidents face an uphill struggle in preparing their institutions for the rapidly changing technological learning environment. Visionary presidents in rural community colleges are presented with yet another challenge: that of finding themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide. This article describes how presidents of 12 rural community colleges in the mountains of western North Carolina formed a technology consortium to collaboratively address critical technology issues. Integral steps in the joint venture were a combined assessment and planning process authorized by the presidents, formation of the Western North Carolina Technology Consortium, and an e-commerce project designed to meet the needs of small busi-nesses and entrepreneurs in the region. Lessons learned and implications for practice are presented for community college presidents seeking ways to collaborate.     

Promoting Completion Through Organizational Development and Process Improvement

In 2007, Tulsa Community College (TCC) joined the national Achieving the Dream (ATD) network, which is dedicated to developing data-informed interventions to increase persistence and completion among community college students. TCC’s participation in the national initiative set it down a path for positive institutional change, but it was the College’s restructuring of their internal work teams and their process improvements since 2011–2012 that have resulted in a sustainable system that will help retain knowledge and ensure successful leadership transitions. In 2013, TCC rebranded its modified ATD system as Completing the Dream, combining the goals of Complete College America with the action research principles of Achieving the Dream. Because of these efforts, the College is in a stronger position today than it has ever been to serve our students using evidence-based strategies, ultimately resulting in more college-educated citizens in the Tulsa area.     

THE BENEFITS OF SUMMER BRIDGE PROGRAMS FOR UNDERREPRESENTED AND LOW‐INCOME TRANSFER STUDENTS

University summer bridge programs or transitional programs for low‐income and minority transfer students are becoming an established part of the effort to recruit, retain, and graduate a population of students underrepresented in higher education. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a summer bridge program on the academic, personal, and social development of underrepresented and low‐income transfer students during their first year at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The 1988 entering cohort of Transfer Summer Program (TSP) students was tracked through their first two quarters at UCLA, collecting both attitudinal and academic data.

The results of the study clearly suggest that summer bridge programs for underrepresented and low‐income students can help facilitate their transition and adjustment to university life and improve their academic performance and persistence rates. This is accomplished by increasing transfer students' control over their academic future by preparing them to effectively participate in a classroom, to assess their academic abilities, and by introducing them to campus services and encouraging the utilization of these services.