2012 Minnesota Statutes

135A.61 HIGH SCHOOL-TO-COLLEGE DEVELOPMENTAL TRANSITION PROGRAMS.

Subdivision 1.High school-to-college developmental transition programs.

All public higher education systems and other higher education institutions in Minnesota are encouraged to offer research-based high school-to-college developmental transition programs to prepare students for college-level academic coursework. A program under this section must, at a minimum, include instruction to develop the skills and abilities necessary to be ready for college-level coursework when the student enrolls in a degree, diploma, or certificate program and must address the academic skills identified as needing improvement by a college readiness assessment completed by the student. A program offered under this section must not constitute more than the equivalent of one semester of full-time study occurring in the summer following high school graduation. The courses completed in a program under this section must be identified on the student's transcript with a unique identifier to distinguish it from other developmental education courses or programs.

Subd. 2.High school-to-college developmental transition programs evaluation report.

(a) Institutions that offer a high school-to-college developmental transition program and enroll students that receive a grant under section 136A.121, subdivision 9b, must annually submit data and information about the services provided and program outcomes to the director of the Minnesota Office of Higher Education.

(b) The director must establish and convene a data working group to develop: (1) the data methodology to be used in evaluating the effectiveness of the programs implemented to improve the academic performance of participants, including the identification of appropriate comparison groups; and (2) a timeline for institutions to submit data and information to the director. The data working group must develop procedures that ensure consistency in the data collected by each institution. Data group members must have expertise in data collection processes and the delivery of academic programs to students, and represent the types of institutions that offer a program under this section. The data group must assist the director in analyzing and synthesizing institutional data and information to be included in the evaluation report submitted to the legislature under subdivision 3.

(c) Participating institutions must specify both program and student outcome goals and the activities implemented to achieve the goals. The goals must be clearly stated and measurable, and data collected must enable the director to verify the program has met the outcome goals established for the program.

(d) The data and information submitted must include, at a minimum, the following:

(1) demographic information about program participants;

(2) names of the high schools from which the students graduated;

(3) the college readiness test used to determine the student was not ready for college-level academic coursework;

(4) the academic content areas assessed and the scores received by the students on the college readiness test;

(5) a description of the services, including any supplemental noncredit academic support services, provided to students;

(6) data on the registration load, courses completed, and grades received by students;

(7) the retention of students from the term they participated in the program to the fall term immediately following graduation from high school;

(8) information about the student's enrollment in subsequent terms; and

(9) other information specified by the director or the data group that facilitates the evaluation process.

Subd. 3.Report to legislature.

By March 15 of each year, beginning in 2011, the director shall submit a report to the committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over higher education finance and policy that evaluates the effectiveness of programs in improving the academic performance of students who participated in the transition programs.

History:

2009 c 95 art 2 s 5