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Institutional Reporting on Quality Improvements
Institutional Reporting on Quality Improvements
The comprehensive external evaluation team for the College鈥檚 Visiting Team鈥檚 Evaluation Report, conducted in fall 2017, noted no recommendations to meet standards and only three recommendations for improvement (see page five of Visiting Team鈥檚 Evaluation Report). Each is provided below along with the College鈥檚 response. (3-qual-1)
Response to Team Recommendations for Improvement:
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Recommendation 3
Recommendation 3:
In order to improve its governance processes and structures, the team recommends that the College evaluate the overall governance structure on a regular and continuous basis and use the results as the basis for improvement. (IV.A.7)
Response:
It was clear during the 2017 visit that the Team had difficulty assimilating the governance structure of the College. This was no challenge for members of the College, where the structure and process are generally understood. Mt. 91直播 committees are divided into four broad categories: Governance, Operational, Academic Senate, and Other.
College Governance committees (e.g., Accreditation, Budget, Professional Development) are comprised of representatives from all constituent groups, including student representatives, who participate in college-wide decision-making, planning, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness processes relevant to each committee鈥檚 purpose and function. Operational Committees oversee areas of administrative responsibility, not specific to college constituent groups but overseeing operations, student, and campus issues, such as the Basic Needs, Employee Wellness, Professional Development, and VOICES Committees.
Academic Senate committees include those committees for which the College relies primarily or seeks mutual agreement with the Academic Senate (e.g., Assessment, Curriculum, Distance Education, Student Learning Outcomes, etc.). These committees typically include members from the college administration and the Academic Senate. Committees designated as 鈥淥ther鈥� are typically 鈥渂ig picture鈥� committees, such as 鈥淢aster Plan Steering鈥� or committees dedicated to specific functions, such as the 鈥淪alary and Leaves鈥� committee (related to faculty).
Virtually all committees include faculty, staff, managers, and students, each appointed by their respective leadership bodies. These committees engage in ongoing and regular self-reviews by analyzing their accomplishments, reviewing their goals, and evaluating their membership for appropriate representation. Each committee identifies agenda items and outcomes related to accreditation standards and tracks those for the self-study each cycle. The committees then report these findings to President鈥檚 Advisory Council, which then reviews each committee鈥檚 self-evaluations and recommends and/or approves changes to the committee鈥檚 purpose and function, membership, or goals as appropriate.
It is through these committees and their self-evaluations each year that Mt. 91直播 evaluates the overall governance structure, and then uses this evaluation to determine whether the governance structure is effective and inclusive and where improvements can be made to ensure faculty, staff, and students have the opportunity to express their opinions at the campus level, to ensure that these opinions are given every reasonable consideration, ensure the right to participate effectively in district and college governance, and to ensure the right of academic senates to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in the areas of curriculum and academic standards.
This is the process used to evaluate the overall governance structure as a basis for continuous improvement. Furthermore, to maintain transparency with the campus community, each committee has a web page where information about these committees, their minutes, relevant documents, and a list of the membership is posted and maintained regularly for anyone鈥檚 inspection. This ongoing and annual process helps to inform the campus and community about college governance for self-evaluation and continuous quality improvement.
In specific response to the team's recommendation, 91直播鈥檚 Senate Executive Board created the Academic Senate Executive Board Task Force on Structure in their September 19, 2019, meeting. The charge of the Task Force was to evaluate and recommend changes to the Academic Senate council and committee structure. The Task Force would review the committee structure to ensure that it could support the integration of Guided Pathways, student equity, learning, success, and sustainability, as well as ensuring other academic and professional policies and procedures were being appropriately addressed as part of the shared governance process. The members of the Academic Senate Executive Board Task Force on Structure met to discuss and evaluate the governance structure at the College. Recommendations were passed by the Academic Senate and mutually agreed to the Academic Mutual Agreement Council (AMAC). Mt. 91直播 Board Policy (BP) 3255 establishes which academic and professional matters the faculty, acting through the Academic Senate, shall be relied primarily upon, as well as which matters will be mutually agreed upon. AMAC is the venue in which the president and co-vice presidents of the Academic Senate discuss items that require mutual agreement with the vice presidents of Student Services and Instruction and the College president. Although the Senate committee structure covers those areas for which the faculty are primarily relied upon, there are components of the implementation of the structure that required mutual agreement (for example, membership which included Administrators). Discussion at AMAC also helped to clarify the Purpose & Function documents for new committees. As a result of the Academic Senate discussions, changes were made to the committee reporting structure, and additional committees were created. (3-qual-10, 3-qual-11)
Mt. 91直播 Academic Senate Committees Structure:
The Mt. 91直播 Academic Senate Committees Structure map illustrates the flow of that information and recommendations follow through the shared governance process for areas under the purview of Academic Senate. All of the councils and committees strive to integrate the goals of Sustainability, Student Equity, Student Learning, and Student Success, and Guided Pathways. The map also shows AMAC, the Academic Mutual Agreement Council in the top left, to show the flow for academic and professional recommendations that require mutual agreement between the Academic Senate and District Administrators. The map also shows the relationships between the three Senate councils: Curriculum and Instruction Council, Faculty Professional Development Council, Student Preparation, Equity, and Achievement Council, the committees of these councils, the Guided Pathways Cross-Council Committee, and Senate Awards, Equivalency, and Nominations, Elections & Leadership Development committees in relation to each other.
Note: All senate committee Purpose & Function statements will include Sustainability, Guided Pathways, Accreditation, and Equity. Approved by Senate 12/5/2019, updated June 2020 to reflect AMAC mutual agreement
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Recommendation 3
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Report on Quality Focus Essay: Progress and Outcomes from Action Projects
Report on Quality Focus Essay: Progress and Outcomes from Action Projects:
During the process of completing its Self-Evaluation, Mt. 91直播 identified three areas of focus in order to improve effectiveness. These three areas are:
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Integration of Metrics into 91直播 Review: the integration of Mt. 91直播 Strategic Plan Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Institution-set Standards (ISS) and indicators for the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI) at all levels of the Planning for Institutional Effectiveness (PIE) process;
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Integration of Plans: the integration of the Basic Skills, the Student Success and Support 91直播 (SSSP), and the Student Equity plans; and
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Pathways: the institutionalization of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Pathways Project.
What follows includes narrative of the progress for each area listed above as well as summary tables to outline the progress. Progress on goals, outcomes, and data are identified for each quality focus project as well as the changes in Student Achievement and Student Learning that resulted from the projects. If progress on projects was not achieved, then factors that contributed to that lack of progress are noted. If appropriate, the narrative also discusses expansion of the projects, the potential and intent to expand those projects to other areas of the College, and the ability to replicate these projects.
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- Integration of Plans
Integration of Plans
The Quality Focus Essay in Mt. 91直播鈥檚 2017 Institutional Self Evaluation Report noted that
In recent years, the CCCs [California Community Colleges] have committed to increasing access for the most marginalized students with the goal of improved outcomes, including progression and completion.鈥� For purposes of strengthening student outcomes, Mt. 91直播 will increase the integration among the SEP [Student Equity Plan], credit and noncredit SSSP [Student Success and Support 91直播], and Basic Skills Initiative (BSI) plans.
Mt. 91直播鈥檚 plan was developed prior to the decision of the Chancellor鈥檚 Office to pursue this same strategy across the entire California community college system. Subsequent to the development of our QFE on Integration of Plans, the College has continued to make progress in this area by hosting campus-wide events and producing reports to demonstrate collaborative efforts to link equity-focused activities with Student Success mandates. Additionally, with the implementation of AB 705, Mt. 91直播 was able to institute a new, online assessment process using multiple measures for placement recommendation a year in advance of the statewide mandate. This required the collaboration of both credit and noncredit SSSP along with those who continued to work on BSI-related efforts. An additional aspect has been to consolidate all four categorical programs (SSSP credit, SSSP noncredit, Student Equity, and BSI) into one coordinated budget. The process involved reviewing all funded activities to ensure alignment with Student Equity goals. This resulted in a clearer and more equitably resourced plan for support services and learning/tutorial services that would enhance student learning and achievement, especially for disproportionately impacted students.
Plans and Common Goals
One of the greatest challenges the College faced was how to integrate all of the activities and budgets for the various programs and departments funded with Student Equity and Achievement 91直播 (SEAP) funds. The College鈥檚 goals for this initiative included: (1) making student equity a priority, (2) enhancing budgeting skills to get the work done, (3), breaking down silos, and (4) committing to collaboration among managers, faculty, and staff at the unit level as Mt. 91直播 has a long history of making equity a priority, but the separation of categorial funds into different silos, with different reporting requirement and deadlines, was an obstacle to the College鈥檚 capacity to integrate its efforts. As a start towards integration, the College had to first separate and then analyze these categorical funding streams. Prior to the College beginning this work, managers and staff were challenged to keep track of overlaps or gaps in Basic Skills, Student Equity, and Student Success and Support 91直播 funding. Over the past two years, the College has addressed the commitment indicated in the original QFE as well as responded to the call for integration directed by the Chancellor鈥檚 Office SEA 91直播. Specifically, the College has established budgetary procedures to provide units across the campus with the ability to set priorities for funding and to monitor progress toward meeting the college鈥檚 goals, as reflected in the following chart:
The Mt. 91直播 New Budget Structure chart illustrates the prior structure consisting of four main areas: Credit SSSP, Noncredit SSSP, Student Equity (SE), and Basic Skills Initiative containing 200 organization and 1,662 accounts. It also illustrates the new budget structure consisting of three main areas: President鈥檚 Office, Instruction, and Student Services, with projects under each area and consisting of twenty-five organizations and 600 accounts. Furthermore, the chart includes the SEAP Total of $12,135,975 with $8,029,631 going to salaries and benefits for 65 positions and $4,106,344 going to operating Expenses.
Although there are three distinct budgetary cost centers, there is a synergy among the three to implement SEAP goals. Updates on the work of SEA 91直播 integration with regards to budget are provided in the President's Cabinet notes, which are made public. At the March 3, 2020, meeting the following progress was reported:
Cabinet was joined by Madelyn Arballo, Associate Vice President, School of Continuing Education, and Rosa Royce, Chief Compliance and College Budget Officer, who provided an update ... on the SEAP Management Workgroup. There has been good management discussion on reviewing past SEAP allocations, with deep discussion specifically on SEAP funded positions. There is now a template for a fiscal account structure which will align all programs and services within the SEAP guidelines.... Rosa provided a graphic of the new structure of the allocation accounts for SEAP. (5-qfe-7)
Although the SEAP Management Workgroup was heavily focused on re-structuring the budget as part of the integration of services, equity and achievement were the primary filters. Specifically, budget expenditures were carefully evaluated to maximize resources that promote student success, and more importantly, narrow the achievement gap for underrepresented students. As part of this effort, the workgroup supported resources that promoted the alignment and integration of academic support centers, led to discussions on the development of a SEA 91直播 professional development plan and research plan, and created a clear presence for programs with non-traditional populations.
In addition to the directing of funding to Instruction and Student Services, the President鈥檚 Office is using SEAP funding to focus on the equity needs of the College鈥檚 African American and Latinx communities. All of these efforts are further reinforced by the College鈥檚 Professional and Organizational Development Office.
The College continues to strengthen coordination and collaboration between Instruction and Student Services. In addition, as the largest provider of noncredit education in the California community college system, these efforts have also been integrated with the College鈥檚 noncredit programs including Guided Pathways.
The following table indicates the work undertaken by the College, the anticipated outcomes and timeline for the work, what has been accomplished, and demonstrates that the College has made considerable progress toward integrated planning.
Table 7. QFE-2. Timeline for Integration of Plans
Task Responsible Party Anticipated Outcomes Impact on Academic Quality and Institutional Effectiveness Timeline Done? Gather stakeholders and determine structure for ongoing dialogue
Committee chairs
Coordination and collaboration among stakeholders; Understanding of each plan; Overlaps and differences of plans
Alignment with other plans
Spring 2017
Yes
Gap analysis for services to students and filling the gap
Committee chairs, Pathways to Transfer manager
Identify how services are delivered throughout the student鈥檚 educational lifespan
Compile a joint gap analysis of campus services for disproportionately impacted and low skilled students; Scale up
2018- 2020
Yes
Gap analysis for services to students and filling the gap
Committee chairs, Pathways to Transfer manager
Identify redundancies, and outdated gaps, and overlaps
Students will have thorough and appropriate assessment and referrals from the first point of contact
2019- 2021
In progress
Establish a SEAP budget structure that recognizes the consolidation of BSI, Student Equity, and SSSP funds that will promote the goals and objectives of the SEA 91直播.
SEAP Workgroup (2019-2020)
Shift of budget control to service centers to allow managers more direct control and accountability for services provided
Create a budget workgroup to consolidate budgets and examine expenditures as they relate to SEA 91直播 objectives.
2019-2021
In progress
Identify the goals for the integrated plan and data needs
Committee chairs
Data will guide goal setting for the integrated plan and may inform the creation of a success dashboard.
Improved student achievement data
2017-2020
In Progress
Evaluation of Impact
Committee chairs
Evaluate functionality and outcomes. The ongoing nature of these funding resources indicates sustainable support for students.
Redesigned structure provides support to students at an improved level
Fall 2017- 2020
In Progress
Professional development
Committee chairs, POD
Synthesis of the topic of Institutional Planning (IP)
Application of IP with multiple plans
Application of IEPI IP Tools
Use of Professional Learning Network, Lynda.com, etc.
Improved alignment among support centers and COP consisting of support center staff and faculty
Improved understanding of IP and its applied application to the College
Academic Support Center Community of Practice workshops
Spring 2017- 2020
Yes
Even though there have been many instances of positive student outcomes as a result of individual plans and resources, successes are being scaled up with a combined focus of how Mt. 91直播 provides services throughout the student lifespan and how achievement can be improved for disproportionately impacted students.
Coordination of Academic Support Resources
Reflecting the intent of integrated planning, one example is how the College has made significant strides to provide academic support services to all students through coordination among a rich array of services. A team of workgroups comprised of faculty, staff, and administrators focus on marketing, outcomes assessment, planning and resources, hiring, and tutor training. This work resulted in improved coordinated efforts, for example, to promote academic support resources to faculty and students, including Student Success Fairs on campus and student-centrically organized webpages for easier wayfinding. Another coordinated effort is common data gathering across these centers so that the College has more complete data on student usage of these resources, by demographic groups, and indications for data gaps that may need to be addressed. Faculty leaders in these academic support centers have played a crucial role in advocating for greater visibility of these resources to faculty and students and for closer integration of instruction with student services. To this end, data shared at the Fall 2019 Inclusion Summit showed that 51% of students at Mt. 91直播 used tutoring in 2018-19. The work to coordinate academic support centers has occurred concurrently as the SEAP budget integration, which assured that each support center had consistent allocations of funding.
Below describes how Mt. 91直播 provides services in a wide variety of project, tutorial, and student cohort areas, including:
Student Services:
- ACCESS (DSP&S) including the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) Center and the Accessible Technology Resource Center
- ACES (Achieving in College, Ensuring Success) federal TRiO grant
- Admissions and Records and Assessment
- ARISE (federal AANAPISI grant 鈥� Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution)
- ASPIRE (African American Student 91直播 Inspiring Responsibility for Education/Umoja)
- Associated Students
- Basic Needs (food pantry; housing assistance)
- Bridge (freshmen learning communities)
- Career & Transfer Centers
- Completion Center
- Counseling
- DREAM
- El Centro (Latinx focused program)
- Extended Opportunity 91直播s and Services (EOPS)/Cooperative Agencies
- Extended Opportunity 91直播s and Services (EOPS)/Cooperative Agencies Resources for Education (CARE)/CalWORKs
- Financial Aid and Scholarships
- Gray and Redshirt Academic Support 91直播 (GRASP)
- Health Center and Mental Health Services
- High School Outreach and Inreach Services
- International Student Center
- Minority Male Initiative (MMI)
- Promise Plus 91直播 (AB 19 Promise funds)
- REACH (Realizing Educational Achievement through Caring and Heart) foster youth/former foster youth
- Rising Scholars (formerly incarcerated)
- Student Life and Associated Students Government
- Upward Bound (federal TRiO grant)
- Veterans Resource Center
Instruction:
- Academic Support and Achievement Center (A91直播)
- Adult Basic Education Learning Center
- Business Division Computer Lab
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center
- Design Lab
- Health Careers Resource Center
- Honors 91直播
- Language Learning Center/Language Lab
- Math Activities Resource Center (MARC)
- Math Success Lab
- Natural Sciences Computer Lab
- Pride Center
- REACH (Reaching, Empowering, Achieving, and Completing with Heart 91直播)
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) Center
- Speech and Sign Success Center
- Tech Education Resource Center (TERC)
- Transfer Math Activities Resource Center/Math and Computer Science Lab (TMARC)
- WIN 91直播 (Academic Support for Student Athletes)
- Writing Center
A majority of these centers receive full or partial funding from the integrated SEAP funding. In addition, student equity activities and funding have been provided to Professional and Organizational Development, Research and Institutional Effectiveness, and Information Technology which are all documented in the College鈥檚 updated Student Equity Plan. In order to bring greater consistency to these programs, the President鈥檚 Cabinet prioritized the hiring of a manager who would be responsible to assure consistency of service offerings and to support the work of faculty and staff in assessing their effectiveness and developing plans for improvement.
To continue integration of plans, services, and funding, a SEAP Work Plan is presently under development detailing the specific activities and outcomes, as well as disproportionately impacted student populations to be served through SEAP funds.
Based on this extensive planning process, the QFE goals, outcomes were achieved, and substantial integration of the plans is evident in the SEA 91直播.
- Integration of Plans
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