September Community College Leader Bulletin Final

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Community College Leader Bulletin - A publication from the Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation

Volume 12, Issue 2                                                                       September 2021                                              educateiowa.gov


Inside this issue


Jeremy Varner
Administrator, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation
515-281-8260
jeremy.varner@iowa.gov

 

Dennis Harden
 Chief, Bureau of Career and Technical  Education
515-281-4716
dennis.harden@iowa.gov

 

Amy Gieseke
Chief, Bureau of Community Colleges
515-858-2234
amy.gieseke@iowa.gov

 

Alison Jepsen
Executive Officer, Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Preparation
515-314-8328
alison.jepsen@iowa.gov

New report finds taking college credit coursework is linked to postsecondary outcomes

Jointly enrolled students

Students who take college credit courses in high school are more likely to enroll in postsecondary education after graduation and earn a degree or credential, according to a new Iowa Department of Education report.

In the state’s first longitudinal look at joint enrollment cohort data, the Outcomes of Jointly Enrolled Students in Iowa report tracks 29,000 high school graduates from the class of 2011 over an eight-year period. It compares postsecondary enrollment and completion rates of students who jointly enrolled in community college credit courses while in high school and students who did not.

“Earning college credit while in high school benefits students in so many ways,” said Ann Lebo, director of the Iowa Department of Education. “While we had a record number of jointly enrolled students during the 2019-20 academic year, we still have work to do. Closing the gap and ensuring all high school students take advantage of these opportunities will help more students explore career paths and experience the rigor of college-level courses, putting them on a path for success in both college and careers.”

Out of the 17,508 high school students from the class of 2011 who earned college credit in high school, 75.5 percent enrolled in college immediately after graduating, and of those, 59.1 percent achieved a degree within 8 years. In comparison, 50.4 percent of students who did not earn college credit in high school immediately enrolled in college. Of those, 32.8 percent completed a degree or transferred during the same time frame.

Student participation in joint enrollment in Iowa schools has experienced an average annual growth rate of 5.8 percent since 2004, although participation differs by district. In total, 51,800 students were jointly enrolled during the 2019-20 school year. These opportunities play an important role in helping build Iowa’s talent pipeline for the careers of today and tomorrow, which is key to the Future Ready Iowa initiative that calls for 70 percent of Iowans having education or training beyond high school by 2025.

Read more

See the full report here. 

For more information, please contact Paula Nissen, Lead Consultant, (paula.nissen2@iowa.gov or 515-210-9465) or Vlad Bassis, Lead Consultant, (vladimir.bassis@iowa.gov or 515-326-1718).


Tuition and Fees report now available

Tuition & Fees

The Department recently released the fiscal year 2022 Tuition and Fees Report, which provides information about the tuition and fees charged at each of Iowa's 15 community colleges. This report also provides trends in tuition and fees among Iowa’s community colleges, sources of general operating revenue and comparisons among states and institutions.

According to the report, average in-state tuition for students attending Iowa’s community colleges is $184.45 per credit hour, a 2.6 percent increase from last year, and average mandatory fees are $15.56 per credit hour, down 1.2 percent from last year. Therefore, the average total in-state cost of enrollment (tuition plus fees) is $194.48 per credit hour, which represents a 3.1 percent increase from last year.

Contact Dan Li, Education Program Consultant, (dan.li@iowa.gov or (515) 281-3503) with comments or questions.


Iowa achieves nation’s highest passing rate on high school equivalency exam

Happy students

Among states and U.S. territories that use HiSET, a high school equivalency exam, Iowa ranks the highest for the percent of individuals who passed the test. Last year, 95.9 percent of Iowans seeking a high school equivalency diploma passed the exam compared to 80.5 percent nationally.

A total of 1,003 Iowans passed the HiSET, which was developed by the nonprofit Educational Testing Service. The HiSET is administered in 25 states, including Iowa, as well as four U.S. territories.

The HiSET has served as the state-approved test since 2014. The exam measures the knowledge and proficiency equivalent to those of an Iowa high school graduate.

“Achieving the highest passing rate on the HiSET is a testament to these hard-working Iowans and the quality of adult education and literacy programming provided through Iowa’s 15 community colleges. I commend these students for their hard work and the commitment of the adult education and literacy coordinators and instructors who are helping them take the next steps to postsecondary education, training and careers,” said Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo.

Read More

Contact Mike Williams, Education Program Consultant, (mike.williams@iowa.gov or (515) 681-7372) with comments or questions.


Iowa Community Colleges, Department of Education prepare for redistricting

Iowa Community Colleges

The process of redistricting community college trustee director districts has begun. The redrawing of the districts of elected officials occurs every ten years and is based on 2020 Census data.

The Iowa Department of Education is coordinating this work in partnership with the community colleges and following the standards set forth in state law. The process will follow school district board redistricting which is required to be complete by May 15, 2023. The deadline for community college boards to adopt the new director districts is July 1, 2023.  New maps are effective for November 2023 elections.

For more information, please contact Amy Gieseke, Bureau Chief, (amy.gieseke@iowa.gov or 515-858-2234) with questions or comments. 


Summer College Credit Program enrollment grows in third year

SCCP

A total of 1,649 high school students across the state earned college credit by enrolling in career and technical education (CTE) courses through the Summer College Credit Program (SCCP) in academic year 2020-2021, according to a fact sheet released by the Iowa Department of Education. This represents a 29.8 percent increase from the previous summer.

Iowa’s community colleges participated in the program, providing access to coursework within 42 programs aligned to high-demand CTE fields. The top two CTE fields were health care and advanced manufacturing.

Authorized in 2018 as part of the Future Ready Iowa Act and supported by a $600,000 state appropriation, the SCCP expands student access to college-level coursework during the summer and promotes participation in high-quality CTE programs that align to state and regional in-demand occupations. This work supports Iowa’s statewide CTE improvement efforts and is in line with the Future Ready Iowa goal that calls for 70 percent of Iowans in the workforce to have education or training beyond high school by the year 2025.

Contact Jen Rathje, Education Program Consultant, (jennifer.rathje@iowa.gov or (515) 326-5389) with comments or questions.


Iowa Literacy Council awards two educators

Arianna Walden

During last month’s Adult Education and Literacy Virtual Conference, the Iowa Literacy Council took the unprecedented step of awarding not one, but two outstanding educators for the prestigious Archie Willard Award.

Arianna Walden of Kirkwood Community College and Diane Jackson of Iowa Lakes Community College were both named as 2021 Archie Willard awardees for their excellence and dedication to adult education and literacy in Iowa.

“They both demonstrated the values that were important to Archie. It would have been difficult to choose one over the other,” said Helene Fein, executive director of the Iowa Literacy Council. “And it’s been a tough year for literacy practitioners. Every literacy educator deserves an award this year.”

The winners of the award were chosen from nominations submitted by colleagues in the field. A committee selected Walden and Jackson for their years of service to adult education, dedication to literacy and feedback from students.

Read More

Contact Alex Harris, Lead Consultant, (alex.harris@iowa.gov or (515) 423-7282) or Elizabeth Johnson, Education Program Consultant, (elizabeth.johnson2@iowa.gov or (515) 971-0469) with questions about adult education or the annual Adult Education and Literacy Conference. 


Iowa Consortium of Higher Education in Prison helps incarcerated individuals move forward

Corrections Education

The Iowa Consortium of Higher Education in Prison brings together educational institutions and the Iowa Department of Corrections to find ways to better support students who are incarcerated. The consortium will work on five main issues: technology and security, funding and partnerships, student services and supports while incarcerated and, after re-entry, professional development and data measurement.

“We need to do a better job of training people from both an employment and public safety perspective,” said Jennie Doke-Kerns, chairperson of the Iowa Consortium of Higher Education in Prison. “If they have a job that they’ve trained for and can walk into, they are less likely to re-offend. It’s the right thing to do.”

Iowa was one of three states recently awarded an Optimizing Delivery Systems for Higher Education in Prison grant through Ascendium, an organization that supports research, colleges, workforce training providers and large-scale initiatives. The Iowa Department of Education will receive $1.1 million over three years to help create a state process for incorporating postsecondary courses in prison settings. One of the biggest initiatives of the grant is to partner with the consortium and the Iowa Department of Corrections to establish pathway navigators for incarcerated students. At least three pathway navigators will be hired to assist with the coordination of academic and community services for individuals while they are incarcerated and after they are released from prison.

Read More

Contact Alex Harris, Lead Consultant, (alex.harris@iowa.gov or (515) 423-7282) with questions about the consortium. 


Future Ready Iowa Mentoring available for Last-Dollar Scholars

FRI

Future Ready Iowa Mentoring is a collaborative effort between Volunteer Iowa and Iowa College Aid that was established to support the success of Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship recipients. Over 7,000 Last-Dollar Scholars are enrolled in eligible programs at each of Iowa’s 15 community colleges. Last-Dollar Scholars have access to important mentoring resources to ensure their success throughout their program and beyond.

  • Last-Dollar Scholarship recipients have access to AmeriCorps College Success Coaches either virtually or on-campus. Success Coaches provide direct assistance to ensure continued scholarship eligibility and program completion through text message support and virtual or in-person appointments. The College Success Coach Program is funded in part through College Access and Success AmeriCorps program, Future Ready Iowa Initiatives, and Iowa College Aid.
  • Future Ready Iowa Virtual Mentoring is a statewide networking and professional development opportunity that connects Last-Dollar Scholars with mentors in the workforce. Through engaging in this career mentoring program, students establish meaningful career connections and strengthen their job readiness skills. Students are matched with mentors based on their career goals and identity, among other factors. The average time commitment for the mentoring connection is one hour per month. Mentoring is delivered through video call and messaging in an online platform. Enrollment in the e-mentoring program is ongoing. Students from 15 different colleges have enrolled in the program.

 Institutions can support these programs and Last-Dollar Scholars by:  

For information regarding the virtual career mentoring program, please contact Jason Wiegand, Program Manager, Volunteer Iowa (jason.wiegand@volunteeriowa.org or (515) 348-6262) or for information regarding the virtual college coach program, contact Christina Sibaouih, Division Administrator, Iowa College Aid (christina.sibaouih@iowa.gov or (515) 725-3101).


Department will welcome new program quality education program consultant

Heather Meissen

Dr. Heather Meissen will join the Bureau of Community Colleges on September 27 as the Education Program Consultant for Program Quality. She comes to us from Eastern Iowa Community College where she was the Associate Dean of Articulation, Assessment and General Education. She will be working to support projects such as community college accreditation, program approval, transfer majors and guided pathways.