Oxnard College Basic Skills and Student Outcomes Transformation Program Application

Table of Contents Need Statement ...... 1 A. Description of the Problem to be Addressed ...... 1 B. Description of the College, including demographics and characteristics ...... 1 C. Evaluation of College’s Efforts ...... 3 D. Evidence-based Practices ...... 4 E. AEBG Consortium ...... 4 Response to the Need ...... 5 A. Current practices ...... 5 B. Targets for students projected to be served ...... 9 C. Goals for completion of college-level English or math ...... 10 D. Key strategies and implementation benchmarks ...... 10 E. Faculty involvement ...... 10 Workplan (Appendix A) ...... 11 Program Management ...... 15 A. District Capabilities ...... 15 B. Program Administration ...... 15 C. Similar College/District Programs ...... 16 D. Organizational Chart ...... 16 Application Budget Summary and Detail ...... 17 Sustainability of the Program ...... 21 Collaboration with Local School Districts ...... 21 Scaling Up Existing Practices ...... 22 Providing Services to Greater Proportions of Students ...... 23 Attachment A: ...... 25 Attachment B: ...... 26 References ...... 27

Need Statement

A. Description of the Problem to be Addressed

During the 2014-2015 academic year 88.1% of the students who took the assessment test at Oxnard College placed into one or more basic skills classes and over 72% assessed below college-level reading. Furthermore, ninety-eight (98%) percent of all first-time under-represented, low-income students assessed into at least one basic level course. Once students enroll in one or more of Oxnard College’s basic skills courses they are not succeeding at an encouraging rate. The percentage of credit students tracked for six years through 2013-14 who first enrolled in a course below transfer level in English, mathematics, and/or English as a Second Language (ESL) during 2008-09 and completed a college-level course in the same discipline is 27.8% in math, 34.5% in English and 11% in ESL. What the data shows is that Oxnard College has a high percentage of basic skills students and, unfortunately, only a small fraction of those students ever complete a college level course in math or English.

The problem is clear: Oxnard College has a large percentage of basic skills students and needs to address the low success rates in those courses. Through the activities outlined in this application, Oxnard College will provide multiple acceleration models that will increase the shares of students enrolled at the college who successfully complete a college-level English or mathematics course, or both, within a sequence of three or fewer courses after enrollment. Additionally, Oxnard College will coordinate the efforts of the Basic Skills Initiative, Student Equity Plan, Student Success and Support Program and the Basic Skills and Student Outcomes Transformation Program.

B. Description of the College, including demographics and characteristics

The population of Oxnard College reflects the city of Oxnard. Of a population slightly over 200,000 in Oxnard, 145,551 (73.5%) are Hispanic, according to the 2010 Census. Almost one-third (30%) of this population is under the age of 18 and almost one-fourth of these children live below the poverty level. Many families in Oxnard rely on agricultural work and still struggle with poverty and low educational levels. Among the Hispanic and Native American population in Oxnard 21% live below the poverty level and 13% of the African American population, compared to 8% of the white population. Additionally, 68% of the population 5 years and over speak a language other than English at home and 33% self-identified as able to speak English “less than ‘very well’”.

Built in 1975, Oxnard College is one of three colleges in the Ventura County Community College District and resides in a neighborhood identified as having a population in the lowest income bracket in Ventura County, California. Oxnard College (OC) has been a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) since its inception and continues to attract increasing Hispanic and other ethnic/racial minority student enrollments from the City of Oxnard

which ranks eighth (8th) among major American cities in its percentage of Hispanic residents.

Figure 1 provides the details of the population at Oxnard College by gender, age and ethnicity, which includes approximately 68% Hispanic, 20% white, 3% Filipino and African American and 3% represent two or more races. The student population is of traditional age, with approximately 64% being between 18 years and 25 years of age, and about 38% are 25 years of age or older. Figure 2 provides information on the percentage of students receiving financial aid which was almost 75% during the 2014- 2015 academic year. Additionally, 83% of the full-time Hispanic students receive financial aid.

Of the nearly 7,000 students that enroll at the college each semester, 72% enroll part- time and 28% enroll on a full-time basis. The majority of students, 75%, enrolling at Oxnard College come from Oxnard Union High School District and 84% of these students placed at least two levels below college Math and/or English on the entrance placement assessment. The two primary feeder high schools are Channel Islands and Hueneme High Schools. Both high schools serve a student population made up of a majority of economically disadvantaged families where Spanish is the primary language spoken at home.

STUDENT INFORMATION Total Enrollment 9,869 GENDER ETHNICITY/RACE Female 54.00% African American 3.00% Male 45.70% American Indian/Alaska Native 0.30% Unknown 0.30% Asian 2.40% AGE Filipino 3.10% Less than 20 years old 24.70% Hispanic 67.70% 20 to 24 years old 38.20% Pacific Islander 0.40% 25 to 39 years old 26.90% White 19.70% 40 or more years old 10.20% Two or more Races 2.70% Unknown 0.00% Unknown 0.70% Figure 1. Oxnard College Students Information by Gender, Age, and Ethnicity based on 2013-2014 academic year

Oxnard College has a high rate of students on financial aid which correlates to the percentages of Hispanic and African American families living below the poverty level in the city of Oxnard as stated previously. Additionally, the amount of students receiving financial aid has been steadily increasing over the past five years. As seen in the following graph and chart, between 2010-11 and 2014-15 the proportion of the student population receiving financial aid increased substantially (from 60.8% to 74.9%).

Financial Aid Status AY 2010-11 to FY2014-15 100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0% 2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 Receiving Financial Aid 60.8% 70.9% 73.3% 76.8% 74.9% Not Receiving Financial Aid 39.2% 29.1% 26.7% 23.2% 25.1%

Financial Aid N=6,451 N=7,093 N=7,201 N=7,579 N=7,740 Not Receiving Financial N=4,166 N=2,905 N=2,624 N=2,290 N=2,596 Aid Total N= 10,617 9,998 9,825 9,869 10,336 Figure 2: Financial Aid Status AY 2010-11 to FY2014-15

Overall, Oxnard College’s demographics can be summarized in the following bullet points: • The ethnicity of Oxnard College students is primarily Hispanic (~70% Hispanic). • Oxnard College has a high percentage of low-income students (~75% receive financial aid) • A majority of the population enrolls part-time (~72%) • Over 68% of the surrounding community speak a language other than English at home and 34% of the community self-reported that they speak English “less than very well”

C. Evaluation of College’s Efforts

Oxnard College was recently awarded a $4 million U.S. Department of Education Title V grant which focuses on building strong partnerships with the feeder high schools to bring more substantial college readiness support and interventions into the high schools; as well as build institutional capacity (see Attachment B: Title V Logic Model). These Title V activities will cooperatively align and greatly enhance the activities identified in this BSSOTP application. As seen in the logic models Attachment A and B, the blending of Title V funding and the BSSOTP grant activities will synergistically enhance programs to support student success, retention, completion and transfer to a 4-year institution and/or career.

In addition, Oxnard College has had an on-going continuous quality improvement approach to improving remedial course outcomes and in 2015 created a “Transitional Studies” Division, under the leadership of an Assistant Dean. Additionally, an Institutional Effectiveness Division was established to focus on creating data portraits, requiring data-based decision making and strategically planning across all disciplines and divisions and/or departments to enhance student success, persistence, completion and transfer/career placement.

Oxnard College has also put together a BSSOTP Task Force to collaborate on the development, planning, and future implementation of the activities outlined in this grant application. The task force is comprised of faculty in English, ESL and math, student services staff, and academic deans. The members of the task force are also involved with the Transitional Studies Committee, which, along with the Basic Skills Initiative (BSI) Coordinator, is responsible for the oversight, planning and implementation of the BSI plan. If Oxnard College is awarded this grant, the oversight of the BSSOTP, its activities, and implementation will be the responsibility of the grant director in collaboration with the Transitional Studies Committee.

D. Evidence-based Practices

The evidenced based practices that Oxnard College will implement are included in the following “Response to the Need” and “Sustainability of the Program” section

E. AEBG Consortium

Not Applicable. AEBG is focused at the “District” and activities are not applicable to this proposal.

Response to the Need

A. Current practices Oxnard College currently offers acceleration in basic skills level math and English and has been for approximately two full years now. The current practice is optional acceleration in what is locally known as Transitional Math (basic skills math) and in Transitional English (basic skills English). Transitional Math (TM) is a computer based program through Pearson software that allows students to progress through the content at their own pace with the assistance of both tutors and faculty available to answer any questions they might have as they work through the lessons and activities. Through this self-paced program, students have the potential to pass both TM 1 (two-levels below transfer) and TM 2 (one-level below transfer) within one semesters time and enroll in the gateway math course by the following semester.

Transitional English offers a similar experience but it is not self-paced. Transitional English has condensed traditional, 18 week basic skills English courses into nine weeks. The courses include English 68, two-levels below transfer; English 96, one-level below transfer, and English 101, transfer level. These condensed nine week courses are then combined with one another in order for students to have the opportunity to complete two, sequenced courses within one semester. The courses are paired as follows: English 68/96 and English 96/101.

Oxnard College also currently offers proactive student support services integrated with the instruction. Since the fall of 2015 Transitional Math has offered embedded tutors in their courses. It began with three classes and in the spring of 2016 has more than doubled in its offering of embedded tutors. Additionally, Oxnard College recently hired a Tutorial Services Supervisor responsible for all of the general tutoring offered at the college. This individual was hired at the start of spring 2016 and has begun presenting in classes to inform students of the resources available at the Oxnard College library. Finally, college librarians have been providing library orientations for courses in English, History, Psychology and more to inform students about the multiple research resources available online and in the library to better prepare students for their subject specific research assignments. These are a few of the key proactive support services currently offered at Oxnard College.

The combined experiences with acceleration and proactive support services has prepared Oxnard College to implement the interventions identified in this application. The following section identifies the specific interventions selected, the problems the interventions will address, the college’s response to those problems, the intended activities, and anticipated cost of activities and/or interventions.

INTERVENTION: Increase the placement of students directly in gateway English and mathematics courses that are transferable to the University of California or the California State University and career pathways, with remedial instruction integrated as appropriate for underprepared students.

Problem/Need: • Research in the field of basic skills education increasingly questions effectiveness of current standardized assessment for understanding student capacity: o 20-35% of students in developmental education sequences are severely underplaced (e.g., would likely earn a B or better in the transfer-level course) with many more underplaced. (Scott-Clayton and Belfield, 2015). o In the 2014-2015 academic year 88.1% of the students who took the assessment test at Oxnard College placed into one or more basic skills classes

Response 1) To focus on acceleration, English and math faculty will develop co- requisite support courses to be paired with gateway courses. The co-requisite courses will provide students with additional support to help them succeed at the higher level gateway course(s) and provide them the opportunity to progress toward college readiness at a faster rate. The first step will be for faculty to reexamine the rubrics used in multiple measures for placement and identify specific scores that will help counselors identify which students would be eligible for this acceleration option. Once these scores have been set and shared with counselors, they will be able to offer certain students who place into the lowest level Math or English class the choice to skip pre-requisite basic skills courses and enroll directly into the gateway courses along with a mandatory co-requisite support workshop/course. Student assessment scores, along with high school courses taken and grades earned will allow for placement in the gateway course(s). Eligibility criteria for this acceleration model will be developed by the faculty working on the co-requisite courses in collaboration with their department faculty colleagues.

Funding: Faculty release time for three faculty members to review, revise and update rubrics as needed as well as develop co-requisite course in English and math during year 1 = $56,658.75 in salary & $38,638.50 in benefits for a total of $95,297.25. After the first year of development and release time, the co-requisite courses will be added to the schedule of classes by spring 2018 or sooner and become part of a faculty member’s teaching load and no longer require release time. English and math faculty will meet annually with counseling staff to revisit the rubric and revise as needed.

Response 2) Math faculty have begun the development of an alternative intermediate algebra class designed for students who will not be pursuing a major in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. This course is designed to meet AA/AS competency in mathematics. This will be one of the options available to students as the “gateway class” if they meet the multiple measures requirements to skip the basic skill pre-requisite courses.

Funding: N/A; the course has already been developed and gone through the curriculum committee vetting process and will be available to students beginning in fall 2016.

Response 3) The math department has been collaborating with the high school district to develop a method of ensuring their students that have completed high school junior level math can be placed to the appropriate level math class upon enrollment. Their current effort which will be enhanced through the implementation of BSSOTP funds, is developing a common intermediate algebra final. This final will be administered to Oxnard College students enrolled in intermediate algebra as well as high school students completing their junior level high school math course. If the high school students pass the final, they will be awarded college credit for the Oxnard College intermediate algebra course and be eligible to take transfer level math upon enrolling at Oxnard College. This acceleration model will allow student the opportunity to bypass all basic skills math courses and place directly in to transfer level courses by simply passing their junior high school math final.

Funding: N/A because the final will be the same as what math faculty will already be providing their Oxnard College students. The bulk of the work will be done through the articulation office and coordinating with the high school faculty to conduct the common final. This collaboration with high school faculty is already taking place and will be described in a later section of this application.

Response 4) English and ESL faculty will work with campus instructional technology staff on the development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) available to any person who wants to take the course, with no limit on attendance. These courses will be available online and free to any community member who wishes to take them. These MOOCs will cover basic skills content and provide students with the opportunity to complete basic skills competencies in basic skills English and ESL at no cost to them. Additionally, these MOOCs will allow for students who assess into courses below what is offered at Oxnard College the opportunity to learn the content they need in order to begin taking credit courses. The MOOCs will be added to the multiple measures rubric and students who complete these courses will be eligible to enroll in either transfer level courses or basic skills courses depending on which MOOCs they complete. These MOOCs will allow students to complete basic skills content online or learn the competencies needed to start at our basic skills level. Students who complete the basic skills content will be eligible to enroll in transfer level courses once they complete the MOOCs.

Funding: Faculty release time for a faculty member to develop course content for MOOCs in English and ESL during year 1 = $18,886.25 in salary & $12,879.50 in benefits for a total of $31,765.75.

INTERVENTION: Provide proactive student support services that are integrated with the instruction.

Problem/Need: The Basic Skills Completion: The Key to Student Success in California Community Colleges—Effective Practices for Faculty, Staff and Administrators (p. 78) states that, “to be most effective, support for developmental-level learners should not be limited to the classroom. Student support services, such as academic and personal advising, counseling, tutoring, and financial aid, are also critically important for

promoting better outcomes for students.” These services are available to all Oxnard College students but they are not mandatory nor are they intrusive.

Response 1) Oxnard College will hire student ambassadors who will serve as peer mentors and check in regularly with basic skills students via email, phone calls, and in person to answer general questions about their classes, important dates, and connect them to various resources on campus to help them succeed. They will be able to triage student issues and concerns and point them in the direction of appropriate student and/or academic support services. The development of qualifications, ambassador responsibilities, and training will occur during the summer and fall of 2016. However, the priority will be to hire all pertinent full time staff including the grant director.

The Transitional Studies (Basic Skills) Department at Oxnard College will collaborate with the student services staff, tutorial services staff, counseling staff and financial aid staff to train the student ambassadors to provide presentations to basic skills students about all the available resources and support services available at the college. These presentations will take place during the first week of each semester and again at the midway point or at the request of faculty. This will allow for part-time students and students who are unaware that they need nonacademic help to be informed about the student services and resources available at the college from the first week of the semester.

Funding: $72,000 in student salaries ($10/hour; 20 hours/week; 36 weeks/year; 10 total student ambassadors); $1,430 in mandatory benefits; ~$95,000 in salary and $57,000 in benefits for grant director to directly oversee grant activities and supervise the student ambassadors.

INTERVENTION: Implement other effective basic skills course strategies and practices not specified in previous methods, inclusive, subject to the college providing evidence that substantiates the practice is effective.

Response 1: Oxnard College will work with the National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) to provide the Transitional Math, English and ESL faculty (up to 40 faculty) professional development, working with Oxnard College faculty to integrate the Micromessaging to Reach and Teach Every Student™ Academy, which is designed to increase the academic performance, and program completion of underserved students by providing a professional growth opportunity for educators with immediate application that will improve classroom pedagogy and instruction. This approach will lead Oxnard College faculty to effect significant transformation related to curriculum, teaching techniques/methods, support services etc. The trainer does not provide best practices in developmental math, English or ESL programs. The faculty do the research and create what is best for the student population at Oxnard College to enhance student success which is measured.

Funding: This professional development agreement with NAPE will be a three-year contract at a cost of approximately $49,000/year for a total cost of $147,000; ~$95,000

in salary and $57,000 in benefits for grant director to manage the BSSOTP grant, and all the interventions, activities, & reporting requirements.

B. Targets for students projected to be served Due to Oxnard College’s curriculum committee protocol the co-requisite supplemental courses, described in the first intervention listed in Section A of the Response to the Need, will not be ready in time for fall 2016 implementation. Therefore, this intervention will start as a mandatory workshop. In order for the mandatory workshop to be effective, the initial target population for this acceleration placement intervention will be Educational Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) incoming freshmen students. EOPS anticipates having approximately 250 – 300 incoming students in their freshmen cohort for the 2016-2017 academic year. Of those 300 students, approximately 120 will be enrolled in the gateway mathematics course during the fall semester.

Once the official co-requisite courses are approved and added to the schedule of classes it is anticipated that there will be multiple sections of the co-requisite course(s) offered each semester to allow students as many opportunities to accelerate within the academic year as possible. Based on the amount of students who take the assessment test annually and what the research states about misplaced students, it is anticipated that approximately 525 students will be eligible for this acceleration model. If the target of combined part-time and full-time students in spring 2017 is 240 the ambitious but attainable target for full implementation in fall 2018 will be 500 students. This would impact 25% of the basic skills population annually and could significantly decrease the percentage of students in basic skills courses as students go through this acceleration model, progress through and complete transfer level courses. Fall 2016 Target: 120 full-time students; spring 2017 target: 120 part-time students; Total by spring 2017 240 students; fall 2018 target: 500 combined part-time and full- time students

The target group for the student ambassadors will be the same as in the previous objectives. The student ambassadors will be assigned a ‘case load’ of basic skills students to check-in with on a regular basis throughout the academic year. Each ambassador will contact basic skills students via email, text message or phone call. Fall 2016 Target: 120 full-time students; spring 2017 target: 120 part-time students; Total by spring 2017 240 students; fall 2018 target: 500 combined part-time and full- time students

The target group for the NADE professional development will be Transitional English or Transitional Math faculty but the work done by NADE and the faculty who participate will impact students who enroll in a Transitional English or Transitional Math course after the faculty have completed the professional development. In fall 2015 there were approximately 540 students enrolled in a Transitional English and approximately 750 in Transitional Math. Fall 2017 Target: as many as 1,290 students in Transitional English and Transitional Math per semester combined.

C. Goals for completion of college-level English or math Based on current data the BSSOTP Task Force at Oxnard College has decided to set the following goals for completion of college-level English or math:

• The college-level English and math completion rates Oxnard College will increase by five percentage points at the end of 2016-2017; stay even year two (2017-2018); and increase again by an additional five percentage points year three (2018-2019). The table below depicts Oxnard College’s goals for the BSSOTP grant: • By the end of the third year, the Task Force anticipates that the completion rates of college-level English and math will have increased by 10 percentage points in each subject. D. Key strategies and implementation benchmarks Through funding from the BSSOTP grant Oxnard College will hire an additional research technician to collect the data specifically related to the interventions outlined in this application. In addition to collecting assessment, placement and enrollment data this research analyst will work with the Dean of Institutional Effectiveness to create an evaluation system per the logic model included in this application (Attachment A.) to assess the progress of campus efforts to implement the selected interventions.

Additionally, the BSSOTP Task Force members also serve on the Transitional Studies Committee (TSC) and/or the Student Success Committee (SSC). The TSC is a subcommittee of the SSC and information on discussion topics, points of interest, implementation progress and other important data items are shared with the SSC. The TSC will add a standing agenda item to their monthly meetings to discuss the Basic Skills and Student Outcomes Transformation Program, its activities, services, progress, concerns, ideas, etc. This will be a monthly evaluation of the progress of the BSSOTP. Finally, as per the BSSOTP guidelines, Oxnard College will report on “program outcomes and initial placement level of its students for purposes of measuring progress compared to the…college’s performance prior to the implementation of the plan” (p. 11). E. Faculty involvement Oxnard College has developed a Transitional Studies Department responsible for the oversight and delivery of all English as a Second Language (ESL) and all Transitional English (basic skills English) courses. The entire Transitional Studies Department and math faculty who teach Transitional Math will be involved in these interventions. There are currently nine total faculty members, part-time and full-time, in the Transitional Studies Department (basic skills English and ESL) and approximately twenty total math faculty, part-time and full-time, who teach Transitional Math and/or Intermediate Algebra. Select few of these individuals serve on the BSSOTP Task Force but each faculty member teaching courses at this level will be directly or indirectly involved in the interventions identified in this application. Additionally, faculty will be provided with professional development opportunities to support their implementation of these interventions. The professional development opportunities will be planned and coordinated by the Transitional Studies Committee in conjunction with the BSSOTP Grant Director.

Workplan (Appendix A) Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College______RFA Specification Number: ______APPLICATION ANNUAL WORKPLAN (BASED ON RFA SPECIFICATION, ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE PER PAGE. DUPLICATE FORM AS NEEDED.) OBJECTIVE: 2) Increase the placement of students directly in gateway English and mathematics courses by 5% annually Activities Measurable Outcomes Timeline Month/Year Responsible Person(s) 1) Hiring pertinent personnel for 1) Creation of job descriptions; 1) Begins summer 2016; 1) Assistant Dean of TSD; VP of grant implementation vetting of job descriptions; completed by end of fall 2016 SS; Dean of IE completion of recruitment protocol 2) Research Analyst creates through district human resources; 2) Between fall 2016 and Spring 2) Research Analyst; Grant evaluation system per logic model hiring’s complete 2017 Director; Assistant Dean of TSD; design (Attachment A) VP of SS; Dean of IE; BSSOTP 2) Qualitative and quantitative 3) Developed over summer 2016; Task Force 3) In Collaboration with EOPS processes created for each implemented from fall 2016 staff, develop co-requisite English activity through summer 2017 3) Professional Experts; Grant and math workshops for Director; Assistant Dean of TSD; supplemental support of students 3) Creation of schedule of 4) Develop curriculum and vet EOPS Director; EOPS Counselors placed in higher level courses workshops; Informing general through college protocol during than what they assessed into counselors about co-requisite ’16-’17 academic year; implement 4) Professional Experts; Grant workshops necessary for students by fall 2017 Director; Assistant Dean of TSD; 4) Develop math & English choosing the gateway courses Dean of Math, Science, Health, curriculum for co-requisite 5) Develop curriculum and vet PE & Athletics, math faculty, supplemental support course for 4) Vet through curriculum process through college protocol during curriculum committee students placed in higher level on campus; Identify students summer and fall 2016; implement courses than what they assessed based on criteria established by spring 2017 5) Professional Experts; Grant into through new multiple measures Director; Assistant Dean of TSD; process and rubric Dean of Liberal Arts 5) Redesign of specific English course(s) to include lab time in 5) Vet through curriculum process existing credits on campus; Identify students based on criteria established through new multiple measures process and rubric Appendix A-4

Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College______RFA Specification Number: ______APPLICATION ANNUAL WORKPLAN (BASED ON RFA SPECIFICATION, ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE PER PAGE. DUPLICATE FORM AS NEEDED.) OBJECTIVE: 2) Increase the placement of students directly in gateway English and mathematics courses by 5% annually (continued…) Activities Measurable Outcomes Timeline Month/Year Responsible Person(s) 6) Research Analyst puts together 6) Report completed; presentation 6) Annually; presentations 6) Research Analyst; Dean of data to provide report for completed provided during flex week Institutional Effectiveness; continuous quality improvement Assistant Dean of TSD; Program (CQI) 7) Common math final 7) Collaboration & planning with Director implemented high school district and faculty 7) Implement common during AY ’16-’17 for 7) Assistant Dean of TSD; Dean of intermediate algebra final at local 8) Completed and implemented implementation at the end of Math, Science, Health, PE & high schools MOOCs online spring ‘17 Athletics, VP of AA, math faculty

8) Develop MOOCs for basic skills 8) Develop and vet MOOC content 8) Assistant Dean of TSD, VP of English and ESL during AY ’16-’17 for AA, English and ESL faculty, implementation in summer ’17 online learning specialist

Appendix A-4

Appendix A – Grant Application Forms Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College______RFA Specification Number: ______APPLICATION ANNUAL WORKPLAN (BASED ON RFA SPECIFICATION, ONLY ONE OBJECTIVE PER PAGE. DUPLICATE FORM AS NEEDED.) OBJECTIVE: 5) Provide proactive student support services that are integrated with the instruction; minimum of 50% of Transitional Studies Classes will receive direct, integrated student support services of some kind. Activities Measurable Outcomes Timeline Month/Year Responsible Person(s) 1) Hiring pertinent personnel for grant 1) Creation of job descriptions; 1) Begins summer 2016; completed 1) Assistant Dean of TSD; VP of SS; implementation vetting of job descriptions; completion by end of fall 2016 Dean of IE of recruitment protocol through 2) Research Analyst creates district human resources; hiring’s 2) Between fall 2016 and Spring 2017 2) Research Analyst; Grant Director; evaluation system per logic model complete Assistant Dean of TSD; P of SS; design (Attachment A) 3) Training ready for implementation Dean of IE; BSSOTP Task Force 2) Qualitative and quantitative by Spring 2017 3) Development of training content for processes created for each activity 3 & 4) Grant Director; Assistant Dean student ambassador staff 4) After Spring 2017 training of TSD; VP of SS; EOPS Director 3 & 4) Student ambassadors trained implementation will be on-going 4) Implementation of training 5) Assistant Dean of TSD; VP of SS; 5) Process created and included in 5) Next revisions will be due by Grant Director 5) Integration of student ambassador next revision of the SEP and 3SP spring of 2018 most likely positions and activities into the 6) Student Ambassadors; Grant Student Equity Plan (SEP) & Student 6) Data on the percentage of 6) Implementation of student Director; Assistant Dean of TSD Success & Support Plan(3SP) increased retention rates and/or ambassador work will begin summer completion rates 2017 7) Research Analyst; Dean of 6) Student ambassador follow-up with Institutional Effectiveness; Assistant students to increase engagement, 7) Report completed; presentation 7) Annually; presentations provided Dean of TSD; Program Director retention, & completion of college- completed during flex week level English & math courses 8) Assistant Dean of TSD; VP of SS; 8) Delivery of in-class presentations 8) Implementation beginning in fall TSD faculty, counselors, grant 7) Research Analyst puts together about Student Services and 2016 director data to provide report for continuous Resources for basic skills students quality improvement (CQI)

8) Plan the implementation of Student Services and Resources Presentations Week in basic skills classes Appendix A-4

Year 3: Standardize and scale the optimized plans from year two

Appendix A-4

Program Management

A. District Capabilities

The Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) has extensive experience conducting and administering state funded projects. As with all the California Community Colleges, Oxnard College was recently awarded Student Equity Plan (SEP) and Student Success and Support Program (3SP) funding The VCCCD was awarded $2,491,463 in Student Equity and $6,562,532 in Student Success and Support Program allocations. Of these total district allocations, Oxnard College received $868,698 and $1,694,090 respectively. Both the SEP and 3SP require annual expenditure and student outcomes/performance reports. Oxnard College and the VCCCD have met these fiscal and performance reporting requirements.

Additionally, Oxnard College has also received over $100,000 annually in Basic Skills Initiative funds, $3.25 million in Title V funding for 2015-2020, and over $10 million in STEM Grant funding since 2008. In each of these allocations, Oxnard College and the VCCCD have proven to be more than capable of collecting and reporting financial and student performance data as required.

B. Program Administration

Currently, the Assistant Dean of Transitional Studies, Academic Support and Library Services, in coordination and collaboration with the Basic Skills and Student Outcome Transformation Program (BSSOTP) Task Force, is the administrator responsible for the BSSOTP Grant. However, as described in this application, Oxnard College will recruit and hire an experienced and appropriate grant director to ensure success for the Basic Skills and Student Outcome Transformation Program. Once the funding is awarded the Assistant Dean will begin the district recruitment protocol for a new position. It is anticipated that the grant director will be in place prior to the start of Fall 2016.

In addition to the Grant Director, the Transitional Studies and Student Success Committees will discuss and review the activities, services and interventions outlined in this application. The Transitional Studies Committee (TSC) will add a standing agenda item to their monthly meetings to discuss the BSSOTP, its activities, services, progress, concerns, ideas, etc. The TSC is a subcommittee of the Student Success Committee and pertinent information, discussion topics, points of interest and data regarding the BSSOTP will also be shared with the Student Success Committee. As stated previously, current members of the BSSOTP task force also serve on one or both of these committees. Furthermore, these committees are comprised of experienced faculty, staff and administrators who will assist with the coordination and implementation of the BSSOTP.

C. Similar College/District Programs

The Ventura County Community College District and Oxnard College have extensive experience implementing programs similar to the BSSOTP. A key focus of Oxnard College’s Student Equity Plan (SEP) is the Basic Skills and ESL Completion Student Success Indicator, which is similar to the objective(s) of the BSSOTP. Oxnard College also receives Basic Skills Initiative (BSI) funding, which is also similar in objectives, purpose and scope to the BSSOTP. In addition to these three similar categorical programs, Oxnard College has also been awarded and successfully implemented the Student Success and Support Program, a Title V Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grant and a STEM grant.

D. Organizational Chart

President

Dean Vice President of Institutional Academic Affairs Effectiveness and Grants

Assistant Dean Transitional Studies

Professional Project Director Experts Research Analyst

Student Ambassadors

Application Budget Summary and Detail Appendix A – Grant Application Forms Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College______RFA Specification Number: ______

Object of Total Apportionment Budget Expenditure Classification Line Total Grant Budget (estimated) 1000 Instructional Salaries* 1 $75,545.00 2000 Non-instructional Salaries 2 $726,386.00 3000 Employee Benefits 3 $370,331.00 4000 Supplies and materials 4 $3,000.00 5000 Other Operating Expenses and Services 5 $147,000.00 6000 Capital Outlay 6 7000 Other Outgoing 7 Total Direct Costs 8 $1,322,262.00 Total Indirect (4% of line 8) 9 $52,890.48 Total Program Costs 10 $1,375,152.48 Application Budget Summary Email Address: [email protected] Telephone: (805) 678-5949

I authorize this total costs proposal as the maximum amount to be claimed for this project and assure that funds shall be spent in compliance with state and federal regulations.

Project Director Name/Title: Luis A. Gonzalez/Assistant Dean Date: Authorized Signature

District Chief Business Officer: Date: Authorized Signature

*Note: Grant funding cannot be used for classroom instruction. These costs must be paid through apportionment.

Appendix A-5

Appendix A – Grant Application Forms Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College RFA Specification Number:

Program Year: Year 1 APPLICATION BUDGET Source of Funds: Community Colleges Basic Skills DETAIL SHEET & Student Outcomes Transformation Program

Object of Classification Budgeted Expenses Expenditure 1000 Instructional Salaries* $75,545.00 2000 Non-instructional Salaries $233,543.00 3000 Employee Benefits $154,323.00 4000 Supplies and materials $1,000.00 5000 Other Operating Expenses & Services $49,000.00 6000 Capital Outlay $0.00 7000 Other Outgoing $0.00

Total Direct Cost $513,411.00 Total Indirect Cost (4%) $20,536.44 Total Funding Cost $533,947.44

Appendix A – Grant Application Forms Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College RFA Specification Number:

Program Year: Year 2 APPLICATION BUDGET Source of Funds: Community Colleges Basic Skills DETAIL SHEET & Student Outcomes Transformation Program

Object of Classification Budgeted Expenses Expenditure 1000 Instructional Salaries* $0.00 2000 Non-instructional Salaries $241,998.00 3000 Employee Benefits $106,218.00 4000 Supplies and materials $1,000.00 5000 Other Operating Expenses & Services $49,000.00 6000 Capital Outlay $0.00 7000 Other Outgoing $0.00

Total Direct Cost $398,216.00 Total Indirect Cost (4%) $15,928.64 Total Funding Cost $414,144.64

Appendix A – Grant Application Forms Chancellor’s Office District: Ventura County Community College District California Community Colleges College: Oxnard College RFA Specification Number:

Program Year: Year 3 APPLICATION BUDGET Source of Funds: Community Colleges Basic Skills DETAIL SHEET & Student Outcomes Transformation Program

Object of Classification Budgeted Expenses Expenditure 1000 Instructional Salaries* $0.00 2000 Non-instructional Salaries $250,845.00 3000 Employee Benefits $109,790.00 4000 Supplies and materials $1,000.00 5000 Other Operating Expenses & Services $49,000.00 6000 Capital Outlay $0.00 7000 Other Outgoing $0.00

Total Direct Cost $410,635.00 Total Indirect Cost (4%) $16,425.40 Total Funding Cost $427,060.40

Sustainability of the Program

The interventions selected by Oxnard College for the Basic Skills and Student Outcomes Transformation Program will be sustained after grant funds have expired at the end of the three-year implementation period. At Oxnard College Objective 2 (placement of students directly into gateway English and math courses) requires a co- requisite support class not yet developed. Faculty from English and math will work on developing these co-requisite support courses during the three year grant period and begin their implementation prior to the expiration of the program. The BSSOTP funding will pay for the faculty time to implement the temporary workshops and for their time to develop the co-requisite support curricula. Once the courses have been developed they will be added to the course schedule and will generate FTEs as any other unit bearing course. Therefore, once the grant expires, this intervention will remain sustainable.

The implementation of Objective 5 (provide proactive student support services integrated with instruction) will involve the hiring of a grant director, to oversee all grant activities, and at least 10 part-time student workers or Student Ambassadors. The grant director will develop and implement the training for the student ambassadors. The grant director will also serve as the main point of contact for student ambassadors should they have any questions or require additional information when reaching out to basic skills students. The Student Ambassadors will have direct interaction with and impact on the basic skills students. They will check in regularly with the students and answer general questions about college and direct them to the various resources on campus. At the end of the three-year implementation period the grant director position will be terminated and will not need to be sustained. However, the Student Ambassadors will be written into the next iteration of the Student Equity Plan. It is expected that the Student Equity Plan will require an update prior to the end of the BSSOTP implementation period. When the time comes, the Student Equity Coordinator will include Student Ambassadors as one of the activities/services under the Basic Skill and ESL completion student success indicator. Thus, the critical component of this intervention will be sustainable past the three-year implementation period.

The implementation of Objective 7 (Implement other effective basic skills course strategies and practices not specified in methods (1) to (5), inclusive, subject to the college providing evidence that substantiates the practice is effective) will be conducted through the work of the National Alliance for Partnerships in Education (NADE). They will help facilitate the professional development of current Oxnard College faculty. This will be a three-year process and agreement with NADE and once the agreement expires it will not need to be sustained because the work will be conducted during the three year grant cycle and will lead to lasting impacts that will extend beyond the life of the grant. Collaboration with Local School Districts

Oxnard College mathematics, English, ESL faculty have recently met in the summer of 2015 with their high school teacher counterparts to discuss how to improve the transition into college for students. This meeting was hosted at Oxnard College and

created a collaborative partnership between faculty. The meeting was mutually beneficial, and plans were set to make these meetings an annual event for future planning and development of new and innovative ways to improve the successful transition for students from high school to college.

During this first meeting, faculty from the high schools discussed the preparation levels of their students in regards to mathematics competencies, and Oxnard faculty shared where their instruction begins and what the expectations are for students placing into gateway and transfer level mathematics courses. Both groups acknowledged that work needs to be done at both levels in order to close that gap. Additionally, faculty have continued this collaboration by working towards improving the articulation of the gateway math course.

As mentioned previously, Oxnard College faculty and Oxnard Unified High School District teachers have been in discussion about the possibility of implementing a common final for high school juniors that will give them college credit for intermediate algebra, which is the gateway math course at Oxnard College. If students pass the test they would receive credit for the college level course and be eligible to enroll in transfer level math at Oxnard College. This collaboration is ongoing and will require additional work from the articulation staff and the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Oxnard College. This would be an additional acceleration option available to students prior to high school graduation. These collaborative efforts will continue in conjunction with the BSSOTP, academic deans and the office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

In addition, Oxnard College will be leveraging its high school integrated activities under the Title V grant to support and enhance the activities written into this BSSOTP proposal. Please refer to Attachment B. These collaborative activities are in alignment with a white paper “Seizing the Moment - Community Colleges Collaborating with K-12 to Improve Student Success” (American Association of Community Colleges, February 2016). Scaling Up Existing Practices

The new co-requisite acceleration model, outlined below in Figure 3 is, in essence, scaling up our campus wide acceleration efforts. The ultimate goal of all of the acceleration models implemented at Oxnard College is to increase the placement of students in gateway courses and their successful completion of those courses. As stated previously, the current models of acceleration include the computer based, self- paced software in math which averages approximately 750 students per semester. The other acceleration model available is the multiple, condensed English courses into one semester which include English 68 (two levels below transfer) paired with English 96 (one level below transfer) and English 96 (one level below transfer) paired with English 101 (transfer level) in one semester. Approximately 200 students are enrolled in these accelerated English courses annually. Therefore, the current acceleration models impact approximately 1,700 students annually. The new co-requisite acceleration model will impact approximately 500 total part-time and full-time students by year three of the

grant implementation scaling up the impact of Oxnard College acceleration programs by almost 25% of the current numbers.

Additionally, the math department faculty have developed and implemented a new gateway course that students can take in place of the traditional intermediate algebra course, which is STEM focused. The new math course is for students who will not pursue a STEM related major but still meets transfer level course pre-requisite competencies. What this new course offers is yet another gateway course for students to place into if they are eligible to bypass their basic skill math courses and enroll in a gateway math course as outlined in the figure below. This will therefore increase the opportunities for acceleration for students because there will be more options available for them to enroll in if they are eligible to do so.

New Co-Requisite Acceleration Model Option A. Traditional Model for College Level Coursework Completion 2 levels below transfer 1 level below transfer Gateway English/Math

Option B. Acceleration Model for College Level Coursework Completion

Gateway English/Math Skip basic skills level courses and start at the transferable level with required Required Supplemental Remedial supplemental support course Support Course

Figure 3. Co-Requisite Acceleration Model at Oxnard College Providing Services to Greater Proportions of Students

In addition to the collaboration with high school instructional faculty, Oxnard College has also been collaborating with high school counselors. The matriculation and outreach staff have recently promoted a new proactive student support service available to students who will be taking the assessment test. Oxnard College has begun offering Prep to Assess support for soon-to-be students. Outreach and matriculation staff explain the importance of the assessment test and the impact the results will have on their placement, progress, expected time-to-completion, and ultimately their success at Oxnard College. After the staff share this critical information with the students, they also inform students about the Prep to Assess services available at the library. Students have the option to take a study guide with them to the library and have tutors help them understand the content and work through the questions. Tutors are available in the library during all hours of operation. This service is in its inaugural semester this Spring 2016 and data on how many students have received this support service is still being collected and evaluated. It is anticipated that the initial numbers at the end of Spring

2016 will be modest. However, the goal is that the number of students who receive this service will increase annually by at least 5% during the three-year implementation period of the BSSOTP. Matriculation and outreach staff will continue to inform the local high school counselors, high school students, and community members who take the assessment test about this service in order to ensure that these annual goals are met.

Oxnard College will also provide services to greater proportions of students through the development and implementation of the basic skills English and ESL MOOCs. Students looking to complete their basic skills requirements for free will be able to do so online. Additionally, students who assess below any of the courses offered at Oxnard College will still be able to feel part of the college community by completing the MOOCs that will build their foundational education skills and bring them up to basic skills level. Thus, students who previously were not able to receive services from Oxnard College due to their low assessment scores will now be able to connect to the college. The efforts and activities outlined in this grant application will lead to a greater proportion of students receiving services and ultimately successfully completing basic skills courses.

Attachment A:

Attachment B:

References

American Association of Community Colleges (February 2016). Seizing the Moment - Community Colleges Collaborating with K-12 to Improve Student Success.

Illowsky, B., Molloy, K., & Deegan, P. (2013). Basic skills completion: The key to student success in California community colleges. Sacramento, CA: California Community College Chancellor's Office.

Moore, Colleen. (2010). Divided We Fail: Improving Completion and Closing Racial Gaps in California's Community Colleges. Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy

Scott-Clayton, J. E. (2012). Do high-stakes placement exams predict college success?

Scott-Clayton, Belfield, C. R. (2015). Improving the Accuracy of Remedial Placement. Community College Research Center Teachers College, Columbia University.