Completion > Pathways

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Thirty community colleges in eight states are involved in early implementation of Statway, a mathematics pathway that leads students through developmental math to completion of a college-level statistics course in one academic year. Statway features intensive student engagement, a strong focus on increasing student motivation and tenacity, and development of knowledge and skills needed for college navigation and academic success. Early results suggest that, compared to traditional approaches, Statway triples student success in half the time.

Stella and Charles Guttman Community College (CUNY). Part of CUNY, the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College established five degree pathways with specific learning sequences. The pathways permit only one or two electives during the entire degree program. Early data show student retention rates that far exceed those typically seen at other community colleges.

Miami Dade College (Florida). A Completion by Design college, Miami Dade College faculty have developed pathways in biology, business, criminal justice, and psychology—four of the college’s five largest programs of study. Each of these associate degree pathways incorporates 36 general education credits and 24 courses in the program of study, all sequenced and designed to reinforce one another and to align students’ work with upper-division courses. Developmental and EAP onramp courses are aligned with gatekeeper courses (often in accelerated formats) to facilitate the transition to college-level study in math and English.

Long Beach City College (California). Promise Pathways—created in partnership with Long Beach Unified School District and California State University-Long Beach—builds a pathway from high school through university. At Long Beach City College, placement is based on high school achievement rather than test scores, and students develop first-semester success plans. Pathways students sign a mutual responsibility agreement to participate, enroll full time, complete key foundational courses beginning in their first semester, and participate in specific support activities such as a success course. Early results show significant increases in student completion of early educational milestones.

Pathways Articles:

Dadgar, M., Venezia, A., Nodine, T., & Bracco, K. R. (2013). Providing structured pathways to guide students toward completion. San Francisco: WestEd.

Jenkins, D., & Cho, S. (2012). Get with the program: Accelerating community college students’ entry into and completion of programs of study [CCRC Working Paper No. 32]. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.

Karp, M. M. (2013). Entering a program: Helping students make academic and career decisions [CCRC Working Paper No. 59]. New York: Community College Research Center, Teachers College, Columbia University.

McClenney, K., & Dare, D. (2013, June/July). Forging new academic pathways: Reimagining the community college experience with students’ needs and best interests at heart. Community College Journal, 21–26.

McClenney, K., Dare, D., & Thomason, S. (2013, April/May). Premise and promise: Developing new pathways for community college students. Community College Journal, 56–63.

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