General education gains for graduates of Colorado's largest community college

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to present the general education relative gains at Front Range Community College (FRCC), utilizing the link between the American College Test Assessment (ACT) and the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP). The specific research questions and corresponding results were as follows: 1. Do FRCC graduates' ACT scores differ from the reference group? Graduates' ACT scores on each domain were significantly higher than the reference group but the practical significance of the findings was marginal, as exhibited by small effect sizes. 2. Do FRCC graduates' CAAP scores differ from the reference group? Graduates' CAAP scores on each domain were significantly higher than the reference group and displayed moderate effect sizes. 3. Do FRCC graduates' gains differ from the reference group? Graduates' gains differed significantly from the reference group on every domain except writing. A lower proportion of graduates demonstrated lower than expected gains while a higher proportion of graduates demonstrated higher than expected gains. 4. Are FRCC graduates' gains equal across general education domain? Graduates' gains differed significantly by domain. Results indicated reading gains were significantly higher than gains on other domains. 5. Are FRCC graduates' gains equal across campuses? Graduates' gains did not differ significantly by campus with one exception; males at the Larimer campus had higher gains than females at the Westminster campus. 6. Are FRCC graduates' gains equal across degree granted? Graduates' gains differed significantly by degree on the math domain only. A.S. graduates had significantly higher math gains than all other degrees, and A.A. graduates had significantly higher gains than A.A.S. graduates. There were also significant differences on the math domain by gender and minority status. This study incorporated a nationally-standardized methodology into an existing assessment framework to illustrate graduates' general education relative gains and yields, institutionally specific results and implications as well as more generalizable implications for possible incorporation into state-wide accountability initiatives.