1. Through the Gate: Mapping the Transfer Landscape for California Community College Students
- Author
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RP Group, Cooper, Darla M., Fong, Kristen, Karandjeff, Kelley, Kretz, Andrew, Nguyen, Alyssa, Purnell-Mack, Rogéair D., and Schiorring, Eva
- Abstract
In 2016, the Research and Planning Group for California Community Colleges (RP Group) launched a two-part transfer study called "Through the Gate" to take a fresh look at addressing California's transfer challenges. When a more nuanced look at this population is taken, a "transfer continuum" emerges, revealing students at different points along a transfer path: transfer explorers, momentum students, students near the transfer gate, students at the transfer gate, and transfer achievers who made it through the transfer gate. This research aims to identify strategies for increasing transfer among "high-leverage" California Community Colleges (CCCs) learners--individuals who have completed all or most of their transfer requirements, but who do not make it "through the gate" to a university. It specifically focuses on the Inland Empire and Central Valley, as students in these areas of the state have lower college completion and transfer rates, which suggests that they may face unique challenges and barriers along their transfer journey. The report details findings from the study's first phase and maps the landscape for a sample of students who have made significant progress along the transfer continuum. It shares findings on high-leverage students who are near or at the gate, and transfer achievers who made it through the gate to university, zeroing in on: (1) how many students in California stop short of the transfer gate; (2) who they are and where they reside; and (3) what can be gleaned about opportunities to increase their transfer success.
- Published
- 2017