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Student success rates for academic track and workforce track students were examined for thousands of students at a large urban Texas Community College. The study covered fall 2009 through spring 2011, a two year period. Data were collected from the institution's data base regarding students who successfully completed the courses in which they were enrolled. The analyses showed students in workforce programs had significantly higher success rates than their counterparts studying in the academic areas. Further analyses highlighted standard deviation values that indicated, not only were the success rates for workforce students higher, but there was less variability in the success rates of workforce programs than there was for academic programs. (Contains 2 tables.)

Building on two previous studies in 1997 and 1999, this study aimed to: (1) determine whether the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) has had a positive impact on students academic performance; (2) determine the perception of the TASP among key community, junior, and technical college personnel across Texas; and (3) determine the impact on students entering urban colleges, where the minority enrollment is traditionally the highest. Using a triangular approach, the researcher conducted a secondary analysis of state-collected data, a statewide survey study, and several interviews with students to address the objectives of the study. A review of the results of years of TASP scores and analysis of survey data for 123 counselors, advisors, and deans from across the state suggest that the TASP program has not aided in the enhancement of students academic performance at any time during its existence. In addition, the overall perception of those surveyed is that TASP does cause a significant enrollment problem for students who want to come to college in Texas. Urban colleges, which are traditionally heavily populated by minorities, seem to be affected more so than other colleges around the state. Several flaws in the way data is reported are identified, and some recommendations are made to improve data reporting. An appendix contains a chi square analysis for a survey item, a copy of the survey and responses, examples of documents used in the study, a list of participating institutions, and a sample institutional profile. (Author/SLD)

This report is the result of a survey conducted by the Northeast College in the Houston Community College System (HCCS) (Texas) to assist students with class scheduling. It will provide the academic offices with information that will allow for more efficiency when scheduling classes and act as a retention strategy by allowing students to have input in the process of determining when classes will be offered for them. Results include: (1) most students at the Northline campus preferred day classes as opposed to evening and night classes; (2) more students preferred classes on Monday and Wednesday morning than other times; (3) the least popular times for students were Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.; (4) the second most popular time selected was Monday, Wednesday, and Friday between the hours of 8 AM and 3 PM; and (5) the majority of students preferred having classes during the day, with less than a third (30%) indicating that they preferred nighttime classes. These data appear to be consistent with other information that the system has collected in the past. However, the lack of current available data for the system makes it impossible to determine whether this "day-night divide" at the Northline campus is in alignment with that of the system as a whole. (JA)

Due to their more diverse populations, urban colleges have different concerns than suburban and rural colleges, and they must provide programs and services specific to those concerns. The question arises as to whether urban college effectiveness can be measured with traditional indicators. The declining test scores in American public schools have led to the concept of "accountability" for performance levels, but the paper proposes that other factors also be included in the evaluation of community colleges, since so many of their students have non-degree objectives. All attendees at three Texas urban colleges are studied, in order to answer the following questions: (1) What are the major reasons students attend urban community colleges? (2) Do these reasons differ among the three colleges studied? and (3) Are there any evaluative factors that should be, but are not, used for these colleges? Results show that 64% of the students were not enrolled in a degree-seeking or academic track, and the largest number of these students, 19% of the total sample, were there for short-term work-related training. Neither sex nor ethnicity were found to be a factor in whether students chose a degree-seeking or non-degree track. The paper suggests that academia needs to recognize this lack of interest in academic credential by many students, and evaluate college performance accordingly. Contains 13 references. (VF)

Texas college students must pass all three sections (reading, writing, and mathematics) of the state-mandated Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) Test or must enroll in remedial course work. Over 98,000 TASP scores from 73 community, junior, and technical colleges for the academic year 1996-1997 were analyzed to ascertain if less-prepared students attend 2-year colleges than universities. Data were segregated into types of colleges (urban, suburban, and rural) and ethnicity (White, Black, Hispanic, and Other). The analyses clearly indicated that rural colleges performed far below the levels of both urban and suburban colleges. A most significant finding was that White students at rural colleges performed significantly below the level of those at urban and suburban colleges. Hispanic students at urban colleges had pass rates slightly higher than Hispanics at suburban colleges and significantly higher than those at rural colleges. Suburban colleges' pass rates were the highest among two-year colleges and nearly equaled the overall pass rate of all Texas institutions of higher education. The number of non-White students who took the test was negatively related to the percentage of students who passed the test, particularly at urban colleges. Half the schools in the study had pass rates of 40.3 percent or less. Pass rates among urban colleges varied more widely than those at suburban and rural colleges. Implications are discussed relative to proposed performance-based funding of Texas colleges, standardized testing in elementary and secondary schools, and ethnic and social disparities. Includes a description of the TASP test, outlines of essential elements in the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS), data tables, and newspaper clippings. (SAS)

A study was conducted to identify factors affecting student performance on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), a state-mandated measure designed to assess students' basic skills and competencies. TASP and Assessment of Student Skills for Entry Transfer (ASSET) scores were analyzed for 328 academic track students from 6 community colleges in Texas, while students' age; ethnicity; number of remedial classes taken; college type (i.e., urban, suburban, and rural); and sex were also included as TASP predictor variables in a multiple regression analysis. The analysis suggested that students' ASSET scores were the best predictors of scores on all three sections of the TASP, while age and ethnicity were also good predictors. The strongest relationship was found between scores on the reading section of the ASSET and TASP tests, while the weakest was found between the mathematics sections of the tests. The effects of age and ethnicity, however, were most pronounced on the mathematics section of the TASP. The analysis also suggested that neither the number of remedial classes taken by students, the type of college students attended, nor student gender were significantly related to outcomes on the TASP. (HAA)