Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative (IEPI)

Background

Recently enacted legislation established a new system of indicators and goals that is intended to encourage improvement in institutional effectiveness at California community colleges. Pursuant to Education Code section 84754.6, the Board of Governors (BOG) adopted a goals framework at its March 16, 2015 meeting to measure the ongoing condition of a community college’s operational environment (see attached Consultation Digest and BOG Item).  This statute also requires that, as a condition of receipt of Student Success and Support Program funds, each college develop, adopt and post a goals framework that addresses, at a minimum, the following four areas: student performance and outcomes, accreditation status, fiscal viability, and programmatic compliance with state and federal guidelines.  In addition, it requires that the Chancellor post by June 30, 2015, and before each fiscal year thereafter, the annually developed system wide goals adopted by the BOG, and locally developed and adopted college/district goals. 

Purpose of IEPI

The goal of this initiative is to help advance colleges’ institutional effectiveness and in the process, significantly reduce the number of accreditation sanctions and audit issues, and most importantly, enhance the system’s ability to effectively serve students. An important focus of the grant is to draw on the exceptional expertise and innovation from within the system in advancing best practices and avoiding potential pitfalls.

Three Major Components of IEPI

1. Develop a framework of indicators and college/district goals.
2. Make Technical Assistance Teams (called Partnership Resource Teams) available to colleges who express interest in receiving assistance.
3. Enhance professional development opportunities for colleges related to institutional effectiveness. (Grants of up to $150,000 in seed money will be available to colleges with team visits to accelerate implementation of improvement plans. Grants will be available while funds are available.) 

Initiative Partners Chancellor's Office:

• Chancellor’s Office Oversight: Erik Skinner, Theresa Tena, Jeff Spano, and Ronnie Slimp. 
• Success Center for California Community Colleges: Paul Steenhausen
• College of the Canyons: Overall Coordination:Chancellor Dianne Van Hook, Barry Gribbons, Jerry Buckley, Sharlene Coleal, and Daylene Meuschke. 
• Foothill College: Logistical Coordination of Activities in the North, especially Professional Development Activities. 
• Academic Senate for CCC:  Julie Bruno 
• M. C. Lee Consulting: Grant Program coordinator. 
• RP Group: Evaluation and Professional Development working with 3CSN, Career Ladders, and others. 

What Happens If A College Does Not Achieve Their Goal? Will Sanctions Be Imposed?

Sanctions will not be imposed if the college does not achieve their goal, provided that the college has tried to implement changes and measured the effectiveness. We want to encourage colleges to try new things and recognize that not every effort will have the desired results.  In fact, the most important changes arguably are the ones with the greatest risk and will require the colleges to stretch the most. Each District and College has until June 15, 2015 to set two District Indicator Rate targets and to College Indicator Rate targets.  The data for Crafton Hills College, San Bernardino Community College District, and all of the other colleges and districts in the State can be viewed at the following website: https://misweb.cccco.edu/ie/DistrictSelect.aspx. 

In addition, in the future, each College and District will be required to set targets for at least three additional District Goals and ten additional College Goals.  All of these can be viewed at the link referenced above.  Historical data and the Crafton Hills College targets are listed below for the required goals. Targets for the optional goals will be developed in the future.