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Practice and Policy Checklist
Institutional Practice/Policy Area
Examples of Policy
Questions/Institutional Statements NECC Strengths NECC Gaps
Academic Advising Regular contact with a consistentadvisor/counselor to develop and
monitor each students education
plan.
Students do have regular contact withadvisors.
Those assigned to faculty members
have consistent contact with same
advisor unless student change majors.
Students on Academic Suspension
have assigned advisors
No mandatory Academic Plan inplace
Academic Planning Mandatory process for students to
plan degree/certificate programs.
The college does not have
mandatory Career Planning and
Advising in place.
Access to Technology Availability of computer resources,
including open labs, at timesmatching student schedules.
Corporate discounts for student
purchases.
NECC has 35 computer labs across 3
campuses. 7 are dedicated to Reading,Writing, Math, ESL, tutoring, and
testing. 25 are dedicated reserved for
teaching and testing. 2 are Mac labs, all
others are PC labs.
1 computer lab in Lawrence (21 seats)
and 1 computer lab in Haverhill (50
seats) are dedicated for student walk-in.
Walk-in labs are open Monday
Thursday 8:00am - 10:00pm, Friday
8:00am 9:00pm and Saturday 8:00am
3:45pm.
Because so many of our classes are
scheduled weekdays before noon, andmore faculty request computer lab
time for their classes each semester,
we are not always able to
accommodate every request.
Admissions Cycle Cut-off dates for admissions either toinstitution or specific programs Programs with specific admissionscriteria do exercise cutoff dates
Open access programs have no cut
off Dates
Open Access extends too far into thestart of the semester. Should end
during add drop.
No new students should be allowed
to register after Drop/Add including
courses offered 2nd half of semester.
Students after placement
assessments are no longer available or
who need financial aid and have not
applied in time to have an award in
place at the beginning of classes are
encouraged to begin classes the next
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available semester or summer session.
Assessment/
Placement
On-going evaluation of efficiency of
cut scores, and periodic evaluation of
the appropriateness of the placement
instrument itself. Recognition of
need for prompt feedback to studentsand faculty.
Cut scores for college level
proficiencies are established by the
State Board of High Education. These
scores are standardized across all state
colleges in Massachusetts.Cut scores within the developmental
reading, writing, and math sequence are
continuously evaluated by faculty and
are adjusted as needed.
Borderline placements in
developmental reading and math are
further validated by subsequent re-
testing
The battery of Assessment instruments
for ESL has recently been improved to
include the LOEP. The LOEP was
piloted with est. 500 students beforeimplementation.
Results for Math and Reading are
available to students and advisors
within 45 minutes after testing.
Turn around time for writing
assessment results may take as long as
two weeks, depending on the time of
year.
Writing samples are difficult to trackas they are passed between evaluators
for further review.
Bilingual Intake Services Access to college admissions
processes for non-English fluent
students.
There are bilingual staff at the
Welcome Desks and in the Career
Counseling and Advising Centers on
both campuses.
ESL advisors help with the placement
and registration of ESL students
Some admissions materials are inSpanish
Only Spanish/English bilingual staff;
other languages not represented
Website is only in English. Basic
information should be translated into
other languages for easier initial
student access
Campus Climate Recognition of the value of all
learners to the campus, zero tolerance
for aggression based on race,
ethnicity, income status, and other
characteristics.
Mission clearly reflects value of all
learners to the campus
Student Code of Conduct clearly
delineates zero tolerance offenses
CCSSE results point to students
Climate could be more appealing to
students of color with more minority
faculty on board
Increase organized mentoring
opportunities for Latino students
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satisfaction with campus climate
PACE/Title V, NCBI, Clubs &
Athletics
Awareness/understanding/response
across faculty of obstacles/crises faced
by students
Career Development Services that assist student to develop
clear, realistic aspirations for future
work. This area should becoordinated with academic planning
and counseling.
The college has staff with expertise inthis particular area.
Increased cross training of all staffwithin CPAC is in progress the result of
which will be enhanced expertise across
specialty areas, i.e. all staff whether will
be able to discuss with students how to
plan whether academic or career and
the intersection of the two.
The coordination of Career Planning
and Academic Advising (counseling)
is just taking form. Much work isneeded in this area. However there
are indications that the newly
implemented integration of operations
within the Haverhill Career Planning
and Advising Center is taking hold
towards the realization of a true One-
Stop Model wherein everyone does (at
least some) of everything providing
services to students.
Childcare Provision of care for students
dependent children, especiallychildren of single parents.
Both campuses have on-site childcare
with students children as first priorityplacements.
Childcare centers serve as practicum
sites for ECE students under apt
supervision.
Childcare is discounted for students,
subsidized slots are available;
evening /Saturday hours in Lawrence
Data and monitoring of student,
faculty/staff usage was not reliablefrom vendor.
Contract had not been re-bid in 10
years. (currently in progress).
Community-Based Organization
(CBO) Links
Working agreements with CBOs
who are often the first point of
contact with higher education for
low-income students/students of
color.
Dedicated position in Lawrence to
CBO outreach, increased visibility in
community.
LCW, Notre Dame, churches, GLCAC
Participation on several communitypartnerships, task forces, host site for
Upward Bound, HERC, others.
CSL taking root.
Efforts are not always formalized,
clearly articulated and tracked.
At times NECC may be viewed as a
competitor to community-based
efforts or as not integrated withcommunity.
Mission and boundaries of NECC
services not understood by all
stakeholders.
Comprehensiveness of Student
Services
How well do academic guidance and
counseling, academic support,
personal guidance and counseling,
career counseling and supplemental
services function together?
All of these services exist and students
benefit from all of them.
Staff in these areas are aware of the
relative functions of each area and some
referral occurs
There are Gaps as far as inclusive
consistent training of staff and sharing
of information.
In some areas there exist too much
seclusion.
More sharing is needed for the
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benefit of our students.
Continuous Quality Improvement Use of data, information, and
evaluation to accelerate success rates
for low-income/students of color
students that is part of a quality cycle
leading to improved instruction,support programs, and services.
The college has an institutionalized
process for the continuous evaluation of
Institutional Effectiveness (IE).
The IE process evaluates KPIs for
student success across several variables,including income and ethnicity.
The evaluation process includes
annual reports from all areas of the
college, including academic areas, as
well as student services.
Reports include updates on continuous
improvements in relation to the targeted
KPIs.
We are in process of better
integrating the IE cycles within
institutional planning processes, such
as the Strategic Directions, the Perkins
Five Year Plan, the Academic MasterPlan, and the Achieving the Dream
initiative.
Counseling (Personal Guidance) Services that are distinct from
advising that provide emotional and
personal support for education
success.
A lot of personal guidance happens in
successful work-study placements.
Social Services aspect of Joselyn
Martes position PACE model of support.
Mentoring and peer groups like the
Law. Book club, Womens Support
Network, Mentor w/male athletes.
Student Engagement Center
One Social Service staff for both
campuses leaves problems to be dealt
with by untrained staff.
Training gaps for staff and facultyaround where to refer students,
although the information is out there.
Curricular Alignment Alignment of competencies between
basic skills/ESL programs and
collegiate-level classes to bridge gapsand ensure seamless movement of
students.
Significant efforts have been made to
align the skills between ESL and
Developmental Reading and WritingClear alignment of skills exists
between Basic Writing and Comp 1
supported by data.
Developmental Algebra curriculum
was recently realigned in collaboration
with the Math Dept.
Success of Developmental students in
gatekeeper courses as seen in the KPIs
is further evidence that the skills needed
for success have been established.
More needs to be done to align ESL
with Developmental Math.
Some collaboration between theDevelopmental reading and the
content areas has occurred
especially through LCs but the exit
from reading to the content courses is
more broad based and therefore more
difficult to establish or address. This
needs to be improved.
Some topics in Developmental Math
courses are not emphasized as much
as they could be because of the time
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constraints of the semester.
Degree Auditing Availability of student progress
toward degree checks after
completion of a threshold number of
credit hours.
The college instituted automated
Degree Audit 1.5 years ago.
Students can also perform a WHAT IF
Analysis-checking progress towards a
degree or certificate other than the onein which they are not matriculated.
Students can use the system at any
point in their academic career at NECC.
Diversity Institutional statements and other
evidence recognizing the importance
of diversity in multi-cultural/racial
society.
The College recognizes and supports
the celebration of the Hispanic week.
The college supports the ESL learning
social club where Hispanic instructors
develop several activities in/out the
classroom for the ESL students.
There is an effort to hire more
minority faculty and staff reflecting the
diverse population of the college.
The need for multicultural
clubs/organizations that will include
faculty and students to promote and/or
support cultural and social activities.The need to integrate ESL students
with the rest of the college
community. (note: sometimes ESL
students are seen as outsiders; many
college activities do not include them;in Lawrence they are even more
segregated since most, if not all the
ESL classes are on a separate
building).
Engagement Strategies for Low-
Income/students of color Students
Existence of purposeful strategies for
low-income students/student of color
that increase their interactions with
the college in ways that are
culturally-sensitive
Northern Essex has a number of
programs which are purposefully
designed to increase retention by
fostering student engagement.
Such programs include:
A comprehensive network of support
services for athletes;
Retention and early interventionstrategies for students enrolled in
extracurricular organizations and clubs;
The TRIO funded PACE project
(Pathways to Academic and Career
Excellence).
PACE was one of nine programs
nationwide which was recently
identified by the US Dept of Ed as a
national model for outstanding retention
practices for low income, first
Many of our most effective student
engagement strategies are happening
in specialized programs or grants.
There is a need to take what we have
learned from successful programs
such as PACE, and begin to
institutionalized these services to
benefit all students.
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generation students.
English as a Second Language
Programs
Availability of instruction and
programming to increase language
acquisition skills for limited-English
students.
The students that transition from ESL
have strong English oral and written
skills, sometimes higher than native
speaker students. Students with difficulty in A&P may
receive tutorials in English/Spanish.
Many ESL students have the
opportunity to participate from college
level seminars and lectures increasing
their English skills confidence.
On the process of revising the
competencies and requirements for the
Human Nutrition and Health course and
lab so upper level ESL students can take
it.
Tutorials in Spanish/English are
limited to A&P only.
Not all students have the opportunity
to experience college levelseminars.
Students spend so much time in ESL
that they become discouraged and
leave the college without completing a
degree.
The need for more college level
courses with competencies that ESL
students can meet
Enrollment Management Targets established for low-income
student recruitment and retention and
corresponding support practices
(similar to those depicted in this
checklist).
Supporting low income students has
been greatly enhanced with the
improvement of processes for awarding
financial aid packages to new and
returning students.
The colleges federally funded (TRIO)
Student Support Services project targets
low income students and providing
them with additional services to
enhance their persistence through
graduation and transfer to four year
colleges.Services include tutoring, academic
survival skills workshops, cultural
enrichment and other activities.
Specific recruiting is done to identify
prospective students from ABE, GED,
homeless shelters, halfway houses,
treatment centers, alternative programs,
clients of the Massachusetts Department
of Transitional Assistance, after-school
programs for low income high school
Enhanced relations between the
colleges and the communities that it
serves, particularly those in Lawrence
will lead to more targeted recruitment
of low-income students who might not
ordinarily see college as an option.
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students, TRIO programs for low
income and first generation college
attending students, county and federal
corrections institutions/agencies.
Exit Criteria for the Developmental
Education program
Specification of competencies
required by DevelopmentalEducation completers to succeed in
college-level programs. Evidence of
correspondence with competencies
specified in college-level programs
Exit competencies addressing these
skills are well defined in the OutcomesAssessment Documents for all of the
Developmental courses.
Developmental reading, writing, and
math exit criteria correspond with (or
exceed) the state-wide college entrance
guidelines recognized by the Mass.
Board of Higher Education.
Content area faculty may not be
aware of these exit competencies this should be improved.
Exit Criteria for the ESL program Specification of competencies
required by Basic Skills/ESL
completers to succeed in college-
level programs. Evidence ofcorrespondence with competencies
specified in college-level programs
Exit criteria are clearly stated in
course syllabi for exit-level courses
Exit competencies are aligned with
proficiencies for developmental readingand writing courses
Exit criteria should be clearly stated
in college catalog and advising
handbook
Exit criteria should include a coursegrade which reflects specific
competencies and should not be based
on a single exam.
Faculty Mentoring Programs that pair specific faculty
with low-income students/students of
color in need of intervention and
support.
PACE program
The Transitioning Latino Students
Program from ESL to Baccalaureate
Degree Project
in-class activities with Latino Faculty
and ESL students through the ESL
Social club
provide students with the
opportunity to choose a mentor with
whom they feel identified
the need for activities/social
interactions between faculty and
students (i.e. once a semester lunch-
department meeting including all the
students and faculty)
more committed faculty to workwith students.
Financial Aid Examples include flexible cut-off
dates for institutional financial aid,
earmarking a portion of tuition
increases for low-income students,
using financial aid to promote
articulation with 4-year institutions,
and targeting specific aid, i.e., grants
v. loans, to low-income students.
Waiting for Tina Favaras Response
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First Year Success Classes Available? Required? Optional? Are
success classes supplemented with
information reinforced in other
classes and/or/ first year experiences
College Success Seminar(CSS) is a
new course here which has only been
offered a few times. So far, it has not
been directly connected with other
courses. However, the skills are
applicable and instructors have beeninviting guest speakers into the
classroom.
CSS could be linked with other
courses in learning communities;
actually the first one is scheduled for
the spring semester. The course needs
to be used more and linkages to
college content courses strengthened.
Institutional Organization Administrative responsibility
identified for overall institutional
efforts to promote low-income
students/students of color student
success
AI Strategic Planning process was
very inclusive
Process Mgmt teams and Retention
Committee
Academic Master Plan
One-Stop Student Services Model
NCBI
Administrative responsibility identified
for overall institutional efforts topromote low-income students/students
of color student success. Strength (1)
PACE program; (2) the creation of the
tutoring center.
Deep, coherent, multi-pronged
analysis of data around this population
Deeper knowledge about students
real need for financial aid. (i.e. if they
know they dont qualify for Pell, and
they dont file because they dont
want a loan, they may be right on the
edge of leaving due to finances, but
we dont know.
Institutional Research Capacity Identified responsibility for research
on student success, especially low-
income/students of color student
success. Data on student enrollment
patterns, especially course-taking and
completion behaviors, disaggregated
by race/ethnicity, first language, andsocioeconomic status.
The Office for Institutional Research
is responsible for research and reporting
on student success.
Reports are prepared at the college-
wide level and stratified to the program,
department, and course levels.
Reports on student enrollment includedata disaggregated by ethnicity, ESL,
and income levels.
The office participates in and supplies
data/reports for Institutional
Effectiveness, Program Review and
Assessment, and institutional and
program accreditations.
We also administer and analyze the
Community College Survey on Student
Engagement (CCSSE), an annual WEB
We do not anticipate any difficulties
in meeting Achieving the Dreams
expectations of colleges regarding the
submission of annual student cohort
data and the collection, analysis, and
presentation of student outcome data.
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based Student Satisfaction Survey, and
an annual follow-up survey of graduates
one year after the date of graduation.
http://www.necc.mass.edu/irp/index.php
Institutional Scholarships for Low-
Income Students
Dollars earmarked from institutional
revenues for low-income student
financial aid.
Waiting for Tina Favaras response
Intake Orientation A brief, mandatory session or
sessions providing students an
overview college policies and
services available to them. Distinct
from a longer-term student success
class.
There are Information Sessions on
both campuses for new students
whether they have previously attended
college or not
In these sessions attendees get an
overview of the enrollment process
(listed on a new student applicant
checklist) including applying to thecollege, how to apply for financial aid,
taking placement assessment tests, and
planning for advising and registration
with an advisor
College support services are outlined
along with some tips for being a
successful student
Some literature outlining services that
are provided by the college are
distributed.
These sessions are not mandatory
and many of the colleges policies and
services are not reviewed although
subsequent meeting with advisors
provide opportunities for students to
hear in more detail what college
policies are and what services the
college provides.
During these meetings additional
literature which speaks to college
policies and services can be
distributed to students
There is no mandatory Orientation
Session to provide students with this
information-it is assumed that during
their Academic Advising Session this
information is covered. Students are
often bombarded with handouts
regarding academics and other
information relevant to their personaland academic goals while being
advised and registered and tend to
become overwhelmed
Late Class Adds Procedure for permitting (or denying)
late registration for classes.
Thecollege community recently
agreed on a process which has been
embraced both by faculty, and
administration.
Prior to spring 2007 the form was
handed out to students by front desk
staff when students would ask to join
courses that were filled and closed.
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There is a form that has clear
instructions and requires the signature
of faculty.
The form is primarily faculty driven
Some staff still struggle with the
change.
Late Start Classes Procedure for creating late startclasses based on demand produced
by late registrations.
The Department Academic AreaSchedulers and the Registrars have
agreed to keep the Wish List on
courses once they are filled well into the
Drop/Add period to determine if there
are enough students to warrant adding
sections.
Over the years, the Academic areas
have been consistent in offering
sections of courses that begin mid-
semester
Courses that are offered in thesecond 8 weeks are in need of more
publicity
Not enough variety of courses are
offered in the 8weeks session of fall
and spring semesters
Learning Communities Identify cohorts of students for
support of common learningexperiences, including classes and
co-curricular activities.
There is interest among faculty to
develop ESL/college level courselearning communities
The service learning tree project is
impacting the learning of students of
different disciplines.
Faculty are encouraging service
learning
It is challenging to enroll enough
students in learning communitiessome students see service learning or
community service as extra work
and not as civic responsibility.
Mission Statement Mission statement indicates
commitment to serve low-income
students/students of color
Our commitment to serving low
income students and students of color is
inherent in all of the colleges
institutional mission and values
statements which emphasize
appreciation for diversity; educationalopportunity for diverse student
populations; and dedication to
enhancing the social, cultural and
economic life for students and for the
broader community.
One-Stop Shopping Making necessary pre-admission and
post-admission services more
convenient for all students, but
especially single parents and others
As opposed to being in separate
buildings and offices, admissions,
financial aid, career planning, Academic
Advising, Learning accommodations
Bookstore hours and center hours
sometimes vary.
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with multiple time commitments. (disability services), Center for Adult
and Alternative Studies (including
GED,TOEFL, CLEP testing, and
Military Credit evaluation), and social
service referral are housed together
within the Behrakis One-Stop StudentServices Center at the Haverhill campus
and in Career Planning and Advising
Center at the Lawrence campus.
Hours of operation are 8am through
7pm Monday through Thursday and
8am through 5pm Friday
Both locations provide convenient
access for students with multiple
commitments and other potential
obstacles that potentially thwart
educational pursuits
During peak enrollment periods bothlocations have Saturday hours
Staffs are available through Web
Advising, telephone, email, and in
person
A bookstore is located in the Behrakis
One-Stop Student Services Center and a
bookstore is located in the same
building as the Career Planning and
Advising Center at our Lawrence
campus.
On-Line Support Services Web-based availability of critical
college facts and links to services
The college has hired a Web Advisor
and purchased licenses for a Web Basedproduct.
Students are now able to get Academic
Advising and referrals to other services
completely online.
The Website as well as individual
Web Pages has been undergoing
changes to better accommodate students
by using language that is more user
friendly and creating links that assist
students and visitors to navigate with
With the continued increase in on
line courses offerings, there is a needto expand the on line instructional
support resources, including support
staff, faculty advisors, and tutors.
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ease.
The colleges student friendly web site
is strategically designed to provide
students with easy access to information
and support services Links are conveniently situated to
connect students to resources such as
the One Stop Student Services Center
which includes the Career Planning and
Advising Center; Enrollment Services,
including Financial Aid and Bursars
Offices; Learning Accommodations
Center, extracurricular clubs,
organizations, and activities; athletic
resources; the Tutoring Center and
tutoring schedules; Reading, writing,
ESL, and Math Learning Centers;assessment schedules and practice tests;
etc.
Out-of-class Interactions with
Faculty
Mechanisms for increasing
interaction of low-income
students/students of color with
faculty outside of the classroom
setting, a consistent factor in
improved retention rates.
The ESL learning social club provides
students with the opportunity to interact
with faculty out-of-class
The Natural Science department is
developing a science club where
students can socialize and interchange
ideas with the natural science faculty.
students do not make use of faculty
office hours
organizing out-of-class interactions
can be challenging because many
students leave the campus
immediately after class
most of the faculty is adjunct thus,
they should be encourage and/or
support to dedicate out-of-class timewith students.
Partnerships with Other Higher
Education Providers
Written agreements with other
colleges for all students that can
include transfer articulation
agreements, sharing of resources,
articulation of curricular
competencies. Pathway and support
programs for low-income/students of
color students.
The college has over 40 transfer
articulation agreements with both public
and private institutions as well as
corporations.
The college also shares resources with
its 4-year counterparts who are on
campus offering Bachelor Completion
Programs in Nursing and Education and
offer graduate Education courses
The college lags behind in Pathway
and Support Programs for low-
income/students of color to assist
them in moving on to 4-year colleges
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Partnerships with the K-12 Sector Written Agreements with those
secondary schools with large
proportions of low-income/students
of color that might include dual creditclasses, early college programs,
collegiate and financial planning,
sharing of instructors, and/or
curricular and competency alignment
The college participates in the
MVOTECH Consortium and has a
TECH Prep program-This program has
over 70 agreements with TechnicalHigh schools around the area
There are a variety of courses
articulated for credit under specific
guidelines and are transferable to NECC
once students enroll. Examples are
Greater Lawrence Tech High School;
Whittier Technical;
The college also shares instructors at
some area high schools where
instructors actually report to the high
school and teach classes there
Students gain college credits that arealso used toward high school
graduation.
GEAR UP collaboration/dual
enrollment
Career planning, financial aid
workshops, Orientation to
college-Getting on Track in local
schools
Campus tours
Pre-admissions testing to show
current levels of competency
Collaborations with HERC andUpward Bound.
The college is proactive in establishing
effective partnerships with local high
schools, particularly those schools
serving large numbers of disadvantaged
students. Examples of K-12
partnerships include:
The early assessment/intervention
program, which is currently under
More curricular and competency
alignment are needed; more
agreements with comprehensive high
schools and early college prepprograms are needed.
Relationships with local K-12s
change with leadership; inconsistent.
Uneven alignment of curricula
Marketability to students/parents
unwilling to consider community
college as an option.
There is no correspondence between
Dept of Ed mandated high school exit
criteria (MCAS) and BHE mandated
college entrance proficiencies.
This disconnect underscores theneed for structured initiatives to assist
high schools in developing
appropriate interventions based on
early assessment results.
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development with Methuen High
School
The Tech Prep Program which links
curriculum through articulation
agreements. Tech Prep also provides
highs schools with early assessments ofcollege entrance competencies.
The ARC Program (Another Route to
College) which hosts 30 high school
seniors who have not passed the
Massachusetts exit criteria for high
school graduation. These students
spend their senior year at NECC, taking
MCAS remediation concurrently with
NECC developmental/ESL courses.
The Natural Science department
through the Applied Science program isdeveloping agreements with Andover
High School and Haverhill High School
to integrate their science curriculum to
facilitate transitioning into the AS
program. The AS program is also
looking into facilitating professional
development for the science teachers.
Partnerships with Workforce
Agencies
Written agreements with local
Workforce Investment Boards that
provide access to college training for
low-income/people of color. Careerpathway partnerships with private
and public entities that result in
increased employability for low-
income/students of color students
The college maintains written
agreements with Local Workforce
Investment Boards that address third
party payment provisions andrequirements. These agreements
facilitate access to credit and non-credit
programs for clients of career centers
including displaced workers and
underemployed workers toward their
acquiring skills in demand in the work
marketplace
On-going articulation between the
college and area offices of the
Massachusetts Rehabilitation
Turnover of Workforce Investment
Board and Career Center personnel
sometimes impedes establishing and
nurturing relations betweenWIB/Career Center Staff and college
staff.
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Commission facilitates the retraining of
workers with disabilities that prevent
continuation in previous careers toward
their acquiring new skills for entering
new careers.
Peer Tutoring/counseling Formal programs that supplementinstruction with inside and outside of
class peer tutoring
The Academic Resource and TutoringCenter offers a comprehensive network
of academic support services to
supplement classroom instruction.
Services include: Peer and
professional Tutoring; in class tutors;
study groups; walk in writing lab; and
workshops on topics such as learning
styles, study skills, test anxiety, etc.
Existing resources (space, tutorstipends) has not kept pace with ever
expanding need for tutoring services.
In addition to Peer Tutors, there is a
need for permanent tutoring staff to
provide on going tutoring
Planning, Resources, & Budgeting Data-based planning for low-income
students/students of color success,
accompanying budgetary allocations,
and evaluation of program impactinforming future planning and
budgeting.
The area of Academic Affairs is in
process of developing the Academic
Master Plan. The AMP will be
integrated with the colleges Strategicplan.. Together, these plans will provide
the framework for prioritizing resource
allocations.
Fiscal planning will be also be guided
by data collected through ATD, and
other Institutional performance
indicators.
Historically, resource allocations
were not always informed by data; nor
guided by demonstrated need. The
expectation is that this will improvedwith the integration of institutional
planning processes.
Research and Policy Development Policies and practices created or
modified based on research
The Retention Committee is currently
researching Forgiveness Policies, Fresh
Start, and Early Warning systems
The Bursar and others conducted
research of other community collegesand concluded that our reimbursement
policy once classes began did not serve
students well. The schools policy was
amended to allow 100% refund during
the first week of classes as opposed to
the first 3 days
During the second week refunds drop
to 50%
Unofficial Forgiveness Practice that
is not consistent because not all
students are aware of the practice
The college have policies focused on
Academic Standing, but no earlyWarning System in place
A weak Academic probation Policy
that has no plan of action attached to it
Research on the Effectiveness
Counseling, Advising, & Student
Identified part of overall institutional
agenda for communicating student
Newsletters, published newsletters,
NECC campus news website report out
We do not report our retention
graduation rates in any prominent
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Orientation success to the community and donors
Local Newspapers
Annual Awards Convocation
Subject awards
Honor Society Induction ceremonies
Observer (Student Newspaper)
locations
Public Display Wall of Achievement
should be considered for students,
similar to the NISOD display
Student Responsibilities Statement of students role in
education process including
expectations
Many instructors provide with a
detailed syllabus that includes the
responsibilities of the students; some
instructors even require a signed
document from the student that state
they understand the syllabus.
Many students take the success course
which stresses on students duties.
One of our Natural Science
department faculty spends the first week
of classes teaching students to be
effective learners; her students also takean exam on the first day of class to
assess their knowledge and set the tone
for the class. Other faculty in the
department are following up her steps
and planning to also do the same with
their students next semester.
Most students have wrong
expectations for the class and for the
instructor
Most students do not know they are
accountable for their education
The course of college success is not
compulsory for all students entering
NECC
Many instructors assume all students
have basic level of knowledge when
in reality is lower than expected
having the expectations for the classtoo high. Many instructors may not
be sensitive to the fact that community
college students are different from
other college students (many have
full-time jobs, are single parents).
Thus, may be inflexible to
accommodate their needs.
Instructors may not intervene when
students are failing because the
students have the right to fail. This
mentality must change. Instructors
need to be more proactive.
Teaching Practice Classroom practices that have been
shown to promote student success for
all students, including cooperative
learning, active learning, and creation
of learning communities.
More instructors are using different
types of technology to present
information
Online-courses provide students with a
more flexible schedule.
Intructors may not be sensitive to the
language barriers (communicating in
English while thinking in Spanish)
that sometimes students encounter
when taking for the first time a college
level; it takes time, training and
assistant to overcome this barrier.
Instructors may presume all students
have basic knowledge and the pace of
the class may be to fast for many
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students to follow.
More students should be encourage
to create study groups and use the
academic tutoring center services.
Teaching Quality Reward structures for gains made bylow-income students/students of
color in classes and programs
Many instructors accommodatealternative learning styles and strategies
in their classes (more instructors are
using the learning service methodology)
Provide with a system to educate andencourage parents and/or other
relatives in promoting/supporting the
students career
Evaluate teaching quality not only at
the end of the semester when is
already too late (note give the
opportunity to students to provide the
instructor with feedback to modify the
teaching method accordingly).
Transfer Policies Identified entity/individual to work
with students to understand and
complete transfer processes
The college has two professional
Transfer advisors-one based on the
Haverhill Campus and one on theLawrence Campus.
In addition, all of the academic
advisors are required as part of their
responsibilities to assist students in
understanding and completing transfer
processes.
The Academic Advising Website
houses a plethora of information and
tools to assist students, staff and faculty
with transfer issues
SomeFaculty who are assigned
advisees do not have clear
understanding of the transfer processInformation on the Academic
Advising Website is not being used as
much as it should be
Value of student learning Institutional statement/activities thatplace premium on student learning Student learning, engagement, andacademic excellence are the guiding
principles which shape all of the
colleges institutional statements and
activities, including statements
regarding our mission and, values and
newly defined Strategic Plan. These
values are also the central focus for the
development of our Academic Master
Plan, which is currently under
construction.
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