Student Equity Plan 2.0

2022-2025 Executive Summary

Introduction

Folsom Lake College (FLC) is one of four colleges within the Los Rios Community College District. FLC’s main campus is located in Folsom, and operates two Centers – the El Dorado Center (EDC) located in Placerville, and the Rancho Cordova Center (RCC) located in Rancho Cordova. Our three sites are unique and the students served have differing needs. During 2021-2022, the total enrollment was 12,508 students, with an overall average success rate of 72.2%.

Of the total students enrolled, 46.1% were white and 50.9% were a race/ethnicity other than white. Specifically, 21.9% were Hispanic, 7.2% were two or more races, 4.9% were African American, 2.6% were Filipino, and 1% were Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander or American Indian/Alaska Native.

The overall course success rate for the college was 72.2%, and equity gaps were noted in the data – for example, African American students saw an average course success rate of 57.5% while Asian and white students saw average course success rates over 74%.

Additional detailed data disaggregation and equity gaps will be shared below. Given the equity gaps noted in the data, the Student Equity Plan affords FLC the opportunity to continue to expand support services and programs in an equitable manner to meet the needs of our diverse student body across all three sites. College data analysis and planning efforts are focused on continuing and expanding upon existing efforts, while identifying additional goals and activities to address gaps in access, persistence, completion and transfer. The overarching equity goal at Folsom Lake College is to provide a learning environment that is equitable and accessible to all students, regardless of ethnicity, ability, culture, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, gender, language, socio-economic background or station in life and ensures an equal opportunity for academic success.

2018-22 Student Equity Plan 1.0

Reflection on Key Initiatives/Projects/Activities

Collaboration across Instruction and Student Services is the key to FLC’s success. FLC’s efforts are focused in four areas: Access, Leading Indicators of Student Success, Completion and Transfer, and a Commitment to Equity.

The Soar to Success program encapsulates First Year Experience, Cohort management and Early Alert, supporting new students, helping them to successfully navigate the matriculation process, and continuing students, providing intrusive student support and resources.

Students are organized by meta-majors and participate in meta-major specific orientations, semester meet-ups, and check-ins by success coaches. A pre-matriculation bridge program is offered prior to fall and spring to assist incoming students who want to sharpen their skills and jumpstart their journey.

PathwayU (a career exploration tool) assists students in choosing a major or educational journey. Students are exposed to career counseling, work experience, job preparation, transfer preparation and planning.

Starfish Early Alert allows instructors and counselors to send students encouragement and nudges along the way. Faculty share kudos, direct students to resources and alert support services and coaches when they detect the early signs of a student in distress or not making satisfactory academic progress in their courses. Embedded tutors and peer mentors are also available to support student course success and completion.

The Equity Center partners with Soar to Success to enhance the educational experience for Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) students through the PEAC²E program (Peer Engagement for Achievement, Culture, Connection and Excellence). PEAC²E is designed to enrich BIPOC students’ experiences by providing a space where they feel a sense of belonging, connection, and access to culturally relevant academic support.

FLC’s faculty have developed program maps to guide students’ progress from onboarding to completion. Faculty have systematically designed each program map so that students are guided to take transfer level math and English in their first year, and FLC’s faculty have removed all below transfer English and math courses from course prerequisites.

Lastly, FLC has launched a data dashboard to assess student learning, outcomes and persistence, with faculty specific access for their respective courses to evaluate outcomes across student demographics.

FLC is committed to continuing these key initiatives and implementing other promising practices to close equity gaps.

Reflections and Evidence of Decreased Disproportionate Impact

FLC has been able to assess decreased disproportionate impact through (1) an active partnership between the SEAP committee and the Office of Institutional Research (OIR) providing recurring data reports and assessments and (2) leveraging key partnerships with existing college-wide initiatives and efforts, i.e. Guided Pathways.

The implementation of Starfish Early Alert System was a success. The pilot year we had 61 faculty participate, where 3,464 items were raised for 2,147 unique students (kudos, flags and referrals for students). In the second year, 73 faculty participated, where 3,492 items were raised for 2,454 unique students. The data also indicate that the early alert communication with students works! Students who used Starfish were more successful than students who did not use Starfish. For example, Black students who used Starfish had a success rate 7-9% higher than Black students who didn't use Starfish, and the impact on LatinX students was even more impressive. LatinX students who used Starfish had a success rate up to 17% higher than LatinX students who didn't use Starfish. The results are compelling!

A collaboration and braiding of funding between SEAP funds and Title III funds provide another success story. FLC’s Learning Resource Centers have expanded their programs and created more access to embedded tutoring and peer mentoring. Data show that Low-Income and First Generation students, who use the Science and Math Center academic mentoring programs have above average success, persistence, and retention outcomes. Specifically, the data indicate that students who participated in the Math Center have a 10% higher rate of math course retention and these students demonstrate a higher rate of math course success (passing with a C or above). Tutoring and mentoring work, and there are plans to expand these efforts!

FLC has also received awards celebrating the commitment to equity and recognizing the success in closing equity gaps. In 2021 the Campaign for College Opportunity recognized FLC as an Equity Champion of Higher Education for FLC’s exemplary work in awarding Associate Degrees for Transfer to Latinx students. Then again in spring 2022 the Campaign for College Opportunity named FLC a 2022 Champion for Excelling in Equitable Course Placement in Black English Enrollment. The college was honored for our work in successfully supporting 100% of Black students to enroll directly into transfer level English coursework.

Planning for Student Equity and Achievement 2.0

The SEAP 2019-2022 equity plan cycle and the development of the SEAP 2022-2025 2.0 plan has highlighted successes, best and promising, areas of opportunity, the need for continuous assessment and the flexibility to pivot to address inequities and barriers to student success over the course of the plan cycle.

Over the course of the last few years, FLC has actively committed to holistically serving the whole student in the classroom and through wraparound support resources.

First, although the transition to online has not been easy, it is clear that whatever is provided on ground, must be provided effectively in an accessible format online.

Serving students’ basic needs and providing health and mental wellness support are key to student success.

Early alerts and intrusive support work. FLC is prepared to be student ready in order to support students from matriculation to award completion.

Race conscious efforts are crucial to closing equity gaps. The SEAP initiatives, projects, activities and funding must be developed and implemented through a race conscious lens to effectuate real change.

Lastly, equity efforts must be intentional. Equity-focused professional development for faculty, staff and student leaders supports student success. FLC is committed to continuing to support, encourage and require equity professional development.

Student Equity and Achievement 2.0 Goals

The Student Equity and Achievement (SEA) funding model integrates the SSSP/Student Equity/BSI programs into one integrated and coordinated program at the district and college levels. Under this model, we continue to focus on the following metrics for the 2022-2025 Student Equity and Achievement Plan 2.0. The metrics are as follows:

• Successful Enrollment: Among all Folsom Lake College applicants, the proportion who successfully enrolled.
• Persistence: Among all Folsom Lake College students, the proportion retained from semester to semester, excluding students who completed an award or
• Completed Transfer-Level Math and English: Among all Folsom Lake College students, the proportion who completed transfer-level math and English in their first academic year.
• Transferred to a 4-year institution: Among all Folsom Lake College students, the proportion who completed at least 12 units, are no longer enrolled, and successfully transferred to a 4-year institution.
• Award Completion: Among all Folsom Lake College students, the proportion who earned a degree or CCCCO approved certificate within a year of last enrolling.

Student Equity and Achievement 2.0 Goals for 2022-2025

View Equity outcomes for all student groups in the five metrics for the baseline year. As a smaller college, Folsom Lake College has chosen to take a holistic approach and view data on a longer timeline to look at trends. Because of this approach, even if a population did not appear to have a significant gap in a baseline year metric, they would be likely to be included in our discussions on supporting groups with equity needs. Similarly, Folsom Lake College has some populations which may be undercounted or difficult to identify in the data, such as current or former foster youth, which we know are very impacted, but that the dataset is unable to show us fully due to data verification issues. Trend data has also been considered for such groups.

The chart below displays the equity impacted populations Folsom Lake College has selected as focus areas for each metric for the 2022-2025 Plan using this holistic view.

For further goal setting, one population has been selected under each metric as a primary focus for outcome monitoring (highlighted in the chart). For the metrics of Successful Enrollment, Persistence, and Completion of Transfer Level Math and English, the Black or African American student population was selected for monitoring outcomes and setting goals. As this population is one of Folsom Lake College’s most consistently impacted groups, and as they have been the only racial group impacted in all three of those metrics, it made clear sense to set goals for this group. For Transfer and Award/Vision Completion, First Generation was the impacted student population selected for monitoring outcomes and setting goals. Because the impacted racial groups in these categories were such small groups (and often did not appear with measurable gaps each year), this larger category was selected as one which often encompasses a number of the other impacted groups and would be somewhat easier to track.

Successful Enrollment

Persistence

Transfer Level Math and English

Transfer to 4 Year

Award Completion/ Attained the Vision for Success Completion Definition

2022-2023 Student Equity Budget

The following table shows the annual estimated allocation of Student Equity and Achievement funding for 2022-2025 by account code.