Student Achievement
The institution’s mission, “to inspire, empower, and educate our community for leadership and success,” influenced the four directions of PAC’s 2020-2024 Strategic Plan: Student Empowerment, Employee Empowerment, Community Empowerment, and Maximize Capacity to Serve. The focus of the Student Empowerment direction is to promote student success through achievement of the following five goals:
- Increase student completion
- Increase opportunities for students to explore careers pathways
- Increase student transfer outcomes and improve workforce outcomes
- Close equity gaps across student sub-populations
- Increase student proficiency in learning outcomes
Within the five goals under the Student Empowerment direction, PAC has identified nine measures to document student success:
- Enrollment
- Productive Grade Rate
- Course Completion Rate
- Fall-to-Fall Persistence Rate
- Graduation Rates
- Completion Counts
- Transfer Rate
- Employment and/or enrolled rates
- Entry-Level Earnings
Fall Enrollment
| Term | Fall 2015 | Fall 2016 | Fall 2017 | Fall 2018 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 8,671 | 9,108 | 9,368 | 9,852 | 10,763 | 11,193 |
Source: Certified CBM001
Threshold of acceptability: 10,763
Goal target: 10,978
Achievement: 11,193
Spring Enrollment
| Term | Spring 2016 | Spring 2017 | Spring 2018 | Spring 2019 | Spring 2020 | Spring 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 8,960 | 9,061 | 9,577 | 9,627 | 10,581 | 10,456 |
Source: Certified CBM001
Threshold of acceptability: 10,451
Goal target: 10,660
Achievement: 10,456
Productive Grade and Completion Rates
Productive Grade and Completion Rates PAC has identified two measures of student achievement directly tied to student performance in courses since successfully completing coursework helps prepare students for graduation, entering the workforce, or continuing their education. The Institution regularly evaluates productive grade rate (the percentage of students who successfully complete the course with an A, B, or C grade), and completion rates (the percentage of students who finish the course without withdrawing).
Productive Grade Rates
| Term | Fall 2015 | Fall 2016 | Fall 2017 | Fall 2018 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Productive Grade Rate |
79.0% | 79.4% | 78.8% | 75.5% | 76.0% | 75.9% |
Source: Alamo Colleges Benchmark March 2021 Report
Threshold of acceptability: 70%
Goal target: 80%
Achievement: 75.9%
Course Completion Rates
| Term | Fall 2015 | Fall 2016 | Fall 2017 | Fall 2018 | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Course Completion Rate |
90.7% | 91.3% | 91.7% | 90.7% | 92.1% | 91.1% |
Source: Alamo Colleges Benchmark March 2021 Report
Threshold of acceptability: 90%
Goal target: 94%
Achievement: 91.1%
Persistence Rate
Palo Alto College tracks fall-to-fall persistence to determine student progression. Fall-to-fall persistence rates depict the students who continue enrollment in the subsequent academic year.
Fall-To-Fall Full-Time FTIC Persistence Rate
| Fall 2014 to Fall 2015 |
Fall 2015 to Fall 2016 |
Fall 2016 to Fall 2017 |
Fall 2017 to Fall 2018 |
Fall 2018 to Fall 2019 |
Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Full-time |
62.8% | 67.2% | 62.1% | 62.7% | 61.5% | 54.6% |
Source: Certified CBM001
Threshold of acceptability: 61%
Goal target: 67%
Achievement: 54.6%
Fall-To-Fall Part-Time FTIC Persistence Rate
| Fall 2014 to Fall 2015 |
Fall 2015 to Fall 2016 |
Fall 2016 to Fall 2017 |
Fall 2017 to Fall 2018 |
Fall 2018 to Fall 2019 |
Fall 2019 to Fall 2020 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Part-time |
39.4% | 43.1% | 42.6% | 42.8% | 41.9% | 30.9% |
Source: Certified CBM001
Threshold of acceptability: 40%
Goal target: 43%
Achievement: 30.9%
Graduation Rate
The U.S. Department of Education graduation rates, reported through IPEDS, are calculated as the proportion of an incoming cohort of first-time students who start full-time in the fall term and who graduate within 150% of normal time to completion.
IPEDS 150% Standard Time Full-Time FTIC Cohort Graduation Rates
| IPEDS Report Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 150% Standard Time (3-Year) | 19% | 24% | 26% | 34% | 30% | 29% |
Source: IPEDS
Threshold of acceptability: 30%
Goal target: 39%
Achievement: 30%
The THECB graduation rate shows the percentage of first-time, credential-seeking undergraduates who graduate within 3, 4, or 6 academic years. Certificates, associate degrees, and bachelor’s degrees are included.
THECB Full-Time FTIC Cohort Graduation Rates
| THECB Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Year | 21.4% | 26.0% | 27.2% | 37.0% | 30.8% | 30.0% |
Source: THECB Almanac
Threshold of acceptability: 30%
Goal target: 35.2%
Achievement: 30%
THECB Full-Time FTIC Cohort Graduation Rates
| THECB Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Year | 25.6% | 33.0% | 35.6% | 36.6% | 45.9% | 35.5% |
Source: THECB Almanac
Threshold of acceptability: 40%
Goal target: 46.2%
Achievement: 35.5%
THECB Full-Time FTIC Cohort Graduation Rates
| THECB Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6-Year | 24.4% | 32.1% | 37.3% | 44.5% | 45.4% | 39.0% |
Source: THECB Almanac
Threshold of acceptability: 41%
Goal target: 49.4%
Achievement: 39%
Completion Counts
In addition to graduation rates, PAC establishes an annual Graduation Wildly Important Goal (WIG), which sets the target for completion counts, or the number of students who earn a degree or certificate annually.
Completion Counts
| Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Awards | 1165 | 1363 | 1549 | 1714 | 1840 | 1910 |
Source: Alamo Colleges Benchmark March 2021 Report
Threshold of acceptability: 1840
Goal target: 1951
Achievement: 1910
Transfer Rates
PAC regularly evaluates transfer rates as a measure of student achievement. This measure looks at the percent of FTIC students who transfer to a senior institution within six years. PAC uses the THECB report to evaluate transfer trends for PAC students.
THECB 6-Year Transfer Rates
| THECB Almanac Year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transfer Rates | 17.6% | 16.4% | 20.2% | 19.9% | 23.8% | 24.3% |
Source: THECB Almanac
Threshold of acceptability: 20%
Goal target: 26%
Achievement: 24.3%
Employment and/or enrolled rates
PAC regularly evaluates the percentage of completers employed/enrolled within 6 months after graduation as measures of student achievement. This measure looks at the percentage of technical and academic students who are employed or enrolled within 6 months after graduation.
Academic Completer Employment and/or enrolled rates
| Fiscal Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment and/or enrolled rates | 87.1% | 91.2% | 89.0% | 92.3% | 88.2% | 89.0% |
Source: THECB Almanac
Threshold of acceptability: 88%
Goal target: 93%
Achievement: 89%
Technical Completer Employment and/or enrolled rates
| Fiscal Year | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment and/or enrolled rates | 94.9% | 98.5% | 91.5% | 90.2% | 89.7% | 90.5% |
Source: THECB Almanac
Threshold of acceptability: 88%
Goal target: 94%
Achievement: 90.5%
Entry-Level Earnings
PAC has identified entry-level earnings as a measure of student achievement. This measure uses the THECB exit report to evaluate the median quarterly earnings of technical and academic completers and to assess how PAC students compare to previous years.
Academic Completer Entry-Level Earnings
| Cohort | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings | $ 4,647 | $ 5,004 | $ 4,654 | $ 4,474 | $ 4,419 | $ 4,509 |
Source: THECB Exit Cohort Report
Threshold of acceptability: $4,400
Goal target: $4,640
Achievement: $4,509
Technical Completer Entry-Level Earnings
| Cohort | 2013-2014 | 2014-2015 | 2015-2016 | 2016-2017 | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings | $ 6,940 | $ 6,826 | $ 7,074 | $ 6,642 | $ 6,150 | $ 6,513 |
Source: THECB Exit Cohort Report
Threshold of acceptability: $6,100
Goal target: $6,450
Achievement: $6,513