This chapter discusses Washington State's Student Achievement Initiative, a new performance funding system for community and technical colleges. Its purposes are to improve public accountability by more accurately describing what students achieve from enrolling in state colleges each year and provide incentives through financial rewards to…

This paper, from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, describes a new kind of transfer student that is putting pressure on four-year and two-year institutions: the job-preparatory student with dual goals of job preparation and transfer. The author presents strategies related to articulation agreements (statewide and…

Discusses methods of assessing job preparatory-training outcomes, particularly a product called Data Linking for Outcomes Assessment (DLOA). Contends that through data linking, conclusions about programs, job placement, and salaries for graduates can be drawn with ease. Describes key design features for creating a DLOA. (EMH)

From 1991-93, 2,147 dislocated workers from timber-impacted counties of Washington state received Timber Retraining Benefits (TRB), with 81% using the aid to attend a state community or technical college. To determine the impact of the TRB program on the dislocated workers and their timber communities, the Washington State Board for Community and…

In 1990, pursuant to the Washington community college system's request, the Washington state legislature appropriated additional funding to pursue assessment at the local college level as a way to address issues of institutional improvement. Each college submitted preliminary plans to the State Board for Community College Education (SBCCE) which…

A study was conducted in the Washington Community and Technical College system on the quality of telecourses, current telecourse offerings, and plans for the use of telecourses. Where appropriate, findings for 1990-91 were compared with 1988-89 data. Study findings included the following: (1) the unduplicated headcount for telecourse enrollment in…

In winter 1988, surveys were conducted at nine Washington community colleges to develop a profile of students in terms of employment status, educational objectives, family background, and prior educational attainment. Questionnaires were administered to 4,669 Washington community college students enrolled in state-supported academic and vocational…

In response to reduced state funding for faculty development in community colleges in Washington, the Faculty Association of Community Colleges and the State Board for Community College Education established a special committee in 1989 to make recommendations to enhance faculty development efforts at the 27 community colleges statewide. To…

The Running Start (RS) Program was piloted at 5 community colleges and 36 high schools in Washington state during the 1990-91 school year. RS allows high school juniors and seniors to enroll in a community college for high school and college credit. A total of 358 students participated in the pilot program in 1990-91 and will participate again in…

This paper discusses policy issues faced by two-year colleges in the state of Washington during the first year of implementation of performance funding. Four key policy questions were reviewed: (1) the reward versus entitlement paradigm shift, which forces educators to alter expectations about "entitlement" to higher education funding…

In 1990, a follow-up study was conducted of former students from the Adult Basic Education (ABE) and General Educational Development (GED) programs in Washington community colleges to assess the impact of these programs on the students. Data were gathered from the Student Management Information System and from interviews with 182 students who left…

In 1991, the Washington State Board for Community College Education conducted a study to determine the strengths and shortcomings of Washington community colleges' efforts to provide upgrading and retraining for employed workers. Data were derived from four separate studies conducted in 1990, including a survey of 1,151 employed students at eight…