Student Achievement Goals
Our Commitment to Student Success
We monitor student achievement and outcomes in order to ensure that we are doing the utmost to provide an excellent and equitable education. The measures listed on this page are those we deem critical to monitoring student success.
Student progress and success are more than statistics–they are our mission and our foundational pillars. Since 1960, we have ceaselessly committed to empowering our students and their communities.
Successful Course Completion
Part of achievement is successfully completing courses on your path to graduation. We have high expectations of our students–and we also provide a high level of support to reach those expectations. We are committed to helping Forsyth Tech students increase their successful completion of courses over our previous three-year rolling average, for both online courses and classes with a face-to-face component.
Successful Course Completion | 2020 Fall Cohort | 2021 Fall Cohort | 2022 Fall Cohort | 3-Year Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
100% Online Courses Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 74% | 73% | 76% | 74% |
100% Online Courses Underrepresented Minorites | 59% | 59% | 61% | 60% |
Face-to-Face Instruction Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 83% | 83% | 84% | 83% |
Face-to-Face Instruction Underrepresented Minorities | 71% | 66% | 71% | 69% |
Overall | 70% | 70% | 73% | 71% |
Retention
Part of achievement is staying on the path to your goal. We are committed to helping our students stay on the path to their goal. Increasing Fall-to-Fall retention for all students over a previous three-year rolling average is one of our top priorities. A secondary goal is to narrow the retention equity gaps that exist between our underrepresented minority and majority students and between our full-time and part-time students.
Retention | 2019 Fall Cohort | 2020 Fall Cohort | 2021 Fall Cohort | 3-Year Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 56% | 58% | 60% | 58% |
Underrepresented Minorites | 51% | 50% | 51% | 51% |
Full-time Students | 58% | 59% | 63% | 60% |
Part-time Students | 47% | 45% | 46% | 46% |
Overall | 54% | 54% | 55% | 55% |
Graduation Rate
Part of achievement is obtaining a credential within 150% of normal time to completion (e.g., obtain an associate degree within 3 years). Graduation rate is an important measurement of student success. Our goal is to increase the graduation rate for all students, over our previous three-year rolling average. One of our top priorities within this goal is to address and eliminate the equity gaps in graduation rates that exist between our underrepresented minority and majority students and between Non-PELL recipients and PELL recipients.
Graduation Rate | 2017 Fall Cohort | 2018 Fall Cohort | 2019 Fall Cohort | 3-Year Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 33% | 34% | 30% | 32% |
Underrepresented Minorites | 24% | 27% | 28% | 26% |
Non-Pell Recipients | 33% | 33% | 29% | 32% |
Pell Recipients | 26% | 29% | 29% | 28% |
Overall | 29% | 31% | 29% | 30% |
Tracking Student Achievement
We are accountable to The North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS) and the performance standards as determined for community colleges each year, tracking measurable skill gains across seven categories. Our goal is to help our students exceed the NCCCS average; we strive to meet the excellence level as determined each year.
More information from NCCCS2023 Performance Measures for Student Success Report | Basic Skills Progress | Credit English Success | Credit Math Success | First Year Progression | Curriculum Completion Rate | Licensure Pass Rate | Transfer Performance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
NCCCS Excellence Level | 1.241 | 1.144 | 1.194 | 1.067 | 1.086 | 1.069 | 1.036 |
NCCCS College Average | 1.003 | 1.004 | 1.005 | 1.003 | 1.007 | 0.982 | 0.981 |
Forsyth Tech | 0.630 | 1.036 | 1.135 | 0.988 | 0.970 | 0.985 | 0.980 |
Category Definitions
The North Carolina Community College System monitors student progress in seven categories.
Index score of the percentage of Basic Skills Periods of Participation (PoP) with at least one Measurable Skill Gain (MSG) during the program year (July 1 – June 30).
Index score of the percentage of first-time associate degree-seeking and transfer pathway students passing a credit-bearing English course with a “C” or better within three years.
Index score of the percentage of first-time associate degree seeking and transfer pathway students passing a credit-bearing Math course with a “C” or better within three years.
Index score of the percentage of first-time fall credential-seeking students who graduate prior to or enroll in postsecondary education during the subsequent fall term.
Index score of the percentage of first-time fall credential-seeking curriculum students who graduate, transfer, or are enrolled during the fourth academic year with 42 successfully completed non-developmental hours.
Index score on the percentage of first-time test-takers passing licensure and certification exams within each exam. Exams included in this measure are state-mandated exams that candidates must pass before becoming active practitioners.
Index score based on the percentage of community college students (Associate Degree completers and those who have completed 30 or more articulated transfer credits) transferring at a four-year university or college during the fall semester who remain enrolled at any four-year university or college the subsequent fall semester or graduate prior to.
Information from the National Center for Education Statistics
Looking for more information? The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), which is a part of the National Center for Education Statistics, collects information from U.S. colleges, universities, and technical and vocational institutions on a recurring basis in the spring, fall and winter.
Click here to see IPEDS data