Student Achievement Goals
Student success is important at Forsyth Tech; after all, your success as a student is ultimately our success as an institution. We measure student achievement and success in a variety of ways at multiple levels, but the measures listed on this page are ones we deem critical to monitoring student progress.
Successful Course Completion
Part of achievement is successfully completing courses on your path to graduation. We hold high expectations of our students and are ceaselessly committed to supporting students in reaching those expectations. Our goal is for Forsyth Tech students to increase their successful completion of courses over our previous three-year rolling average for both online and classes with a face-to-face component.
| 2019 Fall Cohort | 2020 Fall Cohort | 2021 Fall Cohort | 3-Year Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100% Online Courses Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 73% | 74% | 73% | 74% |
| 100% Online Courses Underrepresented Minorities | 62% | 59% | 59% | 59% |
| Face-to-face Instruction Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 81% | 83% | 83% | 82% |
| Face-to-face Instruction Underrepresented Minorities | 72% | 72% | 66% | 70% |
| Overall | 74% | 70% | 70% | 71% |
Retention
Part of achievement is staying on the path to your goal. Forsyth Tech’s goal is to increase Fall-to-Fall retention for all students over a previous three-year rolling average. 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.
| 2018 Fall Cohort | 2019 Fall Cohort | 2020 Fall Cohort | 3-Year Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-underrepresented Minorities | 60% | 56% | 56% | 58% |
| Underrepresented Minorities | 49% | 49% | 50% | 49% |
| Full-time Students | 60% | 58% | 59% | 59% |
| Part-time Students | 49% | 45% | 42% | 46% |
| Overall | 55% | 53% | 53% | 54% |
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). Forsyth Tech’s goal is to increase the graduation rate for all students over a previous three-year rolling average. In addition, Forsyth Tech strives to eliminate the equity gaps in graduation rates that exist between our underrepresented minority and majority students and between Non-PELL recipients and PELL recipients.
| 2016 Fall Cohort | 2017 Fall Cohort | 2018 Fall Cohort | 3-Year Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Underrepresented Minorities | 24% | 33% | 34% | 30% |
| Underrepresented Minorities | 15% | 24% | 27% | 23% |
| Non-Pell Recipients | 23% | 33% | 33% | 30% |
| Pell Recipients | 18% | 26% | 29% | 25% |
| Overall | 21% | 29% | 31% | 27% |
North Carolina Community College Performance Measures
Forsyth Tech maintains accountability within the North Carolina Community College System to benchmark ourselves against other community colleges within the state. The College monitors student progress in basic skills, success rates in college-level English, success rates in college-level math, student progression in the first year, student completion, licensure and certification pass rate, and success in college transfer. For each of the seven measures, Forsyth Tech’s goal is to meet or exceed the System goal or average; however, the College strives to meet the excellence level as determined each year by the System. These summary measures, and more detailed comparative data, may be found on the North Carolina Community College System’s (NCCCS) performance measures web page.
The 2021 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 | 42.5% | 70.4% | 54.5% | 71.8% | 61.3% | 1.09 | 91.1% |
| NCCCS College Average | 33.5% | 62.6% | 46.3% | 66.8% | 55.3% | 0.98 | 87.2% |
| Forsyth Tech | 28.6% | 65.9% | 46.4% | 64.5% | 50.1% | 1.03 | 86.9% |
Category Definitions
Basic Skills Student Progress – Percentage of Basic Skills students who achieve an Educational Functioning Level gain during the program year (July 1 – June 30).
Student Success Rate in College-Level English Courses – Percentage of first-time Associate Degree seeking and transfer pathway students passing a credit-bearing English course with a “C” or better within two years of their first term of enrollment.
Student Success Rate in College-Level Math Courses – Percentage of first-time Associate Degree seeking and transfer pathway students passing a credit-bearing Math course with a “C” or better within two years of their first term of enrollment.
First Year Progression – Percentage of first-time fall curriculum students attempting at least 12 credit hours who successfully complete at least 12 hours within their first academic year (fall, spring, summer).
Curriculum Completion – Percentage of first-time fall curriculum students who, within six years of the first term of enrollment, have either graduated, transferred, or are still enrolled with at least 36 non-developmental credit hours.
Licensure and Certification Passing Rate – Aggregate institutional passing rate of first-time test-takers on licensure and certification exams. Exams included in this measure are state-mandated exams which candidates must pass before becoming active practitioners.
College Transfer Performance – The percentage of students who exited NCCCS after having completed an Associate Degree and/or least 30 cumulative hours of articulated transfer credits and subsequently transferred to a four-year college or university and earned a GPA of 2.25 or better after two consecutive semesters within the academic year at the institution.
