A Focus on Equity: Math and English Completion Rates for Students at CHC

Publish Date: June 29, 2021

The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently published a report outlining the progress that California community colleges have made in helping students complete transfer- level math and English as encouraged by AB 705, a State law aimed at increasing success rates, especially for traditionally underperforming populations. The PPIC report focuses on the degree of racial equity in student outcomes. The report offers evidence demonstrating not only statewide progress in achieving transfer- level math and English milestones but also specific college level data showing the progress that each college has made towards helping students complete transfer-level math and English and towards mitigating racial or ethnic inequity in these outcomes.

The report reveals that Crafton Hills College faculty and staff have made huge strides in helping their students achieve success in completing English and math requirements. For both, CHC students have demonstrated meaningful improvements in success and decreases in equity gaps across multiple outcomes since 2015.

CHC English students have successfully completed transfer-level English within one semester at the highest rate of any community college in our region (69%). In addition, the equity gaps in one semester transfer-level completion among Hispanic students was substantially reduced between fall 2015 and fall 2019.

The same is true of African American students in English courses. Not only is disproportionate impact on this measure no longer present, but the gap itself in the one-semester completion is the second lowest in the entire region.

CHC math students have also experienced a significant increase in success since 2015. The percentage of first-time math students completing transfer-level math in one semester climbed from 13% in fall 2015 to 40% in fall 2019. According to the PPIC report, the 40% completion achieved by CHC transfer-level math students in Fall 2019 was the fourth highest in our region. Additionally, the equity gap observed among Hispanic students decreased between fall 2015 and fall 2019. Faculty and staff at Crafton have also made significant progress in eliminating the equity gap among African American math students. The achievement gap in math course success rates for African American students was the second lowest in the Inland Empire.

Because of their clearly demonstrated success, Crafton faculty will work with researchers from the California Acceleration Project to help other colleges achieve higher and more equitable English and math completion rates for students.