Accountability for At-Risk Students

Learner Persistence

Adult learners aren't forced to come to classes by compulsory attendance laws; however, programs with the greatest success rates find that their students show persistence.  How can a program help students achieve this?  By holding adult learners accountable for their learning.

The state of Iowa has switched to managed enrollment for adult education and English Language Learners, so students cannot just "drop-in" at their convenience and be catered to.  Students must register and be enrolled in a course before they can attend their classes.

In order to do this, Kirkwood High School Completion programs on the main campus offers different informational sessions, which are followed by a Pathways to Success course.  Once students have completed the Pathways to Success Course, students are then allowed to choose the diploma option that is right for them.

By asking students to invest time in their education up front, the program is seeing increased learner persistence.  The Pathways to Success course is designed to help students identify the barriers in their own lives and create connections to deal with the crises that life throws their way.

Accountability

Students must attend the 4 days of the Pathways to Success course before they are allowed to enroll in High School Equivalency Diploma or Kirkwood Adult High School Diploma classes.  If the student fails to attend any of the first four days, he/she must start over with the Pathways to Success course the next time it is offered.

The retention rate of students has hovered around 50-55% and this year the state of Iowa has a retention rate of 60%.  Retention of students is defined for the Kirkwood Secondary Programs as the number of students who complete a pre and post growth assessment, which means that they've been in the program for at least 40 hours of instruction.

In the past, we've tried to give students a disincentive of paying a re-registration fee of $25 and allowed them to continue in their same course; however, that doesn't discourage students from taking an incomplete in a course and playing "course-hop." The latest idea that we've had is to allow students four months (plus a one-month grace period) to complete their course.  If the student fails to complete the course in that time period, then he/she will be issued a failing grade and a zero and they will have to restart the whole course from the beginning.  

What have other programs done to hold adult learners accountable?