Increasing national emphasis on college completion and affordability has prompted institutional efforts to focus on increasing efficient degree attainment within four-years. Traditional predictors of four-year graduation, Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT) scores and high school grade point average (GPA) may disproportionately negatively impact the enrollment of African American and Latino students who are more likely to receive lower scores on these metrics. This study sought to identify quantifiable non-academic metrics that can assist to predict bachelor's degree attainment in four years for African Americans and Latinos who do not meet typical standardized testing and scoring predictors. A regression analysis was performed on CIRP Freshmen Survey data for University of Texas at Austin students first enrolled in fall 2008 to assess the strength of Freshmen Survey constructs and student-level financial aid to predict graduation within a four-year timeframe. The results showed that the combined consideration of select variables increased the accuracy of prediction by over seven percentage points; moreover, two factors, holding a positive self-concept and likelihood of college involvement, demonstrated statistical significance within the model. While there are several study limitations, the findings offer support for further exploration of a model for predicting four-year graduation that considers non-academic data elements. / text

The purpose of this study was to determine which interventions were deemed to be effective at increasing the four-year graduation rate in Osceola District Schools. This had become a concern due to the fact that this rate had decreased in recent years, and may be utilized as a predictor of the dropout rate. The interventions were then prioritized according to Levin's cost-utility theory, so that the order of implementation could be prioritized. The study was conducted in January and February of 2005, and responses were elicited from 600 people. Students currently in Osceola District Schools high schools comprised 200 of this total, and 400 former Osceola District Schools high school students were also selected. The 600 people were randomly selected from directory information lists supplied by the school district. A questionnaire consisting of thirteen interventions that could be utilized to increase the four-year graduation rate was mailed to them a few days after an introductory letter was mailed. A letter enclosed with the questionnaire requested that they fill out and return the questionnaire in the enclosed return envelope. A postcard was mailed as a reminder to people that may not have responded to the letters, and had not yet filled out the questionnaire. Returned questionnaires were then used to calculate mean effectiveness ratings. Of the 600 questionnaires mailed, 154 were returned, and 123 contained no non-responses, and were therefore usable for this study. The order in which the cost-utility in the study prioritized the implementation of the thirteen interventions was: Offer three-year diploma options. Have mentors available for students, with a mentor for every 100 students. Have ten percent more seats for academy/ magnet/ vocational programs. Offer a diploma option that removes the FCAT graduation requirement. Offer a diploma option that removes the Algebra I graduation requirement. Offer a diploma option that lowers the 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA) graduation requirement on a four point scale to a 1.9 GPA. Offer a diploma option that removes the FCAT Algebra I and GPA graduation requirements. High school classes should have a maximum of 25 students Grades four to eight classes should have a maximum of 22 students Kindergarten to third grade classes should have a maximum of 18 students. Schools larger than 500 students should be divided into smaller learning units, such as schools-within-a-school. Free quality preschool should be provided. Guidance counselors should be available, with one for every 100 students. Four of the items would require statute changes before they could be implemented. They were the interventions that concerned GPA, Algebra I, and the FCAT graduation requirements. The items were prioritized because fiscal constraints may not permit all of the interventions to be implemented, and the interventions that yielded the greatest improvement in four-year graduation rate per unit cost were to be implemented first.

College degree attainment benefits both private citizens and society. Historically, degree attainment rates have differed based on students’ race, income, and parental education. Along with differences in degree attainment rates, time to degree has been increasing for all students nationally. Increased time to degree has adverse effects for students as it increases the cost of a degree and decreases future earnings through a delayed entry into the workforce.In recent years, colleges and universities have implemented programs to address challenges with graduation rates at their institutions and improve on-time degree completion. Beginning in 2014, a large public university located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, implemented an on-time degree completion program to address its four-year bachelor’s degree completion rate. In addition to increased academic support for all program participants, up to 500 students with high-financial per cohort were given additional grant funding towards their cost of attendance. The Theory of Planned Behavior frames the process of shaping human behavior as the combination of changing the attitude towards completing the behavior, shifting norms to reflect desired outcomes, and reducing perceived barriers to behavior completion. The on-time degree completion program uses a participant contract and a series of checkpoints to encourage positive behavior, shown through research, to increase graduation rates: priority registration, meeting with an academic advisor, earning a minimum of 30 credits per academic year, and completing a degree audit. The current study analyzed the checkpoint and on-time degree completion data for three consecutive first-time, first-year cohorts at a large public university. The total number of participants included in the study totaled 13,323. Using a combination of descriptive and predictive statistics, I found that both checkpoint completion and on-time degree completion differed based on several participant characteristics, including academic preparation, race, family income, and parental education. However, even when controlling for participant background characteristics, checkpoint completion had a positive relationship to on-time degree completion. Therefore, while there are improvements to be made in the checkpoint completion rates and the equality of those outcomes, the program checkpoints predict on-time graduation. Further, for program participants who receive the program grant funding, there is a correlation between multiple years of grant funding and improvements in on-time graduation rate. Further research should be conducted to understand the reasons students fail to complete checkpoints and the barriers to checkpoint completion for some student groups. Additionally, for participants who were not retained until graduation, a study tracking participants’ degree completion across institutions would help explore the true degree completion rate for the participants, as opposed to at the individual institution. / Educational Administration