Fall to Spring Persistence
Data Source: EDSS Report ENR115PI
Notes: Initial Fall 2019 Close Data and Retained Spring 2020 Open Data (High School Students are Excluded)
Persistence rates (retention rates) are a commonly used student progress measure for both two-year and four-year institutions. The definitions for these rates typically use a fall term cohort (often the first-time freshman cohort). The most frequently used rates are fall-to-spring persistence and fall-to-fall persistence:
FDTC’s Benchmark: 71%, used by the South Carolina Technological College System.
Graduation Placement Rates
System Numerator and Denominator: 2018-19: Total Placed /Total Available
Source: Program Evaluation System (PEMS)
Graduate placement rates reflect the success of graduates with respect to employment or continued education. Colleges use various methods to obtain information on graduates, such as the National Student Clearinghouse, the eTRACK service of the Department of Employment and Workforce, institution-specific graduate surveys, a Department of Defense database, and student information systems. Those graduates who are deceased, disabled, and not actively seeking employment (e.g., active military) are excluded from the placement rate.
FDTC’s Benchmark: 80%, used by the South Carolina Technical College System
Graduate Production Rates
Data Source: EDSS Reports ENR102 and IPD303
Notes: Unduplicated Graduate Headcount (IPEDS date July 01, 20XX- June 30, 20XX) and Fall 20XX Open FTE Data
Graduate Production Rate is a measure that reflects the college’s fulfillment in their workforce development mission. This rate includes all awards for degrees, diplomas and certificate and removes time-bound and demographic restrictions. This measures unduplicated headcount graduates and expresses this as a percentage rate.
FDTC’s Benchmark: 20%, used by the South Carolina Technical College System
Licensure Exam Pass Rates
System Numerator and Denominator: 2019-20: Total Passed /Total Test Takers
Data Source: CHE Licensure Exam Report
The Commission on Higher Education (CHE) has the responsibility for making available to the General Assembly “student scores on professional examinations with detailed information on state and national means, passing scores, and pass rates, as available, and with information on such scores over time, and the number of students taking each exam” from both four- and two-year institutions (S.C. Code Section 59-101-350). CHE also uses this information as the primary source to fulfill the requirements in S.C. Section 59-103-30 (Performance Funding). Colleges report the number of examinees, the number of first-time examinees, the number of first-time examinees who pass, and the percentage of first-time examinees who pass for the list of licensure exams identified by CHE. The reporting guidelines specify that colleges report those who took exams between April 1st and the following March 31st. CHE requests national and state pass rates and any additional information for these examinations, as it is available, from national and state agencies for the report to the General Assembly. These national and state agencies can be found in A Closer Look at Public Higher Education in South Carolina, which is available on the CHE website. The colleges will begin reporting this information to the System Office with the next reporting cycle. The System Office will collect this data and report it to CHE.
FDTC’s Benchmark: 80%, used by the South Carolina Technical College System
General