Goals for Student Achievement

We measure our graduates’ wages to gauge the effectiveness of our programs. We want to be sure their wages keep pace with the labor market.

We also strive to increase the number of technical degrees awarded to our students. TSTC was designed to be a market leader in this initiative. Therefore, our goal is to increase the number of degrees at a rate that outpaces other institutions.

Definitions

• Degrees: Measured by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and includes Associates, Certificates (Level 1, Level 2 and Advanced Technology), and Skills Achievement awards.
• Technical: Technical/TechPrep degrees are those whose CIP code is considered Technical for TSTC through the THECB-approved list.

As published by the THECB, the percentage of first-time, full-time, entering degree-seeking students who:

• Enrolled in a minimum of 12 semester credit hours (SCH) their first fall semester at a Texas public institution and;
• Graduated from the same institution or another Texas public or private (independent) institution within three academic years.

We want to exceed the performance of our peers and our past performance. We have set a goal to improve our 3-year graduation rate by 5%, with a baseline of 23.69%.

Monitoring the pass rates of applicable licensure exams is another way to measure student achievement. The minimum level of achievement is a passing score for each relevant examining agency. Our goal is that students will consistently score above statewide averages.

Definitions

• Persistence: Percentage of first-time traditional students who continue enrollment from the fall semester and complete the following spring semester.
• First-time: Students in their first undergraduate term at TSTC in which they registered and did not drop 100% of their classes on or before the drop date deadline.
• Traditional student: Non-dual credit student.