Academic Progress Checks as a Retention Predictor

Academic Progress Checks as a Retention Predictor

In a recently completed study of the effectiveness of academic progress checks, weeks 5 and 10 progress checks were consistent, significant predictors of student retention and student responsiveness was associated with decreased future deficiencies and increased retention rates. Key findings include:

Deficiency percentage was a consistent significant predictor of retention after controlling for demographic variables; on average, for every 1 additional deficient course, the likelihood a student will be retained decreases by ~20-36%
Students of Color, first generation, Pell eligible, and male students had significantly higher deficiency percentages when compared to their counterparts at weeks 5 and 10 across all progress check iterations
International student deficiency percentages were the highest of all demographic groups during 5 out of 6 of the most recent iterations and were significantly higher than domestic students
Freshmen and sophomores had significantly higher deficiency percentages when compared to seniors across all iterations
In the majority of semesters, responsiveness to intervention after week 5 predicted a decrease in week 10 deficiency percentage after controlling for all demographic variables
Students who were responsive to outreach at week 10 in Fall 2022 were significantly more likely to be retained to Fall 2023
Average responsiveness to intervention has increased, with the highest recorded rates for both weeks 5 and 10 in Fall 2023
Male students were significantly less likely to respond to outreach than females across 9 out of 10 progress check iterations

Thank you to all the faculty, staff, and administrators who continue to support the academic progress checks initiative!