Student Achievement

As an institution accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), Henderson Community College (HCC) is obligated to provide to its students, constituents, and the public information about its goals for student achievement and the success of students in achieving those goals.

Information on student success may include reliable information on retention, graduation, course completion, licensure examinations, and job placement rates and other measures of student success appropriate to institutional mission.

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Retention

Criteria: Two-Year Persistence, a measure in the Henderson Community College 2022-2026 Strategic Plan.

Outcome Definition: Unduplicated percentage of students entering in the fall semester who earn a credential at the initial institution by the end of the following academic year, transfer by the end of the following academic year, or are still enrolled at the initial institution at any time during the following academic year.

Threshold of Acceptability: 53.7%.

• Rationale: Retention is an institutional priority based on HCC’s Strategic Plan Goal 1: Increase Learner Success.

Goal: Meet the HCC Two-Year Persistence performance measure as outlined in the 2022-2026 HCC Strategic Plan.

• Rationale: The benchmarks demonstrate a commitment to improve retention yearly over the life of the plan. Baseline benchmarks were derived from averages in the three-year window prior to the plan’s implementation.

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• Rationale: The benchmarks demonstrate a commitment to improve retention over the life of the plan. Baseline benchmarks were derived from averages in the three-year window prior to the plan’s implementation.

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Source: National Student Clearinghouse Student Tracker (Transfer); Official Type 1 and Type 5 data as submitted to the Voluntary Framework of Accountability (VFA)

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Graduation Rates

Criteria: Total Graduation Rate as reported to IPEDS.

Outcome Definition: Cohort of first-time, full-time, credential-seeking undergraduates who complete their program within 150% of normal time as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). HCC will increase the graduation rate of this cohort by .5% per year through 2026.

• Rationale: Graduation is an institutional priority based on HCC’s Strategic Plan Goal 2: Increase Employment Success.

Threshold of Acceptability: 26%.

• Rationale: Institutional leadership does not wish to fall below 26%, which was the low mark in the four-year window prior to the strategic plan’s implementation.

Goal: Meet the HCC graduation rate performance measure as reported to IPEDS.

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Evaluation:

Source: Official data as reported to CPE and IPEDS.

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Job Placement Rates

Criteria: Job Placement Rate

Outcome Definition: Track the employment outcomes of AAS graduates.

• Rationale: Job placement speaks to the value and market relevance of the credentials offered by Henderson Community College. Graduates should be able to obtain employment upon completing a credential.

Threshold of Acceptability: 70%

• Rationale: 70% of the institution’s AAS graduates will either be employed in a job in their chosen major or continue their education.

Goal: Each program will strive to meet its benchmark for job placement as detailed in the table below.

• Rationale: HCC’s mission statement is committed to “enhancing the employability of the community”. In addition, HCC’s Strategic Goal 2 is to Increase Employment Success. Institutional leadership believes that each program should assess the employability of its graduates. Due to the small size of some programs, as well as difficulty in contacting graduates, it may be difficult to assess placement for those programs.

Evaluation:

*Required by external accrediting agency

Source: Official data as reported to TEDS.

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Licensure Rate

 

Criteria: Licensure/Certification Rate, a nationally recognized measure tracked by the Voluntary Framework of Accountability.

Outcome Definition: Licensure or certification pass rate of AAS graduates.

• Rationale: Professional licensure enables many of HCC’s AAS graduates to work in their chosen major.

Threshold of Acceptability: Varies by Program (50% to 90%)

• Rationale:  Depending on the program, 50% to 90% of the institution’s AAS graduates will pass their licensure or certification exams. The benchmark is lower for certification-only programs.

Goal: In accordance with its strategic plan, the institution will strive to meet its goal of 87.5% pass rate for licensure or certification exams.

• Rationale: HCC’s Strategic Plan Goal 1 is to Increase Learner Success.

Licensure pass rate is a strong measure of this goal.

Evaluation: 

The institutional pass rate for licensure and certification the most recent year was 90.7%.

Source: KCTCS Records, HCC Testing Office, Voluntary Framework of Accountability.

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Transfer and Employment

Criteria: Post-KCTCS Outcomes, a performance measure in the 2022-26 HCC Strategic Plan.

Outcome Definition: Percentage of non-returning credential earners (degree, diploma, certificate) in one academic year that enroll at a four-year institution or are employed in Kentucky and earn a wage greater than or equal to the federal poverty level in the following academic year.

• Rationale: Post-KCTCS outcomes are an institutional priority based on HCC’s Strategic Plan Goal 2: Increase Employment Success.

Threshold of Acceptability: 57.8%.

• Rationale: Institutional leadership does not wish to fall below 57.8%, which was the low mark in the three-year window prior to the strategic plan’s implementation.

Goal: Meet the HCC transfer rate performance measure as outlined in the 2016-2022 HCC Strategic Plan.

• Rationale: The benchmarks above demonstrate a commitment to improve Post-KCTCS outcomes annually over the life of the plan. Baseline benchmarks were derived from averages in the three-year window prior to the plan’s implementation.

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Evaluation:

Source: Commonwealth Office of Technology Unemployment Insurance Database (Employment in Kentucky); National Student Clearinghouse Student Tracker (Transfer); Official data are reported to CPE (Type 5).

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