ArticleView 

Overview

The RP Group offers third-party evaluation expertise in an effort to help improve outcomes and increase the effectiveness of student success initiatives, programs, and other various efforts by community colleges and other higher education-based organizations. To date, we have conducted the following evaluations, which are listed in alphabetic order:

Acceleration in Context Evaluation

Timeline: 2011
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation support for a planning grant received by Acceleration in Context (AIC), an initiative working to introduce accelerated curriculum and pedagogy into a broad cross-section of disciplines and programs.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funder: Acceleration in Context Initiative  

Bakersfield College Title V Evaluation

Timeline: 2016-2020
Status: Current
Project Summary: External evaluation support for Bakersfield College’s (BC) Title V grant in order to aid a better understanding of the grant’s impact on student success, and help garner feedback that will help grant leadership continuously improve the implementation of the grant activities.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funder: Kern Community College District

Butte Transformation Evaluation Support

Timeline: 2018-2019
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of student support programs and facilitation of a Math Data Dive modeling the facilitation work conducted by College of the Canyons faculty and staff.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Alyssa Nguyen, Director of Research and Evaluation
Funder: Butte College

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Incarcerated Students Pilot Evaluation 

Timeline: 2018
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Conducted an evaluation of activities associated with Senate Bill (SB) 1391 (an interagency agreement to be created between the CCCCO and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to expand access for incarcerated individuals to face-to-face community college courses that lead to degrees or certificates).
RP Group Lead/Contact: research@rpgroup.org
Funder: California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

Collaborative Model for Nursing Education (CMNE) Evaluation

Timeline: 2012
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Assessment of the implementation of the Collaborative Model for Nursing Education (CMNE), a statewide initiative designed to streamline and facilitate transfer for associate degree of nursing students into baccalaureate programs.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Eva Schiorring, Project Lead
Funder: HealthImpact (formerly known as the California Institute for Nursing and Health Care (CINHC))

College of the Canyons' Upgrade Workshop Evaluation

Timeline: 2016
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Support in evaluation, student focus groups, survey creation, and more to inform the College of the Canyons' Upgrade Workshop for students in their first semester of academic or progress probation. Resources associated with this evaluation coming soon.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director  
Funder: College of the Canyons 

Gavilan College HSI-STEM Evaluation

Timeline: 2017-2021
Status: Current
Project Summary: Evaluation of Gavilan College’s HSI-STEM grant that intends to increase the degree completion and transfer rate of Hispanics in a STEM field. Quasi-experimental analysis of the college’s STEM-ASAP program. Resources associated with this evaluation coming soon.
RP Group Lead/Contact: research@rpgroup.org
Funder: Gavilan College

Gavilan College Title V Evaluation

Timeline: 2016-2021
Status: Current
Project Summary: Evaluation of Gavilan College’s Title V grant, which is focused on increasing the transfer rate of Hispanics, providing intensive academic support services, and improving the college’s online presence.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Carolyn Arnold, Project Director 
Funder: Gavilan College

Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative Evaluation

Timeline: 2015-2016
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative, an effort focused on advancing institutional effectiveness and reducing accreditation sanctions and audit issues among California Community Colleges.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Rogéair Purnell, Project Director 
Funder: California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, College of the Canyons

Irvine Valley College Veteran Resource Center Evaluation

Timeline: 2018-2020
Status: Current
RP Group Lead/Contact: Alyssa Nguyen, Director of Research and Evaluation
Funder: Irvine Valley College
Resources:

• The State of Veteran Students in California Community Colleges: 2018 Statewide Study, March 2019
  Report providing a snapshot of the state of the Veteran Resource Centers in the California Community College System, and of the veteran student population and their unique academic experiences in that system. 

• Female Veteran Experiences Survey: 2019-2020 Survey Results For CCCs, April 2020
  Report presenting data from a survey administered to female veteran CCC students on mental health, well-being, civilian life, college-provided  support services, and more.

• Irvine Valley College’s Veterans Resource Center Operations and Spending Survey Results 2019-2020, March 2020
  Report for administrators and funders focused on veterans affairs in the CCC system to gain a better understanding of VRCs, how they use funding in order to help tailor and improve supports needed by CCC veterans.

Mt. San Antonio College Textbook Rental Evaluation

Timeline: 2011-2012
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of Mt. San Antonio College’s textbook rental program.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director 
Funder: Mt. San Antonio College

Mt. San Antonio College USDA Grant Evaluation

Timeline: 2009-2012
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of an initiative that advances the quality of agriculture education.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Virginia Moran, Project Director
Funder: Mt. San Antonio College

San Mateo County Community College District Common Assessment Initiative Implementation

Timeline: 2016-2017
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Technical assistance to Career Ladders Project (CLP) to support the San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) with implementation of Common Assessment Initiative (CAI) across all three colleges within the district.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Alyssa Nguyen, Associate Director of Research and Planning
Funders and Partners: Career Ladders Project, San Mateo County CCD

North Orange County Regional Consortium Evaluation Planning

Timeline: 2016
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Development of a comprehensive evaluation plan for all student success strategies being employed by the North Orange County Regional Consortium for Adult Education (NOCRC) to assess the impact of these strategies and inform strategic planning.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funder: North Orange County Regional Consortium for Adult Education 

North Orange County Community College District Baccalaureate Pilot Program

Timeline: 2016-2017
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of a sample of California Community Colleges that are participating in the Baccalaureate Degree Pilot (BDP) program. The pilot colleges will be the first community colleges in California to confer baccalaureate degrees.
RP Group Lead/Contact: research@rpgroup.org
Funder: North Orange County Community College District 

Sacramento City HSI-STEM Evaluation

Timeline: 2016-2021
Status: Current
Project Summary: Evaluation of Sacramento City College’s (SCC) HSI-STEM grant entitled STEM Equity and Success Initiative (SESI), focused on increasing participation and success rates of Hispanic and low-income students in STEM fields and careers.
RP Group Lead/Contact: research@rpgroup.org
Funder: Sacramento City College

San Joaquin Delta College Hispanic Serving Institution STEM Evaluation

Timeline: 2011-2016
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of an HSI-STEM grant that seeks to increase the number of Hispanic and low-income students who complete STEM degrees and/or transfer programs.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funder: San Joaquin Delta College

Santee Linked Learning Evaluation (Triple Crown/Tri-C)

Timeline: 2008-2012
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of a Linked Learning initiative implemented by a Los Angeles high school, in partnership with Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funder: The James Irvine Foundation
Partners: ConnectEd, Los Angeles Trade-Technical College, Santee High School

Telecommunication and Technology Infrastructure Program (TTIP) 

Timeline: 2017-2018
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Evaluation of a TTIP grant implemented by Palomar Community College to allow Palomar and the CCCCO to better understand how end-users interact with technology services and how satisfied they are in order to improve these offerings to more effectively serve educators and students.
RP Group Lead/Contact: research@rpgroup.org
Funder & Partners: Palomar College

Ventura College BSSOT/AB 705 Evaluation Planning

Timeline: 2018
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Met with Basic Skills Student Outcomes and Transformation (BSSOT) leadership to create an evaluation plan for their program activities to be conducted during the 2018-19 school year.
RP Group Lead/Contact: research@rpgroup.org
RP Group Project Team Members: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funders: Ventura Community College District