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
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
Funder: Kern Community College District
Bakersfield Evaluation of Program Mapper Tool
Timeline: 2020
Status: Complete
Project Summary: Goal of this project was to help Bakersfield College and other colleges interested in using the Program Mapper tool to better understand the effectiveness of the tool, and help students choose a program of study and select courses once they have done so. The RP Group led the qualitative evaluation and overall report writing, including interviews with faculty, administrators, and staff, and student focus groups. Bakersfield College led the quantitative evaluation where RP Group had an advisory role.
RP Group/Lead Contact: Alyssa Nguyen
Team Members: Michelle White, Kelley Karandjeff, Mina Dadgar
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
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: Dr. Kristen Fong
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
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
Funder: College of the Canyons
Compton College AB705 Evaluation
Timeline: 2019-2021
Status: Current
Project Summary: Contract with Compton College to evaluate the processes and activities implemented at Compton to support the implementation of AB705 at the college. The purpose of the evaluation is to support the college’s math and English redesign planning and strategy efforts for the college’s implementation of AB705 requirements and identify opportunities for improvement to support students’ successful throughput in transfer-level math and English courses.
RP Group/Lead Contact: Dr. Darla Cooper
Team Members: Kay Nguyen, Michelle White
Funder: Compton College
Compton Community College District Tartar Completion by Design Evaluation Toolkit
Timeline: 2020-2021
Status: Current
Project Summary: Contract with Compton Community College District (Compton) to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan and toolkit the college can use to evaluate its Compton Tartar Completion by Design project.
RP Group/Lead Contact: Alyssa Nguyen
Team Members: Michelle White
Funder: Compton Community College District
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: Dr. Diane Rodriguez-Kiino
Funder: Gavilan College
Foothill Governance Evaluation
Timeline: 2020-2021
Status: Current
Project Summary: Contract with Foothill College to assist with the evaluation of the college’s redesigned shared governance structure. The goal of this project is to provide Foothill College with a comprehensive evaluation of how effectively their new governance model “provides an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to express their opinions and provide feedback to the college president on college planning, allocation of resources, and the evaluation of institutional effectiveness.”
RP Group/Lead Contact: Dr. Kristen Fong
Team Members: Alyssa Nguyen
Funder: Foothill 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
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
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: Dr. Katie Brohawn
Funder: Irvine Valley College
Resources:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The State of Student Veterans in California Community Colleges 2021–2022 Statewide Study, August 2022
Report for a follow-up study to The RP Group's 2018 study of the state of veterans in California Community Colleges to examine the current state of student veterans’ experiences, identify unmet needs, and spotlight promising programs and practices.
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
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
Funder: Mt. San Antonio College
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
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: Tim Nguyen
Funder: North Orange County Community College District
Open for Antiracism Program Evaluation
Timeline: 2020-2023
Status: Ongoing
Project Summary: Evaluation support for a grant received to implement the Open for Anti-Racism Project (OFAR) in California Community Colleges; a professional development for faculty focused on developing and sustaining an anti-racist teaching and learning environment.
RP Group Lead/Contact: Alyssa Nguyen
Funders: Community College Consortium of Open Education Resources (CCCOER)
Resources:
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: Dr. Diane Rodriguez-Kiino
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
Funder: San Joaquin Delta 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
Funders and Partners: Career Ladders Project, San Mateo County CCD
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
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: Ireri Valenzuela
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: Dr. Kristen Fong
RP Group Project Team Members: Dr. Darla Cooper, Executive Director
Funders: Ventura Community College District