Strategic Plan

Raise the level of educational attainment in the Commonwealth by positioning KCTCS as the accessible, affordable, and relevant postsecondary education choice for Kentuckians.

Measure: Graduation Rate

• Cohort of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who complete their program within 150% of normal time as reported to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS).
• Baseline: 25.7%
• Target: 31.5%
• Objective: Increase graduation rate by 1.0 percentage points each year.
  
  

Measure: Affordability

• KCTCS net price as a percentage of the weighted net price for students paying the in-state or in-district tuition rate & receiving grant or scholarship aid at Kentucky public four-year colleges.
• Baseline: 54.0%
• Target: 50.0%
• Objective: Achieve and maintain a net price equal to or less than half that of public four-year institutions.

Increase access and success for all KCTCS students, particularly among traditionally underserved populations.

Measure: Student Success

Metric: 1st to 2nd Year retention – URM 

• Fall-to-fall retention rates of first-time, credential-seeking students by Underrepresented Minorities (URM) (American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Two or More Races).
• Baseline: 39.4%
• Target: 48.3%
• Objective: Increase URM retention rate by 1.5 percentage points each year.

Metric: Graduation rate - URM

• Cohort of full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students who complete their program within 150% of normal time as reported to IPEDS limited to Underrepresented Minorities.
• Baseline: 14.3%
• Target: 23.9%
• Objective: Increase URM graduation rate by 1.4 percentage points each year.

Develop clear pathways through all levels of postsecondary education with an emphasis on experiential learning that lead to successful employment outcomes for KCTCS graduates.

Measure: Experiential Learning

• Cohort of first-time diploma and AAS graduates who complete a practicum, apprenticeship, clinical, a co-op, an internship, work and learn program, or service learning prior to earning the credential. Students with AAS degrees who earned a diploma in an academic year prior to receiving their AAS are counted in both the academic year they obtained the diploma and the academic year they were awarded their AAS degree.
• Baseline: 66.3%
• Target: 72.3%
• Objective: Increase number of students engaged in experiential learning by an average of 1.0 percentage points each year.
  
  

Measure: Transfer Rate

• Percent of Associate earners in academic year who enrolled at a four-year institution that academic year after the term end date of the term the first Associate credential was earned or in the next academic year.
• Baseline: 37.4%
• Target: 43.4%
• Objective: Increase transfers by an average of 1.0 percentage points each year.

Improve student engagement, support, experiences, and success with best-in-class academic and student services.

Measure: Retention

• Fall-to-fall retention rates of first-time, credential-seeking students as reported to IPEDS.
• Baseline: 49.4%
• Target: 55.4%
• Objective: Increase retention by an average of 1.0 percentage points each year.
  
  

Measure: Student Engagement

• Average scores on the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) benchmarks of effective educational practice.
• Baseline:
  • Active Learning (47.2%)
  • Student Effort (50.6%)
  • Academic Challenge (49.1%)
  • Student / Faculty Interaction (52.3%)
  • Support for Learners (51.2%)
• Target: 50.0%
• Objective: Maintain CCSSE average benchmark scores at or above the national average.

Align programs and curricula with needs of employers that enhance the employability, job placement, and career development of KCTCS graduates.

Measure: Licensure/Certification Pass Rates

• The number of students in the Voluntary Framework of Accountability’s (VFA) Career and Technical Education (CTE) completer/leaver cohort who achieve a passing grade on their first attempt of a licensure exam within one year divided by the number of students in the CTE completer/leaver cohort who sat for the first time to take the licensure exam within one year
• Baseline: 88.8%
• Target: Exceed national average
• Objective: Exceed national average for cohort pass rate.
  
  

Measure: Workforce Credit Hour Conversion

• Number of credit hours of workforce non-credit courses (clock hour conversion to credit hours).
• Baseline: 13,153
• Target: 15,030
• Objective: Increase credit hours by 1% in the first year with 2.5% each year thereafter from a baseline of a three year average.