A-B Tech Earns Exceptional Rating
July 7, 2010
A-B Tech is one of only 11 community colleges in the state to be recognized for exceptional performance for the 2008-09 school year by the North Carolina Community College System.
“We’re very proud to be among an elite group of colleges earning an exceptional rating on the state’s performance standards,” A-B Tech President Hank Dunn said. “What this tells students is they don’t have to choose between quality and affordability in higher education because A-B Tech offers both.”
Each year, the NC Community College System evaluates the performance of each of the 58 colleges in eight core areas. Those areas are the progress of basic skills students, passing rates on licensing and certification exams, the performance of college transfer students, the passing rates of students in developmental courses, the success rate of developmental students in subsequent college-level courses, curriculum student retention, graduation and transfer; the satisfaction rate of graduates and early leavers, and client satisfaction with Small Business Center services.
To obtain Exceptional status, colleges must meet or exceed all eight standards.
They must also meet or exceed the performance rates of students who began in, rather than transferred to, the UNC System and achieve at least a 70 percent first-time passing rate on all state licensure and certification exams.
Any college not achieving any of the eight standards is required to submit an action plan for improving performance to the State Board of Community Colleges.
“At a time when North Carolina’s community colleges are straining to meet the demands of unprecedented enrollment growth, these measures are an excellent indication that students continue to receive high-quality education and training,” said NC Community College System President Scott Ralls. “Student success and retention are extremely important as we focus on what it takes to train the workforce of the future. The successes demonstrated in this report show colleges understand what is expected of them and are going above and beyond to meet and exceed the goals set for them even in times of economic difficulty.”
A-B Tech students had the third highest passing rates in the state on licensing and certification exams, with two programs, Radiography and Practical Nursing, posting 100 percent passing rates.
Other highlights of A-B Tech’s performance measures include:
• 92 percent of students who transferred to a public North Carolina university performed as well or better than students native to the four-year institutions.
• 91 percent had passing rates in developmental courses.
• 96 percent of graduates and early leavers said they were satisfied with the quality of the College’s programs and services.
• 93 percent of the businesses and industries surveyed reported satisfaction with the services provided by the College.
Four community colleges in Western North Carolina were among the 11 in the state earning exceptional ratings. In addition to A-B Tech, they are Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, Southwestern Community College in Sylva, and Western Piedmont Community College in Morganton.