PirateQ 
Troy Moon, Pensacola State College
Even in this unprecedented year, Pensacola State College has been able to be one of the top-performing schools in the Florida College System.
The College exceeded the FSC average in 23 of 30 evaluated metrics that measure student success and graduation rates, enrollment, transfer performance, college preparatory outcome rates and job placement of students who graduate or complete educational programs.
Pensacola State also exceeded its own goals in 20 of the 30 metrics and in seven of the 10 metric goals, the College was within 5 percent of the stated goal. The 2020 Pensacola State College Approved Accountability Measures Plan Evaluation was compiled by Michael Johnston, PSC Executive Director of Institutional Research.
Among the findings:
● Pensacola State has exceeded the FCS average in Associate in Arts Student Success by 13 percent for the most recent three years.
● PSC Associate of Science graduation rates increased from 36 percent in 2018 to 66 percent in 2019. Total graduation rates for all first-time, full-time students increased from 47 percent in 2018 to 54 percent in 2019.
● PSC Associate in Arts students taking a developmental education course had a 47 percent graduation rate, 10 percentage points higher than in 2018. The FSC average in 2019 was 39 percent.
● The success rate for PSC students taking a developmental class has a 98 percent success rate, exceeding the FCS average of 86 percent.
Success rate is measured using data that factors students who have graduated, are enrolled in good standing or have left in good standing divided by the total cohort population.
“These performance metrics have been in place for decades and Pensacola State has always done very well in these evaluations,’’ said College President Ed Meadows. “Looking at the vast majority of the accountability measures, we’re above the FCS average. If I were going to give us a grade for accountability, I’d give us a B-plus. There’s always room for improvement, but we’re way, way above the average.”
Meadows said retention, student success and completion has always been paramount in the College’s own success and noted that Pensacola State has increased measures to thwart any potential student academic problems or deficiencies.
“We owe a lot to our academic administration and faculty for keeping the eye on the ball in terms of retention and completion,” he explained. “Our Advising Center over the past several years has implemented measures that help us flag students who are most at risk. They have intervention strategies designed to help these students who might be struggling.”
Johnston said the assessment takes in all aspects of a student’s progress, from the admissions process through graduation or completion to where the students go to work or to continue their education after leaving PSC.
“It’s good to be held to a standard that is external,” Johnston said. “It’s not us evaluating us. It’s the State of Florida evaluating us, and we use their data to present these outcomes. It’s very impressive and demonstrates we’re doing a good job.”