By Matthew E. Milliken: The Herald-Sun
July 29, 2008

DURHAM -- Durham Technical Community College met seven of eight key "critical success factors," a report by the state community college system states.

"We feel very good about our report card and how we've achieved," Wanda Maggart, Durham Tech's vice president for institutional advancement, said of results in the report, which was issued last month.

The college fell short only on one of the eight key measures: passing rates in developmental courses. Durham Tech had 72 percent of students pass developmental courses. That would have met the standard for success in 2005-06, when the goal was to have at least 70 percent of developmental students pass, but this year the benchmark was raised to 75 percent.

The standard is somewhat deceiving, however. A passing grade in Durham Tech developmental courses is B or better, but other colleges accept a grade of C or better.

Christine Kelly-Kleese, dean for developmental education and instructional support, said that Durham Tech has a different standard because grades achieved in developmental courses -- which are meant to ready students for college-level work -- typically decrease by one full letter once students take related college-level courses.

Kelly-Kleese is confident that Durham Tech will meet the state's 75 percent passing benchmark next year, in part because students who place out of developmental coursework after taking a mid-semester placement test have been awarded a WP grade, for withdrawn/pass, since mid-2007.

"We don't want to decrease our standards, but we do want to make sure that the numbers reflect what's actually happening," Kelly-Kleese said.

A total of 33 items are measured in the community college system's report, 14 of which are broken out by school. Durham Tech met or exceeded the system average in three non-key areas but fell short in three others.

Durham Tech scored strong results for business satisfaction with college services, percent of graduates finding work within a year of graduation, and surveyed graduates who reported achieving their goals.

Notably, all 241 Durham Tech 2005-06 graduates were employed within a year after leaving school, and all reported achieving their goals.

But employer satisfaction with Durham Tech graduates was just 87 percent, compared with 96 percent systemwide, and the percentage of adults in the county and of local completers of a college tech prep program who actually enrolled at the school both lagged state averages.