ILEA Equity Plan | Elgin Community College (ECC)

to be addressed. In other areas, such as persistence rates, one target population (Latinx
students) has the highest persistence rates of any group while another target population
(Black/African American students) has the lowest persistence rates. Those who receive Pell
persist at higher rates than those students who do not receive Pell.
The obvious implication of the current state is to close the gap with African American students.
However, despite the fact Latinx students demonstrate higher persistence rates than other
races/ethnicities, there is always room for improvement. Our largest population of students
are and therefore, we need to continuously assess and reinvent ways of identifying where
equity gaps may exist beyond the metrics used in the ILEA Plan. We have to take into account
metrics that reflect our student population and where other gaps may exists such as with our
part-time students (taking 3-8 credits at a time), adult learners, etc.
2B: Past and Present Strategies
For years, ECC has incorporated institutional structures to address equity attainment across all
populations as part of our Strategic Plan. There have been multiple strategies, both past and
present, which have ranged from a single event, to pilot programs that have become
institutionalized, to complete reorganization of department functions, all in an effort to
contribute to improving completion rates for each target student group. Examples of recent
efforts making a positive difference are: Early College Credit/Dual Credit; Student Leaders;
African American Connections; Accelerated Learning Pathways; and Financial Aid
Counselors/Literacy Workshops. Below is a listing of some of the more recent efforts that are
making a positive difference:
Early College Credit/Dual Credit
ECC offers secondary partners multiple options for high school students to earn college credit
while in high school. Most recently, the college has expanded options for students to enroll in
college courses at their high school building. In addition to in-high school dual credit courses
being delivered, we continue to offer full-time and part-time general education and careertechnical
education (CTE) courses on ECC campus.
The Dual Credit Partnerships has grown since becoming an intentional focus. The number of
schools that partner, the number of courses offered, and the number of students participating
increases every year. This translates into a cost savings in tuition and an increase in the number
of credits and even Associate degrees earned. As the Spring 2020 semester ends, we anticipate
celebrating another class of Accelerate College (full-time dual credit program) students, 30 in
total, graduating with an associate’s degree prior to their high school graduation. This is up
from 10 students in 2019. The following are some of the highlights of the program:
• 2019-2020
o Estimated tuition saved: $891,705
o Credits earned: 5,923. (This does not include the credits that may be earned upon
completion of courses that are still in session over summer months due to COVID-19.
o Students participated: 620 (103% increase)
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ILEA Equity Plan
Current State