About
As a part of the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC), Bates Technical College participates in the Guided Pathways model of structuring our instruction and student services.
The goal is to increase enrollment, retention and completion for all students while creating equity in college processes and reducing the achievement gap.
The model provides a framework for a higher education that advances racial, social and economic justice. Through changes in how the student experience is structured, achieving equitable student aspiration, access, economic progress and educational and career attainment is possible.
The Guided Pathways framework focuses on addressing key momentum areas, including:
- Alignment of learning outcomes to the labor market and junior level (major ready) competencies for transfer.
- Anti-racist, equity-minded pedagogy.
- Clear pathways to achieve those outcomes that focus on helping students know what classes to take and when to take them.
- Intake and onboarding processes that foster a deep sense of belonging for each student.
- Informed choices focused on helping students choose a pathway and program.
- Holistic support systems designed to help students stay on a pathway to completion. These supports challenge assumptions and long-standing beliefs, practices and policies, and are an adaptive, transformative institution-wide change process taking place at the colleges.
Framework
Currently, the college is focused on five key areas of Guided Pathways and has built a committee framework with one committee focused on each of the following areas:
- College Success Class
- Maps and Annualized Schedules
- Improving Student Onboarding
- Student Interventions
- Math and English Completion
In addition to these five committees, the college has a workgroup made up of the chairs of each committee, the Vice President of Instruction, the Vice President of Student Services, and the Director of Institutional Research.
The workgroup reports annually to the SBCTC regarding the progress of Guided Pathways and the metrics being used to evaluate that progress. You can read the report here.