Fourth Annual Review of the Master Plan for Postsecondary Education in Louisiana: 2011
Author: Louisiana Board of Regents
Date: 2015-08-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Public Education,Higher Education,Educational Objectives,Educational Attainment,Innovation,Scientific Research,Accountability,Efficiency,Educational Finance,State Legislation,Educational Legislation,Education Work Relationship,Educational Cooperation,Elementary Secondary Education,College Readiness,Career Readiness,High School Graduates,Adult Education,College Attendance,College Transfer Students,Labor Force Development,Interdisciplinary Approach,Commercialization,Economic Development,Data Collection,Funding Formulas,Information Sources,College Programs,Enrollment,Two Year Colleges,Outcomes of Education,Student Improvement

In 2011, the Louisiana Board of Regents (BoR), through the development and implementation of the Master Plan, advanced its vision for the future of postsecondary education by adopting the following three broad goals: (1) Increase the educational attainment of the State's adult population to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) States' average by 2025; (2) Foster innovation through research in science and technology in Louisiana; and (3) Achieve greater efficiency and accountability in the postsecondary education system. The Plan outlines 17 objectives, over 70 activities, and more than 85 performance measures to achieve these goals. Through these goals, related activities and the measurable performance metrics, the Plan assures that its implementation will be monitored, evaluated, and reported throughout its duration. This is the fourth annual evaluation of the 2011 Master Plan. Subsequent annual evaluations will be forthcoming through 2025, culminating in a long-term analysis of the fifteen year implementation of the Plan. This review reports the following progress made towards the Master Plan's goals: (1) Progress toward Goal 1 is evident in the increased preparation of high school graduates, the increasing number of students who are participating in the Louisiana Transfer degree program, and increasing graduation rates at public postsecondary institutions. However, there are still measures that have shown little to no progress; (2) Goal 2 metrics have remained relatively stable, with several research metrics, particularly those related to campus research expenditures, showing significant growth over baseline reporting; and (3) Progress towards Goal 3 has occurred through the continued implementation and refinement of the performance-based funding formula, participation in Complete College American (CCA) reporting, the implementation of an annual academic program review process, and the continued assessment of the BoR co-requisite pilot program. In addition, during the last four years of Master Plan reporting, most institutions met their targeted GRAD Act goals, and were subsequently awarded increased tuition authority and retained their performance funding. The report ends with a summary and analysis of progress during the fourth year of implementation of the 2011 Master Plan's goals. [For the Third Annual Review, see ED562002. For the &quot;Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education in Louisiana: 2011. Revised,&quot; see ED572286.]