Student Equity

What is Student Equity?

Student equity is designed to ensure equal educational opportunities and to promote student success for all students, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, or economic circumstance. At Porterville College, we strive to identify and provide services/resources to address gaps in student achievement and foster academic excellence.

Porterville College follows specific guidelines from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) to extract and evaluate data in order to make informed decisions on the implementation of programs and services. This research and evaluation are used by the Pathways to Success and Equity Committee (PSEC) to collaborate and develop a Student Equity Plan.

The Porterville College Student Equity Plan was written in response to a policy enacted by the California State legislature to provide educational equity through "environments in which each person...has a reasonable chance to fully develop his or her potential" (Education Code §66010.2c).

Target Student Equity Populations

Based on campus-based research, the following subgroups are the college's primary equity target populations:

• African American/Black Students
• LGBT Students
• American Indian Students
• Students with Disabilities
• White Students
• Foster Youth Students

The subgroups mentioned above are disproportionately impacted by several metrics at Porterville College.  In addition, Veterans and Asian students are disproportionately impacted within some indicators as well.  Targeted support within the equity plan is prioritized by focusing on the students who are underperforming in most areas and are historically underrepresented.  The college acknowledges that there are groups such as LGBT and homeless students that may be disproportionately impacted but extensive research has not been conducted.

Data provided by the Office of Institutional Research revealed that specific groups are not achieving in some areas.  Intervention strategies and support to achieve equitable outcomes are needed for these student populations.  The Office of Institutional Research provided disaggregated data as it relates to the following metrics:

• Access: Successful Enrollment
• Retention: Fall to Spring
• Transfer to a Four Year Institution
• Completion of Transfer Level Math and English
• Earned Credit Certificate Over 18 Unit or Associate Degree