Barton Community College administrators report high levels of student success and satisfaction in courses intended to prepare them for the workforce, including 100% pass rates for many certification tests.

The report was shared Tuesday at the BCC Board of Trustees meeting.

Dr. Kathy Kottas, dean of Workforce Training & Community Education, presented the report on work preparedness. This is an annual report designed to monitor Barton’s effectiveness in this area. Indicators of success are presented as statements such as “Students will have the skills and knowledge required for successful entry into the workplace.”

In the Workforce Training Division and Career and Technical Education, Barton has 778 industry partners, many of whom serve on one of the 19 advisory boards to the college.

“Partnerships ensure that programs stay up to date on their curriculum and that our programs are teaching what our workforce needs to be competitive and successful,” Kottas said. Simulation labs and other equipment provide realistic, cutting-edge training.

“We also look at program assessment internally, to see that programs do what we intend them to do,” Kottas said. Goals and programs are reviewed regularly. Program Learning Outcomes (PLO’s) drive what a student should be able to demonstrate in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities upon completion of the program.

Pass rates

As part of the monitoring report, Kottas reviews the certification pass rates for the previous year. This is the percentage of students who pass a state board or a certification exam on the first attempt.

The 2022-2023 overall pass rate for health-care programs was 86.8%, up from 84% the previous year. Tests were for RN, LPN, CNA, CMA, MLT, EMT, AEMT, Paramedic, Dietary Manager, Pharmacy Technician and Medical Assistant. Eight programs had a pass rate of greater than 80% and three more – LPN, Pharmacy Technician and Medical Assistant – had a 100% pass rate. For LPN students, the pass rate for six out of the last seven years has been 100%. Kottas added that the year that one student failed to pass on the first attempt, the student retook the state test and then passed. 

Trustee Gary Burke recalled the year that state exams were rewritten and fewer than half of the nursing students passed on the first attempt. “That’s a tremendous turnaround in the last seven years,” he said.

Kottas also reported on certification pass rates for tests in trades and technology. Certificates can be earned for Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), Plumbing, Carpentry and Welding at various levels, for a total of 14 possible certifications. In all categories, the first-time pass rates were over 80% and for six certifications the rate was 100%. Kottas said the 2022-2023 overall pass rate for all Trades & Technology certifications was 96.1%, up from 88%.

Barton also seeks feedback from former students and from the businesses that hire them. Overall, employers rated graduates as “Excellent” or “Good” in  six areas, including math computational skills and reasoning, and organizational/time management skills. This was up from 79% the previous year.

Action items

In action items, the board approved a new policy, Fairness In Women’s Sports, as discussed at previous meetings. It states that athletic teams or sports designated for females, women or girls shall not be open to students of the male sex. Should a dispute arise, the college will refer to the original birth or adoption certificate completed at or near the time of birth.

“It all goes back to the birth certificate at the end of the day,” board Chairman Mike Johnson said. Vice President of Student Services Angie Maddy noted that the language of the policy was largely provided to the college and was drafted to comply with recent state legislation.

Trustee Don Learned expressed his approval of the new policy, as he has at previous meetings. “I really like this,” he said.

The board also approved the following personnel (all will work on the Barton County campus unless otherwise noted):

• Dale Mulderrig – instructional specialist- Basic Skills Education Program (BSEP) -Fort Riley Campus

• Kyla Howard – bookstore assistant

• Kylynn Keeler – administrative assistant (President’s Office & Institutional Advancement)

• Paul Rziha – Enterprise Resource Planning support analyst

• Joshua Winkler – executive director of Business, Technology and Workforce Development (contract position)