Academic tests, although designed to serve as a warning to underperforming students, can be a significant obstacle to student success.
About 8 percent of college-aged adults graduate at least once during their time in college, and this rate rises to 9 percent for first-generation students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
A 2022 analysis of academic tests on four-year graduation rates at one university found that placing students on tests based on overall GPA reduced their chances of four-year graduation by 40 percent. A study from California Competes also found that the majority of college dropouts are placed on academic tests.
As national conversations about higher education put pressure on institutions to better support retention and completion, institutional leaders have focused their attention on policies that unintentionally harm student achievement, including academic testing.
Leaders are now recommending changing the language about academic underachievement to improve student experience and provide students with targeted resources to improve their performance rather than leaving them stuck.
Group Thinking
At a #StudentSuccessUS October workshop on supporting students on academic assessments, the event hosted Within Higher Ed again Times Higher Education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, attendees brainstormed a list of alternatives to the word “probation,” including academic redirection, academic reinstatement, academic persistence, academic stability, academic notice and academic reinstatement.
View your language: The word “probation” is often associated with criminal convictions and the legal system, a negative connotation that can affect students’ perceptions of academic notice.
A 2020 study from California State University, Fullerton, surveyed students about academic testing and found 93 percent felt “intimidated” by the words “academic test”; the study also found that this language is of particular concern to Latino and Black students.
A 2017 survey from the College Transition Collaborative asked students about their perception of academic probation and found that they interpreted the process as a punishment, rather than a connection to helpful resources or a way to express concern. The respondents also said that they felt ashamed, disappointed and depressed and said that this incident made them want to leave the school and hide this news from their loved ones.
“Although many schools want students to feel supported and informed after the test, students often feel the opposite,” according to the CTC.
The study pushed Cal State Fullerton to change its policies on academic probation to “academic notice,” reducing exposure to crime and opening up conversations for support and guidance.
A September document from California Competes suggests that higher education institutions in the state use the term “academic notice” instead of academic tests, revise notice books to use strength-based language and provide instruction to improve students’ academic abilities. The organization is also advocating for a national education review team to systematically evaluate policies.
The College Transition Collaborative is a resource for institutions to improve their communication with students about academic transition.
Dealing with consequences: Although changing the language is one step to make educational processes more inclusive and responsive to students’ needs, without proper support, students with academic notice still have a lower chance of completing compared to their peers with similar elementary grades.
A 2022 analysis of one university found that testing based on semester GPA reduced a student’s chances of graduating in four years by nearly two-thirds, compared to peers who had the closest GPA but were not tested.
A California Competes study on student dropouts found that almost every student placed on academic probation received no follow-up from their institution after their initial notification, other than a standard email that lacked guidance or resource links.
The report states: “Many students were unaware of the options and resources available to them, resulting in them making rash decisions that prevented them from getting to college on time or progressing toward a degree.”
Some students lost their financial aid, which again forced them to drop out. “For students who had a high number of college credits, raising their GPA above the 2.0 threshold takes many terms; for those who did not have financial assistance, this came at a great cost,” the researchers wrote.
Colleges and universities can improve their programs not only by restructuring academic notice, but also by providing interventions designed to keep students enrolled.
Consultant support: In 2018, data from Columbus State University in Georgia found that, among students who failed an academic test, less than 2 percent went on to graduate or graduate, said Melissa Young, vice president of student success.
“We decided to move away from that penal code system where students are placed on probation and ultimately expelled, and move toward a support model,” Young said.
Now, Columbus State puts students on “university support status” if their GPA falls below 2.0, and students complete an assessment the staff calls the student achievement inventory. This helps students to see where they may need more support and how the institution can help fill that gap.
“Once they have completed this list, they need to meet with their academic advisor to discuss the inventory, to weed out the findings,” said Young.
From there, the counselor submits a plan to the appropriate office, which may include basic needs support, mental health services or academic assistance, and outlines specific steps for students to take. “They have to finish 50% of that [list] to register for the next semester,” said Young.
Students meet with their advisor again mid-semester to reassess their grades.
“We have seen a large number of students able to continue their recovery because they are supported, compared to students who do not attend. [back] from that,” said Young.
Similarly, York College in Pennsylvania assigns students on academic probation a counselor for a program called Back on Track. The student meets with their advisor five times during the semester, identifying ways to improve their GPA, creating personal goals, creating a success plan and reflecting on the semester.
York College’s Back on Track participants increased their GPAs by one grade point on average that term and one grade point overall, compared to their peer participants, who saw no change from term to term.
To give students credit: One strategy to help improve student standing is to enroll in a credit management course that can positively impact their GPA while giving them the skills to succeed academically.
A 2019 study from Indiana University Bloomington found that students who enrolled in courses required of those on probation were 20 percent more likely to persist and graduate, compared to their disadvantaged peers who did not pass.
Goucher College in Maryland in 2022 is introducing Learning to Learn, a two-credit course that meets weekly with students on probation or academic alert. Course content addresses mindfulness-based learning strategies, high performance skills, self-motivation, self-regulation and lifelong learning topics, among others.
The course has a significant impact on students’ academic standing if they pass or remain enrolled in the course, and more than half receive good academic standing and about one-third progress to more serious violations, such as academic probation to receive an academic warning.
Virginia Tech offers a one-credit course, LAHS 1014: Academic Success Through Personal Investment and Responsibility, which helps students identify their motivations, goals and what success means to them to help them develop and apply college-level skills and utilize campus resources. Students also meet regularly with an advisor and jointly develop an academic success agreement.
Does your college or university help students maintain their financial aid while attending or before? Tell us more.
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