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Data Collection and Analysis In South Carolina |
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The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education is responsible for collecting the performance funding data and managing student and institutional data for all of the state’s public institutions. This information is offered as an example of how to collect and manage large amounts of institutional data as well as unit record data for students.
Performance Funding in South CarolinaOverview Act 359 of 1996, commonly referred to as the "Performance Funding Legislation," dramatically changed the responsibilities of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education (CHE) regarding how public institutions of higher education are funded. The legislation required that the CHE allocate state appropriations to South Carolina’s public institutions of higher education based on their performance in nine areas or "critical success factors." The General Assembly identified several performance indicators that could be used, if applicable to a particular type of institution, in assessing institutions’ successes in achieving performance in each of the areas. In all, 37 performance indicators spread across the nine critical success factors are specified. The CHE was assigned the responsibility of developing and implementing a system for funding based on institutional performance and for defining how each of the specified indicators would be measured. Details of Act 359 of 1996 “Performance Funding” (Effective July 1996) This act:
For more information, visit the South
Carolina Commission on Higher Education web site.
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| Critical Success Factor | Performance Indicator |
| 1. Mission Focus | (a) Expenditure of funds to achieve institutional
mission (b) Curricula offered to achieve mission (c) Approval of mission statement (d) Adoption of a strategic plan to support the mission statement (e) Attainment of goals of the strategic plan |
| 2. Quality of Faculty |
(a) Academic and other credentials of professors
and instructors |
| 3. Classroom Quality | (a) Class sizes and student/teacher
ratios (b) Number of credit hours taught by faculty (c) Ratio of full-time faculty as compared to other full-time employees (d) Accreditation of degree-granting programs (e) Institutional emphasis on quality teacher education and reform |
| 4. Institutional Cooperation and Collaboration | (a) Sharing and
use of technology, programs, equipment, supplies, and source matter
experts within the institution, with other institutions, and with
the business community (b) Cooperation and collaboration with the private industry |
| 5. Administrative Efficiency | (a) Percentage of
administrative cost as compared to academic costs (b) Use of best management practices (c) Elimination of unjustified duplication of and waste in administrative and academic programs (d) Amount of general overhead costs |
| 6. Entrance Requirements | (a) SAT and
ACT scores of student body (b) High school class standing, grade point averages and activities of student body (c) Postsecondary non-academic achievements of student body (d) Priority on enrolling in-state residents |
| 7. Graduates’ Achievements | (a) Graduation rate (b) Employment rate for graduates (c) Employer feedback on graduates who are employed or not employed (d) Scores of graduates on post-undergraduate professional, graduate, or employment-related examinations and certification tests (e) Number of graduates who continue their education (f) Credit hours earned of graduates |
| 8. User-Friendliness of the Institution | (a) Transferability of credit to and
from the institution (b) Continuing education programs for graduates and others (c) Accessibility to the institutions of all citizens of the State |
| 9. Research Funding | (a) Financial
support for the reform in teacher education (b) Amount of public and private sector grants |
A score of 1, 2, or 3 is assigned to each measure for indicators depending on the institution’s level of actual performance in comparison to approved standards. An additional 0.5 may be earned on select indicators based on improvement.
1 “Does Not Achieve Standard” indicating fell below targeted performance level or in non-compliance
2 “Achieves Standard” indicating within acceptable range of targeted level
3 “Exceeds Standard” indicating exceeded targeted level
+0.5 “With Improvement” indicating improvement expectations over past performance were met or exceeded as defined on select indicators. Institutions scoring 1 or 2 are eligible.
This is provided to guide institutions in their submission of data to the CHE.
Process information
History
and Background
Outline of current
system used
Calendar
Data Collection
and Verification
Performance
Improvement Funding
A Guide to Measurement
General
Information (e.g., definitions of common terms used)
Guide
to format of indicator by indicator display
Definitions
and measurement information for all indicators by critical success factor
The Funding Workbook is available online here.
SOURCE: South Carolina Commission
on Higher Education
Overview
The Commission on Higher Education Management Information System (CHEMIS) was developed with the assistance of CHE staff, institutional representatives, peer higher education personnel, and outside consultants. The CHEMIS currently provides for the public institutions to report Student, Course, and Facilities data to the Commission electronically.
Details
In response to the changing needs, the Commission designed, developed, and implemented a new computerized data collection system. The CHEMIS was fully implemented beginning the Fall of 1993 for all public institutions in South Carolina. The private institutions have shown interest in the CHEMIS project and are considering participation.
The Student component of the CHEMIS provides for the reporting of enrollment and completions data to the Commission. By reporting these data electronically, the Commission is able to handle more ad hoc data inquiries internally without having to request additional information from individual institutions.
One key element of the Student component of the CHEMIS is the ability to track individual students across multiple institutions within the state. With the inclusion of public and private institutions reporting student data to the CHEMIS, the State of South Carolina increases its ability to track the progress of postsecondary students within the state.
The Course component of the CHEMIS provides for the reporting of credit hour by discipline, local and off-campus teaching locations, and scheduling data to the Commission. The credit hour by discipline data is used in calculating a higher education appropriation formula.
The Facilities component of the CHEMIS provides for the reporting of building and room characteristics data to the Commission. With scheduling data from the Course component, the Facilities component provides utilization of instructional space information. This information assists the Commission in making decisions concerning existing and new facilities.
The Advisory Committee on Information Resources (ACIR), comprised of CHE staff and institutional representatives, assists with the continual development and maintenance of the CHEMIS. The ACIR meets quarterly at the Commission to discuss issues relative to CHEMIS.
Access the South Carolina CHEMIS web site to get information about:
On this page
The Commission on Higher Education Management Information System
