MHEC News July 2024

In the past couple of weeks I’ve had a chance to connect with higher education and legislative leaders from across the country who reflect MHEC’s key stakeholder groups. In Washington D.C., at the SHEEO annual meeting we spent time hearing about the latest demographic trends, challenges, and opportunities facing higher education from infrastructure to student success, FAFSA implementation to prison education. Spending time with colleagues and having a rare opportunity away from the office to learn and reflect is something I look forward to every summer. This week I will travel to Columbus, Ohio, where I will have the opportunity to present at the Council of State Governments Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC). We have a close relationship with MLC and this meeting continues to be a valuable opportunity to connect with midwestern legislative leaders about pressing issues, ideas, and solutions for our region. I will share demographic and other key data in particular on the alignment of workforce preparation with higher education, which is vital for the economic growth and vitality of the Midwest.

As you’ll see in this newsletter we have a terrific new course marking report to share for improving the consistency and reliability of course marking in college registration materials. Course marking should help students make more informed decisions when selecting classes by better understanding the costs and nature of their course materials. MHEC is grateful to our sister compacts, who have collaborated with us extensively on this initiative. Additional highlights include:

See below for other highlights from this month:
•    Policy & Research: New Course Marking Report; ACT/Test-Taking Rates
•    Convenings: Concurrent Enrollment Series, Course Marking
•    Contracts: Parchment and Presidio extensions
•    Programs: M-SARA Annual Meeting
•    Commissioner News: Indiana commissioner
•    Team Updates: Welcome new staff

I hope that you’re having a restful and fun summer as we face unprecedented times. I am happy to share that I have filled out my eighth and last FAFSA and that both of my kids are gainfully employed!

We always welcome your feedback and suggestions about how we can best meet the needs of our region.

Susan G. Heegaard
MHEC President
       

Policy & Research

 

A Course Marking Roadmap
The report A Course Marking Roadmap outlines a set of recommendations for the development and implementation of open and affordable course marking based on conversations with a nationally representative group of institutional, system, and state experts in course marking. Five steps critical to the development of a course marking process are outlined and detailed, along with takeaways designed to help those interested in developing and implementing course marking.
 
ACT/SAT Test-Taking Rates Vary Across the Midwest

The latest update to MHEC's Interactive Dashboard shows that ACT/SAT test-taking rates among recent high school graduates varied significantly across the Midwest in 2023, though more than half of recent high school graduates took the ACT or SAT in most Midwestern states. High school students predominantly take the ACT in most Midwestern states, whereas the SAT is more widely used in Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. ACT/SAT test-taking rates, combined with benchmark scores, can be used to help assess the academic preparedness of high school graduates for college-level coursework.

States with relatively high test-taking rates typically have policies that facilitate or require test taking. For example, in 2022-23, Kansas and Missouri required school districts to offer the ACT to all high school juniors, while Minnesota required school districts to offer either the ACT or SAT. Other states required high school students to take the ACT (Nebraska and Wisconsin), the SAT (Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan), or either the ACT or SAT (Ohio). In North Dakota, the majority of school districts required high school students to take the ACT for state accountability purposes. In addition, six states (Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin) offer all public high school students the opportunity to take one ACT/SAT test free of charge.
    
ACT test-taking rates are measured as the percentage of 2023 public and private high school graduates who took the ACT as sophomores, juniors, or seniors. SAT test-taking rates are measured as the percentage of 2023 public and private high school graduates who took the SAT at any time during high school.

Selected preparation indicators are also available for MHEC states in the report Higher Education in Focus.
 

Source. ACT. The Condition of College & Career Readiness. College Board. SAT Suite of Assessments Annual Report. WICHE. Knocking at the College Door.

 

Convenings

Concurrent Enrollment Webinar Series
July 23, 31, and August 20
     

How States and Systems Can Support Practitioner Efforts to Strengthen Dual Enrollment

Explore how states in the MHEC region are implementing the recommendations from the January 2024 Community College Research Center (CCRC) and College in High School Alliance report, “How States and Systems Can Support Practitioner Efforts to Strengthen Dual Enrollment." This five-part webinar series showcases practical examples of states operationalizing the report's three key recommendations: expanding access to dual/concurrent enrollment, strengthening dual/concurrent enrollment pathways, and building and sustaining access, quality, and success through robust partnerships. Please register to attend and learn how states and systems in the MHEC region are translating these recommendations into effective practices to enhance dual enrollment. Any questions may be addressed to Dr. Jenny Parks, vice president.

Learn more about each webinar:

• July 23: Indiana's Blueprint for Strengthening Dual and Concurrent Enrollment Pathways
• July 31: Everyone is Responsible for Program Quality, so Who’s Accountable? A Look at State Approaches to Quality Assurance Nationally and in the MHEC Region.
• August 20: Supporting Dual and Concurrent Enrollment on College Completion and Equity: Perspectives from Minnesota and Complete College America

Review the recordings from the first two webinars in the series:

• June 27: How States and Systems Can Support Practitioner Efforts to Strengthen Dual Enrollment: Insights from Wisconsin and Minnesota
• July 11: Expanding Access to Dual and Concurrent Enrollment: Ohio's Innovative Mode

Resources Available from Past MHEC Events

A Course Marking Roadmap: Recommendations to guide the development and implementation of open and affordable course marking for the benefit of students, faculty, and institutions This event introduced recommendations for developing and implementing open and affordable course marking, created with input from a nationally representative group of experts. The webinar covered five critical steps in the course marking process and offered key takeaways to aid institutions, systems, and states interested in adopting these practices.

 

Contracts

MHEC Parchment Extension and Assignment Update

MHEC is pleased to announce that it has exercised the four-year renewal option for the Parchment contract (MHEC-01312021), extending the term through June 30, 2028. This extension ensures continued access to Parchment’s e-Transcripts and related supportive services. Additionally, Parchment has been acquired by Instructure, Inc. The agreement has been formally assigned to Instructure, while Parchment continues to operate under its current branding until the organizational merger is complete. Visit the Parchment contract page for further details. For more information or any questions, please contact Nathan Sorensen, MHEC director of government contracts, with questions.

Presidio Master Agreement Extended through July 2028

The contract with Presidio Networked Solutions Group, LLC (Contract #MHEC-08012021) has been extended until July 31, 2028. This agreement, which was competitively bid, is available to higher education institutions (public and private not-for-profit) within the MHEC region and its sister compacts. Presidio offers a range of services including initial assessments, strategic consulting, implementation and deployment, managed services, and flexible financial options. Manufacturer discounts are available for Audio Codes, Avigilon, AWS, Azure, Cisco, Citrix, NetApp, Nutanix, Palo Alto, Pure Storage, RedHat, Rubrik, Splunk, Veeam, and VMware. Cloud services include SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS from AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. For more information or any questions, please contact Nathan Sorensen, MHEC director of government contracts, with questions.

 

Programs

M-SARA Annual Meeting Addresses Potential U.S. Department of Education Regulations and Their Impact on SARA

The Midwestern-State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (M-SARA) Regional Steering Committee (RSC), state portal entity staff, and guests met June 24-26 in Chicago. A significant highlight of the meeting was a presentation on the U.S. Department of Education’s potential regulations and their impact on SARA, held during the joint RSC and state portal entity meeting. SARA helps expand students’ access to educational opportunities and ensures more efficient, consistent, and effective regulation of distance education programs. States that received NC-SARA State and Territory Grants reported on their progress and use of the funds. Additional sessions covered professional licensure from the Higher Education Licensure Pros and an update from the Higher Learning Commission.

Commissioner Appointments     

Indiana
Bob Behning
State Representative; Member, Budget Committee
Missouri General Assembly
Term: 7/1/2024 to 6/30/2026
   

Team Updates

Connect with MHEC Staff at Upcoming Conferences

Deb Kidwell, director of technology initiatives, is attending the National Association of College and University Business Officers 2024 Annual Meeting on July 20-23, in Chicago. Nathan Sorensen, director of government contracts, is attending the National Contract Management Association World Congress on July 21-24, in Seattle. Samra Asghedom, strategic and executive initiatives manager, is attending the Jobs for the Future Horizons Summit on July 22-23, in Washington, D.C. Susan Heegaard, president, will present at the 78th Annual Midwestern Legislative Conference during the business session on July 24, in Columbus, Ohio. President Heegaard also recently attended the 69th State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Association Annual Meeting. Dr. Aaron Horn, associate vice president of research, will attend the Data-Intensive Research Conference on July 31-August 1, in Minneapolis. Dr. Jenny Parks, vice president, Sara Appel, director of M-SARA, Jonathan McNicholes, stakeholder engagement and convening assistant manager, Dr. Shaun Wyche, associate director of research and data analysis, Zola Davis, compact intern, Dr. Horn, and Ms. Asghedom will attend the SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference on August 5-8, in Washington, D.C. Ms. Heegaard, and Breanne Hegg, vice president, will attend the Vermont Captive Insurance Association Annual Conference, on August 12-14.

 

Welcome Sophia Mancino

Sophie Mancino, office and convening coordinator, joined the Compact on July 10.

 

Good Luck Beth Ellie

MHEC sends well wishes to Dr. Beth Ellie, former associate director of policy initiatives, on her next endeavor. Her last day with MHEC was on July 1.

 

Articles and Resources of Interest

Supreme Court Decision Weakens Education Department
Inside Higher Ed | July 2, 2024

Lessons from The Wellness Blueprint Convening: Cultivating Foundations for Statewide Student Mental Health Policy
SHEEO/JED Foundation | July 2024

Transcript Withholding and Partial Transcript Holds
American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers | June 2024

Colleges are now closing at a pace of one a week. What happens to the students?
The Hechinger Report | April 26, 2024