Student Assessment & Achievement Policy

Student Assessment & Achievement Policy:

AC/C TECH’s “Assessment & Achievement Policy” includes the following areas:

• Adherence to AC/C TECH’s Assessment and Grading Policy
• Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP)

AC/C TECH measures student achievement through direct assessments including quiz scores, lab assignment scores, final examination scores, and OJT (On-Job Training) scores. As indicated in the table, each assessment is weighted equally, and represents 25% of the student’s final score.

In all cases, the benchmark for successful completion involves mastering 70% of the course activities. This benchmark aligns with various external licensure requirements and was adopted throughout AC/C TECH’s curriculum as the minimum standard of achievement. As comparison, maintenance technicians are required to score 70% or higher to earn a license in plumbing, electrical, and HVAC. Additionally, maintenance technicians are required to score 70% or higher to earn EPA Technician Certification as regulated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and score 70% or higher to complete auditor training as administered by the IHCDA (Indiana Housing Community Development Authority). We simply wanted to align our passing standards with industry standards used in the trade, which is why we use a percentage method rather than grades (see performance indicator below):

Performance Indicator
100 - 95%   Superior
  94 - 88%   Good 
  87 - 80%   Average
  79 - 70%   Passing  

Testing Policy:

Quizzes are setup at the end of each training session. A final examination is setup after completion of “all” lessons. Students are allowed to retake quizzes and final examinations to improve scores. Quizzes may be re-taken twice, but final examinations just once. Retake quizzes and examinations are randomly drawn from a large test-bank of questions to assure that students do not get the same set of questions and answers.

Lesson/Lab Policy:

All assignments must be submitted before the course ends. If an assignment is not submitted, the student will be given a zero (0) score for that lesson, unless prior approval was obtained from the instructor. The instructor may assign additional outside work if necessary. Students may redo lab assignments to improve scores.

Student Verification Assignment:

Prior to earning course credits, students are required to complete a mandatory 1-hour verification assignment. Instructors will verify the identity of students to assure that they are indeed the person who completed the online training.

• As part of the admissions process, students are required to upload a photo of themselves, that will be used to create a school ID. As verification, we match the photo uploaded with a valid identification. Acceptable forms of ID include a valid driver’s license, governmental identification card, passport, or military identification. After the final examination, we repeat the process of matching the students face with an official ID, but this point forward we use the student’s official school ID.
• In addition to checking identifications, instructors may verify that the student has developed the skills necessary to complete work assignments expected of a maintenance technician. The student may be required to answer questions related to diagnostic and repair procedures, cleaning equipment, adjusting the system for optimum efficiency, and/or answering routine maintenance questions.

This method of verification allows us to award credit to the proper student. However, this policy does not apply to students who are being monitored and evaluated by their employer.

OJT Assignments:

Every program has an externship linked to its courses; and therefore, students are required to document 15 hours of OJT assignments, which represent 0.33 semester credits per course. The OJT assignment must align with the course lessons, and the OJT documentation must be submitted to AC/C TECH within 6-months, after conclusion of the didactic portion of the IDL lessons. For example, while a student learns about electric furnace maintenance, he/she could assist in repairing or cleaning a furnace. While a student learns about interior building maintenance, he/she could assist in restoring a vacant apartment unit to a market ready condition. This experience is truly meaningful because it represents 15 hours of training/learning experience, and more importantly, it can identify how well students are completing assignments which leads to job placements.

Self-employed students, and those who may not qualify to work at apartment communities, may do OJT assignments at their worksite or another location. Nonetheless, those participating in the OJT process may be evaluated based on the following:

• Work Orders - Students may be evaluated on how effectively they completed the assignments, e.g.: did the student understand and respond to the work order correctly, did the student demonstrate good diagnosing and repair techniques, did the student adjust the equipment for optimum efficiency after making a repair, was the work completed in a timely manner, etc.
• Special Projects - Students may be evaluated on how well a special project was completed.
• Safety Skills - Students may be evaluated on safety procedures, use of tools and testing devices, maintaining a clean and safe work area, protecting the customer and/or their property, etc. *Note: The student will be stopped and receive zero (0) points if he/she makes a Gross Safety Violation. A Gross Safety Violation is anything that the student does or fails to do that significantly jeopardizes his/her safety or the resident’s safety.
• Job Tasks Standards - Students may be evaluated on their technical skills, e.g.: time needed to correctly diagnose and repair the unit, knowledge of the unit's sequence of operation, demonstration of a systematic process for isolating electro-mechanical problems, use of reference materials, the student's process toward diagnosing failures, and proving diagnosis.
• Customer Relation Skills - Students may be evaluated on professionalism, e.g.: how an introduction was made, did the student interact with the customer, was customer satisfaction achieved at the end of the service call, etc.
• Documentation Skills - Students may be evaluated on how thorough, accurate, and legible work-order forms were completed; what was observed and what the customer was told; and documenting the make, model, serial number, part numbers, time in/out, and charges.

Students are informed of their progress on a regular basis. In fact, all transcripts are computerized and updated daily, and a copy is deposited into the student’s private account. Students may be assigned a course designation of “A” for Audit Course, “P” for Passed Course, “F” for Failed Course, “I” for Incomplete, “T” for Transferred, “TO” for Test-Out, “WA” for Withdrew Administratively, “WP” for Withdrew Passing, or “WF” for Withdrew Failing. All “WA’s” are processed due to a non-compliance issue stemming from the student’s behavior, poor attendance, or a request from an employer where the student is assigned to complete OJT.

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Adherence to AC/C TECH’s Assessment and Grading Policy

Our assessment system is computer automated, and therefore, it’s unlikely that students will detect errors or find improper scoring. In fact, instructors are not actively involved in grading quizzes, final examinations, lab assignments, etc… they focus more on helping students understand and achieve the course objectives… such as diagnostic and repair procedures.

Again, our computerized assessment system grades and maintains scores. However, we take a proactive stance to assure compliance of all policies, by providing instructor training, reviewing institutional effectiveness data, and conducting annual performance evaluations.

• INSTRUCTOR TRAINING
  Shortly after gaining employment, and every year thereafter, each instructor is required to attend training related to AC/C TECH’s: [1] Mission and Institutional Goals, [2] Curricula Mapping, [3] Outcomes Assessment Plan, [4] Clock-Credit Hour Evaluation, [5] Curriculum Development Manual, [6] List of Textbooks, [7] Training/Learning Platform, [8] Attendance Policy, [9] Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy, [10] Externship/Internship Policy, [11] OJT Form and Grading Policy, [12] Confidentiality of Student Records, and [13] our 24-Hour Timeline to Answer Student Questions and/or Concerns.
• INSTITUTIONAL EFFECTIVENESS DATA
  AC/C TECH monitors its effectiveness by evaluating student data, employer/sponsor data, certification data, program completion data, and Job placement data. From a broader perspective, our Institutional Effectiveness data provides much more. It creates a roadmap for evaluating our mission, goals, student characteristics, training programs, academics, operations, and financials. AC/C TECH recognizes that identifying key indicators, collecting data, and measuring benchmarks is requisite to validating and verifying the ongoing realization of the mission and our goals. The success of AC/C TECH graduates is directly related to the continuous vigilance, evaluation, revision, and improvement of our educational offerings. The mission can only be achieved through continuous self-evaluation including key indicators that support institutional effectiveness in three main areas of academics, operations, and finances. The data collected provides a comprehensive overview of how effectively the mission is being achieved; and therefore, the data must be accurate and reliable. This is just another reason why the entire staff has a true incentive to adhere to all assessments and grading policies.
• ANNUAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS
  Like other institutions, all faculty members are evaluated annually. Where deficiencies are detected, which may include assessment and grading policies, a corrective action plan will be implemented.

Once more, the combination of providing instructor training, monitoring institutional effectiveness data, and conducting annual performance evaluations will help all faculty members to develop a good understanding of our grading processes and realize the importance of adhering to all policies. So, in short, AC/C TECH is dedicated to its faculty's continued professional growth and takes a proactive stance to assure compliance.

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Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) Policy

AC/C TECH aligns its Satisfactory Academic Progress policy with ACCET’s Document 18. More specifically, students are required to make Satisfactory Academic Progress in their program of study which includes maintaining a cumulative score of 70%, passing 67% of all courses attempted, and earning a technical certificate or degree within 150% of the standard program length.

SAP scores are determined by the total number of courses passed divided by the total number of courses attempted (SAP = # Passed/# Attempted). When determining rates, AC/C TECH includes only the coursework pursued through our institution; for example, we include courses that are designated as passed, failed, and test-out. We do not include courses that are transferred, incomplete, withdrawn, repeated, non-credit remedial coursework, and the like.

As additional information, AC/C TECH utilizes the Carnegie clock-to-credit hour conversion for academic purposes; and therefore, each course represents 45 clock hours or 2 semester credits.

Students are informed of their progress on a regular basis. In fact, all transcripts are updated daily, and a copy is deposited into the student’s private account. This frequent notification serves as early warning to prevent their SAP status from becoming problematic. If the SAP score drops below 80% the student is issued a warning. The warning notification includes:

1. the length of time, but not exceeding the duration of the program currently enrolled.
2. the terms or conditions.
3. the SAP status during the warning period.
4. the consequences for failure to meet the terms of the warning.

The warnings will continue after each course until the score improves above 80%. These early and ongoing notifications will increase the student’s likelihood of achieving SAP standards. Also, after re-establishing 80%, all previous notifications will be expunged.

When a SAP score drops below 67%, the student is removed from the program. It’s important to realize that AC/C TECH strives to maintain an ethical spirit in which it operates, particularly when it involves applying disciplinary measures.

The following are consequences of course failures:

• Should a student fail a course, he/she may retake the course at no additional charge.
• Should a student fail the same course twice, he/she will be placed on academic probation.
• Should a student fail any two courses, within a 9-month period, he/she will be placed on academic probation.
• Should a student fail the same course three consecutive times, he/she will be suspended from the program for a period of not less than one year.
• Should a student fail any three courses, within a 12-month period, he/she will be suspended from the program for a period of not less than one year.
• If desired, students may appeal a suspension/removal by following the procedures outlined in our Complaint/Grievance Policy. To obtain a successful appeal, the student must develop an “Academic Plan” that ensures compliance of our satisfactory academic progress standards. Also, the plan must include corrective actions throughout the existing program, as well as corrective actions that will apply to future enrollments.
• Should a student fail to comply with an “Academic Plan”, after obtaining a successful appeal, he/she will be removed permanently.

Like other institutions, students can be removed for non-academic reasons. Non-Academic Suspensions can stem from non-compliance, behavior problems, poor attendance, plagiarism, drug or theft related problems, and the like. At the time of enrollment, students are required to review AC/C TECH’s Student Code of Conduct Policy. A violation of any policy will result in disciplinary action that could range from counseling to suspension depending on the severity of the offense, the number of offenses involved, whether this is the first violation of the honor code, and the impact of the offense(s) on the rest of the AC/C TECH community.

When an incident occurs, AC/C TECH will document the situation and warn the student that if it reoccurs, he/she will be suspended. The duration of the suspension and evaluation of the offense will be at the discretion of the president with input stemming from the administrative team and instructors on a case-by-case basis. After getting suspended, reinstatement is not automatic; the student must apply in writing and his/her documentation shall include a plan to correct all deficiencies. The plan must include the student’s ability to attain a 67% SAP score by graduation, and timeline in which the program will be completed. The maximum time frame cannot exceed 150% of the published length of the program, e.g.: our five-course HVAC program must be completed within 7½ months, our two-course plumbing maintenance program must be completed within 3 months, our three-course electrical wiring maintenance program must be completed within 4½ months, etc… excluding the summer months when training is not scheduled. The President of AC/C TECH will establish a committee to review the student’s plan. If the plan is considered genuine, the committee will make a recommendation for reinstatement. The President will review all recommendations and make a final ruling.

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