State University of New York: Early Progress. Learning from the Reform

This report documents the results to date of reforms underway from the State University of New York (SUNY) Strong Start to Finish, one of the six systems that make up the first phase of the Strong Start to Finish initiative, an initiative of Education Commission of the States. SUNY is using its Strong Start to Finish resources to support implementation and scale of corequisite gateway math courses, alternative multiple measures placement processes, and significant investment in change leadership strategies for faculty and staff to sustain this work over time. Under the SUNY Strong Start to Finish framework, these reform strategies are becoming more integrated, with the goal of maximizing their impact at scale. All 30 SUNY community colleges are participating in the project, as well as eight technology and comprehensive colleges. Together these 38 institutions enroll more than 236,000 students and serve substantial percentages of underserved students--42% low-income, 28% students of color, and 25% returning adults. This report describes the context of reform within the state, the current status of project activities, and some early insights coming out of the work.