Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College's QEP Earns National Recognition

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College's Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), titled "Writing: Where Your Voice Begins," has been honored with the 2025 Program of Promise Award by the National Organization for Student Success (NOSS). This prestigious award recognizes programs that employ effective strategies to foster student success and development, setting a standard for others in higher education.

The QEP aims to support new students, particularly those with high school GPAs between 2.0 and 2.9, who are placed into a developmental Integrated Reading and Writing (IRW) course. These students take the IRW course alongside the gateway English course, Writing I, in a block schedule format. This setup is part of a modified Accelerated Learning Program framework designed to accelerate students through developmental education while offering structured support.

Key components of the initiative include the pairing of IRW 100 with ENG 101 and the inclusion of a First Year Experience course, with students limited to nine credit hours. An embedded tutor attends classes, conducts workshops, and provides individualized support to promote academic success, persistence, and noncognitive skills. By lowering the GPA cutoff for college readiness, the program gives students an opportunity to advance through English courses more quickly while receiving crucial support for success.

Dean Stephanie Tolliver Hyman, who serves as the QEP Coordinator, announced that the program's first year saw a significant improvement, with student success rates increasing by 11.8% and student retention rising by 1.6% in ENG 101.

The QEP will be formally recognized at the 2025 NOSS Conference in New Orleans this February.