Exploring the Occurrence, Frequency, and Consequences of Lateral Transfer

Summary

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Lateral transfer (between community colleges) is second only to upward transfer (to a 4-year institution) among community college students' most common patterns of transfer. Yet, upward transfer is the focus of innumerable studies, while lateral transfer has received very little empirical attention. This study explores the occurrence and frequency of lateral transfer in California and its consequences for the measurement of one particular outcome, namely, completion of a credential. The results indicate that students transfer laterally quite frequently, leading to substantial undercounts in rates of credential completion when measured from the standpoint of a single community college or single district. Furthermore, the frequency of lateral transfer varies systematically with a number of student characteristics of recurrent interest in the literature, leading to exaggerated differences in the likelihood of credential completion between some groups of students and inaccurately attenuated differences between other groups, when measured under the single-college and singledistrict analytical frameworks.

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Exploring the Occurrence, Frequency, and Consequences of Lateral Transfer

Lateral transfer between community colleges (also known as horizontal or parallel transfer) is second only to upward transfer to 4-year institutions among community college students' most common patterns of transfer (Peter & Cataldi, 2005; Yang, Brown, & Brown, 2008). Yet, upward transfer is the focus of innumerable published studies (e.g., Armstrong, 1993; Bahr, 2008a, 2008b; Bahr, Horn, & Perry, 2005; Fredrickson, 1998; Ishitani, 2008; Kisker, 2007; McMillan & Parke, 1994; Prager, 1993; Roksa & Calcagno, 2008; Wassmer, Moore, & Shulock, 2004), while lateral transfer has received very little empirical attention. This comparative lack of attention is somewhat surprising in light of the strong and growing interest in outcomes-based accountability with respect to the performance of community colleges (Bahr, Horn, & Perry, 2004; Bailey, Calcagno, Jenkins, Leinbach, & Kienzl, 2006; Bailey & Morest, 2006a; Dellow & Romano, 2002; Dougherty & Hong, 2006; Dowd & Tong, 2007) and in light of the logical expectation that lateral transfer may contribute to underestimation of student achievement when student progress is tracked only within individual institutions or districts (Bailey, Jenkins, & Leinbach, 2005; Goldberger, 2007).

In this study, I explore the occurrence and frequency of lateral transfer and examine the consequences of lateral transfer for the measurement of one student outcome of particular concern in the ongoing debate about accountability -the completion of a credential (i.e., earning a certificate or associate's degree). I employ data from 6 years of enrollment records for the entire cohort of fall 1995 first-time students who enrolled in any of the 106 semester-system community colleges in California. I find that community college students transfer laterally quite frequently, leading to a substantial negative bias in rates of credential completion when measured from the standpoint of a single community college or a single district. Additionally, the frequency of lateral transfer varies systematically with a number of variables of recurrent interest to researchers, policy makers, and other stakeholders. This systematic variation contributes to exaggerated differences in the likelihood of credential completion between some groups of students and inaccurately attenuated differences between other groups. I conclude with a discussion of implications for educational policy and fut...

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