In the Spirit of PVCC's mission to fully serve our students, we are beginning a system to support faculty in increasing retention in their classes through an Early Alert Program.

Program coordinator Diane Chapman will work closely with faculty to supply timely feedback on a student's academic behavior and achievement. This would include but is not limited to absenteeism, difficulty with assignments, behavior changes, etc.(for a more comprehensive list, please reference the Early Alert Behavior Checklist and Contract).

The Early Alert System will assist faculty in identifying risk factors and guide strategies that support student and classroom success. PVCC faculty and professional staff (i.e., counselors, advisors, tutors, etc.) provide support through:

* Problem solving
* Student support services
* Positive academic encouragement leading to an increased level of student confidence

The Early Alert Service coordinator and faculty can use the PVCC Early Alert Behavior Checklist and Contract as a communication device to coordinate support and services for a student from the start.

The more timely the referral and more complete the amount of background information, the greater the opportunity to help a student avoid a negative outcome. The college's efforts in making personal student contacts support national (best practices) efforts for improving student engagement through interactive institutional methods.