Strategic Plan Scorecard

The District KPIs are aligned with expectations from the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and are mapped to Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) accreditation standards. Where applicable, SBCTC state averages are used as benchmark targets to guide performance improvement.

District KPIs use the 2023–24 academic year as the baseline for most metrics. For KPIs derived from survey responses, the 2024–25 academic year will serve as the baseline. Together, these indicators provide a comprehensive framework for tracking institutional progress across the Strategic Plan’s four core goals:

• Culturally and Socially Responsive Teaching and Learning: Focused on ensuring that curriculum, pedagogy, and learning environments reflect and support the diverse identities, experiences, and needs of students.
• Holistic and Inclusive Student Experience: Aims to create equitable access to resources, support services, and opportunities that foster student success and well-being throughout their educational journey.
• Empowering Employee Experience: Dedicated to cultivating a workplace culture that values professional growth, equity, collaboration, and employee well-being.
• Effective and Sustainable Organizational Structures and Practices: Seeks to strengthen institutional effectiveness through transparent decision-making, fiscal responsibility, and sustainable operations that support long-term success. 

The following list includes all the KPIs aligned with a strategic goal, strategy, and accreditation standard, baseline, and targets:

1. Retention Rate
   • Fall to Winter
   • Fall to Fall
2. Completion Rate
3. Transfer Rate
4. Post College Completion/Placement Rate
5. Ally Accessibility score
6. Anti-Bias, Anti-Racist (ABAR) Professional Development
7. Course Success Rate
8. Applicant to Enrollment Conversion Rate
9. FAFSA/WAFSA Completion
10. Student Pathway Declaration
11. Student Support Services Utilization
12. Student Satisfaction
13. Sense of Belonging
    • Students
    • Employees
14. Employee Safety
15. Employee Retention
16. Supervisor Training Participation
17. Employee Onboarding
18. STARS Sustainability Rating
19. Local Funds Operating Margin
20. Reserves Ratio
21. Grants and Partnerships Funding Attainment
22. Policies and Procedures Review
23. Communication and Decision Making 

To ensure clarity, consistency, and alignment with institutional priorities, the following planning assumptions guide the development and implementation of the District KPIs for the 2024–2034 Strategic Plan:

• Baseline Year: The 2023–24 academic year will serve as the baseline for most metrics. For KPIs derived from survey data, the baseline year will be 2024–25.
• Target Goals: Target performance levels will aim to meet or exceed the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) institutional state averages. In cases where SBCTC benchmarks are unavailable, Seattle Colleges will establish internal targets based on baseline performance and strategic priorities.
• Continuous Improvement: Progress for each KPI will be tracked annually, with expectations for year-over-year improvement until the target goal is achieved or surpassed.  
• Strategic and Accreditation Alignment: Each KPI is intentionally aligned with one or more Strategic Plan goals and strategies, as well as relevant NWCCU accreditation standards, ensuring that performance measurement supports both institutional mission and compliance.
• Data Sources: KPI data will be collected from various sources, including institutional databases, student and employee surveys, operational audits, and external certifications.
• Performance Dashboard: A dynamic dashboard will be developed and updated annually to monitor progress across all KPIs. This dashboard will provide visibility at both the college and district levels, supporting data-informed decision-making and accountability. 

Fall to Winter Retention Rate: rate of fall start, first-time entering students who enrolled or completed the following winter quarter of entry cohort year.  

Fall to Fall Retention Rate: rate of fall start, first-time entering students who enrolled or completed the following fall quarter of entry cohort year. 

Completion Rate: rate of first-time students who completed a college-level program by the end of their fourth year of entry.  

Transfer Rate: rate of first-time students who transferred to a four-year college or university within the first four years of entry.  

Post College Employment/Placement Rate: rate of first-time students who had any earnings data available by four years after entering. Data is derived using unemployment insurance (UI) records maintained by the Employment Security Department (ESD). 

Ally Accessibility Score: external accessibility audit tool that creates a score based on WCAG 2.1 AA (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards for Canvas content and files.  

Anti-bias, Anti-racist (ABAR) Professional Development: annual employee survey item response:  

• I participated in professional development activities (refer to examples above) that have promoted multicultural understanding/competency, equity, diversity, or inclusion. 

Course Success Rate: rate of enrolled students who pass a course with a 2.0 or higher grade.  

Applicant to Enrollment Conversion Rate: rate of admitted students who enrolled within one year of application.  

FAFSA/WAFSA Completion: rate of enrolled students who completed their FAFSA/WAFSA applications.  

Student Pathway Declaration: rate of first-time students who have declared a pathway during their first quarter of attendance.

Student Support Services Utilization: rate of first-time students accessing student services departments documented or tracked in Starfish. 

Student Satisfaction: annual student survey item response:  

• “What is your overall satisfaction with your experience at *your college*?” 

Sense of Belonging - Students: annual student survey items responses:  

• I believe that an instructor or staff member at SCD cares about me.
• I feel "at home" on campus.
• I have found a community or group on campus where I feel I belong.
• I have found it easy to establish relationships at SCD.
• My cultural customs are accepted on campus.
• SCD values individual differences. 

Sense of Belonging - Employees: annual employee survey items responses:

• I feel comfortable being myself at work.
• I feel like part of the community.
• I feel our leadership supports a culture of belonging.
• I feel valued and respected by my colleagues. 

Employee Safety: annual employee survey items responses:

• I feel safe physically.
• I feel safe psychologically 

Employee Retention: rate of hired employees who were retained for two years. 

Supervisor Training Participation: number of participants that attend Human Resources facilitated training and/or workshops that support current and aspiring supervisors.  

Employee Onboarding: annual employee survey item response. Baseline for this KPI is 2025-26, as survey items are in development.  

STARS Sustainability Rating: The Sustainably Tracking Assessment & Rating System™ (STARS) is a transparent, self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance. This measure is updated every 3 years and is in process.

Local Funds Operating Margin: Operating margin is defined as the amount of revenue that exceeds expenditures. This measure compares all revenues for local operating funds (145, 146, 148, 149, 4xx (except 444 & 489) & 5xx (except 561) against operating expenditures for the same funds. Capital expenditure and operating transfers are excluded.  

Reserves Ratio: Total reserves or operating cash and investments balances in operating funds per total operating expenses for the same funds. This ratio is a way to examine the adequacy of reserves to meet ongoing operating expenses. 

Grants and Partnerships Funding Attainment: Total revenue that is generated from grant and external partnerships awards and activities.  

Policies and Procedures Review: confirmation that policies and procedures have been reviewed for the academic year.  

Communication and Decision Making: annual employee survey items responses:  

• Timeliness: Information is provided within a reasonable timeframe after a decision is made.
• Understandability: The rationale and implications for the decision are presented in a clear and easily comprehensible manner.
• Accessibility: The information about the decision is easy to locate and access. 

The Seattle Colleges District Scorecard is collaboratively compiled and maintained by the District Office of Student Enrollment and Effectiveness, in partnership with each College’s Institutional Effectiveness and Accreditation Lead. 

The Seattle Colleges Board of Trustees approved the Strategic Plan Scorecard at its December 11, 2025 meeting.