Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Postsecondary Student Use of the Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students (FACTS) Is Low

Report 08-25, April 2008

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Report Summary

The Florida Academic Counseling and Tracking for Students (FACTS) provides a variety of tools to support academic planning and articulation for middle school, high school, and postsecondary students. Many of these tools provide individualized advising based on students' unique academic records and transcripts.

Most of the FACTS' tools created to assist postsecondary students are not widely used. Specifically,

  • Our review of approximately 140,000 community college students enrolled in 2006‑07 found that only 11% had used any of the FACTS' personalized advising and articulation assistance tools, and less than 2% had used tools intended to support articulation; and
  • FACTS' administrative tools such as admissions applications and transient student forms are more widely used but institutions have not fully automated these forms.

Postsecondary institutions report that their students tend to use internal systems rather than FACTS for advising purposes, including assessing progress toward meeting degree requirements and viewing transcripts.

Related Reports
  1. Steps Taken to Improve FACTS; Better Information on Postsecondary Student Use Is Still Needed
    Report 10-48 July 2010
  2. University Implementation and State Oversight of Common Program Prerequisites Has Improved
    Report 10-43 May 2010
  3. Education Data Warehouse Serves Important Function; Project Planning and Management Need Strengthening
    Report 09-31 July 2009
  4. Inconsistent Implementation of Common Prerequisites Creates Barriers to Effective 2+2 Articulation
    Report 08-11 March 2008
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
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