THECB: recruitment survey shows more programs and outreach but CBM reporting misses many participants

Dr. Eliana Dela Cruz of the THECB data team presented results from the most recent IDD program recruitment survey, telling the council that response rates nearly doubled year over year and that "we had a total of 45 programs" reporting participation in 2026.

Eliana highlighted the top recruitment actions — including adding information to college materials and orientation, offering campus or program tours, presenting at secondary schools, distributing program materials, and attending career or transition fairs — and said qualitative responses emphasized one‑on‑one meetings and family word‑of‑mouth. She described key barriers: a lack of program and student funding, limited staffing as programs grow, and challenges connecting with students at their entry level.

The presentation also addressed a persistent reporting gap: CBM (semester credit hour) reporting captures students enrolled in credit‑bearing courses but undercounts noncredit and continuing‑education program participants, which many IPSE/CTP programs use. The THECB added a third column to reconcile survey‑reported program participants with CBM counts and included a footnote noting that 2026 CBM data are subject to recertification.

Council members asked practitioners to explain apparent discrepancies. Sue Marasca (Houston City College) said many program participants are noncredit and therefore not captured in the CBM; Nina Zuna noted THECB had put a recommendation in the report to correct CBM capture of IPSE/CTP participants. THECB staff said they will refine reporting questions and bring recommendations forward in the final report.

Next steps: THECB will use the reconciled survey figures in the report appendix and pursue changes to CBM reporting definitions in future reporting cycles.