ASHLEY MOORSHEADTHE COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF AURORAASHLEY.MOORSHEAD@CCAURORA.EDU

Integrating and Accelerating English and Reading for Students Testing Two Levels

Below TransferCourses

Who Were Our Students?

Fall 2006, 2007, 2008

Placement Level and Cut Scores

Number of Students % of Total Students in Traditional 060

Transfer level: 95 or Above 7 .83%

1 level below: 72-94 91 10.81%

2 levels below: 41-71 613 72.80%

3 levels below: 40 or lower 58 6.88%

No Accuplacer Score/ACT Placement

73 8.67%

TOTAL 842

Placement levels determined by taking the average of SS + RC. All students placed two levels below transfer level in English or reading. Most students tested below in both reading and English.

Traditional Sequence

Four Distinct 15 week Courses Totaling 12 Credits

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 3

ENG 0603 Credits

ENG 0903 Credits

REA 0603 Credits

REA 0903 Credits

ENG 121Freshman

English

Students could complete series in 2-4 semesters.

Change 1:We Integrated Lowest Levels of English and Reading

Traditional Integrated

Semester 1

ENG 0603 Credits

REA 0603 Credits

ENG/REA 060

3 Credits+

Change 2: Shortened the Length of the Semester

Semester Pacing

Year 1 Fall 2009-Spring 2010 All Courses Were 10 Weeks• Met on M/W OR T/R

Year 2 Fall 2010-Spring 2011 All Courses Were 10 Weeks• Met on M/W OR T/R

Year 3 Fall 2011-Spring 2012 Courses were 7.5 Weeks• Met MWF

Courses were 15 Weeks• Met TR

Change 3: Offered an Accelerated Option: Students Could Complete All of Dev. Ed. in One Semester

Non-PACE Option

PACE Option

ENG 060/REA 60

3 Credits

REA 903 Credits

ENG 903 Credits

ENG 121Freshman English

ENG 060/REA 60

3 Credits

REA 903 Credits

ENG 903 Credits

ENG 121Freshman English

Semester 1

Semester 1

Semester 2

Semester 2

Semester 3

Change 4: Changed our Assumptions

These were students that needed a little ‘remediation’ through a lot of classes and a long series of coursework.

The Traditional Approach

The majority of these students needed a developmental sequence with more time and less rigor because they needed to be fixed.

Messages of Marginalization

“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

We Now Think of Our Old Approach….

In the…..

Treat ‘Em Like It’s Harvard…..Rethinking Dev. Ed. Instruction

• Philosophy, approaches to learning, and teaching methods

• Structure and language around our courses

• Assumptions of and orientation toward our students – Message of ‘College Material’– Students are valued members

of academic community from the moment they step on campus

– We expect them to get a college degree and we will provide the necessary support to realize this….

Re-examining our Assumptions About Students and Instruction: Focus on Transformation not

Remediation

We Recognized:

The majority of these students needed a developmental sequence with less time, more rigor, and a more thoughtful curriculum.

Most of these students needed transformative curriculum that would change their approaches to knowledge and learning. These learners needed to learn the basic principles of analysis through integrated reading and writing instruction.

Students needed to read and respond to college texts that enabled them to understand and develop the beliefs and dispositions of successful college students.

How Did We Integrate REA/ENG?

Patterns of Organization/Text Structure: Both subjects are focused on recognizing

relationships within information Both TEACH students how to process and

organize information around these patterns

i.e. Compare and Contrast Making decision to come to school Evaluating everyday purchases

How Did We Address Affective Issues In our Curriculum?

We recognized that if we didn’t change beliefs, we couldn’t change behaviors.

We chose academic texts that addressed the most common misconceptions about success, work, practice etc. that often led to academic failure i.e.Carol Dweck’s Mindsets

Sample Integrated Assignment- Compare and Contrast

Reading Activity Section of “The Mindsets” – “The Two Mindsets,” pages 39-41.

Annotate Circle Signal Phrases Annotate key concepts and factors that make them similar and different

Chart Similarities/Differences

English Prompt Compare/Contrast: “Mindsets"-students are asked to analyze the fixed mindset versus the

growth mindset. Typically, they can choose to compare/contrast themselves to another person. They could also choose to do a self-analysis, comparing/contrasting a mindset they had earlier in life to the one they now possess.

  Paper is to be 2-pages in length and in MLA format. It must contain a complete

introduction, relevant body paragraphs, and a complete conclusion.

Re-Examining our Students

Placement Level and Cut Scores

Number of Students % of Total Students in Integrated 060

Transfer level: 95 or Above4 .55%

1 level below: 72-94 101 14.05%

2 levels below: 41-71 548 76.22%

3 levels below: 40 or lower12 1.67%

No Accuplacer Score/ACT Placement

547.5%

TOTAL 719

Fall 2009, Fall 2010, Fall 2011

Placement levels determined by taking the average of SS + RC. All students placed two levels below transfer level in English or reading. Most students tested below in both reading and English.

THE DATA

Belief: Students testing 2 levels below college need more coursework to be successful in transfer courses.

Reality……. % of Successful Students in ENG 60 % of Successful Students in ENG 121 % of Successful Students compared to average ENG

121 student

How Did Students Perform in the Integrated Course Compared to Traditional Courses?

Traditional 060 Integrated 06050

52

54

56

58

60

62

64

% of Successful StudentsA/B/C

Fall 2006, 2007, 2008Fall 2009, 2010, 2011

62.86%

55.12%

3 Credits

N= 842 N=719

6 credits

How Did Students Perform in College English?

Traditional 060 Integrated 06055575961636567697173757779

Fall 2007, 2008

73.19%

6 Credits 3 Credits

68.53%

N= 143 N= 138

How Did Students Perform in College English Compared to the Average English Student?

Fall 2007 and Fall2008

Average 121 Fall 2009 and Fall

2010

Average 12160

62

64

66

68

70

72

74

76

68.53% 68.93%

66.95%

73.19%

Traditional 060Average 121Integrated 060

6 Credits 3 Credits

Integrated vs. Traditional Course Data

Belief: Students testing 2 levels below college need multiple semesters to be prepared for college level coursework

Reality…… % of Successful PACE students in ENG/REA 60 % of Successful PACE students in ENG 121

How do PACE Students Perform in Integrated REA/ENG 60?

Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 20110

1020304050

60708090

100

68.09%

52.91% 55.29%

85.71%

72.97%

87.72%

% of Students with A/B/C

CC60CC60 PACE

N=138 PACE students, 581 non-PACE students

How do PACE Students Perform in College-Level English?

Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 20110

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

73.53%70.83%

0

33.33%* Sample Size was 3

76.74% 75%

CC60CC60/PACE

N= 74 PACE students, 92 non-PACE students

How Many PACE Students Complete College English?

Fall 2009 Fall 2010 Fall 20110

510152025

3035404550

21.28%

9.88%

0

14.29%

44.59%42%

Chart Title

CC60CC60/PACE

N= 74 PACE students, 92 non-PACE students

Common Concerns about Developing an Integrated Class

But, I’m not a reading instructor; I’m not a writing instructor….. Role of Reading Professor

“Intimidation”/ “Fear” of such a new class Role of Writing Professor

“Trial by Fire” Mentoring

Is this a program that can work for any institution?

Common Concerns about Developing an Integrated Class

Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Fall 2009 Fall 2010

Sections 060 15 14 13 13

ENG 90 16 15 20 19

REA 90 6 8 9 14

Total 37 37 42 46

Job loss due to integration?

The PACE Program

ENG 060/REA 60

3 Credits

REA 903 Credits

ENG 903 Credits

ENG 121Freshman English