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Our Students Placed 2-3 Our Students Placed 2-3 Levels Below College Levels Below College
English, English, but Look What They Can but Look What They Can
Do!Do!Summer Serpas Assistant Professor of English at Irvine Valley College
Caroline MinkowskiInstructor, Department of English at City College of San Francisco
Andrea HammockAssistant Professor of English and Reading at Mt. San Jacinto College
CALIFORNIA ACCELERATION PROJECT CALIFORNIA ACCELERATION PROJECT http://cap.3csn.org/
Supporting California’s 112 Community Colleges To Redesign Developmental English and Math Curricula And Increase Student Completion
An initiative of the California Community Colleges’ SuccessNetwork (3CSN), funded through the Basic Skills Initiative of
thestate Chancellor’s Office. Additional support from the Walter S. Johnson Foundation, LearningWorks, and “Scaling Innovation,” a project of the Community College Research
Center funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
Katie Hern, [email protected]
Myra Snell, Math [email protected]
California Acceleration California Acceleration Project’s Community of Project’s Community of
PracticePractice The California Acceleration Project’s Community of Practice is an extended professional development program, led by Katie Hern and Myra Snell, that brings together faculty from colleges across California who are piloting accelerated courses in English and Math for a year of training and practical support in the theories and practices of accelerated teaching.
Over 100 California colleges have participated in workshops and conference presentations to date, and 42 colleges are receiving in-depth training and coaching to offer new accelerated English and pre-stats courses through the community of practice
California Acceleration California Acceleration Project’s Three Principles of Project’s Three Principles of
Acceleration Acceleration Backwards DesignInstruction should be aligned with students’ educational pathways, with pre-college writing courses focused on teaching the same kinds of reading, writing and thinking skills students will use in college-level writing
Just-In-Time RemediationInstructors should provide help for students when the need arises as they work through college-level reading and writing assignments.
Support for Student’s Affective Needs Instructors should help students through emotional or psychological barriers that block learning and have nothing to do with their cognitive ability
The Math of Long The Math of Long Developmental SequencesDevelopmental Sequences
Chabot College pipeline data for students beginning two levels below college
composition and tracked for three years:
Do they pass the first course? 66% If they pass, do they enroll in the next course? 93% If they enroll, do they pass the second course? 75% If they pass, do they enroll in the college-level course? 91% If they enroll, do they pass the college-level course? 78%
Let’s do the math:(0.66)(0.93)(0.75)(0.91)(0.78)= 33%
Fall 2006 Cohort. Students tracked from their first developmental English enrollment and followed for all subsequent English enrollments for 3 years. Pass rates includes students passing on first or repeated attempts within timeframe. Basic Skills Cohort Tracker, DataMart.
Does Acceleration Work?Does Acceleration Work?
While we understand the math behind acceleration, we often ask ourselves, “Can students perform at the higher academic levels required of them in the accelerated classroom?”
Classroom Case StudiesClassroom Case Studies
Today, we will look at how students who were placed 2-3 levels below college English perform when we raise the academic bar and allow students to show they are capable of meaningful, complex academic work when we follow the three principles of acceleration.
Classroom Case Studies Classroom Case Studies Each presenter will discuss the following:
Traditional vs. accelerated track at her collegeSample assignments and student writing from the traditional trackSample assignments and student writing from the accelerated trackA comparison of grading strategies in the traditional and accelerated track
Today’s presentation is based on information gathered for an article titled “Faculty Across California Impressed by Accelerated English Students” by Homeira Foth, English Instructor at Chabot College. This article is available on the California Acceleration Project’s website: cap.3csn.org
Summer Serpas, Summer Serpas, Assistant Professor of Assistant Professor of [email protected]@ivc.edu
Acceleration at IVCAcceleration at IVCTraditional Sequence
Accelerated Sequence
Sample WR 301 Sample WR 301 AssignmentAssignment
Characteristics of the Characteristics of the WR 301 Assignment WR 301 Assignment
Simplistic topic—Lack of critical thinking ◦Categorizing types of friends
Very little reading◦3 ½ page article: “Friends, Good Friends—
and Such Good Friends” by Judith Viorst from The Simon and Schuster Short Prose Reader
Prescriptive ◦Tells the students exactly what they should
do and gives them little to no freedom to make academic decisions on their own
Characteristics of Characteristics of Student Writing in WR 301 Student Writing in WR 301
Formulaic◦ Student follows the pattern described in the
promptLack of analysis
◦ Thesis contains no analytical depthLack of critical thinking
◦ Analysis at the end of the paragraphs is very briefVery little academic creativity
◦ Student makes up a type of friendship not discussed by Viorst in paragraph 3
Not an illustration of college-level writing◦ This assignment does not illustrate what the
student will be asked to do in other college-level classes, neither in content nor structure
Characteristics of the Characteristics of the EXP 389 AssignmentEXP 389 Assignment
Complex and extensive academic reading assignments
High level of critical thinking required◦“Consider the grey areas”
Freedom to make academic choices◦“Things to Shoot for”
College-level thinking and writing required
Case Study: Ypani Case Study: Ypani GuerreroGuerrero
Ypani placed three levels below college writing and had previously taken our Reading 370 class.
In the previous semester, she tried to enroll in WR 301 (two levels below college-level writing), but could not get a seat.
She was a model student who always asked for feedback and incorporated that feedback into her writing.
She had me shaking my head thinking, “Why was she placed so low?”
Characteristics of EXP 389 Characteristics of EXP 389 Student Writing: Ypani Student Writing: Ypani
GuerreroGuerreroAn ability to navigate the ideas in two very difficult texts
Strong grasp of the concepts in the text
Ability to integrate quotations into both her writing and her argument
Looks at complexities and shows an ability to see beyond black and white arguments
Struggles in word choice, awkward syntax, missing commas
Approaches to Grading Approaches to Grading We must look beyond the superficial
“prettiness” of papers produced by traditional assignments.
We should see past superficial “messiness” and look for examples of strong critical thinking and an ability to synthesize ideas.
We must praise emerging critical thinking and writing skills.
Ypani discusses her Ypani discusses her experiences in the experiences in the accelerated classaccelerated class
Caroline Minkowski Caroline Minkowski Instructor, Department of Instructor, Department of EnglishEnglishCity College of San FranciscoCity College of San [email protected]@ccsf.edu
Acceleration at CCSFAcceleration at CCSFTraditional Sequence
Accelerated Sequence
Sample English 92 Sample English 92 AssignmentAssignment
“Jonetta Grissom’s Future” from Integrations
•Students read a case study about Jonetta Grissom, a waiter at a restaurant who wishes to take time off work to participate in a government-sponsored computer training program.
•Then, they write an essay in which they evaluate arguments for and against granting Jonetta the time off and explain what decision her manager should make and why.
Characteristics of the Characteristics of the English 92 Assignment English 92 Assignment
Short, below-college-level reading assignment◦3.5 page case study
Prescriptive◦Explicit instructions for thesis and
organizationContrived topic
◦No real-world connection◦No critical thinking◦Not likely to generate interest
Characteristics of Characteristics of Student Writing in English 92Student Writing in English 92Lack of coherence
◦The paragraph topics do not connect. Lack of analysis and critical thinking
◦The thesis is overly broad.◦The paragraphs contain a lot of
information from the text but not much analysis.
Lack of college-level reading and writing skills◦The essay does not synthesize information
from multiple sources.◦The essay does not contain direct quotes. ◦Student had no opportunity to make
decisions about organization, paragraph topics, etc.
Sample English 9293 Sample English 9293 AssignmentAssignment
Final Project: Can We Stop Gang Violence?
•Individually, students answer the course’s driving question using evidence from the texts they read throughout the semester plus one source from the library’s online databases.
•In groups, students publish their essays in online zines and present their zines to the class.
Characteristics of the Characteristics of the English 9293 AssignmentEnglish 9293 Assignment
Critical thinking◦Argument about a complex,
multifaceted issueCumulative reading skills
◦Synthesis of a semester’s worth of academic reading materials
Research requirement◦Evidence from one article from the
library’s online databasesReal Audience
◦Essays published online
Case Study: Lauren LeungCase Study: Lauren LeungLauren placed three levels below
transfer.She grew up in Hong Kong and moved
to the United States four years ago.She was accepted at San Francisco
State University but chose to attend CCSF for financial reasons.
She has a growth mindset: she never gave up, asked for help, took advantage of all rewrite opportunities, and was very engaged when working in small groups.
Characteristics of English Characteristics of English 92939293
Student Writing: Lauren Student Writing: Lauren LeungLeungFully comprehends the course’s texts
and the articles from the libraryDevelops arguments with text-based
evidence from multiple sources and clear, thorough analysis
Makes original argumentsAcknowledges different points of viewNeeds to work on breaking up
paragraphs, transitioning between ideas, and identifying grammatical errors
Shows her ability to work more independently
Approaches to Grading Approaches to Grading Acknowledge what students can
do instead of evaluating them from a deficit perspective
Positive competency levels on grading rubric◦Exceeding, meeting, approaching,
developing, beginning
Andrea HammockAndrea HammockAssociate Professor, English & Associate Professor, English & ReadingReadingMt. San Jacinto CollegeMt. San Jacinto [email protected] [email protected]
Acceleration at MSJCAcceleration at MSJCTraditional Sequence
Accelerated Sequence
Sample English 62 Sample English 62 AssignmentAssignment“Compare and Contrast”
Write a paragraph with a clear topic sentence and appropriate transitional words where you compare and/or contrast your life now to your life one year ago.
Characteristics of the Characteristics of the English 62 Assignment English 62 Assignment
Mode-based paragraphsLittle reading Prescriptive
◦Explicit instructions for topic sentences, topics, and organization
Basic topic◦No critical thinking◦Not likely to generate interest
Characteristics of Characteristics of Student Writing in English 62Student Writing in English 62Lack of interest
◦Student was unable to “dig deep”Lack of analysis and critical
thinking Lack of college-level reading and
writing skills◦Student had limited opportunity to
make decisions about organization, paragraph topics, research, etc.
◦“NO time” for reading or research
Sample English 92 Sample English 92 AssignmentAssignment
Final Project: What Hinders Our Success?
• Students answer a question related to the course’s theme using evidence from the texts they read throughout the semester plus multiple sources from the library’s online databases. They write a 6 page, analytical research essay and present the results to the class.
Characteristics of the Characteristics of the English 92 AssignmentEnglish 92 Assignment
Critical thinking◦Argument about a complex, multifaceted
issueCumulative reading skills
◦Synthesis of a semester’s worth of academic reading materials and Outliers
Research requirement◦Evidence from 3-5 articles from the
library’s online databases◦Appropriate use of outside sources
Case Study: Robert WhiteCase Study: Robert WhiteRobert placed two levels below
transfer.Had “never passed an English class.” Admitted on the first day of class that
he does not enjoy English, writing, or reading
Strong writer, critical thinker, motivated
Fixed mindset turned into growth mindset
Now considers majoring in English
Characteristics of English 92Characteristics of English 92Student Writing: Robert Student Writing: Robert
White White Significant depth and breadth of writing and knowledge
Develops arguments with text-based evidence from multiple sources and clear, thorough analysis
Makes original argumentsAcknowledges different points of viewGrammar errors fixed themselvesShow confidence Continues to work on considering all
solutions to problems
Approaches to Grading Approaches to Grading Praise and supportQuestioningEmphasis on thinkingStudent analysis and self-
reflectionsLittle discussion of grammar
Robert Discusses Robert Discusses AccelerationAcceleration
