A College Readiness Partnership between

Willow International Community College Center and

Clovis West High School

Abstract• A partnership between English administration and faculty

from Willow International and Clovis West High School has resulted in a significant increase of students who place directly in college-level English and thus, do not require remediation.

• Actions have included curriculum alignment between college mandated student learning outcomes and high school mandated standards which focused on academic behaviors as well as academic performance.

• Significant results include increased college freshman English placement, increased college attendance, and increased minority representation among college-going graduates.

The Problem from the Point of View of All Stakeholders

Too many college/university instructors complain that their students aren’t prepared well enough to succeed in post-secondary classes

Too many high school teachers insist they are teaching exactly what they should be teaching and should not have to change class content

Too many parents are confused and angry that their student is failing in college/university

Too many students struggle in post-secondary classes and accuse the educational system of being unfair

College/University Instructors

There is a disconnect between secondary and post-secondary

academic behaviors as well as academic skills

Students are not prepared for

college/university-level reading and

writing

Students expect that instructors will explain assigned texts, accept

late work, allow revisions, and give extra credit/second chances

(Borden, et. al., 2006; Conklin & Sanford, 2007; Conley, 2007; Kirst & Venezia, 2004; Martinez & Klopott, 2005; Tell & Cohen, 2007)

High School Teachers

Most high school English instructors feel that

literary analysis is the appropriate focus for

course offerings based on California standards

English teachers at high schools with API scores that are relatively high

see no reason to change curriculum content

College instructors need to focus on teaching their students and not on what

high school instructors teach their students

(Conley, 2007; Conklin & Sanford, 2007; Tell & Cohen, 2007)

Parents

Some parents contact college/university staff to discuss their child’s lack of

progress but faculty and staff are legally unable to

discuss student performance with parents

Some parents contact high school administration and counselors to discuss why

their child is not succeeding in

college/university

Parents and the community rightly expect

that educational professionals grow and

change by keeping current with sound educational

research

(Darlaston-Jones, et. al., 2003; Larose & Boivin, 1998)

Students

The situation is unfair; too many students are

failing their college/university

classes

Too many students do not understand the culture

and structure of postsecondary education

and the intellectual norms that must prevail in this

environment

Too many students are unable to take away the key intellectual lessons

a college/university course was designed to

convey and develop

(Conley, 2007; Kirst & Venezia, 2004)

CW Graduates Needing Remedial English

School Year UC CSU SCCCD

2005-2006 NA 45% 70%

2006-2007 NA 47% 75%

2007-2008 NA 47% 74%

2008-2009 NA 53% 79%

2009-2010 NA 45% 67%

(CW Counseling Office, 2010)

Comparison of English Remediation

National 4 year

National 2 year

CSUF All HS

CSU CWHS

WI All HS

WI CWHS

71%57%

35%55%

17%33%

29%43%

65%45%

83%67%

Remediation Rates

Freshman English Remedial English

(California Department of Education , 2010; CW Counseling Office, 2010; WI Counseling Office, 2010; )

Secondary-Led Focus Questions

• Leading Questions:• What should our students be able to do when they leave high

school?• Sub-Questions:• Why are good high schools with good teachers producing so

many graduates who struggle with post-secondary reading and writing?

• Is the high school English curriculum preparing our students to be college and career ready?

CW Demographics: 2010-2011

Cont Cultu

res

Creative

Writi

ng

Bible Lit/C

ont Issu

es

World

Literat

ure

AP Literat

ure

63

3829

50 49

Percentage of minorities in senior course offerings

Africa

n American

Asian

Hispan

icW

hite

Multiple

614

29

48

3

Senior class percentages by ethnicity

Current Course Offerings

•English 9 •Honors 9 Grade 9•English 10 •Honors 10 Grade 10•American Literature and Composition •AP Language and Composition Grade 11•World Literature and Composition •AP Literature and Composition Grade 12

English 1A Statistics

All WI Students CWHS Students at WI

70 67

30 33

Chart Title

Pass 1A Fail 1A

Post-Secondary Teacher Survey

Hard Skills (Academic)• Reading Deficiency• Nonfiction comprehension• Documenting Sources

• Writing Deficiency• Topic Narrowing• Organizing Support• Formatting

• Critical Thinking Deficiency• Appropriate Sources• Synthesizing Sources

Soft Skills (Behavior)

• Attendance• Personal Responsibility• Preparation• Participation

• Time Management• Study Skills• Tenacity • Strategies

• Professional Interactions

SCCCD English Department, 2010

Too Many Student Require Remediation

CWHS ObservationsPost-secondary course

outcomes versus state standards

College Non-fiction versus High School fiction curriculum

Number, type, length of assigned and assessed texts

Mastery versus “Second Chance” behaviors

Professional Development for secondary teachers of English

SCCCD Observations Weak English Conventions

Skills overall An inability to read non-

fiction texts A habit of personal

expression and personal narratives

The expectation of second chances, extra credit, and leeway on due dates

An inability to manage time for assignments

Exit Points

WI 252 •43% will successfully complete the course•60% of those students will have success in 125•If 30 students begin the class, 8 will succeed in 125

WI 125 •52% will successfully complete the course•68% of those students will have success in 1A•If 30 students begin the class, 10 will succeed in 1A

Nationally •58% of high school students who initially place into freshman English actually complete a college degree•64% of students who pass ELA AP exams complete a college degree having placed into freshman or sophomore English

Dougherty, Mellor, & Jian, 2006; Schneiders, 2010; WI Counseling Office, 2010)

Standards and Outcomes

… respond to literature by identifying significant ideas, analyzing imagery, diction, and theme, supporting ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed textual references, demonstrating an appreciation of the effects caused by an author’s stylistic devices, and assessing the impact of perceived textual ambiguities, nuances and complexities

… produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;

… Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly; write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts; Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources using advanced searches effectively

Institutional Practices

Common Goals

•Student post-secondary readiness •Student academic performance•Student academic behaviors•Collaboration between secondary and post-secondary institutions

Divergent Practices

•Formative Assessment Focus vs. Summative Assessment Focus•Concurrent Remediation vs. Prerequisite Remediation•Teacher-Student-Parent Relationships vs. Teacher-Student Relationships

Many students…

• Want an “easy” senior year• Don’t understand what it really means to be college-ready• Don’t understand what the post-secondary system requires• Don’t understand that college is a reasonable and realistic goal• Don’t understand that their journey towards college begins

before high school• There’s a strong correlation between elementary school

English and middle school English success• There’s a strong correlation between middle school English

and high school English and math success

(Dougherty, Mellor & Jian, 2006,;Larose & Boivin, 1998; Tell & Cohen, 2007)

Key Academic Behaviors

(Conley, 2007; Kirst & Venezia, 2004; Tell & Cohen, 2007)

Implications for Change• Secondary Schools need to ask: • How many students need English remediation in college?• How many students take AP/concurrent college classes?• How many students have appropriate academic behaviors?

• Post-Secondary Schools need to ask: • Are students successfully completing freshman English? • Do students choose stimulating?• Can students navigate through registration systems, research

mediums, and add value to their educational community?

All students can learn; all students deserve the opportunity to be college-ready

Establishing a Partnership

Administration Support

Curriculum Revision

CCS + BehaviorsCreating and Maintaining

Rigor

Addressing Resistance

Public Relations

Reverse Engineering

ContentAssignmentsAssessments

Behaviors

ContentAssignmentsAssessments

Behaviors

Academic Behaviors

Time Management

Persistence

Common Policies

Online DialogueRevision

Grading PolicyMake-up PolicyMastery Policy

Weekly AgendaDue Date Calendar

Units based on Rhetorical Strategies

Initial Instruction

Themed Model Texts

Guided Practice

Supplementary Activities

Mastery and Intervention

Culminating Essays and Presentations

Building Global Awareness vs Literary Canon

• Poverty• Health• Technology• Consumerism

Economics

Guided Practice

Philosophical ChairsBackground ActivityState and Support

SummarizeRebuttal and Support

Reflection

Graphic OrganizersPre-Writing Outlines

Thesis Support

SyllogismsFallacies

Structure and StyleConclusion

Socratic SeminarPre-Reading

ReadingQuestion Generation

DiscussionEvaluation

Supplementary Activities

Technology

•Research•Tool Bar

Grammar

•Revision•Editing

Vocabulary

•Academic •Content

College and Career

•Application•Navigation

Piloting the New CurriculumInitial Benchmark Data for Non-AP 1A Placement Clovis West (2011 – 2012)

Placement Test Date ESLC 250/260

(Grade 11)125/126

(grade 12)1A

(College Eng)% 1A (College

Eng)

August 2011 (237) 6 75 86 70 29.5

Initial Student Comments Concerning Curriculum Changes

• I was looking forward to an easy senior year.

• Clovis West is a great school. Why take a chance to make it worse?

• You should have started in 9th grade so seniors would be used to the work you have planned.

• Push me – push me hard. I need to go to college. What ever that takes to get me there I am willing to do.

Piloting the New CurriculumSecond Benchmark Data for Non-AP 1A Placement Clovis West (2011 – 2012)

Placement Test Date ESLC 250/260 (Grade 11)

125/126 (grade 12)

1A (College Eng)

% 1A (College Eng)

August 2011 (237) 6 75 86 70 29.5

December 2011(229) 1 54 77 97 42.35%

Mid-year Student Survey: Student Self-Efficacy

235/237 Respondents Agree Disagree

I am a better reader than when school started this year.

80.8%(189)

29.2%(46)

I am a better thinker than when school started this year.

88.8%(208)

11.2%(25)

I am a better writer than when school started this year.

87.6%(205)

12.4%(30)

I feel more prepared to succeed in college next year.

92.7%(217)

7.3%(18)

Mid-Year Student Survey: Workload Quality and Quantity

235/237 Respondents Agree Disagree

The type of reading assignments in this class are appropriate for my grade level.

96.1%(226)

3.9%(9)

The number of reading assignments in this class are appropriate for my grade level. 90.6%

(213)9.4%(22)

The type of essay assignments in this class are appropriate for my grade level. 96.1%

(226)3.9%(9)

The number of essay assignments in this class is appropriate for my grade level. 87.2%

(205)12.8%(30)

Mid-Year Student Comments Concerning Curriculum Changes

• Without this class which gives me three more chances I would be in the lowest English class they had to offer and would be way behind going into college

• I believe that this class can help prepare high school students to transition to college. The earlier that this type of teaching and learning is started, the better it will show in the results.

• Teachers need to take their job more seriously and not give their students an easy grade. My 9-11 grade English classes didn’t teach me anything I feel; I wish I had better English classes my freshman through junior year.

• Coming into this class I can say I wrote like 4 papers all together and now I have to write 12. That is more than all the papers combined that [I’ve wrote] my whole high school career AND I was not prepared :(

An unforeseen opportunity: 1A on Campus!

1A Demographics (30)

1A African- American

Asian-American

European-American

Hispanic-American

MinorityTotals

Number 1 4 13 12 17

Class Percentage 3% 13.3% 43.3% 40.0% 56.6%

Site Percentage 6% 14% 49% 26% 51%

Final Results of Year 1 (2011 – 2012)

Placement Test Date ESLC 250/260

(Grade 11)125/126

(grade 12)1A

(College Eng)% 1A

(College Eng)

August 2011 (237) 6 75 86 70 29.5

December 2011 (229) 1 54 77 97 42.35

March 2012 (237) 0 25 82 130 54.85

May 2012 (237) 0 19 80 138 58.22

Where are we now? -• Breaking news: as of yesterday – literally – we have 57% of the

non-AP students ready for English 1A, and 128 students are enrolled in 1A for the Spring semester.

• Most of the rest of them have tested at a level that we expect will bring them to 1A readiness for Fall.

• Last year’s figures include this interesting fact. Since we began this program, we have raised college-bound seniors to 84% of the total graduating class.

• It is also worth remembering that Clovis West is a minority school (53%) and economically disadvantaged with 34% on lunch programs.

Exemplary people get exemplary awards• It hasn’t been widely broadcast, but this program was

awarded an honorable mention by the State Academic Senate’s Exemplary Award committee.

• In addition, Ellen Melocik, chair of the English department at CW, Karen Hammer, learning director at CW, and I will be presenting at the Community College League’s Innovations conference in March.

• We rock, he said modestly.

Comparative Results

SCCCD1A

PlacementBuchanan Clovis East Clovis High Clovis

North Clovis West

2010 31% 18% 18% X 26%

2012 28% 16% 14% 17% 40%

Percentage of students enrolled in a four year college

CUSD High

SchoolsBuchanan Clovis East Clovis High Clovis North Clovis

West

2012 42% 33% 29% 43% 44%

Recent Student Feedback

• I can’t believe I got an A on my first essay – one of the highest in the class! And your class also prepared me for reading and writing in my other classes [Military Academy]

• I can tell you with all the writing we did last year, the writings here are a piece of cake. [4-year institution]

• I knew exactly what to do for the first essay, and my teacher thought so too! And I didn’t wait until the night before to write it! [2-year institution]

• Just wanted to send a little thank you and say that surprisingly the readings that I read in high school, and that I never expected to help me, are actually giving me a slight advantage over my new classmates. [4-year institution]

How does this work for your institution?

• Connect with a partner high school• Designate leaders from both campuses• Administration must be on board • Financial Support• Policy Change Support• Time Support

• At least some staff must be willing and brave; leaving egos behind• Early parent/community communication• Open Forums• Newsletters

• Consistent Rigor for assignments and assessments• Norming• Calibration

• Data-Driven Analysis for Planning and Revision

Questions or Comments

Every student can learn

Every student deserves the

opportunity to learn