Marcia Corcoran, Dean of Language Arts

mcorcoran@chabotcollege.edu

Katie Hern, Instructor, English

khern@chabotcollege.edu

Ming Ho, Instructor, Math

mho@chabotcollege.edu

Matthew Kritscher, Dean, Counseling

mkritscher@chabotcollege.edu

Chabot’s Basic Skills Initiative

Designing Jumpstart and program components Literature consulted

Data used to inform program design

Window into a Jumpstart classroom

Emerging findings Faculty Inquiry Group of English instructors

Math Workshop

Next steps

Challenges and lessons learned

Senate-approved process and charge to committee

Multi-disciplinary group of faculty from senate, FA, and “other suggested faculty based on roles” (e.g. CTE faculty, DSPS, EOPs, ESL Coordinator, Learning Connection Coordinator, and 2 administrators)

Met twice a month with a retreat each semester

Similar membership to Title III grant, “Improving Basic Skills Across the Curriculum to Increase Student Success, Persistence, and Institutional Effectiveness,” running simultaneously, bringing together Learning Support Services and faculty development

Develop and adopt an institution-wide, integrated basic skills philosophy and unifying framework

Increase professional development opportunities in relation to basic skills education

Expand and strengthen supplemental academic and counseling support in basic skills

Carefully review data on student performance and literature on effective practices in developmental education

Develop and implement curricular changes to improve student outcomes

Target group: First-time college students applying after July 17

Population identified as at-risk: Low Fall to Spring persistence

Typically does not receive matriculation services

Typically does not have access to developmental English and Math in first semester (all sections closed)

Typically are late to apply for financial aid

Intervention: Provided assessment, orientation, group counseling,

and financial aid workshop

Reserved sections of developmental English

Provided math workshop, allowed students to re-assess

August 1-17

PSCN 25: Orientation

After assessment, Counselors direct students to course package. Incentive: all other English & Math sections full

College Success

Workshop

(1 unit)

English 102: Reading,

Reasoning, and Writing

(Accelerated)

Open-access 1-semester

course leading to

transfer-level English

Math Workshop:

ALEKS

Learning/Assessment

System (1 unit)

Cost of sections: 2.33 FTEF X $25,000 = $58,250 5 sections of College Success @ .066 FTEF each = .33

FTEF (1 hour lecture per week)

5 sections of ENGL 102 @ .35 FTEF each = 1.75 FTEF(3 hours lecture and 2 hours lab per week)

5 sections of Math workshop @ .05 each = .25 FTEF(1 hour lab per week)

Cost of Math software: $63.00 X 125 = $7,875

Faculty Inquiry Group costs: ($750.00 X 5) + ($300. X 4) = $4,950

TOTAL: $71,075.00

Students receive early assessment and advisement (A4)

Students encouraged to take foundational English and Math early in their college careers (A4)

Faculty who are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about developmental education are recruited and hired to teach in the program (A6)

Counseling support provided is substantial, accessible, and integrated with academic courses/programs (B3)

*Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges (2007, July) (2nd ed.). The Center for Student Success, the Research and Planning Group of the California Community Colleges, under contract from the California Community Colleges System Office, sponsored by USA Funds.

Reading/writing curricula integration (D2)

Development of the whole person - Social and emotional as well as cognitive growth (D3)

A high degree of structure is provided in developmental education courses (D5)

Instructors share strategies (D8)

Faculty and advisors closely monitor student performance (D9)

Higher persistence rates among students receiving matriculation services

(Persistence rates measure the percentage of students enrolled as of Census Day in the first term who are subsequently enrolled as of Census Day in the following term.)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Fall 01/ Sp 02 Fall 02/ Sp 03 Fall 03/ Sp 04 Fall 04/ Sp 05 Fall 05/ Sp 06

Did Not Receive Matriculation

Orientation

Assessment

Counseling

E.O.P.S.

82% 82%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Non-Accelerated Eng 101A/B, 04-09 Accelerated Eng 102, 04-09

47% 45%

52%49%

52%56% 54%

62%

52% 51%

42%

54%

60% 62%66% 66%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Developmental English Success Rates by Accuplacer Reading ScoreFall 2007-Summer 2009

Eng 101A: Non-Accelerated

Eng 102: Accelerated

Video footage from Katie Hern’s English 102, Fall 09

Students are working collaboratively to understand the assigned reading, an excerpt from Paolo Freire’sPedagogy of the Oppressed.

It is the fourth class session. The discussion builds on earlier readings about education by Malcolm X, Krishnamurti, and Mike Rose, along with a study by Anyon documenting serious differences between schools in different socio-economic communities.

1) What does Freire mean by the term “banking model” education? Why does he say it is “oppressive” or “dehumanizing”?

2.) What does Freire mean by “problem posing” education? Why does he say this is “liberatory”?

5 English instructors teaching in the program met twice a month, examined range of data together

Challenge of homogeneous sections of “late arriver,” first-time college group: All instructors reported higher withdrawal rates and lower success rates than is typical for them

Reasons behind low success rates:

For the majority of students who did not complete or pass course, the primary reason was not insufficient literacy skills for the accelerated track. Instead, it was either external life factors (sudden homelessness, death in family, need to travel to Mexico) and/or old “high school behaviors” (e.g. trying to get by without doing work)

1-Unit Course in computer lab setting. Students work with ALEKS software program, which assesses their existing knowledge and provides individualized curricula in their own zone of proximal development

Workshop provides

Review of prerequisite skills

Shift in expectation of math class at a CC

Understanding of the college’s math offerings

Workshop setting instead of regular math class is less overwhelming

Low-stress environment & flexible pacing safely tests student discipline and commitment

Computer system ALEKS works for all students Builds solid foundation

Individualizes curriculum sequence

Focuses on learning, not points

Develops independent learning skills and strategies

Allows moving ahead; appropriately challenges all students

Students…

Take initial assessment in ALEKS

Attend weekly lab hour

Log three hours per weeks on ALEKS

Get support in drop-in tutorial

Take frequent assessment to monitor progress

Retake Chabot math assessment

Instructors…

Review progress with students in lab

Answer questions in lab/office hour

Give help to individuals or small groups

Explain Chabot’s math offerings

132 students at census. Some are not in Jump Start.

114 students in analysis

Only 37 students had completed the 40 required hours on ALEKS

Hours on ALEKS

Pe

rce

nt

120100806040200

30

25

20

15

10

5

0

Histogram of Hours on ALEKS

Data from Math Workshop 30 of those have Chabot Assessment data for both

before and after workshop 15 students placed the same

9 students advanced 7 into one level above

2 into two levels above

6 students regressed

Assessment placed most students in Prealgebra, Elem. Alg., Int. Alg. Only 3 students placed in transfer-level

Three ALEKS courses were set up: Prealgebra, Elementary Algebra, Intermediate Algebra

Poor results in the previous course in ALEKS suggest a second look at the assessment instrument

Students were placed in ALEKS at one course below their assessment level to brush up on prerequisite skills No Int. Alg. Student assessed over 50% in ALEKS Elem. Alg.

course

Only about 20% of Elem. Alg. Students assessed at least 50% in ALEKS Prealgebra

In ALEKS Prealgebra assessment, the Q2 (37%) and Q3 (46.5%) for Elem. Alg. students are only 15% higher than those for Prealgebra students

% of Curriculum

Pe

rce

nt

(n =

12

)

75604530150

25

20

15

10

5

0

Init Chabot Placement = Intermediate Algebra

Histogram of ALEKS Initial Assessment in Elementary Algebra

% of Curriculum

Pe

rce

nt(

n =

46

)

75604530150

25

20

15

10

5

0

Histogram of ALEKS Initial Assessment in PrealgebraInit Chabot Placement = Elementary Algebra

% of Curriculum

Pe

rce

nt

(n =

25

)

75604530150

25

20

15

10

5

0

Init Chabot Placement = Prealgebra

Histogram of ALEKS Initial Assessment in Prealgebra

Consider other ways to effectively use individualized approach to expand students’ options within the math curriculum; possible options: shorten the workshop to, say, 5 weeks while keeping the same format… To reduce student procrastination

To give student a better sense of pace of regular math course

To identify students who can better benefit from self-paced format

To allow students who can advance the opportunity to be reassessed before registration

To allow multiple workshops through out the semester to catch dropouts from regular math courses

• Use insights from Jumpstart to reconsider English developmental sequence

How should we direct students toward the appropriate path –

accelerated vs. two-semester track?

Which students need a longer sequence? What are their specific needs, and does our current sequence meet them?

Do we have the right balance of accelerated and non-

accelerated sections?

How might we support students confronted with external life challenges that pull them away from school? Are there alternative models of counseling that can be used to intervene in crucial moments?

How might classroom faculty work with these challenges?

How might we help students develop a stronger sense of intrinsic motivation to meet the demands of college?

Early Census data shows higher persistence rates among

first-time college students in Jumpstart:

Fall ‘09 to Spring ‘10 Persistence

New, first time Jumpstart students: 72% (N = 85)

New, first time non-Jumpstart students: 65%

Reflect on ongoing data from Jumpstart experiment

Did taking English, math, and counseling in their first semester correlate with success in other courses?

How do Jumpstart students perform in English and Math courses in future semesters?

Continue to use basic skills committee to develop coordinated, institution-wide support for students

As new initiatives are developed within one campus group, ensure that the representatives on that group are sharing information in an ongoing way with departments, other institutional groups, and other administrators to facilitate smooth implementation

Be intentional about aligning new initiatives with existing campus structures and timelines

Directing students to enroll early in an accelerated English curriculum that integrates reading and writing and provides a one-semester track to college-English

Developing systems to increase student participation in assessment, orientation, and counseling

Using ALEKS to develop workshops to address student math skills

Using the Basic Skills Initiative Committee to develop an institution-wide initiative that crosses academic and student services as well as multiple disciplines and combines Faculty Development with Learning Support