A Report from
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
STRENGTHENING PRE-COLLEGIATE EDUCATION
IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES
2008
A D I F F E R E N T W A Y T O T H I N K A B O U T D E V E L O P M E N T A L E D U C A T I O N
51 Vista Lane
Stanford, California 94305-8703
650 566 5100 tel
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www.carnegiefoundation.org
© August 2008. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Printed in the United States of America.
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1966 to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, and population. In addition, the Foundation has programs that make grants to advance the field of philanthropy, and to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. More information may be found at www.hewlett.org.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of Congress, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center with the primary mission “to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold, and dignify the profession of the teacher and the cause of higher education.” The improvement of teaching and learning is central to all of the Foundation’s work. The Foundation is located in Stanford, California. More information may be found at www.carnegiefoundation.org.
Carnegie SPECC Staff
Rose Asera, Project Director and Senior ScholarRandy Bass, Consulting ScholarLloyd Bond, Senior ScholarMolly Breen, Program AssociateAndrea Bueschel, Consulting ScholarLisa Glenn, Administrative AssistantSherry Hecht, Assistant to the Vice PresidentMary Taylor Huber, Senior ScholarPat Hutchings, Vice PresidentCheryl R. Richardson, Research Scholar
Recommended Bibliographic ListingThe Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Basic Skills for Complex Lives: Designs for Learning in the Community College. A Report from Strengthening Pre-collegiate Education in Community Colleges (SPECC). Stanford, Calif.: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2008.
DAVID S. TATEL
Board ChairU.S. Circuit JudgeU.S. Court of Appeals for D.C. Circuit
CATHARINE R. STIMPSON
Board Vice ChairDean of the Graduate School of Arts & ScienceNew York University
RICHARD C. ATKINSON
President EmeritusUniversity of California System
JÜRGEN BAUMERT
DirectorMax Planck Institute for Human Development
ANTHONy S. BRyK
President (beginning September 1, 2008)The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
yEHUDA ELKANA
President and RectorCentral European University
BERNADINE CHUCK FONG
President EmeritaFoothill College
SUSAN H. FUHRMAN
PresidentTeachers College, Columbia University
ELAINE TUTTLE HANSEN
PresidentBates College
KATI HAyCOCK
DirectorThe Education Trust
JANET L. HOLMGREN
President and Susan Mills ProfessorMills College
FREEMAN A. HRABOWSKI III
PresidentUniversity of Maryland, Baltimore County JASON KAMRAS
Director of Human Capital Strategy, District of Columbia Public Schools 2005 National Teacher of the Year
RICHARD A. MIDDLETON
Superintendent of SchoolsSan Antonio North East Independent School District
RENÉE A. MOORE
English InstructorMississippi Delta Community College
LyNN OLSON
Senior Program OfficerBill and Melinda Gates Foundation
EDUARDO J. PADRÓN
PresidentMiami Dade College
THOMAS PAyZANT
Professor of PracticeHarvard Graduate School of Education
ROB REICH
Associate Professor of Political Science & Ethics in Society, andCourtesy Professor in the School of EducationStanford University
GORDON RUSSELL
Chair of the Carnegie Foundation Finance CommitteeMember of the Executive Committee (ex officio)General Partner (retired), Sequoia Capital
LEE S. SHULMAN
President (through July 2008)The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
NINA ZOLT
Co-chair, Co-Founder, Chief Program ArchitectePALS, Inc.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Board of Trustees
A D i f f e r e n t W A y t o t h i n k A b o u t D e v e l o p m e n t A l e D u c A t i o n
Basic Skills for Complex Lives DESIGNS FOR LEARNING IN THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
A report from
the carnegie foundation for the Advancement of teaching
S t rengt hening pre- collegiAt e eDuc At ion
in communit y college S
2008
basic skills for complex lives i i i
Table of Contents
iv Foreword LeeS.ShulmanandRoseAsera
vi Acknowledgments
vii AWordAboutLanguage
1 IntroductionandOverview
5 I:TooManyChutes,NotEnoughLadders UncertainSuccess JobOneforCommunityColleges ThePushforImprovementinCalifornia
8 II:ADifferentWaytoThinkAboutBasicSkills ReadingandWriting Mathematics StudentIdentity
12 III:CreatingPowerfulClassrooms FivePrinciples 1)HighStructure 2)HighChallenge 3)Intensity 4)IntentionalityandLearningHowtoLearn 5)InquiryandAssessmenttoMakeLearningVisible IntegratingtheFivePrinciples
26 IV:ANewVisionforProfessionalDevelopment FacultyInquiryGroups KeyFeaturesofPowerfulProfessionalDevelopment NewRolesforInstitutionalResearch Challenges InstitutionalSupport
33 V:ImplicationsforWorkAcrossCampuses:BuildingtheTeachingCommons ConnectingPeopleandIdeas SharingWorkthroughMulti-MediaTechnologies ApproachesattheStateandSystemLevel 37 VI:TheLinktoStudentLearning PatternsofImprovementinEnglishandMathematics TrackingSuccessinaLearningCommunity BetterToolsforTrackingStudentLearning CommonExamsasPromptsforImprovement TheImpactofFacultyInquiryGroupsonFacultyandStudentLearning NavigatingChange
44 VII:Recommendations
49 References
i v a different way to think about developmental education
Foreword
ConceivedaspartofalongercollaborationwithTheWilliamandFloraHewlettFoundation,Carnegie’sworkwithCaliforniacommunitycollegesoverthepastthreeyearshasbeenbothchallenginganddeeplyinspiring.Ithasbeenchallengingbecausetheneedsaresogreat.Largenumbersofstudentsbegintheirworkincoursesbelowcollegelevel,andfartoomanyofthemfallbythewayside—alosswithgraveconsequencesforstudentsthemselvesandforoursociety.Thisnumberisfarlargerthaneitherofusimaginedbeforetheworkbegan.Ithasbeeninspiringbecausecommunitycollegesarepowerfullaboratoriesforpedagogicalinnovation,andwehavehadtheopportunitytoworkwithremarkablycreative,thoughtfulteacherswhohavetreatedthisdauntingsituationasachallengeratherthananexcuse.Theyhavemuchtoteachallofusabouttheconditionsthatsupporteffectivelearning.
Throughoutthiswork,wehavelearnedfromandendeavoredtobuildontheeffortsofothersworkinginthisarena,someformanyyears.Asourorganization’snamemakesclear,theCarnegieFoundation’sdistinctiveangleondevelopmentaleducationistoenhancethequalityoflearningthrough“theadvancementofteaching.”Weareguidedbytheviewthatonecriticalkeytoeducationalimprovementliesincreatingopportunitiesforteacherstodeveloptheirpedagogicalpowersbylearningaboutandimprovingtheirownpractice.Theprojectyouwillreadaboutinthepagesthatfollow—StrengtheningPre-collegiateEducationinCommunityColleges(SPECC)—wasdesignedtoexploreanddocumentwhatisneededtomakesuchimprovementpossible.
Tobegin,theparticipatingSPECCcollegestookthechallengeofbasicskillsseriously.Theyunderstoodtheinherentchallengeofteachingacademicmaterialtostudentswhohaveoftenseenthesametasksbeforeandhaverepeatedlynotmasteredthem.SPECCcampusesrespondedtothiseducationalchallengewitharangeofprogramsandapproaches.
Whatanimatedtheseapproacheswasnotonlythecommitmenttostudentlearning,butaspiritofinquiry.EducatorsparticipatinginSPECCbroughttheirintellectualcuriosity,aswellastheirskillsasthinkersandproblemsolvers,tothestudyoftheirstudents’learning.Individuallyandcollaborativelytheyworkedwiththeircolleaguestoshapequestions,gatherandanalyzearangeofevidence—fromfine-grainedclassroomobservationstolargerpatternsofstudentperformance—andimplementwhattheylearnedintheirownclassroomsandprograms.
Moreover,wealllearnedthatthechallengeofdeveloping,sustaining,andadaptingthecapabilitiesofteachersisnotamatterofgetting“it”rightandthenensuringthat“it”keepsrunning(withregularlyscheduledmaintenanceandtune-ups).Educationalinstitutionsareever-changing,adaptivesystems.Oldproblemsaresolvedmoreslowlythannewonesdevelop.Newpopulationsofstudentsarriveatthecampusgates,newexpectationsarisefromrapidlyevolvingworldsofworkandofcommunityengagement,newtechnologiesbecomecommonplaceasoldonesbecomeobsolete,andthusneweducationalgoalsdemandrefreshedcurricula,newprograms,andbettercourses.Theserealitiesrequirethatinquirybetreatedas
basic skills for complex lives v
anongoingandcentralfeatureofthejobdescriptionoffacultymembersandtheinstitutionalmissionofcolleges.Ongoingappliedresearch,evaluation,andinquirybyfacultymembersthemselvesemergeashallmarksofthecommunitycollegeasaneffectivelearningcommunity.
TherearemanylessonstobedrawnfromtheeffortsoftheeducatorswehaveworkedwithinSPECC.Thechallengesofbasicskillsgowellbeyondthe11participatingcampuses,thestateofCalifornia,andthecommunitycollegesector.Butthecommitmentandcreativitydemonstratedonthesecampusesbegintoshowwhatispossible.Individualeducatorscancometoseetheireffortsthroughthelensofwhatworksforstudents.Institutionscancometoseeprofessionallearningasanintegralpartoftheirongoingwork.Andthelargerpublicandpolicymakerscancometoseecommunitycollegesnotonlyastheinstitutionsthatdomuchoftheteachingbutasplacesthatknowagreatdealaboutit—andfromwhichneedednewknowledgeislikelytof low.
lee s. shulman, president
rose asera, senior scholar
the carnegie foundation for the advancement of teaching
spring 2008
v i a different way to think about developmental education
Acknowledgments
ManypeoplehavebeenpartofandpartnersinStrengtheningPre-collegiateEducationinCommunityColleges.MycolleaguesandIattheCarnegieFoundationdeeplyappreciatethecontributionsofallthosewhohaveworkedwithustocreate,study,anddisseminatetheworkreportedinthesepagesandotherSPECCproductsandpublications.
OurpartnersatTheWilliamandFloraHewlettFoundation,MarshallSmith,JorgeRuizdeVelasco,andPamelaBurdman,haveprovidedthesupportandwherewithaltomakethisprojectpossibleandthegoodcounseltomakeitasgoodasitcouldbe.
Participantsonthe11SPECCcampuseshavebeenthoughtful,creative,andgenerousbeyondcompare,andtheprojectwouldliterallynotexistwithoutthem.Thecampuscoordinators,particularly,havebeenactivepartnersinleadingnewwork,learningalongtheway,andhelpingthoseofusfrombeyondthecampusesmoredeeplyunderstandthecultureofthecommunitycollege.
Anumberoforganizationshavebeenimportantpartnersinsharingideasandaction:thegrowinggroupofprogramsthatmeetunderthebannerofthePartnershipforStrongCommunityColleges—CaliforniaTomorrow,MDRC,CareerLadders,CalPASS,theCenterforUrbanEducation,theFoundationforCaliforniaCommunityColleges,theDaleTilleryInstituteandtheBasicSkillsInitiative—aswellastheResearchandPlanningGroupandthewonderfulteamthatorganizedtheStrengtheningStudentSuccessConference.
Asthedirectoroftheproject,Iwanttoexpressmyheartfeltthankstothefullteam:RandyBass,LloydBond,AndreaBueschel,LisaGlenn,SherryHecht,MaryHuber,andCherylRichardson.AspecialthankstoPatHutchingsandMollyBreenfortakingtheleadonthisreport.AllofusaregratefulinturntoourcolleaguesattheCarnegieFoundation,wherewearenurturedbygoodconversationandopenexchange,andtoourpresident,LeeS.Shulman,forhisleadershipandvision.
rose asera
spring 2008
basic skills for complex lives v i i
A Word About Language
Throughout SPECC’s work, all of us involved—including and especially
the authors of this report— have grappled with finding the right language
to capture our focus on underprepared students. As readers will see, we
have used several terms: pre-collegiate, developmental, remedial, and
basic skills, recognizing that these are not synonymous and that, for better
or worse, each brings its own history and values. The term “basic skills”
has recently gained ground in California because of the ambitious state-
wide Basic Skills Initiative now moving into a third phase of activity, and it
is thus a term that connects SPECC’s work to a larger set of activities from
which we have learned and to which we hope to contribute.
Our intent throughout is to point to the importance of knowledge
and capacities without which students cannot achieve higher levels of
learning or thrive as workers and citizens in today’s world. These include
foundational skills in reading, writing, and mathematics, as well as attitudes
and habits related to effective learning: study skills, confidence, and an
ability to persevere and succeed.
� a different way to think about developmental education
Introduction and Overview
Thetableinroom303isclutteredwithbooks,studentpapers,andthepredictablecollectionofcaffeinatedbeveragesinpapercupswithplasticlids.It’slateafternoonandeightEnglishdepartmentfacultymembershaveassembled,astheydoeachweek,todiscusstheirstudents’workinabasicskillsreadingandwritingcourse.
Overthelastseveralyears,theseeducatorshavebeenexploringrecentresearchonliteracy,sharingwhattheydointheirclassrooms,anddevisingmoreeffectivewaystoworkwiththeirunderpreparedstudents.Oneoftheinnovationsthey’remostexcitedaboutisamovefromseparatereadingandwritingcourses—thelong-standingmodelontheircampus—toanintegrated,team-taughtapproachthatoffersstudentsamoreintensive,engagingexperienceinonecourse.Thenewcoursefeaturesaradicallyrevisedcurriculum,newassessments,areorganizedclassandlabschedule,andregularmeetings(likethisone)wherefacultycanref lectonandexaminetheeffectsoftheirnewapproach.
Thiskindofchangeishardworkintellectually—andanemotionalrollercoaster.There’splentyofroomforfrustrationaspassratesinthenewcourserefusetobudgefromthelevelseenincoursestaughtbythetraditionalmodel.Atthesametime,theseteachersareexcitedaboutsignsofrealprogress:studentsgrapplingwithgenuineissues,writingandreadingabouttheseissuesinwaysthatmattertowhotheyareandwhattheydowiththeirlives,comingtoseethemselvesasreadersandwriters.Determinedtogetabettersenseofwhichelementsofthenewcourseareworkingandwhy,thegrouphasbeendiggingdeeperintoawidearrayofevidenceandartifacts:analyzingstudentwritingsamplesandexams,conductingfocusgroupswithstudents,and,mostrecently,designingportfoliosinwhichstudentscollectandref lect
ontheirworkinwaysthatcanalsohelptheirteachersunderstandmoreclearlywhatfurtherchangesinteachingandcurriculumwillbemostpowerful.Attoday’smeetinginroom303,thegroupisdevelopingarubrictheywillallusetoevaluatetheirstudents’portfolios…. rSceneslikethisonearenowunfoldingat11Californiacommunitycollegesthathavebeenpartofathree-yearinitiativesponsoredbyTheCarnegieFoundationfortheAdvancementofTeachinganditsfundingpartner,TheWilliamandFloraHewlettFoundation:StrengtheningPre-collegiateEducationinCommunityColleges(SPECC).
Anaction-researchprojectfocusedonteachingandlearninginpre-collegiateEnglishandmathematics,SPECCisperhapsbestdescribedasalaboratoryforexploringwhatworksandwhatittakestobringaboutrealandlastingimprovement.Oneachoftheparticipatingcampuses,educatorshavebeenexploringavarietyofapproachestoclassroominstruction,academicsupport,assessment,andprofessionaldevelopment.Inparallelwiththeseinnovations,theyhavesystematicallyexaminedtheeffectsoftheirefforts,gatheringandevaluatingawiderangeofdata,includingexamplesofstudentwork,classroom
j Cerritos College
j Chabot College
j City College of San Francisco
j College of the Desert
j College of the Sequoias
j Glendale Community College
j Laney College
j Los Medanos College
j Merced College
j Pasadena City College
j West Hills College District
Campuses partiCipating in speCC
basic skills for complex lives 2
observations,interviewswithstudentsandfaculty,andquantitativedataonstudentretentionandsuccessacrosscourses.Asparticipantsinthiscollaborativeventure,theycontinuetosharetheirsuccesses,disappointments,andsurpriseswithothercampusesintheprojectandbeyond.
a preview of key messages from carnegie’s work
ThisreportbytheSPECCprojectteamattheCarnegieFoundationprovidesanoverviewofprojectactivities,centralthemes,andlessonslearned.BecausetheclassroomwasSPECC’scentralfocus,facultyareacentralaudienceforitsworkandconclusions,andwehaveincludedclassroomexamplesthatcapturethecomplexitiesofteachingandlearninginwaysthatwill,webelieve,speaktofacultyandperhapsinspirethem.Additionally,readerswillfindasetoffiveprinciplesforteachingunderpreparedstudents.
Butthevisionofdevelopmentaleducationsetforthherecallsforactiononmultiplelevels,notonlybyfacultyintheirownclassrooms.Thisreporthasimportantmessagesforadministratorsandpolicymakersaswell.Indeed,ourargumentisthatthesuccessofunderpreparedstudentsmustbeaninstitution-wide,coreresponsibility.Basicskillscannotbelearned—ortaught—inisolationasasetofdiscretemechanicalskills.Infact,oneofthereasonsthey’resoimportant(sobasic)isthattheyenableotherkindsoflearning,skills,andcapacities,beitinapre-collegiatewritingclass,atransfer-levelsociologycourse,thenursingprogram,orautomotiverepair.Thus,thesuccessofunderpreparedstudentscannotbetheresponsibilityofasmallgroupoffacultyteachingspeciallydesignatedcourses.Itmustbeaninstitutionalresponsibility:givenvisibilityandprioritybycampusleadersatthehighestlevels,attendedtoineveryclassroomandeveryinteractionwithstudents,andconstantlytrackedandevaluatedsothatimprovementscanbemade.
Akeycomponentofinstitutionalresponsibilityliesintheareaofprofessionaldevelopment.Iffacultyaretoimplementandsustainmoreeffectiveapproachesintheirclassrooms—andtocontinuetoimproveuponthem—campusesmustreinventprofessionaldevelopmentasanintellectuallyengaging,integralelementoftheirongoingwork.Professionaldevelopmentisacontractualobligationformostcommunitycollegefaculty,buttoooftentheopportunitiespresentedareepisodic,uncoordinated,anddisconnectedfromanysharedgoalsforstudentlearning.Theresult,notsurprisingly,iswidespreadcynicismaboutwhatshouldbeacorecommitmentofprofessionallife,whateverthearena,tolearnfrompracticeandtoworkwithcolleaguestoadvancethefield.Inthisspirit,professionaldevelopmentforcommunitycollegeeducatorsmustberevitalizedinwaysthatmakeitmoresustained,collaborative,andfocusedonevidenceofstudentlearning.Theseconditionsarecriticaltoongoingimprovement;theyshouldbepartoftheexperienceofalleducatorsandbuiltintothefabricoftheinstitution.Ourrecommendation,morespecifically,isforaformofprofessionaldevelopmentthattookshapeonSPECCcampuses,whichwecallFacultyInquiryGroups,whereeducatorsworktogetherinsustainedwaystoinvestigateandimprovetheirstudents’learning.
Butsuchaprocesscannotoccurorthriveinavacuum.What’sneededisacultureinwhichrich,reliableevidenceaboutstudentlearningisavailable,understood,andengagedatmultiplelevels.Thus,theCarnegieteamalsorecommendsthatinstitutionalresearchmustbeexpandedtofocusmoredirectlyoncoreissuesofteachingandlearning.
� a different way to think about developmental education
Traditionally,institutionalresearchofficesfocusoninstitutionaldata(aboutenrollment,retention,andthelike),ofteninresponsetoexternalreportingrequirements.Thesearecriticalpatternstotrack,buttheyonlyindirectlyspeaktoquestionsaboutstudentlearning,andarethereforenecessarybutnotsufficient.Makingthesuccessofallstudentsarealandsharedprioritymeansthinkingmoreboldlyaboutinstitutionalresearch.Itmeansinstitutionalresearcherscollaboratingwithfacultyandothereducatorsoncampustoshapeconsequentialquestionsaboutstudentlearning,generateevidenceinresponsetothosequestions,andworktogethertowardimprovements.Thisvisionwillrequireareshapingofrolesaswellasexpandedcapacity.
Rethinking—andremaking—institutionalresearchandprofessionaldevelopmentisasignificantchallenge,requiringchangesininstitutionalpolicyaswellascommitmentsfromthosewhocontrolfundingandshapeprioritiesbeyondthecampuslevel.Thesechangesareespeciallyurgentintoday’sclimateofaccountability,ashighereducationstrugglestodocumentitseffectiveness.Themetricsmostcommonlyusedforthispurpose(studentgrades,retention,persistence,anddegreeattainment)willcontinuetoplayanimportantrole.ButCarnegie’sexperiencewithSPECCpersuadesusthatcommunitycollegescanbepowerfullaboratoriesforcreatingafuller,richersetofassessmenttools—aimednotsimplyattrackingprogress(oritslack)butatunderstandinghowtofacilitateimportantformsoflearningandpersonaldevelopment.Thus,webelievethatcommunitycollegesshouldleadthewayindevelopingricher,morerevealingmeasuresofstudentlearning.Progressonthisfrontmeansworkingtowardclear,explicitgoalsforstudentlearningwhilealsodevelopingtoolsandapproachesthatcapturemorecomplexaspectsofstudents’movementtowardthosegoals,
aswellasthestumblingblockstheyencounteralongtheway.Seeninthislight,accountabilityismorethananexternalreportingrequirement;itisanenactmentofourprofessionalresponsibilityaseducators.
Finally,Carnegie’sworkwiththe11SPECCcampusesaffirmedoursense(enactedinmanyoftheFoundation’sprogramsoverthelastdecade)thatthereismuchtobelearnedacrosscampuses.Oneofthebiggestimpedimentstoeducationalimprovementisthatteachingasaprofession,andtheinstitutionsandsystemsinwhichteachingtakesplace,havesofewhabitsandpracticesthroughwhicheducatorscanlearnfromoneanother’swork.Thus,ourfinalrecommendationfocusesontheimportanceofbuildingalargernetworkandinfrastructurethroughwhichpromising
developmentsonindividualcampusescanbemadevisible,shared,andbuiltuponmuchmorewidely.Thegoodnewsisthathighereducationtodayisincreasinglyenjoyingthebenefitsofanemergingteachingcommons,aconceptualspaceinwhicheducatorsfromallsettingsandsectorscansharetheirquestions,explorations,andnewinsightsaboutstudentlearning.Participationinthiskindofexchangeisacriticalconditionforongoingimprovement.What’sneededthenispurposefulinvestmentonmultiplelevels,intheoccasions,structures,networks,andtoolsthroughwhicheducatorsinbasicskillsandbeyondcansharewhattheyknowinwaysthatbenefitstudentsandbuildthefield.
“Basic Skills for Complex Lives” is one of a number of SPECC products and publications developed by Carnegie staff members. For a full listing, see www.carnegiefoundation.org/specc.
speCC projeCt resourCes
basic skills for complex lives �
Inthefinalchapterofthisreportwereturntotheserecommendations,alongwithmorespecificpointsaboutwhatitwilltaketoachievethem.Readersshouldnotethatthisreportisoneofseveralrelatedpapersandproducts,includingasetofmulti-mediaWebsitescalledWindows on Learningdocumentingclassroompractice.AllcanbefoundontheCarnegieWebsiteatwww.carnegiefoundation.org.Theywerepreparedwithheartfeltthankstothescoresofgenerous,thoughtfuleducators—andtheirstudents—ontheSPECCcampuses.Wehopeyouwillthinkofthisdocumentasakindof“hub,”connectingyoutoothermaterialsandinformation—andasacatalysttofurtherworkbythemanygroupsandindividualswhoareworkinghardtostrengthenthelearningofallstudents.
� a different way to think about developmental education
Too Many Chutes, Not Enough Ladders
AtaSPECCgatheringearlyintheproject,CarnegieFoundationPresidentLeeS.Shulmanproposedametaphorforthechallengesparticipantsface:“Someofyou,”hesaid,“willrememberthechildren’sboardgame,ChutesandLadders.That’swhatwehaveindevelopmentaleducation.Studentswholandinthewrongplace(andthat’swhathappensmoretimesthannot)falldownthechute,outofthegame.Onlyaluckyfewfindtheladdersthatallowthemtoclimbtotheireducationalandpersonalgoals.Ourjob,ourresponsibilityaseducators,”hetoldthegroup,“istofigureouthowtobuildawholelotmoreladders.”DoingsoisSPECC’scorepurpose.
uncertain success
Lookingacrossthehighereducationlandscape,thechutesare,indeed,alltooevident.Whilemanystudentsinthiscountryhaveapowerfulundergraduateexperiencethatpropelsthemintosuccessful,fulfillinglives,alarmingnumbersfindtheireducationalaspirationsfrustrated.Thisrealityisevidentacrossallsectorsofhighereducationbutnowheresodramaticallyasinthetwo-yearinstitution,whichbyhistoryandmissionopensitsdoorstoallcomers.AccordingtotheCommunityCollegeResearchCenter,70percentofcommunitycollegestudents(whoconstituteapproximatelyone-halfofthestudentsinhighereducation)aspiretotheB.A.,butlessthanaquarteractuallytransfertofour-yearinstitutions;lessthanoneintencompletetheB.A.(Bailey,2003,p.1).
Thosenumbersarestartling—certainlytheyshouldbestartling.Buttheyarenotperhapssosurprising.InCalifornia,forinstance,upto90percentofincoming,first-timestudentstestbelowcollegelevelinmathandover70percenttestbelowcollegelevelinreadingandwriting(MooreandShulock,2007,p.12).Havingtomaketheirwaythroughmultiplelevelsofremediationbeforetheybegin“regular”collegecourses,theoddsthatthesestudentswill
stumbleintooneofShulman’schutesarehuge.Manycometocollegewithanegativeviewofschoolandoftheirownprospectsforsucceeding.Unfamiliarwiththepracticesandnormsofacademiclife,theyare“cluelessinacademe,”asliteraryscholarandeducationwriterGeraldGraffhasputit,andlikelypuzzledbythestylesofwriting,analysis,andargumentrequiredbyvariousdisciplines.Manyhavebeen“wounded”bytheir
priorschooling,experiencingepisodesoffailure,discouragement,andrejection(Rendon,1994).Studentssuchasthesearelikelytomakeonlyatentativeandpartialcommitmenttotheirfirstattemptsathighereducation.Theyentercollegewonderingifitisreallyforthem,iftheyhavearealisticchancetosucceed,andiftheywillbewelcomedandsupported.
Job one for community colleges
Studentsarenottheonlyonesunderpreparedforthechallengespresentedbythisscenario.Campuses,too,areunderprepared,andonseverallevels.Mostfacultyteachingdevelopmentalcourseshavenoparticulartrainingfortherole.Theylookaroundandrealizethatremediation
basic skills education on most campuses
has been shunted off to the margins, staffed
largely by part-timers, and underfunded.
expectations have been way too low.
I.
basic skills for complex lives �
isseenbymanyoftheircolleaguesassecond-classwork,andtheyrightlyunderstandthepotentialforfrustrationandburnout.Attheinstitutionallevel,developmentalprogramsareoftentreatedasthepoorcousinoftransfer-levelcourses.Historically,thetransferfunctionhasbeentheprestigemissionforcommunitycolleges(GrubbandAssociates,1999,p.5),andmanycampuseshavenotmadethecommitmentsorinvestedtheresourcesrequiredtomakepre-collegiateeducationmorethanarevolvingdoor.Nor,infact,dotheywanttobeseenastheplaceforremediation.Inshort,basicskillseducationonmostcampuseshasbeenshuntedofftothemargins,staffedlargelybypart-timers,andunderfunded.Expectationshavebeenwaytoolow.
Butthisrealityhasbeguntochange.Agrowingnumberofeducatorsandeducation-watchersarguethatdevelopmentaleducationmustnowbecome“jobone”forcommunitycolleges(McClenney,2007).Asenseofurgencyisintheair,witheventhemostmainstreammediatrumpetingthehighstakesforindividuals,ascollegeeducationbecomestheprerequisiteformiddle-classlife,andforsociety,whichneedscapableworkersandengagedcitizens.AsAlexanderAstinhasobserved,“effective‘remedial’educationwoulddomoretoalleviateourmostserioussocialandeconomicproblemsthanalmostanyotheractionwecouldtake”(2000,p.130).Thegoodnewsisthattherearenowmanyeffortsunderwaytorespondtothisneed:nationalprojects,state-basedinitiatives,newlytargetedgrantmoney,andanexcitingarrayofinnovations(albeitoftensmallscale)oncampusesthatarestrivingtodobetter.
strengthening California’s Community Colleges for the future
proJects supported by the william and flora hewlett foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has shaped and supported numerous initiatives aimed at increasing student success and completion rates in California’s community colleges. In addition to the Carnegie program, Strengthening Pre-collegiate Education in Community Colleges (SPECC), Hewlett also supports:
j California Benchmarking Project j California Tomorrowj Cal-PASS (California Partnership for Achieving Student Success)j Campaign for College Opportunityj Career Ladders Projectj Digital Bridge Academy j Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy (IHELP)j Institute for College Access & Successj MDRCj The RP Group (The Research & Planning Group for California Community Colleges)
For information about these projects and Hewlett’s grant-making strategy, see www.hewlett.org.
� a different way to think about developmental education
the push for improvement in california
Inthischangingcontext,Californiaoffersaparticularlyrichlaboratoryforexploringwhat’shappeningandwhatispossibleindevelopmentaleducation.Bylong-standingpolicy,thestate’s109communitycollegesprovidetheonlyaccesstohighereducationfortwo-thirdsoffirst-timestudentsinpublicsectorinstitutions.Mostofthosestudentsnevermakeitthroughthesystem.Andthesituationwillonlyworsenifthe“tidalwavetwo”predictedbysomeresearchersbringstocampusesevenlargernumbersofunderprepared,first-generationstudentswhowillinevitablybeathighrisk(Hayward,Jones,McGuinness,andTimar,2004).Withthesechallengesbreathingdownthestate’sneck,anumberofhigh-visibilityventuresinpre-collegiateeducationhavegottenunderwayinthelastfewyears:amajor,agenda-settingreportfromtheAcademicSenateforCaliforniaCommunityColleges(2003),anumberofexternallyfundedprojectsand,perhapsmostnotably,astatewideBasicSkillsInitiativefundedbytheStateofCalifornia.
HowcanCarnegie’sprojectcontributeinthisbusyarena?Clearlytherearemanyfacetstothechallengeofdevelopmentaleducation,manyfactorsthatneedtoberethoughtandreshaped:fundingformulas,publicadvocacy,studentsupportprograms,betterdatasystems.SPECC’sspecialnicheistheleastvisiblebutcoreworkofeducation:howteachersworkwithstudentsintheclassroom.Often,forcommunitycollegestudents,theclassroom
istheonlypointofcontactwiththeinstitution.Manydevelopmentalstudentshavealreadystudiedthesubjectsinquestion;oddsarethattheyhave,infact,studiedthesamecontentseveraltimesbefore,andmayhaveevenmanagedtopassacourseoranexamofsomekind.Yetplacementtestsadministeredtoenteringstudentsmakeitclearthatmuchofthisearlier“learning”hasbeentooshallowandephemeraltoservethemwell.Thechallengefordevelopmentalcoursesinthecommunitycollegesettingistofindfreshnewapproachestoteachingthismaterialsothatitwillnotbeforgottenormisunderstoodsoeasily,andwillinsteadserveasafoundationforfuturelearning.
the California BasiC skills initiative
the california basic skills initiative is a statewide effort that aims to increase the ability to address basic skills and ESL needs through education on effective practices and professional development.
The BSI defines basic skills as “foundation skills in reading, writing, mathematics, and English as a Second Language, as well as learning skills and study skills, which are necessary for students to succeed in college-level work.”
The BSI is currently funded through the Foothill-De Anza Community College District which is working closely with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges. Each campus receives funds based on the number of students in basic skills classes. Along with campus funds, the BSI includes statewide professional development and research. This initiative began in 2006 when the Research and Planning Group conducted a thorough review of the literature on effective practices resulting in the report entitled Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in the California Community Colleges. This work was widely disseminated in a statewide professional development campaign. During the next phase of activity, each community college prepared a self-assessment of their existing practices, and developed an action plan. The third phase, which began in 2008, is implementation of what colleges learn from their self-assessment along with further statewide professional development and further research.
For more information, see www.cccbsi.org.
basic skills for complex lives 8
A Different Way to Think About Basic SkillsTheeducationofunderpreparedstudentshasrecentlyemergedasahigh-profileagenda,butitcertainlyisn’tanewone.Americanhighereducationhasalonghistoryofadmitting(andthenstrugglingtoassist)studentswhowerepreviouslyshutoutassomehowunqualified.The1862MorrillLand-GrantCollegesActexpandedaccessbeyondtheprivilegedfewtoresidentsofthestatesinwhichthenewland-grantinstitutionswereestablished;manyofthesenewstudentscamefromsettingsthatdidn’tprovideevenahighschooleducation.Acenturylater,theGIBillbroughtawaveofstudentstohighereducationwhowouldotherwisehavehadlimitedaccesstocollegeandwho,inmanycases,didnotbringsophisticatedacademicbackgroundswiththem.Inthe1970s,theopenadmissionsmovementinTheCityUniversityofNewYork(CUNY)SystemmadehighereducationavailabletoallNewYorkCityhighschoolgraduatesregardlessoftheiracademicstandingandmadethetopicofremediationamatterofintensepublicdebate;inthe1990sthisfunctionwasrelegatedtothetwo-yearinstitutionsintheCUNYsystem,atrendoneseesinotherstatesaswell.(SeeMalnarichetal,2003,foranexcellentsummaryofthehistoryofdevelopmentaleducation.)Insomesense,then,thesituationindevelopmentaleducationtodaycanbeseenasthelatestchapterinalongstoryofwhathascometobecalledthe“massification”ofhigherlearning.
Whatisarguablynewtothestoryisanemergingbodyofscholarshipthatchallengeseducatorsandpolicymakerstothinkdifferentlyaboutwhathasvariouslybeenlabeled“remedial,”“developmental,”“pre-collegiate,”and“basicskills”education(thisreportusesallfourterms).Formanypeopleinthiscountry,theprocessofreading,say,themorningnewspaper,ordoingbasicarithmetichasbecomesoautomatic,sotakenforgranted,astobeessentiallyinvisible.Itishard,infact,tounderstandhowsomeonecouldhavetroublelearningtodosomethingsosimple.Butinfact,these“basicskills”arenotsobasic,andtheyaredefinitelynotsimple—eithertolearnortoteach.ThisperspectivehasbeenacentralprincipleofSPECC.
reading and writing
Considerreading—themostdailyofactivitiesformanyofus.Overthelastseveraldecades,scholarsinEnglishstudieshavedocumentedjusthowcomplicatedthereadingprocessreallyis,fornoviceandsophisticatedreadersalike(see,forexample,theworkofRobertScholes,WolfgangIser,MariolinaSalvatori,andPatriciaDonahue).Thecommonsenseviewthatatexthasamessagethatissomehowpassedfromwordsonthepageintothereader’sheadhasbeenlargelysetasidebythosewhostudytheprocess.“Mostauthoritiesnolongerbelievethatmeaningliesinthetextandthattheteacher’sjobistoseethatstudentsunderstandtheauthor’smeaning,”saysMarthaMaxwellinherreviewofliteracyeducation.“Psycholinguistictheoryarguesthatreadingandwritingaremodelsoflearningandsharecommonpurposesandprocesses.Thatis,theyarewaysthatstudentsconstructmeaningorwaysofthinkingandknowing.Reading
II.
a different way to think aBout developmental eduCation
“We have learned…that the typical paradigm around
Basic Skills must be exploded; it works against us,
inhibiting our thinking and short circuiting our dialogue.
We have learned that teaching skills and calling them
basic and associating this work with the term “pre-
collegiate” or remedial leaves us as a group of faculty
impotent to reach our students who really are struggling
and failing in large numbers.”
–Chabot College, SPECC Report, 2006
� a different way to think about developmental education
involvesaninteractionbetweenalearner’spriorknowledge,text,andcontext…”(Maxwell,1998,p.160).Itturnsoutthatreadersbringavastreservoiroflinguisticandculturalknowledgetobearastheyread,connectingnewideaswitholdones,figuringoutwordstheydon’tknow,andactivelyquestioningandconstructingmeaning.
Moreover,thereadingprocessdoesnotstartwithsimplediscreteskillsandmovetowardmorecomplexonesinsomelinear,predictable,“developmental”fashion.Theidentityandpurposesofthereadermatter,genreandmediummatter,and,asevenMortimerAdler’sclassicHow to Read a Bookremindsas,disciplinarycontentmatters.
Manyofthesameobservationscanbemadeabouttheso-calledbasicskillofwriting.PeterElbow,awell-knownteacherandscholarofthewritingprocess,observes,“Readingisjustlikewriting:aprocessofcognitive(andsocial)constructioninwhicheveryonebuildsupmeaningsandcuesinthetext”(Elbow,2004,p.13).Eventheapparentlymostbasicaspectofwriting—grammar—turnsouttobeacomplexbusiness,and,itmightbesaid,oneofthemostvexing,hair-pullingtopicsfacingteachersateverylevel.Recognizingthiscomplexity,oneSPECCcampusdecidedtodepartfromtraditionalgrammarexercisesandfocusinsteadonhelpingstudentsdevelopskillsofquestioning,predicting,summarizing,andclarifying.“Whiletherearemanyreasonsforthischange,”theyreport,“oneisourrealizationthattheteachingofgrammarishighlycomplex”(LosMedanosCollegeSPECCReport,2006,p.1).Clearly,studentsneedtoknowtherulesandconventionsofgrammar,butthoserulesandconventions
cannotbeunderstoodoractedonintheabstract.Whetherasemicolonistherightpunctuationdependsonthewriter’spurpose,onquestionsofrhythmandparallelism,evenonthemedium(withemailarguablycallingforlessformalpunctuation).Notsosimple.
mathematics
Thecomplicationsofcontextreartheirheadsinbasicmathematicsaswell.Considerthiscommentfromamathematicsfacultymember,quotedinawellknownstudyofcommunitycollegeteachingandlearning,abouttheuseofanapparentlysimplething,theminussign:“Sayyouhadthatsign,andafour.Somepeoplewouldsay[itsignifies]negativefour.Somepeoplewouldsayminusfour.Andthereisathirdmeaning,theoppositeoffour,theadditiveinverse.Therearethreedifferentmeaningsforthesamesymbol…”(GrubbandAssociates,1999,p.160).
writing and thinking
“I have become acutely aware of the pedagogical necessity of iteration with a difference in the developmental classroom. That is, the importance both of repeating key concepts in the course and of (re)presenting those concepts in as many ways and via as many diverse models as possible. Watching students learn and forget, relearn and forget again—over and over until a given idea or process finally holds (or does not)—has reminded me of a fundamental concept that I had forgotten as a teacher: how intimate the connectedness is between writing and deep-rooted processes of mind…And if this is so, then instilling in students new writing processes, new ways of manipulating language (however simple the lesson may seem), requires on the part of students a significant restructuring of their most habitual ways of ordering and discursively interacting with their intellectual (and lived?) experience.” –Monette Tiernan, Glendale Community College, SPECC Report, December 2006
basic skills for complex lives �0
Onceagain,simplethingsarenotalwayssosimple.Indeed,LipingMa,aformerCarnegieFoundationscholarofmathematicseducation,hascoinedthephrase“ProfoundUnderstandingsofFundamentalMathematics” (PUFM)topointtothecomplexknowledgeandskillsthatarerequiredinorderfullytolearnandtoteacheventhemostapparentlysimplemathematicalfunctions(1999).Howmanyofusactuallyunderstandtheneedtoinvertandmultiplywhendividingbyfractions,forinstance,orwhyanegativenumbermultipliedbyanothernegativenumberyieldsapositiveone?SPECCfacultyhavecometosimilarconclusions:“Werealizedthatarithmeticisfullofconceptuallyrichmathematicsandthatweneedtothinkdeeplyabouttheseconceptsinordertoteachthemwell,”participantsononecampusreported(LosMedanosCollegeSPECCReport,2006,p.3).
student identity
There’sanothersense,aswell,inwhichbasicskillsarenotsobasic.Indevelopmentalclassrooms,asinothereducationalcontexts,knowledgeandskillsareessentialgoals.Yetthemostpowerfulformsofgrowtharenotonlyaboutwhatthelearnerknowsbutaboutwhosheisandhowlearningshapesandreshapeshersenseofherself.Indeed,personal“formation”(toborrowatermfromCarnegie’sstudiesofprofessionaleducation)isbotharesultofandaconditionformeaningfullearning.
Toreturntoreading,forinstance,studentsmustnotonlylearnhowtomakesenseofatextbuttothinkofthemselvesasreaders—asignificanttransformationforindividualswhomaynothavehadeasyaccesstobookswhilegrowingup,andforwhomreadingmayfeellikeachore,arisk,anexerciseintheunfamiliar,orevenarecipeforfailure.Inwriting,too,studentsmustnotonlylearnthemechanicsandroutinesofproducingreadabletexts;theymustcometoseelanguageasatoolandresourcethroughwhichtheycanexpressthemselvesintheworld,makethingshappen,andconnectwithothers.Theroleofconfidenceandidentityisalsowellknowninmathematics,asref lectedintheextensivebodyofresearchonmathanxietyandtheeffectsofgenderandracialstereotypesonmathematicallearning(see,forinstance,Tobias,1978,1993;Steele,1997,1999).
Evenbeyondspecificdisciplinarycontexts,developmentalstudentsoftendonotthinkofthemselvesas“collegematerial.”Thoughtheybringpowerfullifeexperiencestotheirworkaslearners,theyoftenneedhelpseeingthoseexperiencesasassetsinanacademicsetting.Andwhileallstudentsneedencouragement,inspiration,andmotivation,theseconditionsareespeciallyimportantforstudentswhohavenotsucceededinthepast,whohavebeenawayfromformaleducationforanumberofyears,orwhocomefromsettingsinwhichhighereducationisnotanexpectation.Inshort,facultywhoteachinbasicskillscontextsplayanessentialrolenotonlyinteachingtheirdisciplinebutalsoinmovingstudentstowardsgreaterconfidenceandastrongeracademicself-image.
students must not only learn the mechanics
and routines of producing readable texts;
they must come to see language as a tool
and resource through which they can
express themselves in the world, make
things happen, and connect with others.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
Thisnot-so-basicviewofbasicskillshasthepowertotransformdevelopmentalteachingandlearning.HarnessingthatpowerhasbeencentraltotheworkofSPECCattheclassroom
level,atthelevelofinstitutionalpolicyandpractice,andinthinkingabouttheconditionsforchangeacrosscampuses.Thenextthreesectionstakeupthesethreecontexts.
this not-so-basic view of basic skills has the
power to transform developmental
teaching and learning.
basic skills for complex lives �2
Creating Powerful Classrooms
Basicskillscoursesarenotoriousfordumbed-down,“drillandkill”methodsofinstruction(GrubbandAssociates,1999).Alltoooftentheyoperateasakindoflock-stepmarchtoward“real”courses,withstudentsessentiallyquarantineduntiltheymakethegrade.Suchapproachesareanaturalconsequenceofaviewofbasicskillsassimpleskillsthatcanbedisconnectedfromcontextandengrainedinstudentsthroughroteandrepetition.Certainlythere’saplaceforrepetition,forpractice,forstep-by-stepskillsdevelopment.Butthemostpromisinginnovationsareshapedbyanunderstandingthatbasicskillsarenotsobasic(Asera,2006);thatevenunderpreparedlearnersbringassetstotheirwork(SmythandHeath,1999;Malnarich,etal,2003);and—asref lectedinthetitleofthisreport—thatlifetodaypresentsunprecedentedchallenges.Withthepaceofchangeaccelerating,vastamountsofinformationwashingoverusonadailybasis,anddevelopmentsinscienceandtechnologycreatingnewopportunitiesbutalsonewrisks,basicskillsmustpreparestudentsforcomplexlives.
five principles
Whatdoesitlooklikewhentheseunderstandingsdriveclassroompractice?AcrucialfirstlessonfromCarnegie’sworkwithcommunitycollegesisthattherearemanyanswerstothisquestion.Asanaction-researchproject,SPECCinvitedcampusestoexperimentwithavarietyofclassroomapproachesandbuildoneffortsthatwerealreadytakingshape.Themostwidespreadinterventionwastheuseoflearningcommunities.Additionally,somecampusesexperimentedwithtechnologyintheclassroom.Othersfocusedondesigningmoreeffectiveformsoftutoring,involvingbothstudentsandprofessionalsintheseroles.Allcampusesusedmorethanoneapproach.
Aspartoftheircommitmenttotheproject,campusesmonitoredandstudiedtheeffectsoftheirvariousinterventions,preparingreportsaroundcommonlydefineddataelements,conductinginterviewsandfocusgroupswithstudents,and,inafewcases,contractingwith
III.
the most promising innovations are shaped
by an understanding that basic skills are not
so basic, that even underprepared learners
bring assets to their work. basic skills must
prepare students for complex lives.
learning Communities
Learning communities are a flexible set of arrangements that link courses with one another to highlight the integration of ideas and the value of crosscutting skills, build a sense of community among students, and bring faculty together around shared goals. In SPECC these arrangements took different forms, including the linked, team-taught reading and writing course featured at the beginning of this report; a basic skills English course paired with a general education course in the social sciences; a developmental mathematics course linked with a counseling class; and a reading course connected to a child development course in the vocational program. Students enroll concurrently in these courses, which are sometimes but not always team taught, and move through as cohorts. Learning communities are now widespread in California and nationally, thanks in large part to work by the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, which has studied and promoted this innovation.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
outsideevaluatorstostudytheirwork.Carnegie’srolewastolookacrossthevarioussettingsforgeneralpatternsbutalsotolookdeeplyintoindividualclassrooms.Whatwelearnedunderlineswhatmostfacultyalreadyknowbutwhichisoftenignoredinprescriptionsforreform:thatanypedagogicalapproach,whetherinnovative,likelearningcommunities,ortraditional,likelecture,canbedonewellorpoorly.Executioniseverything.Andexecutiondependsonhowoneunderstandsbasicskillsandthelearnersseekingtodevelopthoseskills.
Whatisthereforemorehelpfulthanasetofready-mademodelsisasetofprinciplesthatembodyanunderstandingofbasicskillsandcanshapehowdifferentmodelsareactuallyemployed.SPECChasidentifiedfivesuchprinciples:
1. HighStructure2. HighChallenge3. Intensity4. IntentionalityandLearningHowtoLearn5. InquiryandMakingLearningVisible
Ouraiminpresentingthesefiveprinciplesistoillustratehowtheycanshapeandstrengthenawidevarietyofclassroomapproaches.Indeed,becausewhatworksforunderpreparedstudentsoftenworksforothersaswell(alleducationisdevelopmental,afterall),theymaybeusefulforamuchbroaderarrayofcoursesandprograms,acrossawiderangeofinstitutions.Theyarenotsimpleformulastofollow,andbuildingthemintoone’spracticeasateacherisaprocessthattakestimeandthought.
1. High StructureChabotCollegeEnglishinstructorKatieHernrecallssomethingastudentsaidtoherinherofficeafewyearsback—“somethingI’verememberedmanytimessince”:
Hewasfreshoutofhighschool,inhisfirstsemesteratChabot,andonthevergeofnotpassing.“What’sgoingon?”Iaskedhim.“College,”hesaid.“There’stoomuchfreedom.”Itwasn’tlikehighschool,wherehisdayshadbeentightlyscheduledandteachersmightcallhisparentsifhewasn’tdoingwell.Itwasalluptohim.
Studentscomingfromahighschoolenvironmentsometimessayitseemsthat“collegeteachersdon’treallycare”iftheydothework,orthatthereare“noconsequences”whentheydon’t…Manystudents[fail]becausetheyhaven’tlearnedtohandlethe“freedom”…ofthecollegeenvironment.(2007a,p.3)
Theinsightthattoomuchfreedomcanbeparalyzingisprobablyfamiliartoallofus,andit’scertainlyfamiliartoeducatorswhoworkwithdevelopmentalstudents.Inherlandmark1976studyofnewstudentsenteringhighereducation,K.PatriciaCrossnotedthatunderpreparedlearnersmaylacktheorganizingframeworksneededtounderstanddifficultacademicconcepts,callingforlearningexperiencesthatareexplicitintheirexpectationsandhighlystructured.Hermessagehasweatheredwell,reinforcedbyfurtherresearchontheimportanceofstep-by-stepinstructions,explicitmodels,andexamplestoimitateandthenadapt(see
basic skills for complex lives ��
Bransford,Brown,andCocking,1999).Learnersatalllevels,thoughindifferentwaysanddegrees,benefitfromsuchscaffolding.Oneofthemostimportantpedagogicalstepsateachercantakeistobeexplicitaboutthepracticesand“moves”ofmoreadvancedlearners.
AtPasadenaCityCollege,forexample,alargenumberofintermediatealgebrastudentsfail(about50percent).WhenmathematicsprofessorYu-ChungChangbegantoexplorethereasonsforthislackofsuccess,shediscoveredthatherstudentshadparticulartroublewithwordproblems.Evenstudentswhocouldeasilysolveaspecificmathequation“werestymiedwhenthatsameequationwaspresentedasawordproblem”(Chang,Curtis,andWright,2007).Theirstruggle,Changsaw,wasnotsomuchwithmathaswithreadingandtheprocessoftranslatingEnglishintothelanguageofmath.Toaddressthisproblem,shecreatedamuchmorestructuredapproachtosolvingwordproblems.
Chang’sapproach,whichshedubbedWRAMPS(WritingandReadingActivitiesforMathProblemSolving),hashadamarkedeffect.Throughacarefullyscriptedprocessofrewritingthewordproblemintheirownwords,readingitaloud,receivingpeerfeedbackontheir“translation,”andrevising,studentsnotonlyachievedsignificantgainsonpost-WRAMPStestsadministeredbyChang;theyalsooutperformedstudentsinotherintermediatealgebraclassesonthewordproblemsegmentofthedepartment’scommonfinal.(Answersweregradedona1-4scale,with4pointsbeingthehighest.Onaverage,Chang’sstudentsscored3outof4points,whilestudentsinothersectionsscoredanaverageof1outof4points.)Changalsoobservedapowerfulqualitativeeffect:throughfrequentpracticewithwordproblemsusingWRAMPS,studentsreportedfeelinglessanxiousaboutmathandbegantoseeitas“relevantandapplicabletotheirdailylives.”Or,asonestudentputit,“Ifiguredouthowtodopayrollusingthewordproblemwehadinclass”(Chang,Curtis,andWright,2007).
HighstructurehasalsoemergedinSPECCasakeyelementofeffectiveliteracyinstruction.Severalyearsago,GlendaleCommunityCollegeEnglishinstructorChrisJuzwiakbeganexperimentingwithinteractivePowerPointpresentationsdesignedtomovehispre-collegiatestudentsthroughcriticalthinkingandwritingexercisesincarefullystructuredstep-by-stepfashion.Thepresentationsemploymulti-mediaelementsofsound,color,andmotiontokeepstudentsengagedinwhatisoftennecessarilyiterative(yes,evensometimesboring)work.Inresponsetothesurveyquestion“Didthetechnologyhelpyoulearnthecoursematerialsbetter?”some83percentofJuzwiak’sstudents(110studentstotal)answered“Yes,definitely.”ThemajorityofstudentsalsoreportedpreferringtheinteractivecourseWebsitetoatraditionaltextbook(EzellandJuzwiak,2006;JuzwiakandTiernan,2007).ThesepositiveperceptionsofFullE-mersionPedagogy,asJuzwiakandhiscolleaguescallit,havebeensupportedbystudentsuccessrateshigherthanthedepartmentalaverageandbyevidencethatFullE-mersionstudentsoftenoutperformthosefromtraditionalsectionsinsubsequentcourses.
one of the most important pedagogical
steps a teacher can take is to be explicit
about the practices and “moves” of more
advanced learners.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
InconjunctionwiththeSPECCproject,Juzwiak’sdesignsandmaterialsarenowbeingadoptedbyothersatGlendale,andadaptedtoadditionalcoursesinthedevelopmentalsequence.MonetteTiernanhasbegunusingtheapproachinherEnglish120classes(onelevelhigherthanJuzwiak’soriginalcontext).Inprevioussemesters,typically50to60percentofstudentsfinishedthecourse,whileinthesemestersheimplementedFullE-mersion,76percentfinished,aconsiderablejump.ThesenumbersareespeciallyencouraginginlightofJuzwiak’soriginalgoaltoimprovesuccessrates,regardlessofvariousinstructors’teachingstylesandexperience.Itappearsthatthishigh-structurepedagogyisapracticethattravelswell(GlendaleCommunityCollegeSPECCReport,2006,n.p.).
Exampleslikethese(andwehaveseenmanymoreinSPECC)canusefullybeviewedthroughthelensofanapproachcalledReadingApprenticeship(RA)thathasbeencentraltoSPECC.DevelopedbyWestEd’sStrategicLiteracyInitiative,RAwasoriginallydesignedforworkwithK-12teachers,butitscentralprinciplesarerelevantatothereducationallevelsaswell,andSPECCparticipantsfromawiderangeofdisciplineshavefoundtheapproachpowerfullyformative.Atitsheart,ReadingApprenticeshipisadifferentwaytothink
aboutbasicskills,onefoundedonarecognitionthatreaders—noviceandsophisticatedalike—mustmakecomplicatedinterpretativemovesateverystepalongtheway;thateverytextpresentsdifficultiesandlacunaewherethereadermustfillinknowledgethatisnotinthetext;andthatdisciplinarycontextmattersdeeply(seeSchoenbach,Greenleaf,Cziko,andHurwitz,1999;andYbarra,2006).Thus,ReadingApprenticeshiphelpsteachersmakelearningvisibleandexplicitasChang,Juzwiak,andothersinSPECCaredoing.
TheprincipleofhighstructurehasbeenpowerfulinSPECC,andithasalsobeensomethingofahotbutton:Howmuchstructureisenough?Whendoexplicitstep-by-stepinstructionsbecomeacrutch?Orevendemeaningtostudents?Whatistherightbalancebetweenstructureandopenness,betweenguidanceandindependence,andhowdoesonestrikethatbalancein
aclassroomwithdiverselearners?ThesebalancingactshavebeenthefocusoflivelydebateamongSPECCparticipants,whichhasinturnbroughtintoviewtheimportanceofthenextprinciple.
2. High ChallengeAsecondprincipleoneseesineffectivepre-collegiateclassroomsishighchallenge—thef lipside,onemightsay,ofhighstructure.Yes,studentsneedclear,explicit,step-by-stepguidanceforundertakingcomplicatedacademictasks.Buttheyalsoneedsomethingtheycansinktheirintellectualteethinto,somethingthatengagesandchallengesthem.Oneofthelong-standingcritiquesofcommunitycollegesisthatthey’reinthebusiness,intentionallyorotherwise,of“coolingout”students,loweringtheirlevelofambition,teachingthemtosettleforless(Clark,1960;alsoseeGrubbandAssociates,1999,p.11).Allstructureandnochallenge
another example of high struCture
At Cerritos College, Lynn Serwin teaches basic skills
writing through a series of very explicit steps, from
brainstorming, to revision, to the submission of the
final draft, and she has developed different rubrics
for each assignment. Serwin believes this method is
working not because of her use of the rubric, “but
because the students have in their possession a clear
rubric by which they assess their own and peers’
work” (Cerritos College SPECC Report, 2006, p. 8).
basic skills for complex lives ��
makesJackadullandunmotivatedboy!ButSPECChasmadeitclearthatthisneednotbethecase.EvenatthemostfundamentallevelsofEnglishandmathematics,intellectuallyengagingproblemsandissuesexistinabundance.Withabalanceofchallengeandsupport,studentscanengageinauthenticdebateandintellectualexchange.
AtLaneyCollege,forinstance,AnnieAgardhasdonewhatmanybasicskillsinstructorsseeasaskingfortrouble:sheusespoetrytoteachEnglishlanguageskillsinalow-levelESLclass.Shebeganrethinkingherteachingpracticewhenshefoundherstudents—andtheirteacher—trappedinaformoflearningthatfeltlikelittlemorethandecoding:studentsstumbledover
anewword,lookedituporaskedtheteacher,andmovedon,effectivelylearningtoreadEnglishwithoutgaininganylargersenseofcontext,tone,ormeaningfromthetext.IntriguedbyReadingApprenticeshipanditsembraceofdifficulty,Agardturnedtopoetry.Assheputsit:“Inapoem,studentscanforthefirsttimeexploretherealmsofconnotation,implication,andculturalnuance—allthewaysinwhichunderstandingalanguageismuchmorethansimplyfindingthedictionarydefinitionsofwords.”
Thechallengesoftranslationandmeaning-makingarecompoundedbythediversityofAgard’sstudents.Onevideotapedsegmentfromatypicalclassshowsagroupoffourstudents,withasmanynativelanguagesbetweenthem,respondingtoapoembyMelGlennaboutastudent’sanxietyovershowingaplayshehaswrittentoherEnglishteacher.BecauseofthehighlevelofscaffoldingAgardprovides(shemovestheclassthrough13distinctsteps),herstudentsareabletorisetothechallengeofreadingandunderstandingpoetryintheirsecondlanguage.Indeed,asAgardtellsstudents,difficultyanduncertaintyareessentialtotheexperienceofreadingpoetry,andtolearningitself(Agard,2007).
Similarly,atWestHillsCollege,DavidReynoldsassignedthenovelPetals of BloodbyNgugiwaThiong’otohisIntroductiontoCommunicationSkillsclass.Withitsrivetingbutnon-linearplotandcollectionofmorallyambiguousnarrators,thenovelseemedperfectlysuitedtostimulatethecomplexinterpretiveskillsthatexpertreadersemploy.LikeAgard,Reynoldsdesigns
even at the most fundamental levels of
english and mathematics, intellectually
engaging problems and issues exist in
abundance.
the marriage of high Challenge and high struCture
At Merced College, SPECC participant Jennifer McBride asks her basic skills English students to grapple with complex analytical essays—for instance, about Hispanic immigration, a difficult topic at the very highest levels of policy making, and one that cuts close to the bone for her many Latino students. The assignment is shaped around contrasting point-of-view essays by Samuel Huntington, arguing that “Hispanic Immigration Threatens to Divide America,” and Jan Jarboe Russell, who believes that diversity strengthens community. (Both essays appear in Opposing Viewpoints, a reader edited by James E. Torr, 2005). Students are asked to write an essay that argues for one view or the other, using quotes from the essays as evidence—a strategy McBride explicitly models for them and which students then practice and try out on one another in carefully sequenced steps. What’s striking is the level of sophistication evident in students’ papers.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
assignmentsthatgivestudentsstep-by-stepguidance(hisstrategiesincludereaderself-assessments,“talkingtothetext”throughannotation,andlogsinwhichstudentstrackthedevelopmentofthenovel’scharacters).Butwhat’smoststrikingishowtheyrisetotheoccasionofhighchallenge:“Mystudentsmustfittogethercharacters’confessions,reminiscences,reports,musings,andsometimesdimremembrancestounderstandthetruthofthestory,”hesays.Andtheydo.Asonestudentputit(inacommentthatcapturesoneofthemostfundamentalpleasuresofreadingliterature):“Can’twaittofinishittoseewhoreallydoneit”(Reynolds,2007).
Andwhataboutmath?Howdoestheprincipleofhighchallengeplayoutinadisciplinethatdealswithnumbersratherthanwords?Interestingly,theanswermaynotbemoreadvanced(harder)versionsoftheproblemscurrentlypresentedbutratheradifferentconceptionofwhat kinds of problemsbuildtruefoundationalunderstandings.Forstarters,thisshiftentailsamoreappliedapproach.AtCollegeoftheSequoias,forinstance,facultymemberReneeThornburg
hasbeenteachingandstudyingtheeffectivenessofacoursethatapproachesmathematicsthroughagriculturalapplications—anintersectionespeciallyaptfortheCentralValleywherethecollegeislocated.
Inasimilarspirit,mathfacultyatLosMedanosCollegehavereshapedthealgebrasequence,whichtraditionallyfocusesonproceduralskillsneededforcalculus.Theirgoalwastomakemathmoreengaging—moreconnectedtoeverydayapplications—butalsotopromoteinstudentsthehabitsofminddisplayedbymathematicians.“Ourcoursesemphasizereal-worldscenarios,”
saysMyraSnell,“butthemathematicalcontextismodeling,whichdefinitelypreparesstudentsforadvancedmath.”Putanotherway,facultywanttoprovidestudentswithopportunitiestothinkandreasonlikemathematicians.Thus,aproblemaboutcompoundinterestonaloanservesasamoreappliedapproachtoexponentialfunctions.Drawingonmathematicseducationresearch,thedepartmenthasdesignedlearningexperiencesthatpromote“mathematicalreasoningandnon-algorithmicproblemsolving”andarubricthathelpsfacultyformulatequestionsandassignmentsthat1)allowmultiplestrategies,2)require“mathtalk,”3)makeconnectionsandinvitemultiplerepresentations,and4)presenta“highcognitivedemand”(Holtmann,Poku,Snell,andWagener,2006).
Thechangessuggestedbytheseexamplesmaynotseemradicaltothoseoutsidemathematics,butitisimportanttonotethat—evenatthebasicskillslevel—thedisciplinehasbeendominatedbyaquitedifferentstance,one,saysRobertOrrill,thatvalues“anascendingpursuitofabstraction”andlooks“inward”inwaysthatkeepthefielddistinctfromtheoutsideworld(2001,p.xviii).Incontrast,themorereal-worldengagementbeingpursuedatLosMedanos,CollegeoftheSequoias,andothercampuses,representsashifttowardthecapacity
“literacy” is a term that sometimes
carries connotations of low-level skills, be
it in verbal or quantitative contexts. but
today’s students need and deserve higher
expectations and more sophisticated
understandings of both verbal and
quantitative literacy.
basic skills for complex lives �8
todealwiththemessyproblemsofaworldthatis,increasingly,“awashinnumbers”(Steen,2001,p.1).Insomecircles,thisshifthasaname.“QuantitativeLiteracy”(oroccasionally“numeracy”)pointsto
theneedtoknowmorethanformulasandequations.[Learners]needapredispositiontolookattheworldthroughmathematicaleyes,toseethebenefits(andrisks)ofthinkingquantitativelyaboutcommonplaceissues,andtoapproachcomplexproblemswithconfidenceinthevalueofcarefulreasoning.Quantitativeliteracyempowerspeoplebygivingthemtoolstothinkforthemselves,toaskintelligentquestionsofexperts,andtoconfrontauthorityconfidently.Thesearetheskillsrequiredtothriveinthemodernworld.(Steen,2001,p.2)
“Literacy”isatermthatsometimescarriesconnotationsoflow-levelskills,beitinverbalorquantitativecontexts.Buttoday’sstudentsneedanddeservehigherexpectationsandmoresophisticatedunderstandingsofbothverbalandquantitativeliteracy.SPECC’sworkshowsthateventhemostbasicskillscanbeaimedinthisdirection.
3. IntensityInhistelevisiondocumentaryoncommunitycolleges,Discounted Dreams: High Hopes and Harsh Realities at America’s Community Colleges(2007),award-winningjournalistandCarnegieFoundationVisitingScholar-in-ResidenceJohnMerrowprofilesseveralstudentsandthechallengestheyface:ayoungwomanwhogoesdirectlyfromhernight-shiftjobtoattendafullloadofclassesduringtheday,forinstance,andamanwhoisretoolingforanewcareerasachefwhileraisingafamily.Theseprofiles—familiartoandvaluedbycommunitycollegeeducators—remindusofabasicfactaboutbasicskillseducation:today’sstudentshaveheapingplates.Schoolisimportanttothem,andtheymakesignificantsacrificestobethere.Butitisoften,andnecessarily,notthehighestpriority.Childcareplansfallapart,carsbreakdown,financesfalter,spousesfallill….Ateveryturntherearedevelopmentsandneedsthatpullstudents’energyandattentionawayfromtheiracademicgoals.Thisrealityfrustratesvirtuallyeveryeducator,andthere’snoneatsolution.ButanumberofSPECCcampuseshavediscoveredthathighlevelsofintensity,whichmaytakeavarietyofforms,maybepartoftheanswer.
Forinstance,intensitycanmeanamoresustainedexperience,asillustratedbydatafromLosMedanosCollege,wheremathematicsfacultyworkedwithinstitutionalresearcherstotracktheprogressofstudentswhotookandpassedelementaryalgebra.“Ofthosewhocompletedelementaryalgebrabutwaitedtoenrollinintermediatealgebra,only25percentsuccessfullycompletedatransfer-levelmathcoursewithinthreeyears,”reportsMyraSnell,afacultymemberinmathatLosMedanos.“Ofthosewhowentdirectlytothenextlevel,47percentcompletedatransfercourseinthethreeyearperiod.”Asitturnsout,thesamepatternholdsintheEnglishdepartment,wherethenumbersare12and41percent,respectively.Snellconcludes,“Thispromptedamuchgreatersenseofurgencyabouttheneedtocounselstudentsaboutcontinuinginthedevelopmentalmathsequencewithoutstoppingout.Italsoprovidedaconvincingrationaleforencouragingfacultytogiveuppreciousclasstimeto
�� a different way to think about developmental education
doactivitiesthatconnectstudentstocampusresourceslikethecareercenterandacademiccounseling.Wecannottakeforgrantedthatstudentswhosuccessfullycompleteourcourseswillpersist”(Snell,2008).
Intensitycanalsomeangreaterimmersion,or(assomeSPECCparticipantssay)higher“dosage,”asinseveralnew“mathintensives”developedbytheTeachingandLearningCenteratPasadenaCityCollege(PCC).Theseincludeatwo-week,no-credit,basicskillsmathbootcamp,called“MathJam,”forfirst-timePCCstudents;XL,anintensivesummerlearningcommunityfocusedonpre-algebra;andaNSFsupported“MathPath”oftwomathcoursesinthesamesemesterthatmakesitpossibleforstudentsstartingindevelopmentalmathematicstopursuemath-basedmajors.Eachoftheseintensiveimmersionexperienceshasprovedpowerfulinraisingstudentretentionandsuccess.InthesummerMathJam,forinstance,91percentofthestudentswereretained,89percentqualifiedforaselectivefallprogramcalledLifelines,and56percentsignificantlyimprovedtheirscoreswhentheplacementtestwasre-administeredattheendoftheexperience(PasadenaCityCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.5).
Intensitycanalsomeangreaterconnectedness,asillustratedbytheSpringboardtoTransferprogramatChabotCollege,alearningcommunitywhichlinksapre-collegiateEnglish(readingandwriting)coursewithageneraleducationcourse—forinstance,historyoranthropology—atthetransferlevel.Springboardcontinuesforthreesemesters,sointensityisnotonlyafunctionofthelongertimeframebutalsoofsustainedrelationships,bothamongstudents(whomoveaheadinacohort)andwiththeEnglishinstructor,whocontinueswiththecohortfortheduration.(SeesectionVIlaterinthisdocumentfordataontheimpactofthisapproach.)“ManystudentsdescribeastrongsenseofconnectiontheyfeeltoeachotherandtotheEnglishteacherwhostayswiththemthroughouttheprogram,”Chabot’sevaluationoftheprogrampointsout.“Someusetheword‘family’todescribetheSpringboardenvironment,andseveralsaythatduringmomentswhentheyconsidereddroppingout,theystayedinbecauseoftheirpeersorEnglishinstructor…”(ChabotCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.7).
4. Intentionality and Learning How to LearnMuchisknowntodayabouthowpeoplelearn,andeducatorsatalllevelsaretappingintonewinsightsfromcognitivescience,educationalresearch,andthescholarshipofteachingandlearning.Butteachersarenottheonlyoneswhoneedtounderstandthelearningprocess.Researchshowsthatstudentsaremorelikelytosucceediftheycanbecomeintentional learners,whounderstandandcanmonitortheirownlearning(AACU,2002).Indeed,thiscapacityisarguablymoreimportantnowthanever,astheworldbecomesmorecomplicated,asboundariesofallkindsshift,andaschangebecomesaconstantexpectation(HuberandHutchings,2005).
Forseveralreasons,intentionalityisespeciallyimportantforunderpreparedlearners.Forstarters,studentsinbasicskillscourses(andthemuchwidersetofcoursesinwhichbasicskillsareneededforsuccess)oftencomewithashortsupplyofwhatmightbecalled“studentingskills.”Manyhavenotdevelopedthehabitsofplanningandpersistenceneeded
basic skills for complex lives 20
forhomeworkproblemsandassignedreading.Theymaynothaveroutinesfornotetakingandstudying.Timemanagementisanissue.Besetbycompetingdemandsontheirtimeandenergy,theymaynotknowhowtosetgoalsandmonitortheirownprogress.
Inturn,teachershaveaspecialresponsibilitytohelpstudentsunderstandthemselvesaslearners.Thismightmeanteachingskillsofnotetakingandoutlining,asReadingApprenticeshippreparesfacultytodo.Itmeanshelpingstudentsmonitortheirprogress—tounderstandhowgradesarecalculated,forinstance,andwhatwillhappeniftheyreceive,say,aDratherthanaBonanassignedpaper.Itmeansbeingexplicitwithstudentsaboutwhatisexpectedandwhy,andmakingvisiblethestrategiesandprocessesthathave,perhaps,becomesecondnaturetomoreexperiencedlearners.Mostofall,itmeanscreatinganenvironment,insidetheclassroomandbeyond,wherestudentscantalkopenlyabouttheirlearning,theirchallenges,andwhatallowsthemtosucceed.
ConsiderCollegeoftheSequoias,whereagoalofbasicskillscoursesinEnglishistohelpstudentsbecomemoreableandconfidentjudgesoftheirownwork—akeycharacteristicofexpertlearners.Towardthisend,anumberoffacultyhaveadoptedtheWeb-based(andtrademarked)“CalibratedPeerReview”model,nowinuseonover500campusesworldwide,toteachwriting.Attheheartoftheprocessisarubricforevaluatingwritinginthreestages,witheachstagerequiringamorenuancedgraspofwhatwritingandreadingshouldaccomplish.First,studentsevaluatetextsproducedbytheinstructor,scoringthemasexcellent,mediocre,orweak.Next,theyscoreanonymouswritingsamplessubmittedbytheirclassmates.Finally,intheself-evaluationstage,theyapplythesamerubrictotheirownwriting.Attheendoftheexercise,studentsreviewthefullsetofscores(includingtheinstructor’s)andareencouragedtoexploreandquestionthegradestheyreceived.Atthebeginningofthesemester,reportsEnglishinstructorJeffMaryanow,fewerthanhalfofthestudentscouldscoretheirownworkaccurately—thatis,inwaysthataccordwiththeinstructor’sjudgments.(Typically,studentsstartoutseeingtheirwritingassignificantlymoresuccessfulthantheirinstructordoes.)Butbytheendofthesemester,90percentofthestudentscouldaccuratelyassesstheirwork(CollegeoftheSequoias,SPECCReport,2006,p.3).Thiscapacityforself-assessmentisnomeanfeat;evenforthemostsophisticatedwriters,judgingone’sownworkremainsasignificantchallenge.
Arelatedchallengemanystudentsfaceisevaluatingandprioritizingthematerialcoveredintheircollegeclasses.Whichofthemanyconceptscoveredinalectureorreadingassignmentarethemostimportant?Whichideasarefundamentalandmustbemasteredbeforemovingontothenextthing?AsLauraGraff,amathinstructoratCollegeoftheDesert,observed:“Werealizedthatstudentsdonotknowhowtostudymath…Theydonotknowhowtolearntheconceptsandapplythemtothehomework.”Inanefforttoteachherstudentstobecomemoreindependent,intentionallearners,Graffhasthemoutlinethechaptersin
teachers have a special responsibility to
help students understand themselves as
learners by creating an environment, inside
the classroom and beyond, where students
can talk openly about their learning,
their challenges, and what allows them to
succeed.
2� a different way to think about developmental education
theirmathtextbookaspartofeachhomeworkassignment.Earlyon,thestudents’outlineswerenearlyaslongasthechaptersthemselves,butlaterinthesemestertheydevelopedmoresophisticatedreadingstrategies,andtheoutlinesbecamemorecompact,morefocusedonkeyconcepts.Overtime,thisprocesshashelpedstudentsstudyfortestsmoreefficiently,andtheirscoreshavegoneup.Onestudentsummeduptheresponsesofmanyofherclassmateswhenaskedwhethertheoutlininghadhelpedthemgraspthemathconcepts:“Doingtheoutlinemademerealizehowmuchatoolthebookis…Idoplanonapplying[outlining]toeverysubject”(Graff,Culhan,andMarhuenda-Donate,2007).
Whattheseexampleshaveincommonisafocusonmetacognitiveroutines—practicesthathelplearnersgetsmarterabouttheirlearningprocess,and,inthespiritofhelpingstudentsunderstandandbemoreintentionalabouttheirownlearning,onesthatsomeSPECCfacultyhaveexplicitlyintroducedintheirclassrooms.(MetacognitiveroutinesarecentraltoReadingApprenticeship,whichhasinfusedtheworkofmanySPECCeducators.)It’sappropriate,perhaps,toletacommunitycollegestudentfromoneoftheseSPECCsitesexplaintheterm:
Ihavelearnedthatmetacognitioniswhenyouthinkaboutwhatyouread.MetacognitionhaschangedthethingsthatgooninmyheadbecausenowIthinkaboutwhatIreadmoreclearly.Ipredict,picture,question,makeconnections,identifyanyproblemsandcheckbackifIdon’tunderstandsomethingthefirsttimeIreadit.WhenIusedtoreadbefore,Ijustreadtogetitoverwithandbedone,butnowIreallygetintobooksandtrytopredictandmakeconnectionstohelpmesummarizewhatIread.(StrategicLiteracyInitiative,2007,p.23)
Asanotherstudentputit,“it’sabigwordwithasmallmeaning”(StrategicLiteracyInitiative,2007,p.23),butsmallisclearlynotthesameasbasic.Indeed,anawarenessofone’sownmetacognitiveroutines,an
abilitytobeintentionalandself-directed,isnotaremedialexercisebutacharacteristicofthemostaccomplishedlearnersandanecessityforthekindoflife-longlearningneededintoday’scomplex,ever-shiftingworld.
5. Inquiry and Assessment to Make Learning Visible Oneofthegreatimpedimentstoeducationalimprovementateverylevelisthatsomuchofwhatgoesoninthemindsoflearnersisinvisible.Itishard,afterall,todesignausefulinnovationorinterventionwithoutknowingwhatstudentsreallyunderstand,what
tutoring and intentional learning
Several SPECC campuses are exploring ways to make tutoring more effective for developmental students. Consider Merced College’s use of Supplemental Instruction—an approach developed at the University of Missouri-Kansas City—where students themselves serve as tutors. At Merced, students who have successfully completed a basic skills course are tapped to serve as tutors in a subsequent semester; they attend class, work with students during class activities, and hold special sessions where the focus is on learning how to learn. Unlike traditional tutors, who are more likely to work one-on-one and target specific homework problems, these students act as group leaders and facilitators of collaborative learning. Three years of qualitative and quantitative data from teachers, tutors, and students show that students attending Supplemental Instruction sessions have higher course completion, retention, and persistence rates, along with greater confidence. Equally important, this approach helps those students who serve as tutors, as they become more aware of what they do as successful learners and more intentional about their own future learning.
basic skills for complex lives 22
misunderstandingsblocktheirprogress,andwheretheygetofftrack.Intacklingawordprobleminmathematics,forinstance,dotheyunderstandwhattheproblemisabout?Whentheystumble,aretheirdifficultiescentraltothemathematicsormoreanissueoflanguageliteracy?Dotheyfreezeattheverythoughtofdealingwithnumbers?Dotheyhavecreative“workarounds”forgettingtoananswerbutlackthemorestreamlinedprocessestheyneedtobeefficientproblemsolvers?Ofcoursemanyteachersaskstudentsto“showtheirwork”(beitinmath,byrequiringthatallthestepsbedocumented,orinEnglish,throughmultipledraftsofawritingassignment),andmostfacultyspendhugeamountsoftimeandenergytakingthemeasureofstudents’learningthroughexams,papers,projects,andotherkindsofassignmentsthatarethenevaluatedandgraded.Butthestubborntruthisthatthestepsinvolvedinthinkingthroughanintellectualtasktakeplace“behindthescenes”andaredauntinglydifficulttopenetrate.Theyarehiddenbecausementalactivityis,bynature,mostlyinvisible,andtheymaybeevenmorehiddeninbasicskillscontextswherestudentsareoftenunsureofthemselvesandgotogreatlengthsnottohavetheirerrorsandmisunderstandingsexposed.Thus,afinalprincipleforpowerfullearninginbasicskillsistheimportanceofinquiryandassessmentinmakingstudents’experienceaslearnersvisible(toteachersandtostudentsthemselves)inwaysthatcaninformandsupportwhathappensintheclassroom.
Whilethisisnotanewidea,itisonethathasbeengaininggroundinthelastdecade.Sometimesmarchingunderthebannerofthescholarshipofteachingandlearning,facultyfromafullrangeoffieldsandinstitutionaltypesaretreatingtheirclassroomsaslaboratories,systematicallystudyingtheirstudents’learninginordertoimproveit(HuberandHutchings,2005).Suchworkref lectsarealizationthatteachingandlearningarecomplexendeavorsthatraiseconsequentialquestions—questionsthatcanusefullybeexploredandactedupon.Doingso,inturn,requirestoolsandprocessesforcapturingandanalyzingstudentlearninginpowerfulways.SPECCoffersmanyexamplesofsuchinquiry:interviewswithindividualstudents,studentfocusgroups,pre-andpost-tests,trackingstudentprogressovertime.Thesestrategieshaveplayedamajorroleintheprofessionaldevelopmentmodelwewillturntointhenextsection,FacultyInquiryGroups.Here,however,wehighlighttwomoreunusualexamplesofinquiryandassessment.
Thefirstexample—theuseofthinkalouds—isfromthemathematicsdepartmentatPasadenaCityCollege.FacultymemberJayChoandhiscolleagueshavebeendeeplyconcernedaboutunderpreparedstudents:80percentofnewstudentsatthecollegeplaceintobasicskillsmath;40percentofthemreceiveaD,F,orwithdraw;andonly15percentofallstudentswhoplaceintopre-algebrasuccessfullycompletethebasicskillsmathsequence.Overtheyears,manyinnovationshavebeentried,andsuccessrateshavegoneupanddowninmodestways,butprobablyit’sfairtosaythatmostoftheseefforts,andtheireffects,weretrialanderror.Determinedtobringamoreevidence-basedapproachtobear,Choworkedwithcolleaguestosystematicallyexplorewhatcouldbedonetoimprovestudentsuccess.Towardthisendtheygrappledwithinstitutionaldataaboutsuccess(orratherfailure)rates,reviewedtherecentresearchliteraturefrommathematicseducation,identifiedkeyconcepts,anddesignedreal-worldapplicationsforteachingthemmoreeffectively.
teaching and learning are complex
endeavors that raise consequential
questions—questions that can usefully
be explored and acted upon.
2� a different way to think about developmental education
Inaddition,thisdedicatedgroupofmathematicsfacultyagreedthattheyneededdifferentkindsofdata—amorequalitative,in-depthsenseofstudents’experiencewiththespecialstumblingblockpresentedbywordproblems.Withthisinmind,theyemployeda“thinkaloud,”inwhichthelearnerdescribes,asfullyaspossible,thestepsinherorhisthinkingwhiletryingtosolveaproblemorperformatask.Therationalebehindthethinkaloud,whichwasdevelopedbycognitivepsychologistsstudyingthelearningprocess,isworthhighlighting:
Intheirclassicbook,Verbal Reports as Data,Ericcson&Simonlikentheverbalprotocol[ofthethinkaloud]toobservingadolphinatsea.Becauseheoccasionallygoesunderwater,weseethedolphinonlyintermittently,notcontinuously.Wemustthereforeinferhisentirepathfromthosetimeswedoseehim.Astudent’sverbalizationsduringproblemsolvingaresurfaceaccountsofherthinking.Therearenodoubt“underwater”periodsthatwecannotobserveandrecord;butwithexperience,theanalysisofstudents’verbalizationswhiletryingtoperformataskorsolveaproblemofferspowerfulinsightsintotheirthinking.(Bond,2007,n.p.)
Thoughithasanimpressivepedigree,thethinkaloudwasnewterritoryforChoandhiscolleagues,andtheygenerouslydocumentedtheirjourneyinamulti-mediaWebsitedevelopedaspartofSPECC(Cho,Curtis,Davis,andKlein,2006).ViewerscanseeavideoofmathstudentJoseMorenotalkingthroughawordproblem,andalsolistentoCho’s
analysisofMoreno’sthinking.Additionally,thesitepointstoimprovementsthatweremadeandtoanongoingprocessofinquiryandassessmentthatgeneratesfurtherevidencetoguidefurtherimprovements.Theseimprovementsarenot,certainly,aresultofthethinkaloudalone,buttheprotocolisawonderfulexampleofwhatCarnegiePresidentLeeS.Shulmancalls“lowstakes,highyield”assessment.Itislowstakesbecausethestudent’sstandingintheclassisnotatissueandtheresultsareforimprovementpurposes,notforanyexternalreportoraccountability.Itishighyieldbecause,saysoneassessmentexpert,“theverbalprotocolmaywellbetheonlyreliableroadintoastudent’sthinking”(Bond,2007,n.p.).
There’sanotherpotentialbenefit,aswell,whichisthatthethinkaloudmaybepowerfulforstudents.Thoughtheymayatfirststrugglewiththethinkaloud,overtimetheybecomemoreconfidentintheirownproblem-solvingprocessandmoreabletomonitorandassesstheirownlearning.Inthissense,thethinkaloudisanotherformofmetacognitiveroutine.
Asecond,verydifferentexampleofinquiryemergedatChabotCollege,wheretheyaimedtocapturestudentvoicesinawaythatwouldcatalyzeimprovementforbothlearnersandteachers.Determinedtoframebasicskillsasachallenge
reading Between the lives
Reading Between the Lives is available online at Internet Archive, a grantee of the Hewlett Foundation. The hour-long video was produced by teachers and students at Chabot College as part of their participation in SPECC and features Chabot students sharing their experiences of reading. The film is divided into four parts and can be viewed on the Internet Archive, at www.archive.org.
If you would like more information about Reading Between the Lives and other videos produced by Chabot, please contact:
Sean McFarland
The Making Visible Project
510-723-7427
basic skills for complex lives 2�
cuttingacrossthecurriculum—beyondEnglishandmathematics(thoughtheywerethecentralfocusofSPECC)andbeyondcoursesdesignatedasbasicskills—Chabotsetabouttomakereadinganissueofbroaderconcernandawarenessacrossthecampus:
WeatChabotCollegehavebeenref lectingonbasicskills‘issues’overthepasttwoyears,andwehavebeguntowonderwhetherourthinkingaboutreadingasabasicskill,assomethingourstudentsshouldhavelearnedinhighschoolorindevelopmentalEnglishclasses,mightbeworkingagainstus—andourstudents.ThediscussionofreadingasabasicskillneedstocomeoutofthehallwaysofEnglish/ESLdepartmentsandbetakenupbyalldisciplines.(FlyerforChabotCollegeregionalconferenceonreading,2007)
Towardthisend,thecampusbroughttogetheragroupofstudentswhocollaboratedonaone-hourvideothatmakesreadingissuesdramaticallyvisible.Themanystudentsfeaturedinthevideotalkabouttheir(sometimesimpoverished)historyasreaders,theirreactions(frustration,withdrawal,excitement,urgency)whenfacedwithunfamiliaranddifficulttexts,andthehelpthatteachersdoand(mostly)donotgivewhenhandingoutreadingassignments.Theresult,Reading Between the Lives,hasbeenusedinfacultydevelopmentsettings,andalsoinclassrooms,whereithassparkedconversationswithandamongstudentsabouttheirroutinesasreaders,wheretheyencounterroadblocks,andwhatstrategiestheyfindhelpful.Projectsliketheseextendthemeaningofinquirybygivingacentralplacetothestudentvoiceandunderliningtheneedtofindorcreatemanymoreoccasionswhenthatvoicecanbecapturedandheard(Bueschel,2008).
Thesetwoexamplesofinquiryandassessmentareambitiousandprovocative.Overseeingastudentvideoorundertakingaroundofthinkaloudsisnotsomethingmostfacultycandoonaregularbasis.Andyettheprinciplebehindthem—thecommitmenttomakelearningvisible—isonethatcanandshouldbeintegraltotheeverydaybusinessofteachingandlearning—throughsimpleclassroomassessmenttoolsliketheone-minutepaper(AngeloandCross,1993),assignmentsthatinvitestudentstotalkabouttheirprocessand“showtheirwork,”andnewtechnologies(electronicorotherwise)thatdocumentstudents’experienceaslearners.Seeninthisway,asaformofinquiry,assessmentisnotabureaucraticaccountabilityrequirementbutawaytoenactone’sprofessionalresponsibilitytostudents. integrating the five principles
Ofcoursemanyclassroomsembodymorethanoneofthefiveprinciplesdescribedabove;themostpromisinginnovations,infact,liveattheirintersection,andatthenexuswhereprincipleandpracticecometogether.Consider,forexample,theworkthatKatieHernhasbeendoinginherdevelopmentalEnglishclassesatChabotCollege,bringinghighstructure,highchallenge,intensity,intentionality,andinquirytogethertocreateapowerfullearningenvironmentforherstudents.Aspecificclassactivityisillustrative:InEnglish101A,thelowestlevelEnglishclassofferedatChabot,studentswereaskedtoread15pagesfroma
seen in this way, as a form of inquiry,
assessment is not a bureaucratic
accountability requirement but a way to enact
one’s professional responsibility to students.
2� a different way to think about developmental education
chapterofEricSchlosser’sFast Food Nation.Hernprovideddiscussionquestionsto“guideattention”butotherwiseletherstudentsgrapplewiththetextindependently,anexampleofscaffoldingthatissupportivebutnotprescriptive.Shewasalsocarefultokeepthereadingassignmentrelativelyshort,trustingthatifherstudentsreadcarefully,theywouldidentifythelargerthemesatplayinSchlosser’swork—atacticshedescribesas“achievingcoveragebygoingdeep.”
Theclassdiscussionthatfollowedthisassignment(fortunatelycapturedonvideo)waslively,contentious,thorough,andalmostentirelystudent-driven,withHernactingmoreasaguideandoccasionaltrafficcopthanlecturer.Notonlywereherstudentsengagedwithachallenging,culturallycurrenttext,theywerealsodeterminingforthemselveswhatmostmeritedthoughtanddiscussion,somethingallexperiencedreadersroutinelydo.Whentheygotofftrack,orrevertedtovaguegeneralizations,Hernrefocusedtheconversationwithaprompt—andnotasimplepromptwithaonelineanswer:“Prompts[should]askstudentstodosomethingwiththekeyideatheyjustexplained,”shesays,“takeaposition,applyittoanewcontext,connectittootherpartsofthereading—i.e.:engageinhigherorderthinkingaboutit.”
Ofcourse,noteverystudentjumpseagerlyandequallyintodiscussionslikethese,butHerndirectlyconfrontstheissueofparticipation.Atthestartoftheclasssession,sheasksstudentsto“fessup”aboutwhethertheyhavedonethereading.Ifthe“fess-uplist”islong,Hern“remindsthemthattheclassjustdoesn’tworkwhentheyaren’tpreparedtoparticipateinourdiscussion…theycan’tgetbyonlectureandskipthereadinginthisclass[because]thereisnolecture.”Inthissamespiritofexplicitness,Hernspendsclasstimeteachingstudentshowtocalculategradesandmonitortheirownprogress.Partofbeingintentionalasastudent,afterall,isknowingwhereonestands(forinstance,realizingthattogetaBinthecourseoneneedsanAonthenextexam),andunderstandingwhat’satstake.AsHernsaysinsummary,“byreachingoutlikethis,Iamsimplymakingmorevisibletostudentswhathasbeentrueallalong:Icarewhentheydon’tdothework.I’mconcernedwhentheydon’tshowup.Iwantthemtobesuccessful”(Hern,2007b).
Hern’sclassroomisawindowonwhatitlookslikewhenpowerfulprinciplesofbasicskillseducationareplayedoutonthegroundwhereteachersandstudentsmeet.Shebringstogetherhighstructure(studyquestions,discussionprompts),highchallenge(meaty,difficultbooksoncomplexsocialissues),andintensity(classesmettwiceaweekintwo-hourblocks).Theclasspromotesintentionalityonthepartofstudents(showingthemhowtomonitortheirownprogressinthecourse,coachingthemabouthowtoparticipate),andintheprocessmakeslearningvisibleinwaysthatbothinstructorandstudentscanseeandref lectupon.Inshort,bothteacherandstudentsareinthebusinessofbuildingacultureofinquiryandref lectioninwhicheveryonecancontinuetoimprove.
Thiskindofteachingandlearningdoesn’tcomeeasy,andacrucialpartofHern’sstoryisaboutwhathasnotworkedinthepastandhowshehasdelvedintoherstudents’experienceinordertorethinkandremakeherclassroom.Thisprocess,andtheinsightsthatfollowedfromit,iscentraltothemulti-mediaWebsitedocumentingherclassroomthatHernhasdevelopedaspartofSPECC’sWindows on Learningcollection(seeHern,2007b).Thestoryshetellsthereisalsoastoryabouttheimportanceofthelargerprogramandcampuscontext,whichisthefocusofthenextsectionofthisreport.
basic skills for complex lives 2�
A New Vision for Professional Development
Changesattheclassroomlevel—tomakebasicskillsinstructionmorestructured,challenging,intenselyengaging,intentional,andinquiry-based—arethebedrockofimprovement;ifchangesdon’thappen“ontheground,”whereteachersandstudentsmeet,norealgainscanbemade.Butpowerfulclassroomsdonotcomeoutofthinair;theclimatemustberight.Thequestion,then,iswhatcanbedoneattheprogramandinstitutionallevelstoimprovethelearningandsuccessofunderpreparedstudents.Andthis,inturn,isaquestionabouthowinstitutionsareorganized(ornot)tosupporthighqualityteaching.
Ontheonehand,thecommunitycollegesectorisdistinctinthehighereducationpantheonforitsunambiguousteachingmission.Andyet,thatmissionissometimesexpressedmoreastheabsenceofresearchthanthepresenceofpolicies,resources,andpracticesthatactivelysupporteffectiveteachingandlearning.Fundingformulasarenotoriousinthisregard,based,astheyare,onhowmanystudentscomeinthedoorratherthanthequalityoftheirlearningandtheirabilitytoprogresstowardtheirgoals.Policiesshapingfacultyrolesaretroublesomeaswell.Atremendousamountofteachinggetsdone—uptofiveclassesasemesterforthoseteachingafullload—butasaconsequencefacultyhavelittletimetostepbackandworkwithcolleaguestoimprovewhattheydo.Inmanysettings,largenumbersoffacultyteachingbasicskillsarepart-time,makingarealsenseofcommunityaroundsharedlearninggoalsdifficulttoachieve.Asoneobserverquips,“Mostcommunitycollegesdolittlesystematicallytohelptheirinstructorsimprovetheirteaching…Butthisisn’tnecessarilyso;itissobecausecommunitycolleges,likesomanyeducationalinstitutions,havefailedtoassumemuchinstitutionalresponsibilityforthequalityofinstruction”(GrubbandAssociates,1999,p.49).
Whatkindsofinstitutionalsupportareneededtostrengthenpre-collegiateteachingandlearning?SPECC’sansweristhatthesinglemostimportantmissingingredientiseffectiveprofessionaldevelopmentforeducators(faculty,counselors,studentsupportstaff,andadministrators)whoseworkiscriticaltostudentsuccess.Anumberofstudiesoverthelastdecadepointtothisasakeyvariableinimprovingstudentlearning(seeforinstancethesectiononstaffdevelopmentintheBasicSkillsInitiativeliteraturereview,CenterforStudentSuccess,2007).Oneprominentresearchersummarizesfindingsbysaying,“Nomatterwhatcomponentofdevelopmentaleducationwasbeingstudied,anemphasisontrainingandprofessionaldevelopmentimproveditsoutcome”(Boylan,2002,p.46).Butnotallprofessionaldevelopmentiscreatedequal.Inthisspirit,oneofSPECC’sgoalshasbeentodevelopamodelofprofessionaldevelopmentthattrulycontributestolearningbystudents,faculty,andtheinstitution.
IV.
a tremendous amount of teaching gets
done—up to five classes a semester
for those teaching a full load—but as a
consequence faculty have little time to step
back and work with colleagues to improve
what they do.
2� a different way to think about developmental education
ThiseffortbuildsontheCarnegieFoundation’sten-yearinitiativeonthescholarshipofteachingandlearning—theCarnegieAcademyfortheScholarshipofTeachingandLearning(CASTL)—whichhasworkedwithfacultyfromafullrangeofdisciplinesandinstitutionaltypes,includingmanycommunitycolleges.Atitsheart,thisapproachinvitesteacherstoposequestionsabouttheimpactoftheirworkonstudentlearningandtoinvestigatethosequestionsinwaysthatcolleaguescanbuildon.Suchworktakesmanyforms,adaptedtoparticularinstitutionalcontextsanddisciplines,anditspowertoaffectwhatgoesonintheclassroomiswelldocumented.FacultywhoparticipatedintheCASTLprogramreportthattheyhaveredesignedtheircourses(93percent),usednewkindsofassessment(92percent),andidentifiedimprovementsintheirstudents’learning(81percent)(Cox,Huber,andHutchings,2004).
faculty inquiry Groups
InSPECC,theprinciplesofthescholarshipofteachingandlearninghavebeenusedtodesignamodelforprofessionaldevelopmentcalledFacultyInquiryGroups.FIGs,astheyhavecomebecalledamongprojectparticipants,arenowakeyfeatureofworkonall11campuses.Oneexampleappearsintheopeningsectionofthisreport:thegroupofEnglishdepartmentfacultycomingtogethertoexploreandrefinetheirnewlyintegratedapproachtotheteachingofreadingandwriting.CityCollegeofSanFrancisco,theinspirationforthatexample,nowhasmultipleFIGsatworkandsignificantfindingsabouttheirimpact:“Iammuchmoreawareofmyowndecision-makingprocessaroundissuesofteachingandlearning,”oneparticipant
reports.“Thereisnobetterstaffdevelopmentprojectthanregularmeetingswithacommittedcoreofteachersthatsitsdowntogethertoanalyzethemyriadissuesthatweface,”saysanother.Theworklooksgoodfromthepointofviewofthedeanaswell,whonotes,“theparticipatingteachersreportedthattheyarebetterequippedtofacethemanystudentlearningchallengesthatariseintheclassroom”(CityCollegeofSanFrancisco,SPECCReport,2006,p.9,1).
AdifferentmodelhasemergedatLosMedanosCollege.Inf luencedbyfindingsfromtheThirdInternationalMathematicsandScienceStudyshowingthatprofessionaldevelopmentmustbefocusedoncontenttomakeadifferenceinstudentlearning,11mathematicsfacultyonthatcampuscreatedaFIG(theyusethelanguageof“teachingcommunity”)intheformofbi-monthlyseminars.Participantsexploredkeyquestionsintheteachingandlearningofpre-algebra,applyingtheirfindingstotheirownclassrooms.TheylaterdocumentedtheirworkusingCarnegie’sKEEPToolkittoillustrateandsharetheirfindings(Holtmann,Poku,Snell,andWagener,2006).Assummedupintheirfinalreport:“Overtime,bydocumentingtheworkoftheseteachingcommunities,andrepresentingitin
faCulty inquiry groups
j Create professional communities in which educators can share what happens in classrooms
j Articulate and negotiate the most important outcomes for student learning
j Use the tools of classroom research to understand the experience of students more deeply
j Share insights and findings
j Examine a wide range of evidence, from examples of student work to campus-level quantitative data tracking patterns of student performance
j Invite and offer critical reflection and peer review
j Foster collaboration in the design of curriculum, assignments, and assessments
j Build trust as an essential component of ongoing improvement
j Support professional identity and responsibility among educators
basic skills for complex lives 28
accessibleways,suchasWebpagesorelectronicportfoliosthatallowotherstoseeandsometimesheartheworkofourstudents,weareabletodrawonabodyofevidence-informeddecisionsthatimproveteachingandlearning”(LosMedanosCollege,SPECCReport,2008,p.1).
TakingapagefromLosMedanos,themathdepartmentatCollegeoftheDesertalsocreatedseveralcontent-focusedFIGs,organizingaroundkeycoursesinthedevelopmentalsequence:collegearithmetic,elementaryalgebra,andintermediatealgebra.Involvingbothfull-andpart-timefaculty,theirworktogetherfocusedonidentifyingtheirlearninggoalsforstudentsanddesigningcommonfinalexams—tasksthatareoftenresistedwhenimposedfromtheoutsidebutthatbecomeengagingwhenseenascollaborative,investigativestudy.
Inothersettings,amoremultidisciplinaryFIGformathasemerged.LaneyCollegebegantheirfacultyinquirywork(theyusetheterm“Ref lectiveInquiry”)withfacultyparticipantsfrommath,English,ESL,andProjectBridge,alearningcommunitydedicatedtoat-riskandreturningadultlearners.ThesecondcycleoftheirFIGworkbroughttofruitionanideatheyhadfromthestart:bringingvocationaleducationfacultyintocommunicationwithtraditionalbasicskillsfaculty.Facultymembersfrommachinetechnologyandenvironmentalcontroltechnologymetwithbasicskillsfacultyforayear.Theadditionofperspectivesfromtechnicalandvocationalfieldsincreasedfacultyawarenessofbasicskillsissuesoutsidethecoredisciplines.AsMerylSiegal,wholeadsthisprocessatLaney,putsit:“Ourvocationalfacultyrealizethatastheworldbecomesmorecomplextechnologically,studentsneedmoreliteracyskillsthanbefore;Ref lectiveInquiryprovidedfacultywithideason‘technicalliteracy’andwaystobegintoimplementatechnicalliteracyprogram”(LaneyCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.16).
Astheseexamplesillustrate,FIGsprovideaf lexibleformatforpowerfulprofessionaldevelopment.Butthreefeaturesthatcrosscuttheirvarietiesareimportanttohighlight.
key features of powerful professional development
First,theworkissustainedovertime.Professionaldevelopmentincommunitycolleges(andelsewhere)hasoftentakentheformofone-timeworkshopsandactivitieswhichmayormaynotbeconnectedtotheprogramorcampus’sgoalsforstudentlearning.SPECCparticipantshavebeenforcefulinpointingouttheshortfallsofthatmodel.Asonecampusputit,“Webelievethattheone-hour,lunch-timefacultydevelopmentworkshophaslittleimpactonthetransformationofafaculty’sattitudesandbehavior.”Incontrast,theFIGprocess“hastaughtusthatifweareseriousaboutmakingradicalchangestothewaywedeliverinstruction,wemustworkintensivelywithaselectgroupoffacultyoveranextendedperiodoftime”(PasadenaCityCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.8,6).Timeframesvaryfromseveralmonthstoseveralyears,butclearlytheopportunitytolearntogetherover time isacriticalelement.
the keep toolkit
The Carnegie KEEP Toolkit is a set of software applications that allow educators at all levels to record and publish their pedagogical work online. Visit the KEEP Web site at www.cfkeep.org.
2� a different way to think about developmental education
Second,FIGstreatprofessionaldevelopmentasacollaborativeenterprise.Oneofthemostpersistentimpedimentstoeducationalimprovementisthatteachershave—becauseinstitutionsprovide—sofewpurposeful,constructiveoccasionsforsharingwhattheyknowanddowithoneanother.Thus,oneofthemostimportantmovesacampuscanmakeistocreateoccasionsforeducatorstotalk,tofindcolleagues,tobepartofacommunityofpractice.AsanadministratoratMercedCollegeremarkedduringaSPECCsitevisit,“Goodthingshappenwhenteacherstalk.”FIGsareonemodelforinvitingsuchtalk.
Ofcoursetalkisnotenough,andnotalltalkisequallyvaluable.SkepticsworrythatFIGsmayproduceenergeticconversationbutnorealadvanceinknowledgeorimprovementinpractice.OneexternalreviewerofSPECCwonderediftheopenexchangeencouragedinFIGsmightreinforcemisguidednotionsaboutthecapacityofcertaingroupsofstudentstosucceed.Thus,itisimportanttostressthatcollaborationisnot“justtalk.”Indeed,manyofthecampuseshaveworkedtheirwaytowardFIGswithcarefullystructuredroutinesand
protocolsforcollaboration.TheEnglishgroupatLosMedanos,forinstance,operatesasakindofgraduateseminar,withcleartasksandhomeworkforeachmeetingandanemphasisondevelopingnewunderstandingsandproducts—courseassignments,forinstance,andassessmentinstruments.AtGlendaleCommunityCollege,FIGsemployedbythemathdepartmentarededicatedtothedesignandanalysisofcommonfinalexams,andatCerritosCollegeonefocushasbeenonidentifyingexplicitstudentlearningoutcomes.AtCityCollegeofSanFrancisco,severalFIGsnoworganizethemselvesaroundacarefullystructuredprocessofclassroomobservation,whichisthengristfordiscussionduringtheirmeetings.Onemightinfactobserve
thatFIGsbenefitfromthesameprinciplesthatoperateineffectivedevelopmentalclassrooms:highstructure,highexpectations,intenseengagement,intentionality,andinquiry.Teachersaredevelopmentallearnersaswell.
ThethirddefiningfeatureofFIGsisthefocusonevidenceaboutstudentlearning.FIGshaveservedaslaboratoriesforexploringhowtobringdifferentkindsandlevelsofevidencemoreeffectivelytobearontheimprovementofteachingandlearning.
Mostimportant,certainly,isinformationattheclassroomlevel.Asaformofpractitionerresearch,FIGsdependfirstandforemostonevidencegeneratedintheregularroutinesofteachingandlearning:studentperformanceonexams,projects,papers,problemsets,officeconsultations,andgrades.Theseshouldbeattheheartofpowerfulfeedbackloops.Buthavingevidenceathandisnotenough.Teachersneed—andFIGsprovide—achancetostepbackfromtheirownpracticeandseetheirstudents’work,andtheirown,anew.ToborrowametaphorthatcirculateswidelyattheCarnegieFoundation,theyneedmirrors(toseethemselvesmoreclearly)andlenses(toviewfamiliarrealitiesindifferentways).Looking
one of the most persistent impediments to
educational improvement is that teachers
have—because institutions provide—so few
purposeful, constructive occasions for sharing
what they know and do with one another.
thus, one of the most important moves a
campus can make is to create occasions for
educators to talk, to find colleagues, to be
part of a community of practice.
basic skills for complex lives �0
together,asagroup,atsamplesofstudentwriting,forinstance,isanexerciselikelytopromptnewinsightsabouttheteachingofcomposition.WorkingwithinaFIGtodevelopanewassessmenttoolorarubricforassessingacommonfinalexamisaprocessthatmovesfacultytowardarticulating,andsometimesbattlingover,otherwisetacitassumptionsabout,say,whatitmeanstoknowbeginningalgebrainadeepway,orhowstudentsbegintomoveintomorecomplexformsofcriticalreading.Itbearsrepeatingthatthesekindsofquestionsrarelyarisewherefacultyteachfourorfivecoursesatermandhavelittletimeandlessoccasiontocometogetherwithcolleaguestoref lectandinquireintotheirownpractice.Andofcoursethelikelihoodofsuchworkisevenlowerwithhighnumbersofpart-timeinstructorsemployedinbasicskillssettings.FIGsarenotapanaceaforthesedeeperstructuralissues,butthemodelisf lexibleandanumberofSPECCcampuseshavefoundwaystoincludepart-timefaculty.Several,infact,havedesignedFIGsthataggressivelyrecruitpart-timers.new roles for institutional research
WhathasalsobecomeclearthroughSPECC’sexplorationofFIGsisthepowerofviewingclassroomdatathroughthelensoflargertrendsandpatterns.Mostcampuseshaveagooddealofinformationavailableattheinstitutionallevel:dataaboutstudentdemographics,enrollment,retention,andthelike.Andsomeinstitutionsseekoutinformationthatallowsforacomparativeperspective.Forinstance,WestHillsCollegeDistrictadministerstheCommunityCollegeSurveyofStudentEngagement(CCSSE).Studentsparticipatinginlearningcommunitieswhoweresurveyedaspartofthe2007CCSSEstudyreportedhigherlevelsofengagementthandidtheoverallcollegesample(WestHillsCollegeDistrict,SPECCReport,2008,p.6).
Additionally,FIGscanbeanoccasionforfacultytoraisequestionsthatfallintowhatmightbedescribedasthe“missingmiddle”—thegapbetweeninformationfromindividualclassroomsandinstitutional-leveldataintheformofbig-picture,aggregatetrendsandpatterns.Thepoweroffocusingbetween(andconnecting)thesetwoisnicelyillustratedbyastoryfromLosMedanosCollegewheretheDevelopmentalEducationCommitteerealizedthattheireffortstoreshapecurriculumandpedagogyneededtobeinformedbyevidencefacultymembersdidnothave,includingandespeciallypatternsofstudentcoursetakingandsuccessbeyondthelevelofindividualcourses.ThecommitteeapproachedtheOfficeofInstitutionalResearch,andthetwogroupsworkedtogethertodevelopadata-gathering
teachers need—and fiGs provide—a chance
to step back from their own practice and see
their students’ work, and their own, anew.
looking together, as a group, at samples of
student writing, for instance, is an exercise
likely to prompt new insights about the
teaching of composition.
Community College survey of student engagement (CCsse)
Approximately 310,013 students at 525 colleges in 48 states, British Columbia and the Marshall Islands participated in the 2005, 2006, and 2007 CCSSE surveys, administered in the spring semesters in each of those years. CCSSE allows the campus to compare itself to other community colleges on a set of five benchmarks based on groups of conceptually related items that address key areas of student engagement. CCSSE’s five benchmarks denote areas that educational research has shown to be important in quality educational practice. The benchmarks are active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners.
Adapted from the CCSSE Web site at www.ccsse.org.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
planthatwouldaddressthequestionsfacultywantedtounderstandmorefully.Theresultwasareporttrackingstudentsfromthecapstonepre-collegiatecoursesinEnglishandmathintothefirstleveloftransferEnglishandmathcourses(LosMedanosCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.8).ThiswasnotthekindofinformationInstitutionalResearchstaffmemberswereinthehabitofpreparing;norwasitaperspectivethatfacultywereaccustomedtoseeing.Butitturnedouttobeapowerfulimpetusforattentiontointensityandintentionality.Asnotedearlierinthisreport,theInstitutionalResearchdatagavefaculty“aconvincingrationale”totakemeasuresthatkeepstudentsmovingthroughthedevelopmentalsequencewithoutstoppingout.
Additionally,thecollaborationbetweenfacultyandInstitutionalResearchpointstothevalueFIGscanaddassiteswhereeducators(notonlyfaculty,thatis,butawidergroupofindividuals,full-timeandpart-time,whoseworkcontributestostudentsuccess)canengagetogetherwiththerichestandmostusefulrangeofinformationandevidence.
challenges
Thisvision,sensiblethoughitmayseem,ismoreeasilyinvokedthanachieved.Foronething,itimpliesasignificantrecalibrationoftheresourcesandrolesofinstitutionalresearch(IR).OnanumberofSPECCcampuses,IRstaffmembershavebegunworkingcloselywithfacultytomakesenseoflargerpatternsofinformation,andthisturnsouttobeanexcitingopportunityforengagement.ASPECCparticipantatMercedCollegenotes,“Beforethis,wedidn’tknowwehadanofficeofresearch;nowwe’reinthereallthetime.”Still,thisisquiteclearlytheexceptionratherthantherule.Typically,informationattheinstitutionallevelisgeneratedinresponsetoreportingrequirementsthatonlyindirectlypertaintostudentlearning.AsoneinstitutionalresearcherputitinaSPECCmeeting,“Ourjobistoproducereportsforthepresident.That’swhywe’revaluable.”Changingthiswillbedifficult,butanewmodelforinstitutionalresearchiscriticalbothformeetingexternalcallsforaccountabilityandforshapinginternalprocessesofimprovement.
Additionally,theexperienceofSPECCcampusesshowsthatusingdataforimprovementisnosimplematter.Mosteducatorshavenotrainingtopreparethemforsuchwork.Andthenumbersdonotspeakforthemselves:Iftheretentionrateinintermediatealgebrais57percent,isthatgoodorbad?Towhatshouldthenumberbecompared?Whatdoesitsayaboutwhattododifferently?Atthesametime,moreandricherdatadonotautomaticallymakethingseasier.ManySPECCcampuses(recalltheexamplefromPasadenaCityCollegementionedearlier)arenowusingthinkaloudsaspartoftheirFIGwork,aprocess,oftenvideotaped,inwhichstudentsareaskedtotalkthroughtheirmentalstepsastheyreadatextordoamathproblem.Thisstrategyhasbeenausefulstimulustopedagogicaldeliberationandreforminsomesettings,butatleastoneinstitutionreportsthatfaculty“struggledwithmakingsenseoftheThinkAlouds…Allagreethatthevideorevealsinterestingandimportantinformation,buttheyhavenotbeenabletoorganizethematerialorarticulatewhattheybelievetheylearnfromthem”(CerritosCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.9).
Inthisspirit,oneclearlessonfromSPECCisthatdataarebestseennotasdefinitiveanswersbutasgristforinquiry.Asmanyparticipantsobserved,whatcampusesneedareoccasionswhereeducatorscancometogetheraroundrichinformationanduseittoformulatequestions,hypothesizeaboutcausesandeffects,andidentifyredf lagsthatcallfordeeperanalysisanddeliberation.FIGsprovidesuchoccasions.
basic skills for complex lives �2
institutional support
Orrather,FIGscanprovidesuchoccasions,butthatislikelyonlyifinstitutionsmakesuchworkpossibleandvalued.Facultymaywellhaveahungertotalkandconnect,andtoworkcollaborativelyaroundteachingandlearningagendas,but,likestudents,theymustjugglemultipleresponsibilitieswhiletimeisatapremium.Thevisionofprofessionaldevelopmentsetforthherecarrieswithitamessageabouttheneedfordifferentpoliciespertainingtofacultyrolesandtime.FIGscalloneducatorstomaketheirworkwithstudentsvisibleandavailableforpeerreviewandcollaboration,andthatcanfeelrisky.Campusesmustcreatespacesthatmakesucheffortssafe,contextsthatlowerthestakesinordertoincreasethebenefits.Indeed,thiskindofworkmustcountintherewardsystemifitistobesustainedandcarriedoutinmeaningfulways,asithasbeguntodoonsomeSPECCcampuses.AtCollegeoftheDesert,forinstance,participationinFIGscountstowardthefaculty’scontractualobligationsforinstitutionalserviceand“f lex”(professionaldevelopment)days.Additionally,campusesmustsupportthisworkbyprovidingstructuresandleadershiptofacilitateit,asanumberofcampusesaredoingthroughtheestablishmentofteachingandlearningcentersthatprovideaninstitutionalinfrastructurefororganizingandfacilitatingFIGs.Theseexamplesatleastbegintogestureinthedirectionofamoreaffirmativeanswertothequestion:Whatdoesitmeantobeateachinginstitution?
Thebottomlineisthatinstitutionsmustfindwaystoensurethatprofessionaldevelopmentisthepowerfulexperienceitshouldbe;toweaveitintothefabricofprofessionalpracticeandinstitutionallife;toengagebothfull-andpart-timefaculty;andtomakeitanexpectationofeducatorsateverylevel.This,inturn,meanscreatingarealcultureofevidenceandinquiryinwhichfacultyarejoinedbyinstitutionalresearchersandprofessionalsfromstudentsupportservicesinpracticesthatbringgoodquestionsandgoodevidencetothepedagogicaltable.Untilcampusesbecomeplaceswhereeducatorsregularlycometogetherinsustained,ref lective,evidence-basedwaystoaddressthechallengesofteachingandlearning,longer-term,deeperinstitutionalchangeisunlikely.Doingsoisalsoaprerequisiteforchangethatextendsbeyondthecampus,ourfocusinthenextsectionofthisreport.
the bottom line is that institutions must
find ways to ensure that professional
development is the powerful experience
it should be; to weave it into the fabric of
professional practice and institutional life;
to engage both full- and part-time faculty;
and to make it an expectation of educators
at every level.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
Implications for Work Across Campuses: Building the Teaching Commons
Incommunitycolleges,asinhighereducationmoregenerallytoday,therearemanypromisingpocketsofinnovation,buttheyoftenremaindisconnectedfromoneanotheranddonotadduptolargerpatternsofimprovement.Onereasonisthatcommunitycollegesare,bytheirverymission,locallyfocused.Keepingtheinstitutionattunedtocommunityneedsandopportunitiesisimportant.Butthedownsideisasortofparochialismthatmakesithardforideasfromelsewheretopenetratepractice.Promisingnewdevelopmentsareoftensimplyinvisible,undocumented,unabletotravel.Particularlyinthecaseofdevelopmentaleducation,theworkistoochallengingandthestakesaretoohighnottobeabletolearnfrominnovationsbeyondone’sownsetting.Thequestion,then,ishowtomovefrompocketsofinnovationtowholecloth,fromscatteredimprovementsonindividualcampusestomorewidespreadreformwithinthelargersystem.
ThisquestionhasbeencentraltoSPECCfromitsinception.ThepartnershipbetweenCarnegieandtheHewlettFoundationwaspredicatedontheneednotonlytoincreasecapacityandimprovestudentsuccesson11campusesbutalsotogeneratenewknowledgeandpracticesthatwouldspreadbeyondthem.Sadly,thisisexactlywhatmosteducationalreform
initiativeshavenotmanagedtoaccomplish.Thereasonisnotthatlocaleffortsarenotoftenworthspreadingmorebroadly;theproblem,rather,isthatteachinghaslackedthehabitsandmechanismsthatotherprofessionsusetoadvanceandimprovewhattheydo:waystodocumentandsharetheirwork,occasionstocometogetherandlearnasafield,readyoutletsforimportantideas,andprocessesofpeerreview.Fortunately,thissituationhasbeguntochangewiththeemergenceofateachingcommons,inwhich“communitiesofeducatorscommittedtopedagogicalinquiryandinnovationcometogethertoexchangeideasaboutteachingandlearning,andusethemtomeetthechallengesof
educatingstudentsforpersonal,professional,andciviclifeinthetwenty-firstcentury”(HuberandHutchings,2005,p.x).
Cultivatingateachingcommonsatthecampuslevelisafirststep.ButouraiminSPECC,buildingonthisvision,istobringeffectiveworkwithunderpreparedstudentsmuchmorefullyintothelargerteachingcommons—forithasmuchtoofferthewidereducationalcommunity—acrosscampuseswithinthecommunitycollegesectorandbeyond.SPECC’sexperiencepointstowardanumberofpossibilitiesforbuildingsuchacommons.
V.
particularly in the case of developmental
education, the work is too challenging and
the stakes are too high not to be able to
learn from innovations beyond one’s own
setting. the question, then, is how to move
from pockets of innovation to whole cloth,
from scattered improvements on individual
campuses to more widespread reform
within the larger system.
basic skills for complex lives ��
connecting people and ideas
First,thereismuchtobegainedbyencouragingexchangeacrosscampuses.TorepeataphrasefromMercedCollege:“Goodthingshappen”whenfacultymembershaveachancetostepbackfromthedailyrushandroutinesofteachinginordertodesignandstudybetterapproaches—andgoodthingsalsohappenwhencampuseshaveachancetostepbackandlearnfromandaboutoneanother,aswell.ThehungerforthiskindoftradingzonehasbeenapparentinSPECCascampusparticipantshavevisitedoneanother,tradedmaterials,presentedworkshopsoneachothers’campuses,andcometogetheratprojectmeetingssponsoredbyCarnegie.Theseexchangeshavebornerealfruit:PasadenaCityCollegeborrowedtheLosMedanosmodelofteachingcommunities(anadaptationofFIGs)andbuiltthemintoanumberofcurricularreformeffortsinmathematics.MercedCollegevisitedChabottolearnhowtoorganizeawritingcenter,whichisnowupandrunning.Arichonlineresourceforstudentsworkingonliteracyskills,developedatCityCollegeofSanFrancisco,isusedoncampusesinotherpartsofthecountry(seeKleinman,Delich,andYoung,2008).AndtheChabotCollegevideoonreadinghasnowbeenshownonalargenumberofcampuseswithinandbeyondSPECC,bothinprofessionaldevelopmentsettingsandinclassrooms,whereitisusedtoinvitestudentstotalkcandidlyaboutthemselvesasreaders.
Astheseexamplessuggest,innovationscanclearlymovefromcampustocampus,andthisisespeciallylikelywhentheycanbecarriedintheformofstoriesandconversation(seeBrownandDuguid,2000,onthe“sociallife”ofinformation).It’sprobablynoaccidentthatoneofthemostsuccessfulstatewideimprovementnetworks,theWashingtonCenterfortheImprovementofUndergraduateEducation,beganwithanexchangeprograminwhichfacultyspenttimeteachingononeanother’scampuses(Smith,1988).Relationshipsandtrustareenginesofchange.
Asistrueatthecampuslevel(thinkofFIGs),thiskindofconnectionmakingismuchmorelikelywhenthereareregular,structuredoccasionsforexchange,andtheseoccasionshavebeenontherise.SPECCprojectmeetingshaveservedthispurposeforthe11participatingcampuses,andthepoweroftheresultingnetworkhasbeenmultipliedbytheestablishmentofother,largervenues.Severalofthecampuseshavesponsoredregionalconferencesthathavedrawnlargenumbersofattendeesfromnearbyandfurtherafield.EspeciallynotablehasbeentheStrengtheningStudentSuccessConferenceestablishedin2005bytheResearch&PlanningGroupforCaliforniaCommunityColleges(RPGroup)andtheCaliforniaPartnershipforAchievingStudentSuccess(Cal-PASS);theconferenceservesasameetinggroundforfacultyinbasicskillssettingsandbeyond,aswellasinstitutionalresearchers,educatorsfromstudentsupportservices,campusadministrators,andsystem-levelleaders.
learning from one another
“Each of us has figured out how to do a part of basic skills education well and we’re all here together to look at those visions of the possible, to look at those existence proofs, and to ask ourselves not how can we copy it, take it, imitate it, and plunk it down in our own environment, though occasionally that may work. Rather, we need to ask how we can put on a set of lenses that make the underlying principles very clear and move them to our own environment. Because in effect that’s what an intellectual, professional, and in our case pedagogical community is all about. It is about learning from each other’s practice, learning from each other’s disasters, and moving ahead as a field.”
–Lee S. Shulman, keynote address to the Strengthening Student Success Conference, 2007.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
sharing work through multi-media technologies
Face-to-faceisnottheonlywaytoentertheteachingcommons,andintimesoftightbudgetsit’susefultothinkaboutotherroutesaswell.Withthisinmind,SPECChasinvitedfaculty(sometimesinteams)tobuildmulti-mediarepresentationsoftheirteachingandtheirstudents’learningthatcanbeaccessedwidelyandwithoutcostthroughacentralWebsite.Thiscollection,calledWindows on Learning,ref lectsdevelopmentsinthelargerOpenEducational
Resourcesmovementofthepastdecade—venturesliketheOpenCourseWareinitiativeatMITandtheSharingofFreeIntellectualAssets(SOFIA)projectatFoothillCollege.
Incontrasttoinitiativesthatareaimedprimarilyatmakingcoursecontentmorewidelyavailable,Windows on Learningprovidesawayforeducatorstoexploreandbuildononeanother’steachingpracticeinwaysthatnewmulti-mediatoolshaveonlyrecentlymadepossible.Thus,visitorstoWindows on LearningcanlookintoKatieHern’sclassroom,borrowPowerPointmaterialsfromChrisJuzwiak,examinepre-andpost-testsonpoetryfromAnnieAgard’sclass,andlearnhowseveralcampuseshaveemployedFacultyInquiryGroupstostrengthenstudentlearning.Incontrasttoateaching-tips-and-techniquesapproachtoimprovement,Windows on Learningembodiesaviewofprofessionaldevelopmentthatemergesfrompracticeandref lectstheimportanceofcontext.
It’sprobablyfairtosaythatthesemulti-mediaexamplesare,asyet,supportedbyatechnologyforwhichthecultureisonlynowemerging.Muchremainstobelearnedabouthowtheycanbestbeused—andwhatmakesthemuseful.Butalreadyitisclearthattheycanenrichtheteachingcommonsandcatalyzepromisingexchange.Thesiteshavebeenusedinworkshopsandconferencepresentations—attheannualStrengtheningStudentSuccessConferenceinCalifornia,theInternationalSocietyfortheScholarshipofTeachingandLearning,theLeagueforInnovationinthe
CommunityCollege,theAmericanAssociationofCommunityColleges,theCaliforniaAssociationforTeachersofEnglishasaSecondLanguage,LaneyCollege,BronxCommunityCollege,andothers.Thesearesimplyasamplingofearlyuses,buttheyofferatantalizingpeekatwhatmightbepossiblewithamuchlargercollectionofrepresentationsdrawnfromexcellentclassroomsacrossthestateandthenation.Mostimportant,perhaps,theserichrepresentationsbringreportsonclassroompracticevividlytolifeinwaysthatengageandinspire.Capturingthiswisdomofpracticeisanessentialstepinimprovingourabilityaseducatorstoworkeffectivelywithstudentswhohavethemosttogain.
windows on learning
Windows on Learning is a collection of multi-media Web sites created by English and mathematics faculty from the SPECC campuses. The sites are designed to capture the full complexity of what goes on in the classroom. In one site, the instructor posts the results of her department’s common algebra final and reflects on her students’ performance. Another site includes a video of four beginning ESL students, with four native languages between them, working together to unpack a poem in English. The sites can be used in a variety of ways: as archives of teaching and research materials; as hands-on resources for teachers who can download materials and study their implementation in an actual classroom; and as tools for professional development. By presenting their sites at conferences, faculty have forged connections with community college instructors across the country doing similar research and exploring similar formats for making their work visible. The sites are designed to preserve the trace of both teaching and inquiry, so that the complicated process of identifying a problem of learning, designing an intervention to address it, and evaluating the success of the intervention becomes clear. The sites may be viewed at the SPECC Windows on Learning Gallery at www.gallery.carnegiefoundation.org/specc/.
basic skills for complex lives ��
approaches at the state and system level
Propelledbyanumberofforcesandcircumstances,highereducationisnowarguablymorefocusedonlearningandteachingthaneverbefore.Individualcampuseshaveimportantinnovationsunderwaytoincreasethesuccessofunderpreparedstudents,andtheyhaveagreatdealtolearnfromtheirownexperienceandfromoneanother.What’sneededarelargernetworksofsupportandresourcesfordoingso,andanintriguingvarietyofmodelsarenowtakingshapeacrossthecountry.InCalifornia,theCarnegieFoundationhasbeenhostingaconversationamongkeystakeholdersaboutapossiblestatewideresourcenetworkonbasicskillseducation.TheUniversityofWisconsinSystemhasorganizedaninitiativearoundthescholarshipofteachingandlearning,invitingcampusestostudythelearningoftheirstudentsandsharewhattheydiscover.TheMaricopaCommunityCollegeSystem,inArizona,hascreatedtheInstituteforLearning(begunin2000),aresidentialfellowshipprogramforfacultywhoareinterestedinstudyingimportantissuesintheirteachingandcontributingtoalargercommunityofscholarlyexchangeaboutteachingandlearning.(ManyoftheparticipantshaveusedCarnegie’sKEEPToolkittodocumenttheirwork.)Oneofthemostsuccessful,long-standingeffortsistheWashingtonCenterforImprovingtheQualityofUndergraduateEducation,whichcreatesopportunitiesforexchangeandlearningininstitutionsacrossthestate.
Thepointisnottoreplicateanyoneofthesemodelsbutrathertorecognizetheroleofmorecentralized,systemicapproachestochange.Grassroots,largelyfaculty-driveneffortsatimprovement(likethoseinSPECC)needsupportandcentralcoordinationtodeliverfullyontheirpromise.Avitalteachingcommonscanhelpstrikethisbalance.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
The Link to Student Learning
Clearly,themostimportantgoalfordevelopmentaleducation,andforSPECC,istoimprovestudentlearningandsuccess.Itishardtoimagineamoreurgentagendaforindividualstudents,forhighereducation,andforsociety.Thisisnotanagendathatwillbequicklyachieved,orwrappeduponceandforall.Withnewdevelopmentseverydayoneveryfront—shiftingstudentdemographics,newtechnologies,evolvingideasabouthowpeoplelearn,andemergingvisionsofwhatlearningismostimportantinanevermorecomplexworld—improvementisnecessarilyanongoingenterprisewithmultiplefacets.
Asthisreportmakesclear,the11SPECCcampusescharteddifferentpathstoimprovement,andtheyareatdifferentpointsalongthosepaths.Inthespiritofactionresearch,theprojectencouragedandcultivatedarangeofapproaches,andevenwherecampusesweredoingwhatsoundslikethesamething(manyemployedlearningcommunities,forinstance)thedesignoftheprojectencouragedvariation.Onethingtheydidincommon,however,wastotrackthe
resultsoftheirinnovationsusingagreedupondefinitionsofstudentsuccess,retention,andpersistence,andtocompareresultsinSPECCcourseswiththoseinbaselinegroups.Beyondtheuseoftheiragreeduponmetrics,eachcampuswasalsorequiredtodevelopanevaluationplanwhichincluded,variously,focusgroupswithfacultyandstudents,interviewswithindividualstudents,surveys,andpartnershipswithuniversityresearcherswhostudiedtheirworkandprogress.Whatconclusionscanbedrawnastheprojectmovestowardaclose?
patterns of improvement in english and mathematics
AspartoftheirSPECCinitiatives,the11campusesemployedawidevarietyofinstructionalinnovationsintheEnglishandmathematicscoursesthatwerethefocusoftheirwork.Indeed,thevarietyofprogramsandinterventionswaslimitedonlybytheimaginationsofthesome300instructorswhohaveparticipatedsofarintheseprojects.
Itshouldcomeasnosurprisethat,giventhevarietyofinterventions,summarystatementsaboutoverall
improvementsinstudentlearningaveragedacrossprogramsorovertimeprobablyconcealasmuchastheyreveal.Inadditiontothesheervarietyofinstructionalinnovations,newinstructorsjoinedtheprojectalongtheway,andSPECCinterventionsbeganto“infect”coursesnotofficiallypartoftheproject.Moreover,atvirtuallyallofthecampuses,thevariousinterventionswerenotstatictreatmentsthatremainedconstantovertime.Rather,changesweremadeonthebasisofpastexperience,andprogramsweremodifiedinvariouswaysasinstructorslearnedwhatappearedtoworkandwhatdidnot.Inspiteofthesecomplications
VI.
Common data elements traCked By speCC Campuses
SUCCESS RATE: the percentage of students in a class (out of the total enrolled) who received an A, B, C, or CR (credit).
RETEnTIOn RATE: the percentage of students (out of the total enrolled) who did not withdraw but were “retained” through the end of the course, even if they did not receive a passing grade.
PERSISTEnCE RATE: the percentage of students who enroll in a course in the following semester.
These definitions are taken from the Research & Planning Group for California Community Colleges, whose Web site provides further details about their calculation. See www.rpgroup.org/publications/definitions.html.
basic skills for complex lives �8
andtheresulting“noise”inthedata,itisimportanttoassess,evenifonlyinapreliminaryway,theeffectstheseinnovationshavehadonstudentlearningandsuccess.(SeeBond,2008,foramoreextensiveanalysisofSPECCdata.)
OntheEnglishsideofthehouse,SPECCinterventionsonfiveofthecampuseshaveconsistentlyresultedinsuccessratesthatexceedthebaselinecomparisongroup.ThecomparativedifferenceinpercentageofstudentspassingaSPECC-supportedcourserangefromalowof4percenttoahighof25percent.Itisworthnotingthatthislargestdifferenceinsuccessrates(25percent)occurredinthelastdevelopmentalEnglishcourseinathree-coursesequence.Infact,thisfindingisconsistentwithamoregeneraltrendthatbearsclosemonitoring:thelongerstudentspersistedinSPECCcourses(evenafterfailureorwithdrawal),thelargerthesubsequent,comparativesuccessovertheirbaselinecounterparts.
ThefiveadditionalcampusestryingnewapproachesinEnglish(oneofthe11workedonlyinmath)showmixedresults,withstudentsinSPECC-supportedcourseshavinghighersuccessratesthantheirbaselinecounterpartsinsomesectionsofthecourses,andlowerratesinothers.Wehavebeenunabletodetectanyreliablecauseforthesef luctuations,butseveralpossibilitiesareworthexploring.AtCerritosCollege,whereinterventionsuccessrateswereinitiallylowerthanbaseline,facultyparticipatinginaninquirygroupsawthisphenomenonasaref lectionoftheirownmovementtowardclearer,moredemandingstandardsforwhatstudentsmustknowtogoontothenextlevel.ThismaywellbeamoregeneralconsequenceofparticipationinFacultyInquiryGroups.Anotherexplanationarisesfromthenon-randomwayinwhichstudentsarerecruited.Forexample,atPasadenaCityCollege,studentswererecruitedintotheirSPECCprogrampreciselybecauseoftheirextremelylowplacementscores.
Inmath,oneseesadifferentstory.Ofthefivecampuseswithsustainedinnovationsintheirdevelopmentalmathsequence,themostrecentyearsawstudentsuccessratesexceedthebaselinecomparisongroupinfour.Thefifthhadmixedresults,withsuccessratesofthebaselinegroupexceedingthoseofthe“experimental”coursesectionsinthreeoffourcomparisons.PasadenaCityCollege,whichhasdramaticallyreorganizeditspre-algebraclasstomakeitintensiveand“highdosage,”hashadextremelypositiveresults,withstudentsuccessratesjumpingfrom53to74percentinthefirstyearoftheinnovation,andfrom55to79percentinthesecond.AtCollegeoftheSequoias,whereindividualinstructorsareencouraged,inthespiritofactionresearch,toexperimentwithavarietyofinstructionalaids,includingthosethattakeadvantageofadvancesintechnology,studentsusingtheMyMathLab(MML)packagehaveconsistentlyout-performedbaselinecomparisonstudents.Inthefirstfullyearoftheproject,44percentoftheMMLstudents,comparedto32percentofbaselinestudents,weresuccessful;inthemostrecentyear,46percentversus35percentweresuccessful.Thesearetwoexamplesofsubstantialimprovementsthat,ifeffectivelybroughttoscale,wouldhaveimmediateandprofoundeffectsoneventualstudenttransferandgraduation.tracking success in a learning community
MostoftheSPECCcampusesinstitutedsomeversionoflearningcommunities.CityCollegeofSanFranciscocombineditstraditionallyseparatedreadingandwritingdevelopmentalEnglishcoursesintoasingle,jointlytaughtcoursethatcouldbetakenoveranentireschoolyear.WestHillsCollegeDistrictformedlearningcommunitiesthatincludedcoursesfrom
�� a different way to think about developmental education
bothdevelopmentalEnglishandcontentareassuchasphysicaleducationandgeography.SeveralcampuseslinkedvocationalcourseswithbasicskillsmathorEnglish.Campusesthatmovedinthesedirectionswereabletobuildonpreviousresearch(seeforexampleTinto,1994,1995,and1998)showingthateventhesimplestformoflinkedcoursescanbebeneficial.Learningcommunitiesoftenincreaseretention,sincedroppingtwoorthreecoursesismuchmoreconsequentialtostudentsthanwithdrawingfromasinglecourse,affectingfinancialaidandstatusatthecollege.Also,linkedcoursesencouragecohortgroupformationthatcanprovideasenseofcommunitythatinturnencouragespersistence.Indeed,learningcommunitiescanprovidefacultywithasenseofcolleagueshipandconnectednessaswell(KahlertandDiSalvo,2006).
Butlikeanyclassroomapproach,learningcommunitiesarenotautomaticallyeffective.Theycanbeimplementedwellorpoorly,andeventhebestapproachestaketimetoshowrealgains.Therefore,itisnosurprisethatwithinSPECCtheuseoflearningcommunitiesshowsmixedresultsthusfar.Consider,forinstance,SpringboardtoTransfer,ChabotCollege’shigh-challenge,intensivelearningcommunity,forwhichdatafromtwocohortstellverydifferentstories.
ForfacultyteachingthefirstSpringboardcohort,itwasdifficultatfirsttotellwhethertheprogramwasmakingameaningfuldifferenceinstudentperformance.Theimpactstartedtobecomemorevisible,however,inthesecondsemester.StudentswhosuccessfullypassedSpringboard’sEnglish102weremuchmorelikelytopersistintoEnglish1Athefollowingsemester(92percent)thanstudentsinothersectionsofthecourse(75percent).AndiftheytookthecoursewithinSpringboard,notonlyweretheirretentionratesmuchhigherthanaverage(93percentvs.72percent),buttheirsuccessinEnglish1Astartedtooutpacetheaverageforothersectionsofthecourse(65percentvs.61percent).
Inthethirdsemester,persistencefromEnglish1AtoEnglish4orEnglish7,thetwofinalcoursesinthesequence,wasevenhigherforSpringboardstudentsthanforstudentsinothersectionsofthecourse(79percentvs.51percent).Themembersoftheoriginalcohort—nowintheirthirdsemesterofSpringboard—againhadmuchhigherthanaverageretentionrates(91percentvs.76percent),andthistimetheirsuccessratessignificantlyoutpacedtheaverageforothersectionsofthecourse(87percentvs.69percent).
Attheendoffall2006,100percentofthestudentswhoremainedinSpringboardforallthreesemesterswere“transferdirected”(thatis,theyearnedatleast12unitsandattemptedcollege-levelmathorEnglish),andthevastmajorityweremakingsteadyprogresstowardtransfer(95percenthadearned15ormoretransferableunits).AsecondSpringboardcohort,withdifferentinstructorsandstudents,beganwithEnglish102inthefallof2006.Relativetothesuccessofthefirstcohort,theattritionrateinthissecondgroupwasdisappointing.Of83studentsinitiallyenrolledinEnglish102,only46(55percent)subsequentlyenrolledinEnglish1A,and21(25percent)enrolledinEnglish4or7.Only12studentsfromtheoriginalcohortof83enrolledinallthreesemestersoftheprogram.ThisissignificantlylessthanthefirstSpringboardcohort,where23oftheoriginal87students(26percent)enrolledinallthreesemesters.
basic skills for complex lives �0
DespitetheattritionintheSpringboardprogram,persistencewithinthelargerEnglishcurriculumwashighamongstudentswhotookEnglish102inthefallof2006.ManystudentschosetotakesubsequentEnglishclassesoutsideoftheSpringboardprogram.Ofthe53studentswhosucceededinEnglish102,49(fully92percent)enrolledinEnglish1A.Thiscompareswithonly192ofthe261students(74percent)inthebaselinegroupofstudentsenrolledinnon-LearningCommunityEnglish102courses.Moreover,82percentofSpringboardstudentswhosucceededinEnglish1AenrolledinEnglish4orEnglish7,comparedwithonly61percentinthebaselinecomparisongroup.
Onceagain,itshouldbekeptclearlyinmindthatthe“noise”inthesecomparisonsissubstantial.Becauselearningcommunitiesrequireasustainedcommitmentbystudentstotakeaprescribedsetofcoursesovermultiplesemesters,studentsmustberecruitedintolearningcommunities.Thestudentssorecruitednodoubtdifferinsystematicandunknownwaysfromnon-recruitedstudentswhoarefreetochoosefromashoppinglistofavailablecourses.Moreover,instructorsdifferintheeffectivenesswithwhichthey“hold,”support,andnurturestudents.Insomesense,itmaymatterlessthatacourseispartofalearningcommunitythanthattheteacheremploysthekindofpowerfulprinciples(describedinsectionthreeofthisreport)thatcharacterizeSPECCcoursesmoregenerally.Thesecomplicationsnotwithstanding,webelievethatfollowingdifferentcohortsofstudentsoverseveralyearswillrevealconsistenciesthatrepresentdurableadvantagesoflearningcommunitiesoverregularcoursematriculation.
better tools for tracking student learning
Theimportanceoftrackingstudentprogressovertime—inlearningcommunitiesorotherwise—raisesahostofquestionsaboutthetoolsandmetricsfordoingso.Identifyingpatternsofsuccess,retention,andpersistencewillclearlycontinuetobeimportant.ButseveralSPECCcampuseshavefelttheneedforadditional,morediagnosticwindowsintostudentlearning.Twoexamplesareillustrative.
ThefirstisfromCityCollegeofSanFrancisco(CCSF),wherefacultyinEnglishundertookamajorcurricularchangethatintegratedbasicskillsreadingandwriting.Intheearlystagesofthistransformation,theywereabletopointto“considerablequalitativeevidenceofimprovementsinstudentachievementbasedontheeffortstointegratereadingandwriting,”buttheusualquantitativemeasures(forinstance,passratesandpersistence)hadbarelybudged.Whatwasneeded,theyrealized,wasabetter,morenuancedtooltoexaminechangesinstudents’writingperformance.Thesolution?Aportfolio-basedassessment,withacarefullyconstructedrubric,todelveintostudentlearninginaricherway.AccordingtoErinDenney,theBasicSkillsCoordinatorforCCSF’sEnglishdepartment,“Inthethreeyearswehavedonethisassessment,wehavevirtuallyeliminatedthelowestscore.Itisveryraretofindaportfolionowthatranksasa‘1.’Furthermore,thenumbersofportfoliosreceivingthehighestscoreshaveincreasedaswell,andmoreandmorestudentsareeligibletoskipthenextclassinthesequenceandgostraighttoEnglish93”(Denney,2008).
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common exams as prompts for improvement
OursecondexamplecomesfromGlendaleCommunityCollege’smathematicsprogram,whichin2000institutedacommonfinalexaminationforallsectionsofpre-collegiatealgebra.IftheCCSFstoryisabouttheneedforbettermeasurementinstruments,thisoneisaboutbetterprocessesforusingresults.Thedepartmentproducestabularizedinformationaftereachexaminationinordertoshow,amongotherthings,thedropoutrateandmeanGPAforeachclass,aswellastheperformanceofeachclass(properlycodedtoensureanonymity)ontheoveralltestandonsubtopics.
Thefacultyasawholediscusstopicalareasinwhichstudentsappeartobelearningwellandthosewheretheyarestillstruggling.Individualinstructorsexaminetheirownstudents’performanceonthetestinwaysthatrevealimportantaspectsoftheirteachingpracticeandgradingstandards.Forexample,instructorswhoseAandBstudentsdorelativelypoorlyonthefinalexaminationmustaskthemselveswhethertheirstandardsaretoolax.InstructorswhoseCstudentsperformwellonthetestmustaskthemselvesiftheirstandardsareunrealisticallyhigh.Theentireprojectstimulatesfacultydiscussionandref lectioninwaysthatdidnotoccurbefore.
Additionally,asparticipantsinthisprocesstestify,theprocessofdevelopingandcomingtoconsensusonanassessmentframework,alongwiththedevelopmentofexercisesandascoringrubric,alltendtogetfacultyonthesamepageaboutwhatisimportantforstudentstoknowandbeabletodo.Instructorswhoentertainidiosyncraticnotionsaboutgradingoressentialcontentmustdefendtheirideastotheircolleaguesinanopenforumwheredepartmentalobjectivesanddisciplinaryconsiderationsarethereferencestandards.Glendale’sexperiencewiththe
commonexaminationnicelyillustratesitspowertoencouragehonestdiscussionabouttheappropriateweighttobegiventoeffortoveroutcome,togrowthoverabsolutelevelofachievement,andtotestperformanceoverclassparticipation—crucialconsiderationsinacommitment,likeSPECC’s,todocumentingimprovementovertime.
YetGlendaleenjoysanadditionalbenefitthatinitslong-termeffectsmayprovetobemoreimportantthanalltherest.Itisexemplifiedinhowthemathfacultyusetestresultsinprofessionaldevelopment.Notingthatsomeinstructors’students
repeatedlyperformedwellaboveaverageontheexaminationsoronparticulartopicalareas,thedepartmentbeganaprograminwhichfacultyobservethesehighlyeffectiveinstructorsinaction.Inthisway,theGlendaleexperiencepointstoanotherimportantlessonaboutimpact:whileimprovementsinstudentlearningarethebottomline,theyareoftenwrappedupinotherkindsofimpactthatarehardtountangle.Indeed,theexperienceatGlendaleandmanyotherSPECCcampusessuggeststhatfacultylearningmaybethesinglemostimportantvariableinimprovingstudentlearning.Intoday’saccountabilityculture,thisisapointthatcangetleftbehind,anditisworthhammeringhome.Studentlearningmatters;ofcourseonewantstoseeanupwardtrajectoryinstudentsuccess.Butfacultygrowthanddevelopmentmatteraswell.Andonahealthycampus,thetwoworktogether.
the process of developing and coming to
consensus on an assessment framework,
along with the development of exercises
and a scoring rubric, all tend to get faculty
on the same page about what is important
for students to know and be able to do.
basic skills for complex lives �2
the impact of faculty inquiry Groups on faculty and student learning
ThispointcomesvividlyhomeinwhatSPECChaslearnedfromtheconductofFacultyInquiryGroups.Inthefallof2007,theCarnegiestaffdesignedandadministeredasurveyofparticipantsinFIGsacrossthe11campuses.Ouraimwastogathermoresystematicinformationabouttheimpactofthatworkonclassrooms,assessmentdesignandresults,professionalidentity,andthesenseofcollaborativecommunityandtrustthatmanystudiesofeducationalreformpointtoasessentialtoongoingimprovement(BrykandSchneider,2004).Amongreportedbenefitsoftheexperienceareexpandednetworksofcolleagues,ahigherleveloftrustintalkingaboutteaching,andexperimentationwithnewteachingapproaches.Eighty-twopercentofrespondentsagreedorstronglyagreedthatFIGparticipationmadethem“moreconfidentaboutrespondingtostudentlearningchallenges,”72percentreported“raisedexpectationsforstudentlearning,”and70percenthad“evidencethatmystudents’learninghasimproved.”(SeeHuber,2008,andRichardson,2008,formoredetailsaboutsurveydesignandresults.)
ThesegeneraltrendsaresupportedbyemergingfindingsonindividualcampusesthathavelookedattherelationshipbetweenFIGparticipationandstudentlearning.AtLaneyCollege,forinstance,coursesectionstaughtbyparticipantsinFIGsshowhighersuccess,retentionandpersistenceratesthanthosetaughtbynon-participants(LaneyCollege,SPECCReport,2006).AtPasadenaCityCollege,theintroductionofFIGsinconjunctionwiththesummerbridgepre-algebracourse(.XL)hasbeenanimportantingredientinraisingstudentsuccessrates—andfacultyengagement:
TheFIGhadanimmediateimpacton.XLsummerbridgepre-algebra..XLpersistenceandretentionrateshaveconsistentlybeenhigherthanthoseofallcomparisongroups,butsuccessrateshavewavered.OurresearchsuggeststhattheFIGprocesshashadapositiveimpactontheretentionandsuccessratesof.XLstudentsincohorts5and6.Inaddition,facultywhoparticipatedintheinquirygroupandwhotaughtstand-alonepre-algebracoursesshowedanincreaseintheretentionandsuccessoftheirstudents,albeitmoremodest.Finally,FIGparticipantsrevealedinfocusgroupsthattheyenjoyedhavingtheopportunitytoparticipateinaformalizedprocessofinquiry,andasaresulttheyfeltagreatersenseofcommunityamongtheircolleagues,believedtheygainedinsightintotheissuestheyandtheirstudentsface,andlookforwardtocontinuingtheFIGprocess.(PasadenaCityCollege,SPECCReport,2006,p.1)
navigating change
Reportslikethis,andtheexperienceofeducatorslikethosefromGlendaleandCCSF,bringtothesurfaceanimportantlessonabouteducationalreform—anditisn’tsimplythat“ittakestime,”whichisalltoowellknown.Thelesson,rather,isaboutthecharacterofthejourney.Highereducationhasoftenbeenlikenedtoanocean-goingship,slowandhardtoturn.But
the experience at Glendale and many
other specc campuses suggests that
faculty learning may be the single most
important variable in improving student
learning.
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acloselookatanyoneoftheSPECCcampusessuggeststhattheprocessofimprovementismuchmorelikeaf leetofsmallboats,eachheadedinthesamedirectionbutnotalwaysatthesamespeedoronidenticalbearings:Themathdepartmentisexperimentingwithcommonfinalexams,aFacultyInquiryGrouporganizedaroundanewlearningcommunityisworkingoutthewrinklesinasetofreadingassignments,threemembersoftheEnglishdepartmenthavetakenadetourtospendaweeklearningaboutReadingApprenticeship.Whatmakesthisprocesswork,whatkeepstheboatsheadedinthesamedirection,iscommunication,whichinturndependsoninformationthatpeopletrustandunderstand.Participants—andthisincludeseveryonefromstudentstotrustees—mustbetradingandmakingsenseofinformationateverystepalongtheway.
Inshort,theabilitytomakeandsustainpositivechangemaywellbeafunctionofbeingabletoweavetheseseparateroutesintoacompellingstorythatcanguidepeopleontheirway.(Forafulleraccountoflessonslearnedaboutinstitutionalchange,seeAsera,2008.)
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Recommendations
WhenCarnegiePresidentLeeS.ShulmanlikeneddevelopmentaleducationtothegameofChutesandLadders,hewaspointingtothemanywayshighereducationfailsthestudentswhoneeditmost.Fortoomanyreasonstocount,theyfalldownthechuteandoutofagametheycannotaffordtolose.Buthewasalsopointingtothepossibilityofclimbingtowardsomethingbetter.SPECCisasmallproject:11campuses,focusedlargelyintwodisciplines(Englishandmath),withathree-yeartimeline.Buttheworkdonebyitsparticipantshasyieldedpowerfullessonsandpointersforfuturework.
Here,then,wereturntotherecommendationspreviewedatthebeginningofthisreport.Asnotedthere,facultyareessentialagentsinthekindsoftransformationSPECChasexploredandpromoted.Facultyleadershipintheclassroom,atthedepartmentandprogramlevel,andincampusdecisionmakingisessential;ithasbeenakeyingredientinthegoodthingsthathavehappenedthroughtheCarnegieproject,andareasonforgreathopefulness.Butinstitutionalleadersandpolicymakersmustalsostepuptotheplate,tocreatetheconditionsinwhichcreative,dedicatedfacultycanworksuccessfullywithunderpreparedstudents.Thefiverecommendationsthatfollowpointtochangesinpolicyandinstitutionalpracticethatwillsupportimprovementsunderwayandpavethewayforfurthergains.
�. the success of underprepared students must be an institution-wide, core responsibility.
Basicskillsarenotsobasic.Theycannotbelearned—ortaught—inisolationasasetofdiscretemechanicalskills.Indeed,oneofthereasonsthey’resoimportant(sobasic)isthattheyenableotherkindsoflearning,skills,andcapacities,beitinapre-collegiatewritingclass,atransfer-levelsociologycourse,thenursingprogram,orautomotiverepair.Thus,thesuccessofunderpreparedstudentscannotbetheresponsibilityofasmallgroupoffacultyteachingspeciallydesignatedcourses.Itmustbeaninstitutionalresponsibility:givenvisibilityandprioritybycampusleadersatthehighestlevels,attendedtoineveryclassroomandeveryinteractionwithstudents,andconstantlytrackedandevaluatedsothatimprovementscanbemade.Literacyandnumeracy,andthesenseofoneselfasacapablelearner,are,quitesimply,essentialintoday’sincreasinglycomplexworld,andcommunitycollegesareuniquelypositionedtoembraceandsucceedwiththismission.Specifically,thismeans:
• Seizingeveryoccasiontogivevisibilityandvoicetotheimportanceofservingunderpreparedstudentsmoreeffectively;leadershipforsuchworkmustbeclearateveryleveloftheinstitution.
• Seeingeveryeducatoroncampusasabasicskillsinstructorandprovidingprofessionaldevelopmentexperiencestohelpthemsucceedinthisrole.
• Employingtheprinciplesofhighstructure,highchallenge,intensity,intentionality,andinquirytostrengthenteachingandlearning;theseprinciplesaredrawnfrompracticeaswellasfromtheresearchonlearning.
• Givingprioritytotheabilitytoworkeffectivelywithunderpreparedstudentswhenhiringnewfaculty,orientingthem,andsettingexpectationsforadvancement.
VII.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
• Workingatthestateandnationalleveltodeveloptrainingprogramsforfacultywhocanworkeffectivelywithunderpreparedstudents.
• Treatingthecampusanditsclassroomsasalaboratoryforgeneratingnewknowledgeof,andquestionsabout,thelearningofunderpreparedstudents.
2. professional development should be reinvented as an intellectually engaging, integral element of work in an educational institution.
Professionaldevelopmentisacontractualobligationformostcommunitycollegefaculty,buttoooftentheopportunitiespresentedareepisodic,uncoordinated,anddisconnectedfromanysharedgoalsforstudentlearning.Theresult,notsurprisingly,iswidespreadcynicismaboutwhatshouldbeacorecommitmentofprofessionallife,whateverthearena,tolearnfrompracticeandtoworkwithcolleaguestoadvancethefield.Inthisspirit,professionaldevelopmentforcommunitycollegeeducatorsmustberescuedandrevitalizedinwaysthatmakeitmoresustained,collaborative,andfocusedonevidenceofstudentlearning.Theseconditionsarecriticaltoongoingimprovement;theymustbepartoftheexperienceofalleducatorsandbuiltintothefabricoftheinstitution.Specifically,thismeans:
• Makingongoingprofessionaldevelopmentanexpectationforalleducatorsandaninstitutionalresponsibility.
• Creatingpoliciesandresourcesforinvolvingpart-timeeducatorsinsignificantprofessionaldevelopment.
• Establishinginstitutionalstructuresthatprovidespace,time,andotherkindsofsupportforeducatorstoref lecttogetherontheirworkwithstudents;oftenthismeansbuildingonpossibilitiesthatalreadyexist—suchascentersforteachingandlearning.
• EncouragingtheestablishmentofFacultyInquiryGroups,andprovidingsupporttosustainthem.
• Expandingthedefinitionofteachingtoincludenotonlyclassroomcontacthoursbuttimetoref lect,workwithcolleaguestoexamineevidenceoflearning,andworktowardimprovements;teachingloadsmustbeadjustedtoaccommodatethisbroaderdefinition.
• Creatingincentivesforparticipationinprofessionaldevelopment,withleadershipandaccomplishmentinthisarenalinkedtorewardssuchassalary,promotion,andawards.
�. institutional research must be expanded to focus more directly on core issues of teaching and learning.
Traditionally,institutionalresearchofficesfocusoninstitutionaldata(aboutenrollment,retention,andthelike),ofteninresponsetoexternalreportingrequirements.Thesearecriticalpatternstotrack,buttheyonlyindirectlyspeaktoquestionsaboutstudentlearning,andarethereforenecessarybutnotsufficient.Makingthesuccessofallstudentsarealandsharedprioritymeansthinkingmoreboldlyaboutinstitutionalresearch;itmeansinstitutionalresearchersworkingaspartnerswithfacultyandothereducatorsoncampustoshapeconsequentialquestionsaboutstudentlearning,generateevidenceinresponsetothosequestions,andworktogethertowardimprovements.Thisvisionwillrequireareshapingofrolesaswellasexpandedcapacity.Specifically,thismeans:
basic skills for complex lives ��
• Increasingstaffcapacityandresourcesforofficesofinstitutionalresearch.• Definingnewrolesforinstitutionalresearchers,focusedonworkingcloselywithfaculty
andstudentsupportstafftogenerateanduseinformationaboutstudentlearningandsuccess.
• Providingoccasionsinwhichfacultycandevelopgreatersophisticationindealingwithnewkindsandlevelsofdataaboutstudentlearningandsuccess.
• Focusingonhowlarge-scalepatternsofstudentmovementlinktoprogram-andclassroom-levelquestionsaboutwhatworks.
• Creatingstrategiesandoccasionsthatbringfacultyandinstitutionalresearcherstogetheraroundcriticalquestionsaboutteachingandlearning;FacultyInquiryGroupsareonevehicleforthiskindofcollaboration.
• Cultivatingacultureinwhichevidenceandinformationareconsistently“onthetable”inplanning,designing,andassessingeducationalpracticesandpolicies.
�. community colleges should lead the way in developing richer, more revealing measures of student learning.
Themetricsmostcommonlyusedtomeasureeducationaleffectiveness(studentgrades,retention,persistence,anddegreeattainment)willcontinuetoplayanimportantrole.Butcommunitycollegescanbepowerfullaboratoriesforcreatingafuller,richersetofassessmenttools—aimednotsimplyattrackingprogressbutatunderstandinghowtofacilitateimportantformsoflearningandpersonaldevelopment.Progressonthisfrontmeansworkingtowardclear,explicitstudentlearningoutcomeswhilealsodevelopingtoolsandapproachesthatcapturemorecomplexaspectsofstudents’movementtoward(andstumblingblocksonthewayto)thoseoutcomes.Ofparticularimportanceareapproachesthatproviderichfeedbackforteachersandstudents.Specifically,thismeans:
• Workingtoidentifyandarticulatewhatkindsofknowledgeandskillsaremostcriticalforstudentsintoday’sworld.
• Promotingtheuseoflow-stakesclassroomassessmentsthatgivestudentsaswellasfacultypowerfulfeedbackforimprovement.
• Negotiatingsharedrubricsandcriteriaforassessingkeyoutcomeswithinandacrosscourses.
• Designingcommon(shared)finalexaminationquestionsthatcanbeusedtopromptdepartmentaldeliberationsaboutgradingstandardsandclassroomstrategies.
• Providingstructuresandtools(portfoliosareoneexample)throughwhichstudentscanbecomemoreeffectivejudgesoftheirownworkandthereforemoreactive,intentionalagentsoftheirownlearning.
• Exploring“thestorybehindthenumbers”(e.g.,retention,gradesandsoforth)throughin-depthcasestudiesandinterviewsofstudents.
• Adoptinginstruments(liketheCommunityCollegeSurveyofStudentEngagement)thatallowcomparisonswithotherprogramsandinstitutions.
• Findingwaystobuildinformationfromtheassessmentofstudentlearningoutcomesintoinstitutionaldatasystems.
�� a different way to think about developmental education
�. ongoing, larger-scale improvement requires a lively, open “teaching commons” that values the knowledge of practice.
Communitycollegeeducatorsareonthefrontlinesoflearning.Workingwithunderpreparedstudentsisoneofthemostintellectuallychallengingrolesimaginable,andthestakescouldnotbehigher.Thecommitmentofindividualteachersisapowerfulingredientindoingthiswell,butnoonecandoitalone,andcommunitycollegeeducatorsarehungryforcolleagueswhosharetheircommitmentandforoccasionsinwhichtheycanlearnfromoneanother.
Thegoodnewsisthathighereducationtodayisincreasinglyenjoyingthebenefitsofanemergingteaching commons,aconceptualspaceinwhicheducatorsfromallsettingsandsectorscansharetheirquestions,explorations,andnewinsightsaboutstudentlearning.Participationinthiskindofexchangeis,infact,acriticalconditionforongoingimprovement.What’sneeded,then,ispurposefulinvestment,onmultiplelevels,intheoccasions,structures,networks,andtoolsthroughwhicheducators(inbasicskillsandbeyond)cansharewhattheyknowinwaysthatbenefitstudentsandbuildthefield.Specifically,thismeans:
• Creatingstructuresandoccasionsoncampusthatbringpeopletogethertotalkabouttheirstudents’learning.
• Experimentingwithnewways(multi-mediarepresentationsareapromisingavenue)torepresenteffectiveclassroompracticesootherscanbuildonit.
• Invitingexchangeacrossinstitutions,throughcampusvisitsandconsultations,andparticipationinlargerregional,statewide,andnationalconferences.
• Participatinginmulti-campusprojectsandinitiativesthatbringnewperspectivesandideasintothemix.
• Workingtocreateacoordinated,statewidenetworkforsharingknowledgeandresourcesaboutdevelopmental,basicskillseducation.
• Givingthekindsofeffortsdescribedinthisreportachancetoevolve,mature,andtakerootovertime.
Thevisionofdevelopmentaleducationpresentedinthisreportaimshigh.Basicskillsarebasicnotbecausethey’resimplebutbecause(like“basic”researchinthesciences)theylaythegroundworkforotherthings.Forthisreason,thelessonslearnedfromSPECCarecastinbroadterms,relevantnotonlytotheintroductorycompositionorbeginningalgebracoursebutacrossafullspectrumofcoursesandinstructionalsettings.Moreover,thelessonslearnedherecarryimplicationsforawiderangeofactors—notonlyteachersbutcounselors,departmentheads,deans,presidents,andstudentsthemselves.Eachmusttakeresponsibilityandallmustworktogether—attheclassroomlevel,acrosscourses,institutionally,andthroughoutthecommunitycollegesystem.There’sworkenoughtogoaround.
basic skills for complex lives �8
�� a different way to think about developmental education
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basic skills for complex lives ��
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation has been making grants since 1966 to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, environment, global development, performing arts, and population. In addition, the Foundation has programs that make grants to advance the field of philanthropy, and to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. More information may be found at www.hewlett.org.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of Congress, The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center with the primary mission “to do and perform all things necessary to encourage, uphold, and dignify the profession of the teacher and the cause of higher education.” The improvement of teaching and learning is central to all of the Foundation’s work. The Foundation is located in Stanford, California. More information may be found at www.carnegiefoundation.org.
Carnegie SPECC Staff
Rose Asera, Project Director and Senior ScholarRandy Bass, Consulting ScholarLloyd Bond, Senior ScholarMolly Breen, Program AssociateAndrea Bueschel, Consulting ScholarLisa Glenn, Administrative AssistantSherry Hecht, Assistant to the Vice PresidentMary Taylor Huber, Senior ScholarPat Hutchings, Vice PresidentCheryl R. Richardson, Research Scholar
Recommended Bibliographic ListingThe Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Basic Skills for Complex Lives: Designs for Learning in the Community College. A Report from Strengthening Pre-collegiate Education in Community Colleges (SPECC). Stanford, Calif.: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2008.
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Director of Human Capital Strategy, District of Columbia Public Schools 2005 National Teacher of the Year
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Superintendent of SchoolsSan Antonio North East Independent School District
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The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching Board of Trustees
A Report from
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
STRENGTHENING PRE-COLLEGIATE EDUCATION
IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES
2008
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