Developmental Education Course Redesign Work Group

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1 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p

Developmental Education Course Redesign Work Group

Final Report to the

Statewide Developmental Education Reform Task Force:

Montana Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education

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2 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Introduction and Background

As part of the statewide Developmental Education Reform Task Force, this work group was formed to examine developmental education course redesign models and make recommendations concerning course redesign efforts. The committee reviewed national models and gathered information on existing and planned efforts within the state. The following are included in this report:

 A summary of national developmental education redesign models

 An inventory of current and planned developmental education practices in math, writing and reading from campuses in the state

 A list of recommendations from the work group based on national best practices

 Developmental education summaries from individual campuses Work group members included the following:

 Chair: Leanne Frost, Director of Developmental Education and Transfer, Great Falls College MSU

 Mark Cracolice, Faculty, University of Montana

 Karen Henderson, Faculty, Helena College UM

 Sue Jones, Director of 2-Year Mission Integration, Montana University System

 Sarah Pett, Faculty, Miles Community College

 Richard Pierce, Academic Department Chair, City College MSU Billings

National Developmental Education Redesign Models

All those involved in higher education would like to see underprepared students successfully achieve their goals; the question is, “What is the best way to help students be successful?” Unfortunately, one clear-cut answer does not exist. Some experts advocate for reducing developmental education courses and “mainstreaming” students into college-level work (Charles A. Dana Center, 2012). Other experts believe developmental education courses provide the best way for students to gain the academic and life skills necessary to complete college coursework (Boylan, 2012; Goudas & Boylan, 2012). And, still others promote extending the time students take to complete a developmental education course to allow more time for underprepared students to grasp the necessary concepts to proceed (Glau, 2007; Zachry, 2009). As the debate continues, colleges and universities across the nation are examining their developmental education courses and trying ways to improve student learning and success by

redesigning their courses. Most redesign efforts fall into the following categories (Rutschow & Schneider, 2011):

 Remediating prior to enrolling in developmental education courses

o Examples: summer bridge programs, intensive “fast-start” courses prior to the start of the semester, strengthening K-12 education

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o Examples: reducing the number of dev. ed. courses by combining courses or revising curriculum, self-paced options, modularizing content, linking dev. ed. courses as co-requisites with college-level classes

 Contextualizing developmental education content into programs of study

o Examples: embedding curriculum into specific programs, providing hands-on experiential learning

 Supporting developmental education instruction

o Examples: computer-aided instruction, strategic advising, tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, learning communities, additional lab

The language used to name the redesigned model may differ (for example, “compressed” versus “accelerated”), but the rationale behind the redesign remains the same. In practice, many of the redesign efforts incorporate more than one redesign element (Edgecombe, 2011). However, some popular, specific course redesign models currently being discussed, implemented and assessed are as follows, as defined by the National Center for Academic Transformation

(http://www.thencat.org/PCR/Proj_Model.htm): The Supplemental Model

The supplemental model retains the basic structure of the traditional course and a) supplements lectures and textbooks with technology-based, out-of-class activities, or b) also changes what goes on in the class by creating an active learning environment within a large lecture hall setting.

The Replacement Model

The replacement model reduces the number of in-class meetings and a) replaces some in-class time with out-of-class, online, interactive learning activities, or b) also makes significant changes in remaining in-class meetings.

The Emporium Model

The emporium model eliminates all class meetings and replaces them with a learning resource center featuring online materials and on-demand personalized assistance, using a) an open attendance model or b) a required attendance model depending on student motivation and experience levels.

The Fully Online Model

The fully online model eliminates all in-class meetings and moves all learning experiences online, using Web-based, multi-media resources, commercial software, automatically evaluated

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4 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p The Buffet Model

The buffet model customizes the learning environment for each student based on background, learning preference, and academic/professional goals and offers students an assortment of individualized paths to reach the same learning outcomes.

Montana Developmental Education Practices

When asked to review current state developmental education practices and redesign efforts, it quickly became apparent to the work group that no such clearinghouse of information existed. To gather the needed information, the work group asked each campus to submit a summary of its developmental education offerings and any existing or future redesign efforts. An inventory of practices taken from those responses is included in this report, as well as the individual summaries themselves (see Appendix A).

Although the redesign efforts in Montana vary by campus, some important conclusions can be made: 1. Montana campuses are at varying stages in the redesign process. Some are just beginning, such

as at UM Western, while others have been in process for several years, such as at MSU Billings. 2. Campuses have focused most of their redesign efforts on developmental math, as opposed to

developmental writing or developmental reading.

3. A variety of redesigned models and combination of models for developmental math are being offered throughout the system.

4. Most campuses are offering “pilot” sections of redesigned courses and then comparing student success rates in those pilots to the traditional classroom settings.

5. Support for developmental education courses through tutoring seems to be offered at every campus.

6. Common Course Numbering has increased the MUS’s ability to compare efforts across campuses.

7. Computer-aided instruction through programs such as ALEKS, Hawkes, MyMathLab, and MathXL is fairly common; however, using those programs in a self-paced or

lab-only/”emporium” models seems rare.

8. Acceleration models combining two developmental math courses are being tried.

9. Redesign models in math are being supplemented by other efforts to increase student success, such as attendance policies, mastery learning, and notetaking frameworks.

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10. Redesign efforts in developmental writing center around “co-requisite” or “mainstreaming” models of WRIT 095/WRIT 101 in an effort to accelerate students into the college-level WRIT 101 College Composition I class.

11. A couple of campuses are starting to build learning communities by linking their developmental courses or pairing those courses with a College Success class.

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Montana Developmental Education Practices Inventory - Math School Classes Credit

s

Format

Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Compute r-aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/L inked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance City College/ MSUB M065: Pre-Algebra

3 x MathXL *Moving from

MathXL to MyMathLab Fall 2013 M090: Introductory Algebra

MathXL to MyMathLab Fall 2013 M095: Intermediate Algebra

MathXL to MyMathLab Fall 2013 M098: Introductory and Intermediate Algebra

5 x x MathXL x *Moving from

MathXL to MyMathLab Fall 2013; uses mastery learning at 80% Dawson Comm. College M065: Pre-Algebra 3 x

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7 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p School Classes Credit

s

Format

Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance M090: Introductory Algebra 3 x M095: Intermediate Algebra 3 x Flathead Valley Comm. College M061: Basic Mathematics 3 x x ALEKS *Students have the opportunity to complete M061 and M065 in one semester; includes mastery learning at 80% M065: Pre-Algebra 3 x MyMath Lab * Instituted attendance policy; provided notetaking framework; mastery learning of 75%

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s

Format

Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance M090: Introductory Algebra 4 x MyMath Lab * Instituted attendance policy; provided notetaking framework M095: Intermediate Algebra 4 x MyMath Lab * Instituted attendance policy; provided notetaking framework Fort Peck Comm. College CP 085: Pre-College Mathematics 2 x ALEKS x *Summer college prep. classes, not necessarily “bridge” Gallatin College/ MSU M065: Pre-Algebra - option 1 4 x MyMath Lab *Created cohort of M065, WRIT 095, and COLS 100 students M065: Pre-Algebra - option 2 - co-requisite M066 lab 4+1 x MyMath Lab x x

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s

Format

Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance M096: Survey of Algebra (Introductory & Intermediate) 4 x MyMath Lab M097: Survey of Algebra 3 x MyMath Lab M085: Pre-Algebra* 4 x x ALEKS * In progress, not available yet. Also considering new non-STEM course as an alternative to M096 for students who will take Liberal Arts Math or similar non-STEM math.

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School Classes Credits Format

Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Great Falls College MSU COLS 194: Basic Math Skills Workshop 0 x *Taught by Adult Basic Ed. M065: Pre-Algebra 4 x MyMath Lab M090: Introductory Algebra 4 x MyMath Lab M095: Intermediate Algebra 4 x MyMath Lab M098: Introductory and Intermediate Algebra 5 x MyMath Lab x x Helena College UM MA/M065: Pre-Algebra 3 x x M080: Pre and Introductory Algebra 5 x x

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance M090: Introductory Algebra -option 1 3 x M090: Introductory Algebra -option 2 3 x MathXL M090/M095 Introductory Algebra/Inter mediate Algebra 7 x x M095: Intermediate Algebra -option 1 4 x M095: Intermediate Algebra -option 2 4 x MathXL M091/M121 College Algebra w/ Intermediate Alg. co-requisite 6 x x

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Highlands College/ Montana Tech M061: - option 1 3 x * Considering an accelerated model combining M061 and M090. M061: - option 2 3 x Hawkes *Mastery-based model; students are also given a study guide to complete before class and to use as a notetaking framework; have tried self-paced but found no students completed the work.

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance M090: Introductory Algebra 4 x Hawkes *Mastery-based model; students are also given a study guide to complete before class and to use as a notetaking framework. A flipped classroom model has been piloted for some sections of M090 but more work is needed on the model; have tried self-paced but found no students completed the work. M095: Intermediate Algebra 3

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Little Big Horn College MA/M061: Basic Mathematics 4 x MA/M065: Pre-Algebra 4 x MA/M096: Survey of Algebra (Introductory & Intermediate ) 4 x Miles City Comm. College NC 015: Development al Math 0 x *Taught by Adult Basic Ed. M065: Pre-Algebra 3 x MyMath Lab x M090: Introductory Algebra 3 x MyMath Lab x M095: Intermediate Algebra 4 x MyMath Lab

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Missoula College/ UM M065: Pre-Algebra 3 x MyMath Lab *Considering a future emporium model for all developmenta l math courses M090: Introductory Algebra 3 x MyMathL ab M095: Intermediate Algebra 3 x MyMathL ab MSU Northern M095: Intermediate Algebra

3 x ALEKS* x *This program

was discontinued Spring 2013 due to low student success. Direct instruction from faculty will be implemented. UM Western M090: Introductory Algebra 4 x x *Taught in a block versus semester

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance M095: Intermediate Algebra 4 x x *Taught in a block versus semester M090/M095 Linked course x x x *Taught over two blocks

Montana Developmental Education Practices Inventory - Writing

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17 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Traditional Accelerated

Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Aaniiih Nakoda College WRIT 097: Writing for Success I 3 x WRIT 098: Writing for Success II 3 x WRIT 101A: College Writing I with Co-requisite x x x City College/ MSUB WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x MyWriting Lab *Proposed Structured Learning Assistance model for WRIT 101 to accelerate students through WRIT 095 Dawson Comm. College WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x

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Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Flathead Valley Comm. College WRIT 080: Basic Writing 3 x x *Dev.ed. writing and reading courses are linked to a college success course. WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x x *Dev.ed. writing and reading courses are linked to a college success course. Fort Peck Comm. College CP 090: Pre-College Writing 2 x x *Summer college prep. classes, not necessarily “bridge” Gallatin College/ MSU WRIT 080: Basic Writing 4 x WRIT 095: Development al Writing 4 x x *1 section paired w/COLS 100 Effective Acad. Practices

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Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Great Falls College MSU WRIT 080: Basic Writing 4 x WRIT 095: Development al Writing 4 x WRIT 098: Accelerated Development al Writing 2 x x x *Co-requisite with WRIT 101 Helena College UM WRIT 080: Basic Writing 3 x WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x WRIT 096: A co-requisite lab for WRIT 101 1 x x *Co-requisite with WRIT 101; Considering cohort models as well

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Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Highlands College/ Montana Tech WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x Co-requisite w/ WRIT 101 x x x *Co-requisite with WRIT 101 Little Big Horn College CA 095: Development al Writing 4 x *PLATO was tried as a computer resource but discontinued because not found effective. Miles City Comm. College NC 016: Development al Writing 0 x *Taught by Adult Basic Ed.

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Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance WRIT 015: Development al English 3 x x x *Taken as a co-requisite with WRIT 095 or WRIT 108 WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x Missoula College/ UM WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x *Considering accelerated and co-requisite WRIT 101 models MSU Northern WRIT 095: Development al Writing 3 x x x

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Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance UM Western WRIT 095: Development al Writing 4 x x *Linked with WRIT 101; taught together across two blocks

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Montana Developmental Education Practices Inventory - Reading

Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance City College/ MSUB RD 101: Reading Improvement for College Students 3 x Flathead Valley Comm. College ID 31: Reading Strategies for Success 3 x ID 51: College Reading Strategies 3 x x *Linked with dev.ed. learning community (dev.ed. writing and College Success course)

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Traditional Accelerated Self-paced Computer -aided Modul-arized Additional Lab Paired/ Linked Courses Summer Bridge Structured Learning Assistance Fort Peck Comm. College CP 080: Reading Improvement 2 x x *Summer college prep. classes, not necessarily “bridge” Great Falls College MSU WRIT 101: Reading Improvement for College Students 2 x Helena College RD 070: Fundamental s of Reading 3 x * Little Big Horn College CA 050: Reading for College 3 x Miles City Comm. College NC 017: Development al Reading 0 x *Taught by Adult Basic Ed. ED 015: Development al Reading x

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25 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p ED 105:

Reading and Study Skills

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26 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Recommendations

The research shows that a variety of redesign models can be successful (Edgecombe, 2011; NCAT). Each model has its own constraints, multiple factors affect student success, and each campus has its own circumstances; therefore, recommending one model for all campuses is not feasible.

However, based on the research in best practices, the work group’s experiences, and input from

multiple campuses, the workgroup recommends the following as a framework of guiding practices when engaging in developmental education redesign.

Developmental education redesign efforts should:

1. Use course acceleration as an option, but not an exclusive practice.

2. Remove stop-out points (decision points in which students may not continue).

3. Scrutinize existing and future efforts to remove barriers to success (unnecessary requirements to enter or exit a course).

4. Incorporate strong student support services outside of the classroom.

5. Maximize opportunities for individualized and/or small group instruction and opportunities for individual student/instructor communication.

6. Develop guidelines and criteria for assessment of student learning outcomes that is local, continuous, and allows for adjustments.

7. Allow challenges and re-placement early in the semester.

8. Recognize that individual success can be measured in more ways than only by completion of a gateway course.

9. Contextualize learning opportunities by integrating basic skills training in programs of study. 10. Emphasize and foster communication and collaboration between developmental education and

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Works Cited

Boylan, H. (2012, August). What the Best Developmental Education Programs Do … and Don’t Do. Presentation for Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Charles A. Dana Center (2012). Core Principles for Transforming Remedial Education: A Joint Statement. A report jointly issued by the Charles A. Dana Center, Complete College America, Inc., the Education Commission of the States, and Jobs for the Future.

Edgecombe, N. (2011, February). Accelerating the Academic Achievement of Students Referred to Developmental Education. CCRC Working Paper No. 30. Community College Research Center. New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.

Glau, G. R. (2007). Stretch at 10: A progress report on Arizona State University’s stretch program. Journal of Basic Writing, 26(2), 30–48.

Goudas, A. M., & Boylan, H. R. (2012). Addressing flawed research in developmental education. Journal of Developmental Education, 36(1), 2–13.

National Center for Academic Transformation. (2005). Program in Course Redesign:

Project Descriptions Sorted by Model. Retrieved April 17, 2013, from

http://www.thencat.org/PCR/Proj_Model.htm.

Rutschow, E. & Schneider, E. (2011, June). Unlocking the Gate: What We Know About Improving Developmental Education. A report for the National Center for Postsecondary Education. New York: MDRC.

Zachry, E. M., & Orr, G. (2009). Building student success from the ground up: A case study of an Achieving the Dream college. New York, NY: MDRC.

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28 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Appendix A

Individual Campus Developmental Education Summaries: Aaniiih Nakoda College

City College MSU Billings/MSU Billings Dawson Community College Fort Peck Community College Flathead Valley Community College

Gallatin College MSU/MSU Great Falls College MSU

Helena College UM Highlands College/Montana Tech

Little Big Horn College Miles Community College

Missoula College UM/University of Montana Montana State University Northern

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Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC)

Developmental Writing

Our Philosophy

At Aaniiih Nakoda College (ANC), the Curriculum Committee’s belief is that our students are college-ready if they are self-motivated, provided with opportunities, and nurtured with supports like tutoring. We are aware that some students who enroll might not have the foundation necessary for college success. However, when they become our students, ANC instructors accept the challenge of

academically preparing them for what a college career entails. We are more interested in directing our students onto paths for achievement than in filtering them out or labeling them as “not college material.” Additionally, we believe in guided self-placement. Although standardized placement tests like COMPASS can provide advisors and the Writing Assessment Committee with indicators to point students in a certain direction, a placement test is a SINGLE score, and we desire more of a profile. Anecdotal evidence suggests that ultimately, students need to be the authors of their own success stories. At ANC we articulate expectations, provide a glimpse into course objectives, and help students see obstacles or opportunities. We provide this direction with options so as not to take away from our students a critical component in their educational lives: agency. Agency emphasizes freedom and focuses on autonomy, accounting for individual thoughts, beliefs, and feelings. No one knows that student better than that student knows him/herself. We have seen cases of students with excellent assessment scores who fail College Writing I and others who didn’t obtain initial placement in College Writing I but chose to accept the challenge and through self-determination rose to the circumstances. When people assert their agency, they often carry out their intentions, acting according to their own purposes. On the other hand, when we impose identities on students—labels like “struggling writer” or “developmental level”—they may rebel. If, instead, the student chooses to identify as “not ready” for certain challenges, he/she may engage more with academic pursuits. Although we believe it is in the best interest of our students to seek remediation quickly, we also want to provide effective

interventions; we don’t want to “rob” our students of the opportunity to learn the academic discourse on their own terms. A passing grade in a refresher course isn’t the goal; the goal is to learn the craft of writing. We firmly believe that a conscientious and motivated student provided with literacy

sponsorship can be an effective writer.

ANC’s mission is to help students improve their lives by offering opportunities to maintain cultural integrity of their tribal heritages as well as succeed in an American technological society. To

complement that mission, the Writing Program’s goal is to impart the rhetorical command that enables a student to read and write for both ANC courses and careers. Our primary purpose is to prepare students to write persuasively; in other words, to construct an argument and to continue the

conversation of ideas. With this rhetorical command, we give students access to forms of intellectual capital that have power in both the corporate and the academic worlds.

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Background

1) The first test ANC used for placement in Math and Writing was the TABE. When the

COMPASS became popular approximately ten years ago, the college adopted that as its

assessment tool and placement indicator.

2) In Fall 2011, College Writing instructor, Cristina Estrada asked the Curriculum

Committee for ideas about how she could better serve freshman writing students since

she noticed that many were not prepared to take a college credit class nor ready to write

essays for other classes in which writing was an important component. In general,

advisors were recommending that students take the credit bearing writing class so as to

stay on track for graduation. Advisors also reported that taking refresher classes

consumed PELL monies.

3) As a writing program reform measure, Dr. Donna L. Miller presented to the Curriculum

Committee a proposal to improve writing placement decisions, citing the following

conditions:

 The ACT COMPASS Writing Skills Test presents an essay/passage of approximately 200 to 250 words. The essay contains a number of mistakes with grammar, expression, sentence structure, and punctuation. The test taker chooses the correct answer from the five choices provided for each question.

 The multiple choice style of the ACT COMPASS test focuses on conventions, grammar, and usage rather than on actual writing performance. Because of the closed, language-focused style of the test, it is more a reading test and a test of correctness/ability to edit, than a test of writing ability.

 COMPASS is machine scored.

 The COMPASS test may not be the best indicator for writing proficiency. Although a multiple choice test may be easiest to measure, it may correspond least to good writing since choosing a correct response from a set of possible answers is not composing.

Miller suggested that COMPASS may not be the best tool for writing placement decisions at ANC since it is not an authentic measure of student’s writing performance. Several pedagogical premises support a change:

 Literacy involves more than the knowledge of the grammar and code of a language.

 Closed, language-focused tests which favor dominant American English are prone to cultural biases.

 According to the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), “Best assessment practice is direct assessment by human readers” (O’Neill, Moore, and Huot 162). Human readers are more likely to be culturally responsive and to honor nonstandard

strategies like the use of narrative to persuade and organizational patterns that hold the thesis until the end.

 Writing assessments should be locally controlled and site based. “This is especially important for placement procedures since they are inextricably connected to the courses offered and the curriculum within those courses” (93).

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 “Direct measures of assessing student writing (i.e. methods that require students to actually write) are preferred in the composition and rhetoric community to indirect methods like multiple-choice exams” (7).

4) The Writing Program proposed implementing an authentic writing assessment modeled

after the Montana University Writing Assessment (MUSWA).

 An authentic writing assessment is a type of performance assessment, which gives students greater control over the manner in which they demonstrate proficiency than multiple-choice.

 “Because authentic writing assessments are open-ended in nature and focus on skills that are less ‘culture-bound’ than syntax and usage, they are less subject to the cultural biases that sometimes characterize closed, language-focused tests” (Clinard, 5).

 The MUSWA gives the writer 40 minutes to respond to one of two persuasive prompts. Each prompt asks for a letter as a vehicle to write a persuasive essay. Having to take a stand on a position and addressing a person authorized to act provides a real purpose for writing and helps writers focus on audience and purpose.

 The MUSWA allows writers to engage in authentic language use.

 The MUSWA rubric aligns with the ACT Writing rubric; both measure organization, development, focus, fluency, and conventions.

 The assessment is holistically scored. Holistic rubrics are especially useful in large-scale assessments for the purpose of placing students in groups.

 “The MUSWA has proven itself to be highly reliable, based on average inter-rater reliability measures, such as a Cronbach’s Alpha of .87 for the 2007-2011 tests” (Clinard, 6).

 The Montana Board of Regents of Higher Education has approved both the MUSWA and campus-administered writing assessments modeled upon the MUSWA as appropriate tools for composition placement.

The Writing Program further recommended scheduling WRIT 101 and Developmental Writing during the same time slot

 This schedule will accommodate the possibility of inaccurate placement.

 Students can easily transfer to courses that appropriately address their skills and abilities. Although this suggested approach is an improvement over current ANC placement practices, Writing Program personnel believe it is still imperfect. The primary function of writing assessment is to evaluate students as writers or their writing abilities, and the best assessment practices use multiple measures. A single measure collected in an artificial, timed-writing situation will not provide the information needed to serve as an indicator of overall writing ability. “Information from students, combined with

information from teachers and course grades, provide the most comprehensive form of evidence about placement procedures” (O’Neill, Moore, and Huot 92).

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In forming its goals and objectives, the Writing Program believes that good assessments are those that are designed locally, for the needs of specific institutions, faculty, and students. A campus-administered writing assessment modeled upon the MUSWA has the potential to

 Use topics that are accessible and interesting to students so that they write enough to permit assessment of their skills.

 Respond to the challenges of teaching new populations of students.

 More accurately describe the promise and limitations of a writer working within a particular rhetorical context.

 Make more accurate placement decisions.

 Ensure students have the opportunity to achieve course goals. References:

Clinard, Jan. The Montana University System Writing Assessment: A Practical Guide to Writing Proficiency. Helena: University of Montana Helena, 2012.

O’Neill, Peggy, Cindy Moore, and Brian Huot. A Guide to College Writing Assessment. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2009.

5) Formalizing a Writing Assessment Committee, a group of instructors were trained to use

the Montana University System Writing Assessment (MUSWA) model and rubric, and

they adopted it for placement for the first time in Fall 2012. A score of 3.5 or above

indicates writing proficiency and a basic readiness for College Writing I. A score of 3 or

below reflects the scoring committee’s recommendation that the student take a

Developmental Writing course to prepare for the expectations of College Writing I and

other courses in which writing is an important component. A score of 3 places the

student in WRIT 098; a score of 2 qualifies for WRIT 097, and a score of 1 designates

WRIT 096. As the Committee worked on redesigning course descriptions for these

refresher courses, they proposed renaming the courses to remove the stigma of labeling.

Instead of Developmental Writing, the courses would be named Writing for Success I, II,

and III (also known as the Writing for Success Series).

6) Concerns about Pell monies being consumed by non-credit bearing courses led the

Writing Assessment Committee to make another change in course numbering and design.

A score of 1 on the ANC Writing Assessment would designate enrollment in WRIT 095

Writing for Success I, a three credit, fifteen week course. A score of 2 designates

enrollment in WRIT 096 Writing for Success II, a two credit, ten week course. A score

of 3 designates enrollment in WRIT 097 Writing for Success III, a one credit, five week

refresher course. The hope was to provide an accelerated route into College Writing I

and on to students’ progress with their programs of study.

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After three semesters of implementation, the Writing Program reported to the ANC

Curriculum Committee in February 2013 that the model continues to evolve. Because

ANC’s new Writing Assessment is a performance test, the data collected is valuable/critical

in the curriculum design of writing courses at ANC. Essentially providing individualization,

instructors know where to focus and how to support the writers in the classroom. In their

report, the Program shared a “what’s working” list:

 ANC’s version of the MUSWA provides a more accurate diagnosis of students’ strengths and weaknesses in comparison to the COMPASS test.

 The MUSWA like test supplies a baseline to better assess student’s progress.

 The Writing for Success series is tailored to fit students’ specific writing needs.

 The MUSWA like test offers an outlet for students to express their opinions about their college experience.

 A team of writing instructors is for the first time working as a common front to offer students a college writing experience that reduces frustration, anxiety, and

apprehension.

 That all the courses are offered at the same time facilitates mobility.

Although this new model offered the possibility of saving students time and money, advisors

reported that students were experiencing credit shortages to maintain their full-time status, so

the concern for student’s PELL expenditures remains. Plus, some students and other parties

involved are confused about the model’s tiers. The Writing Assessment Committee

identified several possible solutions:

 Abandon the 1, 2, 3 credit spread and return to 3 credit courses

 Adjust drop/add policy to accommodate maximum mobility

 Abolish Writing for Success and team teach College Writing I to remediate and to introduce academic literacy.

Recognizing the ineffectiveness of the long sequences, the Writing Assessment Committee

once more redesigned course offerings. To determine a student’s readiness to engage in the

academic writing that is expected for successful achievement in coursework at ANC, the

ANC Writing Placement test would collect a writing sample from students and assesses a

student’s proficiency in organization, development, fluency, and language conventions. A

score of 1 or 2 designates enrollment in WRIT 097 Writing for Success I, a score of 3

designates enrollment in WRIT 098 Writing for Success II, and scores of 4-6 designate

enrollment in WRIT 101. All courses will be fifteen week, three credit courses scheduled at

the same time to facilitate mobility. When students have mastered concepts of WRIT 097,

they will move to WRIT 098.

WRIT 097 would provide an introduction to the discourse of ANC, to the ANC library, and

to the demands of reading academic text. Essentially an introduction to the culture of

college, WRIT 097 primarily proposes to develop students’ confidence, time management,

and rhetorical command necessary to read and write for both ANC courses and careers.

WRIT 098, on the other hand, is an intense foundational course that enables students to

develop fundamental tools used for successful writing in multiple academic disciplines.

These skills include the capabilities of constructing basic sentences, identifying sentence

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fragments, and identifying and properly using the conventions of Dominant American

English. These lessons will culminate in the student’s ability to

produce clear and coherent

writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose,

and audience.

WRIT 098 intends to sponsor a student’s literacy, providing the scaffolds

needed to access texts with syntactical sophistication and technical diction and supplying

various practices and strategies for responding to and writing about those texts.

Additionally, the Curriculum Committee changed the final grade from Pass and Fail to the

traditional letter grading as in A, B, C, D, and F to better indicate achievement level.

The Future

Current research suggests that more institutions are working to optimize students’ finances

and other resources by getting them ready to take college courses as soon as possible. Some

institutions have eliminated college remedial courses, substituting them with online tutoring

or Writing Center support; others have strengthened their face-to-face tutoring contact hours,

and others have tried to embed remediation within credit bearing courses. ANC’s Writing

Assessment Committee will submit a proposal to the Curriculum Committee, presenting an

option to include remediation within College Writing I. The Assessment Committee is

developing a new course called WRIT 101A. This course would differentiate and provide

scaffolds without watering down the college writing curriculum. Under this design,

additional academic support is integrated into the gateway college-level course content as a

co-requisite, not a pre-requisite. Our revision efforts reveal support for the progress of

underprepared students and a dedication to literacy sponsorship.

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Developmental Reading, Writing, and Mathematics at

MSU Billings and City College

Background

At MSU Billings and City College, all the developmental education is taught through the Academic Support Center (ASC). Since the ASC started at MSUB in the fall of 2001 on the four year campus, it has been a well complemented center piece of the institution. Initially six bachelor degree required instructors were hired as staff under letters of appointment in student services and although some of the creation was done through the then named College of Technology (COT), it was completely housed on the four year campus. Initially Introductory Algebra, Algebra for College Students, and English Essentials were the only courses taught in the center. The student’s benefit from the center was they could get tutoring from their instructor in the expanded tutoring center that accompanied the creation. Some the ASC’s courses and services were added to the COT in the 2003-2004 academic year.

In academic year 2012-2013, the ASC has grown to teach 206 credits on both campuses, employ a combination of eight administrators and instructors, teach M065, M090, M095, M098 (local

modularized course), WRIT095, and RD101, and administer a large portion of the COMPASS exams given to entering students. There is a fully dedicated lab area on both the four year and City College campus that provides tutoring for the flagship courses and anything from accounting to sciences. The instructors in the Academic Support Center are now a mixture of letters of appointment and administration. Since the ASC is still under student affairs, the instructors are classed as staff and not faculty, do not teach any courses outside the ASC offerings listed above, and do not teach a set amount of credits per academic year (varies per individual with a max of 17 credits per year to stay below union requirements). Since office hours are not required, they are required to tutor a set number of hours in the tutoring center per week (varies per individual) and do not participate in the academic process or committees. Being classed as staff, there are no accreditation requirements for the credentials of the instructors, so some full time instructors have master degrees while others have bachelor.

The chancellor and provost at Montana State University Billings have assembled a local committee to examine the possibility of these support staff positions being reclassified into academic affairs and made full time faculty.

Entrance and Placement

All entering MSUB and City College students take the COMPASS exam, even if they have SAT or ACT scores. Advisors use the highest course placement from the two. Students are not charged to take the COMPASS exam, unless they are excessively taking the exam. At MSUB, a student receiving a score of 99 on COMPASS writing, receives a pass “P” grade for WRIT 101, so more students will retake the

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writing section in an attempt to “test out” of WRIT 101. This policy came through the Writing/English Department on the four year campus and is attested by several other units on campus, but still remains. Adult Basic Education through the Billings school district is a reoccurring presence on the City College campus. They focus on math, writing, and reading as well and all of their services are free to anyone. There are cutoff scores to the COMPASS exam that admits students to them, but they are very low. The numbers for Adult Basic Education have been so low, they are leaving the City College campus after spring 2013. Students can still obtain their services at one of the local high schools.

All faculty are contacted at the beginning of the semester and at midterm by the retention councilor at their college about student’s grades. In the first contact, they are focusing on students that have not been attending class. They contact them by phone mostly and try to ascertain why they are not attending class and let them know their options. In the second contact, they are looking for students that are not passing (D and below). At this point, they contact the student, and give them tutoring schedules and advise about their options.

Mathematics

The math developmental courses have the largest enrollment. Courses have always been taught in a traditional tier system. Aside from room availability and size issues, course’s capacity is 30 students. In spring 2011, the ASC created M098 which is a local modularized developmental course. It has five one credit modules (A-E) and a student must complete the “final exam” of each module administered through mathXL with a proctor at an 80% level to get to the next module. If a student fails, they repeat the module. The modules run about two weeks long with a two week period at the beginning to allow students to take a placement exam, so students can start in the module they are weak in, instead of repeating known material. Some students will start at module A and others at module C. The initial numbers show students doing well, but the course setup requires five rooms at a time for students to move through as they pass and fail the modules, so due to this space constraint, none of these are offered at City College. On the four year campus, the ASC has a dedicated area in the remodel of the Student Union Building that allows them to control their own rooms for course offerings, so all sections of M098 are offered there. The program currently uses mathXL, but is looking at changing to

MyMathLab for fall of 2013. Here are the section offerings at both campuses over the last academic year (F12-Sp13).

Course Sections Notes

M065 (3 cr) 2 sections 2 City College sections

M090 (3 cr) 8 sections 3 City College sections

M095 (4 cr) 13 sections 5 City College sections and 1

online section M098 A-E (1 cr each) 47 sections 20 online sections, all

sections four year campus

Writing

The ASC has just taught one writing course since its creation, WRIT 095. After working on the

modularized math course, they are turning their attention to writing. Using the Core College America principles, they are working with the General Education Department at City College and the Writing

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Department on the four year campus, to create a section of WRIT 101 that would have a Structured Learning Assistant (SLA) “lab.” The course setup is currently the topic of disagreement between City College faculty and ASC staff, so it remains to be seen how the course will be offered, assessed, or implemented. Here are the section offerings at both campuses over the last academic year (F12-Sp13).

WRIT095 (3 cr) 20 sections 4 online sections and 3 City College sections

Reading

In 2006, reading was added to the ASC’s offerings. This course, RD 101, is actually housed through the College of Education at MSUB, since it is not a true developmental course (not starting with a 0), but taught through the ASC with their instructors. MSUB has a graduate reading program in the College of Education, but did not offer any sections of RD 101, their only 100 or 200 level course. So ASC staff with the help of reading faculty resurrected the course. Several areas at City College started to require RD 101 for their programs, but upon realizing they could require a reading COMPASS score instead, pulled the course from their program requirements. The offering scheduled for City College this spring was cancelled due to low enrollment. Here are the section offerings at both campuses over the last academic year (F12-Sp13).

RD101 (3 cr) 8 sections 2 online sections and 2 City

College sections (both sections offered fall)

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38 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Dawson Community College

Developmental Math and Writing

At DCC, we offer several developmental classes in Math and Writing: M065- Pre-Algebra, M090-Introductory Algebra, M095-Intermediate Algebra and WRIT 095. These courses are all taught by regular college instructors. We also have the Academic Support Center which provides tutoring services in these areas. Students with disabilities are referred to the TRiO Student Support Services program to be assured of adequate and reasonable accommodations.

The only thing we do outside of the traditional lecture for developmental classes is to offer one-on-one and group tutoring. Our tutors are professional and all of them have teaching degrees.

To my knowledge there are no re-design efforts in the works for developmental education.

At this time we do not use any computerized support although this may be a "re-design" feature in the future.

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39 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Fort Peck Community College

LEARNING CENTER

The Learning Center is located in the War Eagle Vision Building. Learning Center services are available to all enrolled students. The services are organized into three components: college preparation, tutoring, and computer lab—for academic use only.

College Preparation. The college preparation program of study is intended to help students gain skills and knowledge needed to succeed in college level study. The ASSET placement scores will be used to help the student select the appropriate level of study in reading, writing, and mathematics. College preparation is presented as self-paced, individualized instruction and small group instruction.

Students in the Learning Center will have access to computer-assisted instruction, textbooks, reference materials, practice tests as well as audio-visual materials. Upon completion of college preparation credits, students will be given grades and the CP courses will be recorded on student transcripts. College Preparation courses do not count toward degrees or certificates and do not satisfy any general education requirements.

College Preparation Courses. These courses may be taken prior to enrollment in college level courses or concurrent with enrollment in college level courses. Course descriptions are included in the Course Description section of this catalog.

• CP 070 Study Skills 2

• CP 080 Reading Improvement 2 • CP 085 Pre-College Mathematics 2 • CP 090 Pre-College Writing 2

College Preparation courses are numbered 099 and below. These courses are not transferable and do not count toward any FPCC degree or certificate requirements. The courses are intended for self-improvement and preparation for college level study. Placement for mathematics and writing is based on the college placement test; however, any enrolled college student may come to the Learning Center for college preparation instruction and tutoring. For record keeping purposes, students are required to enroll in courses listed below. Successful completion of CP courses is based upon demonstration of skills and knowledge through standardized and instructor-made tests. These courses are offered fall and spring semesters. FPCC is offering these courses for the summer course to assist the local students in preparing for college success.

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This course is designed to assist students in preparing for college level coursework. This course could include basic keyboarding, note taking, test taking, writing papers, and developing critical thinking skills. The FPCC Student Planner and current technology are used as planning tools for goal setting and time management.

CP 080 Reading Improvement - 2 credits

This course teaches students effective reading strategies to help them comprehend college textbooks and assigned readings. Students can expect to improve their reading comprehension skills using textbook annotation, paraphrasing and summarizing, note taking and outlining, dictionary usage, and using references including library and Internet resources.

CP 085 Pre-College Mathematics - 2 credits

The course is designed for students who need to improve basic mathematics skills. Students will review whole numbers, fractions, decimals, ratios, proportions, percent’s and interpreting graphs, basic statistic and pre-algebra. Students who show mastery of these listed topics are then advised to proceed to an appropriate college- level math course. The Math is self-paced using the ALEKS Program and classroom instruction. If the student completes the ALEKS and classroom instruction portion, then they continue onto the next level immediately. Students who struggle in math retain the information better if they do not have to wait until the next semester.

CP 090 Pre-College Writing - 2 credits

This course teaches the student to improve basic writing skills, such as sentence structure, building vocabulary, organizing paragraphs as well as using correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Students will have access to computers for writing papers and study exercises. Students who show mastery of these listed topics are then advised to proceed to an appropriate college-level English course.

_____________________________________________________________________________________ Future Plans

This summer we are going to offer all the college preparation classes in Poplar and Wolf Point, including a basic computer class. We will encourage anyone interested in attending college to get their placement testing done and take the classes if needed, at no cost, so they will be ready to start regular freshman classes in the fall.

We are going to ask all the local schools if we can ASSET placement test their Juniors & Seniors and let the students know what General Education classes will be available for them to take during the summer, so they can get an early start on degree, and at a very low cost.

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41 | D e v e l o p m e n t a l E d u c a t i o n C o u r s e R e d e s i g n W o r k G r o u p Flathead Valley Community College

Following is a summary of the way that developmental education is delivered at Flathead Valley

Community College.

Degree-seeking and/or full-time students who plan to take math or English classes are required

to complete the COMPASS placement test as part of the admissions process. Testing is

scheduled by appointment in the Learning Center. The test is used for placement purposes

only.

Advisors use the COMPASS test scores to determine accurate course placements which

maximize students' successes. Test scores guide placement in specific English and math courses

as well as evaluating preparation for courses with significant demands in the area of reading.

Scores are not kept on the students' permanent transcripts and do not affect grades.

Initial advising is also through the Learning Center. Advisors assist students in developing

appropriate class schedules, registering for classes, preparing for graduation, transferring and

maximizing the college experience to meet personal, educational and career goals.

1. Students whose COMPASS scores indicate placement into developmental courses are

carefully advised so that they are taking gateway courses along with their

developmental courses.

2. Students are given information about tutoring (individual and group)

3. Students are informed of the availability of professional instruction in math, reading,

and writing in the math and language arts labs.

4. Students are also informed of the availability of Adult Basic Education

5. Additionally, disability services are explained (testing accommodations for students with

learning disabilities and alternative testing site for classroom support). Math Waiver /

Substitution Policy; students with a math disability may apply to waive M 095, M 121M*

and M145Q*, provided the courses are not program requirements. The waivers apply

only to potential Associate of Arts graduates. All students may petition for math course

substitutions.

6. Students who are not ready for college-level course work in reading and writing are

advised to be a part of the developmental education learning community which links the

developmental classes to a college success strategies class (college level). This enables

students to take courses together for collaborative learning. The faculty of the three

classes plans their assignments so that the activities of one complement those of the

other.

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7. Students that score into the remedial Math 61 have the opportunity to move through

the material and take Math 65 consecutively in the same semester. Students always are

advised when taking remedial math to take college level courses. In this way math is

not a barrier that keeps them from graduating in the allotted time for an AA or AS

degree.

The Developmental Education Classes at Flathead Valley Community College are:



ID_31_01 Read Strategies for Success (COMPASS score of 0-60 in reading)



ID_51_01 College Reading Strategies (COMPASS score of 61-73 in reading)



ID_51_30 College Reading Strategies, part of the learning community (COMPASS score

of 61-73 in reading)



ID_61_01 Personalized Lang Arts, instructor support in remedial and college level classes



WRIT_080_01 Building Basic Writing Skills (COMPASS score 0-37 in writing)



WRIT_095_01 Developmental Writing (COMPASS score 38-67 in writing)



M_061_ Basic Mathematics (COMPASS score 0-40)



M_065_01 Pre-algebra (COMPASS score 41-49)



M_090_01 Introductory Algebra (COMPASS score 50-100)



M_095_01 Intermediate Algebra (COMPASS score 51-65)

Developmental education identified as one of the four core themes at FVCC for on-going

accreditation and assessment purposes (transfer, workforce, community education and

developmental education).

Developmental Education Core Theme Objectives, Indicators, and Assessment

Results

Indicator

Intended Outcome

Most recent level of

performance

Outcome

Achieved?

Objective One: Students progress in developmental courses and transition to higher-level

education courses.

DE1.1 Percent of students

indicating a need for

remediation as demonstrated

by placement testing who

register for the recommended

developmental course.

100% correct

placement

Percent enrolling in

the correct course:

Math = 80.5%,

Writing = 92%,

Reading = 84.2%

No

DE1.2 Percent of students

successful in 100-level courses

after completing

developmental coursework.

Former

developmental

students compare

favorably to overall

student success rate.

Pass rate for former

developmental

students: Math =

76.4% vs. 79% of

all students, Writing

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= 74.2% vs. 79.8%

for all students

Objective Two: Students receive high-quality instruction that prepares them for success

at the college level.

DE2.1 Developmental level

course grade outcomes.

70% or more A, B,

C, S, or SA grades

70.6%

Yes

DE2.2 Student perception of

teaching quality in

developmental courses.

Satisfaction

comparable to

transfer and

workforce results

Math satisfaction =

6.23, Writing

satisfaction = 6.25,

Reading satisfaction

= 6.03.

Developmental

satisfaction exceeds

transfer and

workforce

satisfaction (on a 7

point scale)

Yes

Objective Three: Students are provided the support necessary to maximize their

educational time investments.

DE3.1 Developmental level

course grade outcomes.

70% or more A, B,

C, S, or SA grades

70.6%

Yes

DE3.2 Student perception of

support quality.

Satisfaction

comparable to

transfer and

workforce results

Math satisfaction =

6.04, Writing

satisfaction = 6.13,

Reading satisfaction

= 6.02.

Developmental

satisfaction exceeds

transfer and

workforce

satisfaction (on a 7

point scale)

Yes

Foundational Math Classes – Redesign 2012-2013

The goal of this paper is to outline the needs of foundational math students and the plan of Flathead Valley Community College to address these needs through a redesign of our foundational

(developmental) math classes: Basic Math, PreAlgebra, Intro to Algebra, and Intermediate Algebra. The challenge is listed first along with our plan to assist students.

Financial and time constraints: These students are juggling a job, family needs, and their studies. Finding adequate study time is difficult. Class time needs to be highly productive.

1. Use printed notes filled with rules and examples as an outline for the material covered in class. Formulas and hints are already typed on the sheet saving valuable time and energy. These note