Guest Post: Mobilizing Faculty toward Dramatic Curricular Change

Please welcome Katie Hern, Ed.D., an English Instructor at Chabot College, to Accelerating Achievement! Katie leads the California Acceleration Project, an initiative of the California Community Colleges’ Success Network (3CSN), with support from the Walter S. Johnson Foundation, LearningWorks, and the Community College Research Center. Bruce Vandal posted a great summary of the program and its results over at Getting Past Go yesterday; below, you can read what Katie has learned about motivating folks to take on the challenge of accelerated developmental education courses.

The California Acceleration Project has ambitious goals: getting the state’s 112 community colleges to shorten and redesign their developmental sequences in English and math.

The California community college system—if “system” is the right word—is among the most decentralized in the country. For those of us advocating change, this means we have to do more than provide good data to a group of high-level decision-makers. We have to convince individual faculty at all 112 individual colleges to pursue the change themselves.
 
On the face of it, this might seem a job for Sisyphus. And yet, faculty across California have begun doing exactly that.
 
The project is part of the California Community Colleges’ Success Network (3CSN), which provides professional development for the state’s Basic Skills Initiative. To date, more than 80 of California’s community colleges have participated in the project’s acceleration trainings, 19 colleges are working together on accelerated English and pre-statistics courses they will offer in 2011-12, and at least 12 more colleges are actively pursuing pilots for the following year. 

Bringing acceleration to scale requires us to think about what motivates people to change. Inside 3CSN, we talk a lot about a book called Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard. Business writers Dan and Chip Heath stress that everyone has two competing drives influencing our decisions: “the rider,” or rational side, and the “elephant,” or emotional side.  Mobilizing change requires engaging the rider holding the reins and the elephant that the rider is trying to steer. “Anytime the six-ton Elephant and the Rider disagree about which direction to go, the Rider is going to lose” (Switch, p. 7). 

In making a case for acceleration, my co-leader Myra Snell and I ground our conversations in quantitative data. No one would listen if we didn’t show that acceleration can significantly increase the number of developmental students going on to pass college-level gatekeeper courses. But data are never enough. We also have to address the elephant. What is spooking faculty about acceleration? Where are the emotional sticking points? And what positive emotions can be harnessed so that faculty charge toward change, instead of sitting stubbornly by while would-be change agents seek “buy in”? 

Sometimes teachers’ elephants don’t move because they literally can’t see the way ahead. In faculty workshops, we show two classroom videos, five minutes from my open-access accelerated English class, where students engage an excerpt from Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, and five minutes from Myra Snell’s open-access pre-statistics course where students grapple with a problem from a national statistics exam and prove that the exam’s answer key is incorrect. These videos give faculty a visceral, concrete sense of how developmental education might be different. They see that students who might have placed 2, 3, 4 levels below college in their own sequences have the capacity to do challenging intellectual work. They see that developmental education doesn’t have to be grammar workbooks or skill-and-drill math procedures. They get a vision of the possible, and their elephants respond. They want to be part of it. 

The California Acceleration Project is not arguing for small-scale changes—tutoring, student success courses, mandatory placement testing. We’re arguing that developmental education is broken; that community colleges must shorten and redesign our long remedial sequences; that our placement system is profoundly flawed; and that students are capable of so much more than developmental classes often ask of them. It’s not an easy case to make, and there are many opportunities for our riders and our elephants to derail movement. Yet the good news from California is that, when faculty elephants and riders get going in the same direction, dramatic change becomes possible. 

To see Katie Hern and Myra Snell make a case for acceleration and speak to both rider and elephant, check out their webinar “College Completion: Why Acceleration Developmental English and Math is the Essential First Step.” For more information about the California Acceleration Project, go to http://3csn.org/developmental-sequences.

Snacktime!

Here are a few tasty morsels from the internet’s pantry this week.  Enjoy!

• Complete College America just launched a new blog, which is featuring remediation for its first week! This will be a great source for news and commentary from across the college completion arena. We were happy to see them call attention to Community College of Baltimore’s co-requisite model. Want to know more? CCBC’s Andy Rusnack guest blogged for us yesterday about their innovative approach.
• Earlier this week on Talk of the Nation, host Rebecca Roberts spoke with Diane Ravitch and Angel Harris about closing the gap between white students and students of color in academic achievement. We’ve written about equity on this blog before, because the achievement gap has significant implications for developmental educators. As Roberts says, “Educators hear the statistics all the time, but if you're a parent or even just an observer, the facts are still shocking: Students of color lag well behind their white counterparts, despite education reforms aimed at narrowing the gap. By age 17, the average black student is a full four years behind the average white student. Race and economic background are still overwhelming determinants when it comes to academic success in this country.”
• Last weekend, The New York Times ran an editorial from Sol Garfunkel and David Mumford about quantitative literacy. They write that “different sets of math skills are useful for different careers, and our math education should be changed to reflect this fact.” Hear, hear! Carnegie’s Statway and Quantway programs are trying to do just that.
• Check out Bridgespan Group’s Matthew Forti over on the Stanford Social Innovation Review; he writes about the dangers of letting conventional wisdom shorten our vision of long-term impact. The important drive for more evidence might lead an organization to focus on the program outcomes that are easy to measure, rather than finding ways—inevitably more complicated—to measure whether we’re really changing the trajectory of program participants for the better. This is a critical consideration when it comes to questions of which programs should be scaled up. As Mr. Forti says “instead of fragmenting impact into measurable bites, we need to purpose measurement to create solid pathways to better, ultimate outcomes for those we serve.”

Guest Post: How Do You Think About Developmental Ed?

Today, we welcome Andy Rusnak, assistant professor of English and assistant director of Accelerated Learning Program at the Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC), to Accelerating Achievement. Andy introduces us to Peter Adams, the founder of CCBC’s ALP program, and invites dev ed skeptics to change the way they think about the whole enterprise—both assumptions about who dev ed students are and assumptions about the best way for those students to make their way to credit-bearing work.

How to think about developmental education? Should it be thought of as a gate, keeping out those not qualified for college work, the gathering convention of many universities? Or, should it be thought of as a pathway to success, the open-door policy of some community colleges that are now implementing more expeditious means to persistence?

One slide in the Community College of Baltimore County’s PowerPoint presentation on the history and success of the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP) pictures an austere, locked, wrought-iron gate between two Grecian-style columns. The gate protects everyone’s archetypal image of the ivory tower. One can almost envision a “No Trespassing” sign. The next slide is a pristine path through the woods, very promising, the mythological hero journey with ethereal rays of lambent light pointing the way.

ALP Founder and Director Peter Adams contemplated these two competing concepts before laying the foundation for the ALP program and giving it direction. He chose the path metaphor, one that leads directly to our liberally educated sensibilities, our ideas of fairness, and our desire to offer access and upward mobility to what may be economically disadvantaged students.

Makes perfect sense right? To think of developmental education in this way especially at community college? Political ideologues wielding the budget axe might not think so. “Why should we appropriate tax dollars for college-level developmental education?” they might ask. “If a student passes a state-mandated writing test before he or she graduates high school, why aren’t they ready for college-level work?” Their underlying assumptions would post guards at the gates of higher education after sending out hit squads to patrol the wooded paths. But the biggest assumption, that those who need developmental writing, math, and/or reading just graduated high school, turns out to be false. At many community colleges, the median student age is upper twenties. At CCBC it’s 29. And if you don’t use it, you lose it. The politicos might respond by saying, “Well, ok, but why does it take three-to-four semesters, three-to-four levels of developmental classes before a student is even eligible for credited work? This appears to be a self-serving enterprise, designed to enhance revenue, not a pathway to success.” 

It might be hard to argue this point. Not to mention how daunting it must look to an aspiring and expeditious student who returns to school after a long absence to improve his or her life. Adams took all this into consideration when he conceived ALP at CCBC. And, I might add, did so in a cost-effective manner. ALP takes eight students who test out via the Accuplacer at developmental levels and places them into a credited freshman composition class with 12 students who passed the Accuplacer. After this English 101 class, the eight students then meet with the same instructor to satisfy developmental writing requirements. Both courses are conducted concurrently and the need for a two semester sequence is eliminated.

From the fall of 2007 to the fall of 2008, the Community College Research Center of Columbia University tracked 2,070 of CCBC’s traditional developmental writing students and 104 ALP students. Even though the sample for ALP is much smaller as it was still in a pilot phase, only 40 percent of the traditional, two-semester sequence students went on to pass English 101 the following semester, compared to 75 percent of ALP students who passed English 101 concurrently with their developmental course. CCBC’s own data reflect consistent English 101 pass rates for ALP students, 59 to 66 percent from the 2007 fall semester through spring semester, 2010. In the fall semester of 2006, traditional developmental writers who went on to take and pass English 101 shook out to only 27 percent.

ALP is an intriguing, innovative program. It’s a different animal and requires non-traditional, non-linear logic and approaches. Many community colleges that are now replicating versions of ALP must seek even greater imaginative and critical resources as entrenched cultures and bureaucratic challenges change from state-to-state and even campus-to-campus. Change is hard, but not impossible. At CCBC, administrators and professors involved in ALP oftentimes cite business models that replicate technologies within months to jump start discussions on what factors in community college culture inhibit similar expediency. There is a danger, of course, of institutions of higher learning assuming a strictly business model, but being able to respond quickly to change, to “self-evaluate” and to augment, streamline, or, if necessary, tear down and start over is the sign of a healthy, progressive institution, especially in today’s fast-paced, demanding, mutable climate. It pays to cultivate a proactive ethos, to challenge methods, processes, and systems, to welcome and support idea-generation. There is no “eureka” in sluggish, reactionary organizations.

Adams paints a nervous, good-natured figure. He rolls up his sleeves, projects the value of hard work. He is driven. His eyes dart from side-to-side to meet a world that is obviously a huge question mark. Beneath it all is a strong drive to champion the educational needs of those who may not have enjoyed the economic advantages of those in the upper middle class, but who can make important (maybe the most important) contributions to society. These are the students who fight our wars, fix our brakes, take our X-rays, make our music, and build our aircraft. And through CCBC’s ALP steering committee and inquiry network (ALPIN) the pedagogy most professors embrace is sympathetic to the ever-demanding lifestyles of today’s community college student—work, children, transportation, bills, studying. Sympathetic, but demanding. Principled and ideological, but ideology is not a bad word when it comes to making a better student, and it’s certainly not delusional when one looks at the very pragmatic success Adams has built via ALP. Ideology underlies many of our pedagogical pursuits. We’re fortunate that way. In higher education, more so than in other environments, there are more successful outcomes, more direct and positive results, that come from hard work—a cause and effect formula that adds value and is worth pursuing. For professors and students.  Perhaps this is how we all should think about developmental education. 

Andy Rusnak is an assistant professor of English and assistant director of the Accelerated Learning Program at the Community College of Baltimore County

Guest Post: Choice Scholars Summer Institute

Today, two faculty members from the Harper College Department of Academic Success dish the details of a successful bridge program for developmental ed students. Thanks for the heads up, Shante Bishop and Stephanie Whalen!

The Choice Scholars Summer Institute at William Rainey Harper College, an Achieving the Dream institution in Palatine, Illinois, is a four-week summer experience that develops basic skills (reading, writing, mathematics) through contextualized frameworks to help incoming freshmen prepare for college. The program engages students in problem-based learning, connects them to valuable campus resources, and cultivates relationships between and among Harper faculty and students. The contextualized approach allows students to apply these skills in a practical way. Choice has partnered with both STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics) fields and career fields (business, nursing, early childhood education) to provide college-level, industry-grade learning experiences for incoming freshmen.

Program Goals

• Choice placement scores are just below the cusp of college readiness. At the end of the program, students re-test on the placement exam with the hope of placing into college-level courses and bypassing remediation.
• Choice also challenges the prevailing narrative that developmental students are incapable of successful engagement in college-level coursework. In its three years, Choice has demonstrated that a cut-score on a standardized placement exam is not a strong enough indicator of college readiness. Students in the program are engaged and expected to perform at the college level. Students demonstrate their knowledge and skill through improved scores, higher retention, and a capstone project presented annually through a program- sponsored research symposium.   
• Choice also attempts to demystify college expectations, forge relationships among faculty and students, acclimate students to the campus, and help them transition seamlessly from high school to college during the critical first semester. Students are introduced to career fields and learning opportunities that lay the foundation in developing a professional identity, better preparing them for the workforce. This year, we welcomed Motorola Solutions as a partner, as part of the Skills for America’s Future initiative commissioned by the Obama Administration. Motorola facilitated a series of lunch-and-learn opportunities called, “Motorola Moments”; Motorola professionals provided Choice students with etiquette and industry knowledge on topics such as critical thinking, innovation, marketing, communication, interviewing, and job safety.

Program Activities

• Professional Seminar Series: Industry experts are invited to a weekly lecture series where students are able to learn about specific opportunities and qualifications in a career field.
• Problem-Based Learning: Students explore and discover answers to real-world challenges, deepening critical thinking and moving from procedural to more dynamic learning. 
• Research Symposium: At the conclusion of the four- week program, students present the results of an inquiry-based learning to a panel of faculty experts and invited guests from the college community.
• Diagnostic Development: Students work with faculty who specialize in developmental education, building necessary postsecondary study competencies. Students are given an individualized study plan, customized for their specific developmental needs.
• Peer Mentoring: Each year students who were previously successful in the Choice Scholars Summer Institute are invited to serve as tutors, advisers, and guides for the incoming group.
• Information Literacy & Technical Proficiency: The institute supplements students’ learning with regular meetings with faculty from our college library and Computer Information Systems (CIS) departments. Students develop presentations, compose essays, and manage data using the most current Windows and Mac operating systems.

Program Results

• Improved placement on the COMPASS Exam: Choice participants average between 76 percent improved placement on the reading/writing exam, and 80 – 85 percent improvement on math placements. Students typically move up one level or test out of developmental studies altogether.
• Fall Semester GPA: The average GPA for Harper students is approximately 2.59. Choice Scholars’ average GPA is 2.88.
• Semester Retention: In Spring 2011, 95 percent of Choice Scholars were retained (did not withdraw from courses or the institution).
• Persistence: In Spring 2011, 91 percent of Choice Scholars persisted from fall-to-fall (registered for subsequent semesters).

The Choice Scholars Institute has been embraced by high schools in the surrounding area. The districts have marketed the Choice Scholars program in their schools and high school counselors routinely refer students to the program. Additionally, high schools have been receptive to site visits from former students who were successful in the Choice program as well as Choice faculty and staff. You can read more about the Choice program in the Daily Herald, Chicago Tribune, and the Barrington Courier.

Shante Bishop is an assistant professor in the Department of Academic Success at Harper College; Stephanie Whalen is an instructor in the Department of Academic Success at Harper.

What’s Up with DEI: Patrick Henry Community College

For the past month and a half, we’ve been sharing some of the DEI state policy team and college accomplishments from the last year of work. We’ve made our way (alphabetically!) through the six DEI states, profiling the DEI colleges in those states as we go. Yesterday, we introduced Virginia’s state policy work; now it’s time to learn a bit more about Patrick Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia.

Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) serves almost 3,000 students in the city of Martinsville and in Patrick, Henry, and Franklin Counties. We’ve selected some highlights from their last year of DEI work in three main categories: scaling, institutional policy change, and academic and supportive service innovations.

Scaling

• The college has exceeded the projected goal for increased use of cooperative learning in the classroom; cooperative learning is becoming a standard teaching methodology for PHCC, with nearly 2000 students enrolled in courses that used this methodology in 2010-11. In order to better measure the effectiveness of cooperative learning, faculty trainers and institutional research staff have developed comprehensive survey instruments for faculty and student participants. The surveys have undergone one round of validation to date. The final validated survey will be administered in fall 2011.
• PHCC also exceeded its targets for enrollments in fast-track math and accelerated learning program courses. Pass rates in accelerated and traditional math courses were 59 percent and 54 percent. Pass rates in accelerated and traditional English courses were 73 percent and 54 percent. The college anticipates enrollment in ALP courses to increase tremendously, due in part to the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) Developmental Education Redesign Initiative.
• Patrick Henry has established the Southern Center for Active Learning Excellence (SCALE) to provide training to other educators on campus and across the country. The college is developing a business plan to establish SCALE as a self-sustaining unit through the PHCC Foundation.

Institutional Policy

• The college is adopting a PHCC-designed student success prediction model as part of its dual enrollment program to advise entering high school students.
• Policy changes that the college has implemented to support the success of underprepared students include: increased funds available for tutoring purposes; incorporating COMPASS Test Preparation Workshops into the responsibilities of the Integrated Advising, Testing and Career Center; providing emergency funding from the PHCC Foundation for students, targeting low-income and first generation students; and paying adjunct faculty who complete cooperative learning professional development training a higher per credit hourly rate.

Academic and Supportive Service Innovations

• Professional development is imperative and has contributed to the success of PHCC’s DEI work, including training for full-time and adjunct faculty and staff in cooperative learning and accelerated learning methods, use of the new advising model, use of technology (MyMath Lab, MyWritingLab, and iPads), and an annual data summit attended by faculty, staff, and administrators.