FIRST-YEARWRITINGPROGRAMASSESSMENTREPORT2015-16

ByGinnyCrisco

“Writingmaybebyfarthesingleacademicskillmostcloselyassociatedwithcollegesuccess[...]”(5) --David T. Conley Redefining College Readiness

INTRODUCTION

InApril2015,Dr.FrankLamas,BernardVinovrski,MaxineMcDonald,TinaBeddall,andDr.AndresHernandezreleasedareportentitled“BoldNewVisionforDevelopmentalEducationandStudentSuccessatFresnoState.”ThisreportincludedseveralimplicationsfortheFirst-YearwritingprogramintheEnglishDepartmentincluding:

• RECOMMENDATION#1:reevaluatethecutoffscoresfortheSATandtheACTtobetterevaluatethecompetenceofstudents.

• RECOMMENDATION#2:UseonlytheSATorACTasappropriatebenchmarksforevaluatingstudent’scompetenceinEnglishandmathandmaketheEPTandELMoptional.

• RECOMMENDATION#5:ChangethepurposeandintentofEarlyStartcoursesfromanexperiencetoapreparationrequirementforchallengeexamsthatmustbetakenattheendofthecourse.

• RECOMMENDATION#6:ForEnglish,offerSItostudentswhoarealreadytakingtheGEEnglishthroughvariousmethodologies.

Inresponsetothe“BoldNewVisionforDevelopmentalEducationandStudentSuccessatFresnoState,”theFirst-YearWritingProgramprovidesthefollowingprogramassessmentreport.ThisreportonourFirst-YearWritingProgram,informedbythecurrentscholarshiponCompositionStudiesandWritingProgramAdministrationproposesthefollowing:

• DirectedSelfPlacement(DSP,ourcurrentplacementmechanism)withanexitassessmentisthemostreliable,appropriate,student-centeredplacementmechanismthat,asapracticeandanapproachtowardplacement,hasCSU-wideandscholarlysupport.

• Researchinourdisciplineandassessmentresearchinourprogramshowsthattestscoresarenotthebestplacementmechanismforstudentsandshouldonlybeused–ifusedatall–toadvisestudents--withinthemoreimportantcontextofstudentself-efficacy(definedbelow).

• Incomparisontoournewprogram,ourpreviousprogram,whichusedmainstreaming(onecourseforallstudentswithsupplementalinstruction)hadhigherfailureratesandlowerretentionrates,asourresearchdatashows.

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• StudentsonthiscampusshouldbeexemptfromtheEarlyStartrequirementasthephilosophy(placingstudentsintoacoursebasedontestscores)isindirectoppositiontoDirectedSelf-Placement(studentsplacethemselvesbasedontheirself-efficacyaswriterswithtestscoresasaguide).

• BasedonthecurrentscholarshipinthedisciplineofRhetoricandCompositionandon

extensiveassessmentresearchinourprogram,theFirst-YearWritingProgramrecommendsthesemeasuresforimprovingstudents’retentionandgraduationrates:1)Reduceoreliminaterelianceonalltimedwritingandmultiplechoicetestsforwritingplacement,2)EliminatetheEarlyStartRequirementforEnglish,3)Reducewritingclasssizesfrom25to20,4)Reducefulltimelecturerloadfrom5writingcoursesto4writingcourses.

Pleaseseeourassessmentandanalysisbelowforfurtherexplanation.

FIRST-YEARWRITINGPROGRAMOVERVIEW

Studentsplacethemselvesintooneofthreeoptions:1)TheAcceleratedOption:English10;2)TheStretchOption:English5AandB;or3)TheOptionforMultilingualStudents:Linguistics6andthenEnglish5AandB.English10isanacceleratedclassforstudentswhoarealreadyaccomplishedandconfidentwriters.English5AandBarecoursesforaveragestudentwritersthatgivethemabroadfoundationataslowerpaceforwritingattheuniversitylevel.Linguistics6isaclasstopreparestudentsformoreacademiclanguageusage,sincecollegelevellanguagerequirementsaremorechallengingthaneverydaylanguagepractices.Allcoursesreceiveuniversitycredit;wehavenoremedialcourses.Linguistics6,English5AandEnglish10allcounttowardtheremediationrequirement.English5Band10countastheareaA-2GEwritingrequirement.

Ingeneral,about60-70%enrollintheStretch(English5A/B)option,30-40%enrollintheAcceleratedOption(English10),andabout2%enrollintheOptionforMultilingualSpeakers(Ling6,then5A/B).

Tomaketheirdecision,studentsaresentanemailthatdirectsthemtoawebpagewithanoverviewoftheoptions,aDirectedSelf-PlacementDecisionChart(seeAppendixAfortheDecisionChart),anoverviewofthecoursesineachoption,andaFAQpage.TheyalsohaveapresentationatDogDaysorientation,apagetorefertointheDogDaysbooklet,andhaveadvisorstohelpthemchoosewhichcoursewouldberightforthem.

Additionally,whenstudentsenterintotheirfirst-yearwritingcourse(English5Aor10),teachersconductafirst-weekwritingsampletocontinuetodirectstudents.Theycanbeencouragedtochooseadifferentoption,beencouragedtoenrollintheWritingCenterforsupplementalinstruction,orbegivengoalstoworktowardtheirfinalportfolio.

Becauseourprogramshiftsassessmentfromtheentrancetotheexit(seebelowforscholarshipabouthowtheDSPworks),studentsarerequiredtocreateafinalportfoliooftheirworksothattheinstructorandthestudentsthemselvescanassesswhetherornottheyhavemettherequirementsofGElevelwritingbytheendoftheirchosenoption.Ourprogramportfoliorubricincludes5dimensions:Reflection(whattheyhavelearned,howtheyhavegrownoverthecourseoftheoption),ReadingandWritingStrategies(whatstrategiestheyhavelearnedandcanuseinregardto

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criticalreadingandwriting),Summary/Conversation(howtoincorporateoutsidesourcesintowriting,citethem,andavoidplagiarism),Rhetoricality(howtheycreatepurposefulwritingthatisorganizedandwelldevelopedandaddressesanaudience),andLanguageUse(includingparagraphfocus,sentencestructure,andgrammar).Thesedimensionsarescoredona6pointscale,where3ispassing.

FIRST-YEARWRITINGPROGRAMHISTORYATCSUFRESNO

Before2000,theFirst-YearWritingprogramatFresnoStatehadEnglishA,whichwasaremedial,noncreditbearingcourseforstudentswhotestedintoit,andEnglish1,whichwasthecoursethatmetthefirst-yearwritingrequirement.Thisprogramwasproblematicinavarietyofways,and,in2000,therewasnewresearchshowingthatdifferentapproaches,suchasmainstreaming(onecoursewithsupplementalinstruction),mightworkbetterforourstudentpopulation.

From2000-2006,theFirst-YearWritingprogramusedwhat’scalledinthedisciplineofComposition,amainstreamingmodel.Thismodelputallstudentsinonecredit-bearingcoursethatmetstheGEareaA-2requirement,andgavestudentswhoplacedintoremedialwritingsupplementalinstruction.Wefoundthatthisapproachworkedbetterthanthepreviousprogram,buttherewasconfusionbetweenthesupplementalinstructionstudentswerereceivingandthecontentoftheirwritingclasses.Alsoitwaschallengingtoteachthesesupplementalinstructioncourses,andstudentsdidn’twanttobethere.In2005whenthedepartmenthiredtwonewcompositionists,wefoundnewdevelopmentsinthefieldofCompositionaboutbetterwaystoplacestudents,particularlybecauseitwascommonforustofindstudentswhohadbeen“misplaced”basedontheirEPTscores.

In2006,wemovedtoDirected-SelfPlacementwithaStretchComponent.WewerethefirstlargeCSUcampustomoveinthisdirection(thefirstCSU,atall,todothiskindofFirst-YearWritingPlacementwasChannelIslands).Currently,10othercampusesuseDirectedSelf-PlacementwithaStretchoption(ChannelIslands,Chico,Humbolt,LosAngeles,SanBernadino,SanFransisco,SanJose,Stanislaus,Sacramento,andSonoma).SeventeencampusesincludeaStretchoption(allofthecampusesaboveplusBakersfield,DominguezHills,EastBay,LongBeach,Northridge,Pomona,andCalPoly).MontereyBayiscurrentlylookingintoimplementingDSPwithastretchoption.Additionally,atleast26othercollegesanduniversitiesacrossthenationalsouseDirectedSelf-PlacementwithaStretchOption(seeappendixBforalist).

DIRECTEDSELFPLACEMENTOVERVIEW

Placementdiscussionsoncampushavefocusedontheimportanceoftestscorestoplacestudentsintotheproperclasses.Researchinourdisciplineandassessmentresearchinourprogramshowthattestscoresarenotthebestplacementmechanismforstudentsandshouldonlybeusedtoadvisestudents--withinthemoreimportantcontextofstudentself-efficacy(definedbelow).

WHYNOTTESTSCORES?

TheNationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish,oneofourleadingprofessionalorganizations,wroteapolicydocumentin2005(whentheSATandACTaddedawritingcomponenttotheirtests)ontheuseofSATandACTscoresforwritingplacemententitled“TheImpactofSATandACTTimed

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WritingTests.”Intheirintroduction,theyarguethatthereareseriousconcernsforusingACTandSATkindsoftestsforwritingplacement:

“Ourinvestigationintothischapter[SATaddingawritingcomponent](andintothetimedessaycomponentoftheACT,whichisoptional)foundthatmanyoftheconcernsaboutthetestthathavebeenexpressedinthepopularpressandinprofessionalforumsarewarranted.Theseareseriousconcernsthatspeaktothepotentialofthistesttocompromisestudentwritersandunderminelongstandingeffortstoimprovewritinginstructioninthenation’sschools.”

SomeoftheirfindingsindicateareasofconcerninregardtovalidityandreliabilityofACTandSATwritingtests:

• TheSATandACTarebothtimedwritingtests.Thismeanstheyhavethesamereliabilityandvalidityasexistingtimewritingtests[suchastheEPT]

• “Thepredictivevalidityofashort,impromptu,holisticallyscoredessayisseverelylimitedwhenitcomestopredictingfirst-yearcoursegrades,first-yearwritingperformanceorretention”(3)

• “Thekindofwritingskillrequiredtodowellonshort,timedessaytestshaslittleinstructionalvalidity”(3)

• “TheSATwritingtest[andother,similartestssuchastheACT]wasdevelopedfortherelativelynarrowpurposeofcollegeadmissiondecisionsandit’snotappropriateforotherpurposes”(4)

Additionally,OlsonandTouchette,authorsofaCompositionandWritingProgramAdministrationDatabaseentitledCompFAQs“Placement:Testing,”identifiedthesereasonsNOTtousetimedwritingtestsliketheSAT,ACTorevenEPT:

• TheSATandACTwerenotdesignedforuseincourseplacement.

• Thetestspromoteproblematicunderstandingsofwhatgoodwritingis.

• Thetestsdonotprovidestudentswithan“authentic”writingsituation.Thereisnotimeforrevision,editing,etc.andhencethestudent’srealabilitiesarenottested(emphasismine).

• Traditionalstudiesthatonlylookatcorrelationsbetweenscoresandvariousgradesdonottakeallrelevantfactorsintoaccount(ie:socioeconomics,race,1stgenerationcollegestudent,etc)andhenceprovideinaccurateinformation.

• Highschoolgradesarethemostreliableindicatorofsuccessincollegecourses.

• Curriculumbasedtestsaremorevalidindicatorsofsuccess(emphasismine).

Currently,theCaliforniaStateUniversityusestheEnglishPlacementTest(EPT)toplacestudentsintoremedialwriting.TheEPTandotherstandardized,multiplechoice,timedwritingtestsdonotplacestudentsaccurately:Researchassertsthattimedessaytestsattheirbestonlyshowa0.5predictivevalidity,meaningthattheyonlyaccuratelyplacestudents50%ofthetime,therebymisplacingstudents50%ofthetime(McKendy;MatzenandJoyt;Breland,Bridgemann,andFowles).

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WHYDIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT(DSP)?

PartofthereasontheCompositionfacultystartedlookingforalternativestotestssuchastheEPTisbecausewealreadyknewabouttheirpredictivevalidityANDwealsoexperiencedstudents’dissatisfactionwiththeirplacements.Itwascommontohavestudentsinremedialclasseswhohadbadattitudesaboutdoingtheworkofthecourse.SomestudentswhowereplacedinremedialclasseshadbeeninAPclassesinhighschoolandresistedbeinglabeledremedial,forexample.Ontheotherend,studentswhomighthavebetterbelongedinremedialclassescarryastigmaattachedtothemthataffectstheirperformanceinclasses.Thisstigmaofbeinglabeled“remedial”sendsamessageto(ourmostlynon-white,secondlanguagespeaking,firstgenerationcollegestudents)thatcollegeisnottheplaceforthem–fromtheirveryfirstsemester(ornow,beforetheyevencometocollege,becauseoftheEarlyStartrequirement.).

OurprogrammovedtoDSPtoaddressourstudentpopulation’sneedsandtoreducethestigmaofremediation.ResearchbyRoyerandGilles,PinterandSims,Chernekoff,CornellandNewton,Frus,Tompkins,andBlakesly,Harvey,andReynoldsdemonstratesthatstudentsdomakeaccurateplacementdecisionswhendirected.

Ourprogramsawthevalueofstudentsmakingtheirowneducatedchoicesbecausethatiswhatcollegeisabout:studentsthinkingcritically,makingdecisions,andmanagingtheconsequencesofthosedecisions.ResearchonDSPshowsthatstudentscanmakesuccessfuldecisionsbasedontheirsenseofself-efficacy.EricaReynoldsstudiedself-efficacyinrelationtoDSPinwritingstudies;shedefinesself-efficacy:"StudiesconductedbyMcCarthy,Meier,Rinderer(1985),Bruning,Murphy,andShell(1989),andJohnsonandPajares(1994)haveshownthatself-efficacy,whichisexpressedasasituationandsubject-specificpersonalconfidenceinone'sabilitytosuccessfullyperformtasksatagivenlevel,isastrongpredictorofactualability"(85).

Additionally,theStretchOptiontwo-semestercoursecreateslearningcommunitiesforstudents,whichcanleadtohigherpass,retention,andgraduationrates.AccordingtoGregGlau,studentsinthestretchprogramatArizonaStateUniversitypassthefirst-yearandsecond-yearwritingrequirementsatahigherratethanthosewhodonottakestretchcomposition.Inaddition,accordingtoGlau’sarticle,SouthernIllinoisUniversityatCarbondaleandWestChesterUniversityinPennsylvaniahavealsoseenimprovementinretentionandgraduationrateswiththeirstretchprogram.Ourprogramassessmenthasalsoseenimprovementoverourpreviousprograminretentionrates(seemoreonourprogramassessmentbelow).

StudentsmustpassafinalportfoliooftheirwritinginordertopasstheEnglish5Bor10.Thismovestheassessmentfortheclassfromtheentrancetotheexit(Elbow).Thebestwaytoassessstudents'writingabilitiesiswithinacontextwheretheyhavetheopportunitytopracticewritingasrealwritersdo,ratherthanbaseadecisionontheirplacementonatimedwritingtest,whichresearchersinourfieldhavedemonstrateddoesnothavereliablepredictivevalidityandalsohasanegativeimpactoncurriculum.

CSUFPROGRAM,COURSE,ANDPORTFOLIOASSESSMENTS

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Ourprogramhasconductedseveralyearsofassessmentresearchthatincludesindirectmeasuresuchassurveystostudentsandteacherfocusgroupsaswellasdirectmeasures,suchasportfolioscoringandqualitativecomparisonsbetweenstudents’finalwritingportfolios.Ultimately,ourassessmentdatashowthatDSPisanacceptablyvalidplacementmechanism,studentsandteachersfeelthatstudentsplacethemselvesaccurately,teachersfeelthatthenewprogramisappropriateforthestudentlearnerswehaveoncampus,studentscreatebetterwritinginthestretchcomponent,andwehavehigherretentionandpassratescomparedwithourprevious(mainstreaming)program.

DOESDIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENTWORK?

• DSPandEnglish5A/Band10areappropriateandeffectiveforstudentlearning:“TheFirst-YearWritingProgramAssessmentReport”(150pagesofassessmentandanalysisonthefirsttwoyearsofourprogram),preparedbyAsaoB.Inouein2008,showstheeffectivenessoftheDSPprogramandthestudentlearningoccurringinthewritingprogramfromavarietyofdirectandindirectevidence:portfolioratings,portfoliocompetencymeasures,teachercommentingdata,entryandexitsurveys,passingrates,andgradedistributions.Fromthesedata,theDSPplacementsappeartobeappropriateandeffectiveforstudentlearning.Additionally,thewritingprogramdemonstrateslearninggrowthalongalloutcomesandhighlevelsofsatisfaction.Inparticular,intheanalysissection,Inouestates,“...thedirectandindirectevidenceofstudentlearninginbothoptionssuggeststronglythatinthepopulationatlargethatDSPisacceptablyvalid.Studentshavefewproblemsinthekeyareasinwhichdatawascollected.Moststudentsdemonstratetheprogramoutcomes,passtheircoursesatacceptablerates,achieveoverallcompetencyinacceptablyhighnumbers,feelsatisfiedwiththeircourses,andfindtheircourseplacementsaccurate”(97).

• Whensurveyedoverthecourseofseveralyears(2006-2008andAY2013)andbydifferentresearchers(Crisco,Inoue,Sansone),studentsreported80-95%satisfactionwiththeirchoiceofclasses(seethetablesbelow).

Didyoumakeanaccurateplacementdecision? English5A/B English10

Spring2013(n=306) 95%

Fall2013(n=278) 83%

2007-08Entry(n=1248) 83.9% 91.2%

2007-08Exit(n=1248) 87.7% 96%

Sansone2007(n=728) 88% 94%

2006-07Entry(n=1311) 96% 93%

2006-07Exit(n=1097) 87% 94%

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• Infocusgroupswithteacherswhotaughtinboththeold(mainstreaming)programandthenewprogramin2006-07,teachersreportedthatthenewprogramwasmoreappropriateforthestudentlearnersandthatstudentshadmoreconfidence.

o TeachersofbothEnglish5A/Band10reportthattherangeofstudentsintheir

classeswaslessbroad.OneEnglish10teachersaidthatteachingintheoldsystemwasverydifficultbecausehehadstudentswhoseneedsweren’tmetbecausehewouldhavetogooverbasicstuff,whichfeltfundamentaltosomeofthemoreaccomplishedstudents.AnEnglish5A/Bteachersaidthatintheoldprogram,studentsfeltlikeEnglish1wasa“dummyclass”andthatmorepreparedstudentsfeltthatotherswerebehind.Withthenewprogram,studentsdon’tfeelthattheyareaboveanyoneelsebecausetheydecidedtobethere,andmoststudentsplacedthemselvesaccuratelyinthecourse.

o Teachersofboth5A/Band10reportedthatstudentsknewtheexpectations,pacing,andworkoftheclasscomingin,sostudentswerereadytogetstarted.English5A/Bteachersreportedthatstudentsweremoreconfidentinthecoursebecausetheyknewwheretheyweresupposedtobe.Theyalsoreportedthatstudentsfeltmorecomfortableintheclassroomcommunityandbecausetheyconsciouslymadethedecisiontheyknewwhattheyneededtodo.TeachersinEnglish10reportedthatthestudentsinthatclassseemedmorepreparedandweremoreconfidentabouttheirwriting.Theteachersendedupexpectingmorefromthestudentsandtheywereabletogetmoreaccomplishedintheclass.Insomecases,studentswhoweren’tdoingwellwerebeingheldbackbytheirconfidence.

• Teacherswhoworkedintheprevious,mainstreaming,programandinthenew,DSP,

reportedthatstudents’moraleimprovedinthenewprogram.ElizabethSansone,inherthesis“DeterminingtheValidityofDSP:AStudyofPredictiveValidityofDirectedSelfPlacementatCaliforniaStateUniversity-Fresno,”reported84%ofteachersindicatedthatstudentmoralewassignificantlyorgenerallyimproved.

DOSTUDENTSNEEDASTRETCHOPTION?

• PreandposttestanalysesofstudentportfoliosbothfromblindreadersandfromteachersshowthatstudentsinEnglish10consistentlystartoutstrongerbutstudentsinEnglish5A/Bconsistentlymakemoreprogressovertime(Seetablesbelow).

Howarestudentportfoliosratedoverallinblindreadingsessions?

ENGL10 ENGL5A/5B

N Mid Final Diff N Mid Final Diff

AY2007-08* 125 83.2% 86.4% 3.2% 238 73.9% 99.6% 25.7%

AY2008-0983/77

2.46 3.440.99 272/23

52.81 3.58

0.77

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AY2009-10 131 2.50 3.38 0.85 156 2.46 3.50 1.04

AY2010-1184/38

2.97 3.580.61 166/15

72.48 3.22

0.74

*In2007-08portfolios,ratingswereonly“Competent”and“NotCompetent.”Thepercentagesinthefirstrowarethenumberofportfoliosjudgedcompetent.

Howarestudentportfoliosratedbytheirteachers?

ENGL10 ENGL5A/5B

N Mid Final Diff N Mid Final Diff

AY2008-09 221 3.80 4.50 0.7 221 3.40 4.30 0.9

AY2009-10 217 3.50 4.300.8 218/24

42.80 3.90

1.1

AY2010-11 237 4.01 4.610.6 171/16

12.34 3.68

1.34

All the overall ratings listed in the above tables are on a scale of 1–6. A score of 3 or higher isconsideredproficient.

• Qualitativeresearchinthereport“FindingsfromtheFirst-yearWritingPortfolioAssessmentProject2007/08”foundthatEnglish5A/BstudentsseemedtobeworkingatamoresophisticatedlevelwiththeirwritingthanEnglish10students.Wecollected120portfoliosfrom10teachers’classes,5fromEnglish10and5fromEnglish5B.Theseportfolioswerereadandcodedforparticularoutcomes:1)JoiningAcademicConversations,2)LanguageUse,3)ReadingEngagement,4)Reflection,5)Research,6)WritingProcess,and7)WritingRhetorically.UsingDiscourseAnalysis(Fairclough,Gee),welookedforstudents’worktospeakforitself;thatis,weagreedtoreadstudentportfoliosasdescriptionofcourseoutcomes,notnecessaryassomesortof“evidence”ofstudents“right”or“wrong”demonstrationoftheoutcomes.WefoundthatwhilemanyEnglish10portfoliosrepresentedthelearningoutcomesstrongly,ingeneral,5Bstudents,asawhole,producedmorecomplexandinterestingwriting.Specifically,intheoutcomesofJoiningAcademicConversations,Reflection,ResearchandWritingRhetorically,English5Bstudentsseemtobeworkingatamoresophisticatedlevel.

• English5A/BcreatesLearningCommunities,awell-researchedpracticeforretention.Infocusgroups,English5A/Bteacherssaidthattheirclasswaslikealearningcommunitybecausebythesecondsemesterstudentskneweachotherandtheysaweachotherimprove.Theteacherwasreadytostartrightinwithoutthebeginningofthesemesterorientationstuff,andstudentswerepreparedtogetgoingaswell.

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WHYNOTMAINSTREAMING(ONECOURSEWITHSUPPLEMENTALINSTRUCTION)?

InadditiontotheresearchstatedabovetoshowthatourDPSprogramisappropriateforstudents’abilitylevels,confidence,morale,andimprovementinwriting,thereareacouplemorefactorstoaddresswhymainstreamingisnotanappropriateoptionforourstudents.

• Thefailurerateshavefallenwithournewprogram,incomparisontotheoldprogram.AsaoInoue,ourpreviousassessmentcoordinator,wroteseveralarticlesaboutourFirst-YearWritingProgram.Henotesin“GradingContracts:AssessingTheirEffectivenessonDifferentRacialFormations”thatfailurerateshavefallenfrom16%withouroldprogram(pre2006-07)to9%withthenewprogram.

• Incomparison,ournewprogramisbetterforretention.ResearchbytheOfficeofInstitutionalEffectivenesscomparedourcurrentprogram(DSP)withourpreviousprogram(mainstreaming).Theyfoundthat“Eng5A/Bappearstohaveapositiveeffectonretentionrates.”

• TheCSUcampuswhereweoriginallygotthemainstreamingideafromandbasedourold

programon,has,asof2012,changedtheirapproachtoDSPwithastretchoption.

CURRENTPROGRAMDEVELOPMENT

Whilewehavelotsofevidencethatourprogramisworking,wealsorecognizethatthereisalwaysroomandopportunityforimprovement.Herearesomeofthethingsweareworkingon:

• Weregularlyupdateandrevisecurriculumandcourseresourcesbasedonteacherfeedbackaboutthecourses,ourexperienceofstudents'abilitiesinthecourses,andinrelationtonationalstandardsforwritinginthediscipline.

• WemeetwithinstructorsinEnglish5Aand5B/10toreadanddiscussstudentmidtermandfinalportfolios.Thishelpsteacherstobeonthesamepagewhenassessingstudentwriting,anditgivesourprogramcoherenceasfaraswhatapassingportfoliolookslike.

• Inthesummerof2015,wecreatedEarlyStartcurriculumthatbetterbridgesthehigh

schoolwiththecollegeexperienceandpreparesstudentsformakingthebestchoicewhentheyplacethemselvesinanappropriatefirst-yearwritingcourse.

• Inthesummerof2015,wepilotedaDirectedSelf-PlacementInventoryprocessthatwill

helpstudentstomakeabetterdecision.WearecurrentlyrevisingtheSelfInventoryandareconsideringwaystoimplementit.

THEFIRST-YEARWRITINGPROGRAM’SBOLDNEWVISION

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RECOMMENDATION1:Eliminateorreducetherelianceonalltimedwriting(EPT)andmultiple-choicetests(ACTandSAT)aswaystoplacestudentsintoFirst-YearWritingcourses,andsupportDSPonthiscampusandsystemwide.

Asdemonstratedabove,boththeEPTandtestssuchastheACTandSATarenotthebestoptionforplacingstudentsinwritingcourses.Further,DSPallowswritingtobecreatedandevaluatedattheendofthesemester,afterstudentshavehadachancetowriteontopicstheychoose,gothrougharevisionprocess(thewayprofessionalwritersdo),andselecttheirbestwritingtobeevaluated.DSPisabetteroptionforstudentplacementandevaluationofwritingabilitythananytimedwritingtest.

RECOMMENDATION2:EliminatetheEarlyStartEnglishRequirement.

AsEnglishCouncil,acommitteeofEnglishfacultyacrosstheCSU,hasarguedinthe“CSUEnglishCouncilPositionStatement:MandatoryEarlyStart,”EarlyStartisdiscriminatory,punitive,placesunduefinancialburdenonstudents,hasnovalidevidencethatitworksasintended,andisindirectoppositiontothevaluesofDirectedSelf-Placement.StudentsshouldjustbeabletochoosewhichclassorsetofclassestheywanttotaketomeettheirGErequirementforcollegewritingandnothavetotakeasummercoursetostarttheirremediation.EarlyStartcreatesanadditionalandunnecessarybottleneckforstudentsgettingintotheuniversity.

RECOMMENDATION3:Lowerclasssizesfrom25to20inallFirst-YearWritingClasses.

Thismeasure,thoroughlysupportedbyresearchinourdisciplineandstronglyadvocatedbyourprofessionalorganizations,wouldallowtheinstructortogivefirst-yearwritingstudentsmoreindividualattentionandincreasetheirchancesofsuccessnotonlyinfirst-yearwritingclassesbutalsointheirentireacademiccareerattheuniversity.

RECOMMENDATION4:Lowerthefulltimeequivalentforlecturersteachingwritingcoursesfrom5to4courses.

Teachingfirst-yearwritingcourseseffectivelyrequiresfrequentextensiveresponsestostudents’writingassignments,whichmeansamuchheavierper-courseworkloadfortheinstructor.Toensureameaningfulandeffectiveteachingandlearningconditioninfirst-yearwriting,werecommendthatthefulltimeteachingloadforlecturersbereducedtofourclasses.

Additionally,forbothrecommendations3and4,AliceHorning’s“TheDefinitiveArticleonClassSize”providesimportantinformation.Inthismeta-analysisofresearchonclasssize,Horningarguesthatwritingclassesareideallypositionedforthepositiveeffectsoflowerclasssize:

• AlexanderAstin’sworkWhatMattersinCollege?useda“widerangeofmeasureofstudentsuccessandsatisfaction...[and]reportedthatlowstudent-facultyratiohasapositiveimpactonstudentsatisfactionintermsofrelationships,qualityofteachingandonvirtuallyallotheraspectsofstudents’experiences...[and]hasapositiveimpactonwhetherstudentsfinishtheirdegrees”(12).

• RichardLight’sresearchinMakingtheMostofCollegereportsonmorethansixteenhundredinterviewswithundergraduatesinover20collegesofdifferenttypesoveranumberofyears.Hefinds,“Studentafterstudentbringsuptheimportanceofclasssizeinhisorheracademicdevelopment”(15).

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• NancySommersandLauraSaltz’sstudyoffourhundredstudentsoverfouryearsentitled“TheNoviceasExpert:WritingtheFreshmanYear”found“Thestudentsthemselvesreportedthatwritingisanessentialelementbywhichtheyget‘invitedintotheireducation’”(16).

• RichardHaswell’s“ClassSizesforFirst-YearRegularandBasicWritingCourses:DataCollectedfromtheWPA-L,1998-1999,2003-2004”providesaconservativeestimateoftimeinvolvedinteachingatypicalfirst-yearwritingcourse:“25students,foursubstantialoutofclassessays,onerequiredindividualconference,endofthesemesterportfolioofwriting.Thetotalis231hours.Thatisthemostconservativeestimate,andamorerealisticoneprobablywouldaddatleast20-30hours.Noticethatan8hourdayof15weeksof5workingdaysaweekaddsupto600hours.Withtwowritingcourses,andwithonethirdthepreparationtimeallowedforthesecondcourse(30minutesinsteadof90)thetotalis402hours.Withthreewritingcourses,theteacherisalreadyworkingovertime(633hours)”(17-18).

• Nationalorganizations’recommendationsforclasssizeandteachingload:CCCC(theConferenceonCollegeCompositionandCommunication,thecollegearmofNCTE)nomorethan20perclass;ideally15.Nomorethan60writingstudentsaterm.ADE(AssociationofDepartmentsofEnglish):nomorethan3sectionsperterm,nomorethan15studentspercourse,nomorethan60studentsperterm.(18-19)

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APPENDIXA:DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENTDECISIONCHART

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APPENDIXB:LISTOFCOLLEGESANDUNIVERSITIESWHOUSEDIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENTWITHASTRETCHOPTION

DSP Stretch

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Bakersfield X

CaliforniaStateUniversityChannelIslands X X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Chico X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,DominguezHills X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,EastBay X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Fresno X X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Fullerton

HumboldtStateUniversity X X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,LongBeach X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,LosAngeles X X

CaliforniaStateUniversityMaritimeAcademy

CaliforniaStateUniversity,MontereyBay Inprocess Inprocess

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Northridge X

CaliforniaStatePolytechnicUniversity,Pomona X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Sacramento X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,SanBernardino X X

SanDiegoStateUniversity

SanFranciscoStateUniversity X X

SanJoséStateUniversity X X

CaliforniaPolytechnicStateUniversity,SanLuisObispo X

CaliforniaStateUniversitySanMarcos

SonomaStateUniversity X X

CaliforniaStateUniversity,Stanislaus X X

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AuroraUniversity

BelmontUniversity,Nashville,TN

BoiseStateUniversity

ChapmanUniversity,Orange,CA

DanielWebsterCollege

DePauwUniversity

DrewUniversity,Madison,NJ

EasternConnecticutStateUniversity

GovernersStateUniversity

GrandValleyStateUniversity

IllinoisStateUniversity

IndianaUniversity–Purdue,Ft.Wayne

KutztownUniversityofPennsylvania

McDanielCollege,Westminster,MD

MiamiUniversity,Middletown

NorthCarolinaStateUniversity

PortlandStateUniversity

SetonHallUniversity

SouthernIllinoisUniversity,Carbondale

SouthernNewHampshireUniversity

SouthernOregonUniversity

UniversityofColoradoatBoulder

UniversityofIdaho

UniversityofMaine

UniversityofMichigan,AnnArbor

WakeForestUniversity

WrightStateUniversity

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LISTOFPUBLICATIONSANDPRESENTATIONSABOUTDSPANDOURWRITINGPROGRAM(BYDATE)

Crisco,Ginny.“TeacherDevelopmentinaDirectedSelf-PlacementProgram:FosteringResponsibleAssessmentandEngagedLearning.”ConferenceofWritingProgramAdministrators.Boise,ID.July2015.

*Inoue,AsaoB.“TheorizingFailureinUSWritingAssessments.”ResearchintheTeachingofEnglish.48(February2014).330-352.

*Notesthatfailurerateshavefallenfrom16%withouroldprogram(pre2006-07)to9%withthenewprogram

Inoue,AsaoB.“GradingContracts:AssessingTheirEffectivenessonDifferentRacialFormations.”RaceandWritingAssessment.Eds.AsaoB.InoueandMyaPoe.PeterLangGMBH2012.

Ketai,RachelLewis.“Race,Remediation,andReadiness:Reassessingthe“Self”inDirectedSelf-Placement.”RaceandWritingAssessment.Eds.AsaoB.InoueandMyaPoe.PeterLangGMBH2012.

Inoue,AsaoB.andMyaPoe.“RacialFormationsinTwoWritingAssessments:RevisitingWhiteandThomas’FindingsontheEnglishPlacementTestafter30Years.”WritingAssessmentinthe21stCentury.EdNorbertElliotandLesPerelman.HamptonPress.2012.

Crisco,Ginny."Directed-SelfPlacementinFirst-YearWriting"CaliforniaStateUniversity-SacramentoGECompassProject.March20,2009.

Inoue,Asao.“SelfAssessmentasProgrammaticCenter:TheFirst-YearWritingProgramandItsAssessmentatCaliforniaStateUniversity,Fresno.”CompositionForum.20(summer2009).

Crisco,Ginny,JosephEng,SugieGoenSalter,KathleenKlompien,BobMayberry,andDanielMelzer.“Assessment,Placement,andInstitutionalChange:StrategiesforCreatingNewWritingRealities.”ConferenceonCollegeCompositionandCommunication.NewOrleans,LA,April2008.

Crisco,Ginny(chair),JoshGeist,RickHansen,JaclynHardy,JenniferMayer,andAndreaOsteen:“ComingtoAgencyThroughDirectedSelf-Placement”ConferenceonCollegeCompositionandCommunication,NewOrleans,LA,April2008.

Sansone,ElizabethM.“DeterminingtheValidityofDSP:AStudyofthePredictiveValidityofDirectedSelf-PlacementatCaliforniaStateUniversityFresno.”ThesisCaliforniaStateUniversity-Sacramento.2007.Print.

Crisco,Ginny.“TheDirectedSelf-PlacementProgramatCSUFresno:PromotingStudentAgencythroughBestPracticesinPlacementandAssessment”EnglishCouncil,Burlingame,CA,March2007.

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WORKSCITED

Ball,Arnetha,LindaChristensen,CatheyFleischer,RichHaswell,JeanKetter,RobertYagelski,KathleenYancey.“TheImpactofSATandACTTimedWritingTests.”NationalCouncilofTeachersofEnglish.2005.05Oct1015.Web.

Blakesley,David,ErinJ.Harvey,andEricaJ.Reynolds.“SouthernIllinoisUniversityCarbondaleasanInstitutionalModel:TheEnglish100/101StretchandDirectedSelf-PlacementProgram.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.207-242.Print.

Breland,Hunter,BrentBridgemannandMaryE.Fowles.WRITINGASSESSMENTINADMISSIONSTOHIGHEREDUCATION:REVIEWANDFRAMEWORK.NewYork:DEEB,1999.Web.

Conley,DavidT.REDEFININGCOLLEGEREADINESS.BillandMelindaGatesFoundation.March2007.5Oct2015.Web.

Cornell,CynthaE.andRobertD.Newton.“TheCaseofaSmallLiberalArtsUniversity:DirectedSelf-PlacementatDePauw.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.149-178.Print.

Chernekoff,Janice.“IntroducingDirectedSelf-PlacementtoKutztownUniversity.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.127-148.Print.

Crisco,VirginiaandJenniferMayer.“TheFirst-YearWritingPortfolioAssessmentProjectReport.”CaliforniaStateUniversity-Fresno.DepartmentofEnglish:First-YearWritingProgram.2007.05Oct2015.Web.

CSUEnglishCouncil.“PositionStatement:MandatoryEarlyStart”CSUEnglishCouncil.2010.05Oct2015.Web.

Elbow,Peter.“DirectedSelf-PlacementinRelationtoAssessment:ShiftingtheCrunchfromEntrancetoExit.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.15-30.Print.

Frus,Phyllis.“DirectedSelf-PlacementataLargeResearchUniversity:AWritingCenterPerspective.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.179-192.Print.

Glau,Greg.“Stretchat10.”JOURNALOFBASICWRITING.26.2(2007).Print.

Horning,Alice.“TheDefinitiveArticleonClassSize.WPA:WRITINGPROGRAMADMINISTRATION.31.1-2.(Fall/Winter2007).Print.

Inoue,AsaoB.“FYWProgramAssessment–AcademicYear2007-2008.”CaliforniaStateUniversity-Fresno.DepartmentofEnglish:First-YearWritingProgram.2008.05Oct2015.Web.

Inoue,AsaoB.“TheorizingFailureinUSWritingAssessments.”ResearchintheTeachingofEnglish.48(February2014).330-352.

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Leimer,TinaandHongtaoYue.“SummaryReportofDSPProgramEvaluation.”CaliforniaStateUniversity-Fresno.DepartmentofEnglish:First-YearWritingProgram.2009.05Oct2015.Web.

Matzen,RichardN.,JeffE.Hoyt.“BasicWritingPlacementwithHolisticallyScoredEssays:ResearchEvidence.”JOURNALOFDEVELOPMENTALEDUCATION.28.1(2004):2-4,6,8,10,12,34.

McKendy,Thomas.“LocallyDevelopedWritingTestsandtheValidityofHolisticScoring.”RESEARCHINTHETEACHINGOFENGLISH.26.2(1992):148-166.

Olson,SarahandDebraTouchette.“Placement:Testing”CompFAQsfromCompPile.2011.05Oct2015.Web.

Pinter,RobbieandEllenSims.“DirectedSelf-PlacementatBelmontUniversity:SharingPower,FormingRelationships,FosteringReflection.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.107-126.Print.

Reynolds,EricaJ.“TheRoleofSelf-EfficacyinWritingandDirectedSelf-Placement.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.73-104.Print.

Royer,DanielJ.andRogerGilles.“ThePragmatistFoundationsofDirectedSelf-Placement.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.49-72.Print.

Sansone,ElizabethM.“DeterminingtheValidityofDSP:AStudyofthePredictiveValidityofDirectedSelf-PlacementatCaliforniaStateUniversityFresno.”ThesisCaliforniaStateUniversity-Sacramento.2007.Print.

Tompkins,Patrick.“DirectedSelf-PlacementinaCommunityCollegeContext.”DIRECTEDSELF-PLACEMENT:PRINCIPLESANDPRACTICES.EdsDanielJ.RoyerandRogerGilles.Cresskill,NJ:HamptonPress,2003.193-206.Print.