“Go All In and Bet on the Potential of your Advanced ELL’s with an English Language Transition Class”

Western Nevada CollegeAdult Basic Education

Angela Schieldaschield@unr.nevada.edu

March 3, 2009

Education Path for Adult English Language Learners

Course Objectives The English Language Transition class (ELT hereafter) was

instituted to help mainstream advanced ELL’s into academic classes, certification programs, or to prepare for the GED. The objectives of the ELT class are:

To reinforce and add to the language skills acquired in ESL To encourage interaction between ELL’s and native English-

speaking students To establish skills and strategies necessary for academic

success To introduce students to the campus and make them familiar

with the resources available to them To help students feel more comfortable and confident in a

college classroom To increase self-confidence in each of the four learning

modalities; reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the academic level

Placing the First Bet

The first ELT class began in August 2007 Course title: ELT 001: Skills for Academic Success

Students who scored 230 or above on their most recent CASAS reading assessment were invited to attend

Over 40 students showed up for the registration, and 40 of them registered for the class.

How the Class is Structured

Structured as a “mock” college class Congruent with the academic semester Class is free, but students are required to

purchase their textbook and other materials needed for the class

Students receive a syllabus on the first day of class.

Students earn grades for their attendance, participation, and the quality of their work in the class.

Making the Grade

Students who earn an A (93% or higher) in the class receive a scholarship toward one 3-credit course at WNC Scholarships paid from “unrestricted funds”

account Students can apply their scholarship toward

any class of their choice. Students are eligible to receive the

scholarship only once, but may repeat the class once more if they choose.

Adopted Textbooks

August 2007: Renn, Diana. Strategies for College Success: A Study Skills Guide. University of Michigan, 2005.

January 2008: Sanabria, Kim & Carlos. Academic Encounters American Studies. Cambridge, 2008.

August 2008: Anderson, Debra J. College Culture, Student Success. Pearson Longman, 2008. (Bundled with MyWritingLab)

January 2009: Ochoa Flores, Kathy. What Every ESL Student Should Know. Michigan Press, 2008.

Students who Completed vs. Students who Dropped - All Classes

99, 76%

31, 24%

# of Students whoCompleted

# of Students whoDropped

Class Data

Average Hours Attended by ELT Students - All Classes

47.91

40.73

58 Hours Available

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Average Total HoursAvailable

Average Hours Attended byall Students

Average Hours Attended byStudents Who Completed

the Course

Hou

rs

Gender Among All Students Enrolled in the ELT Class - All Classes

45, 35%

85, 65%

Male

Female

Gender Among All Students Enrolled in the ELT Class - All Classes

45, 35%

85, 65%

Male

Female

Point Gain In Reading - All Classes

-30

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

40

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Each student (93 Total Students Tested - all numbered 1-93 at random)

Poi

nt G

ain

Average: 3.1

CASAS Reading Assessment

Point Gain In Writing - All Classes

-80

-60

-40

-20

0

20

40

60

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Each student (87 Total Students Tested - all numbered 1-87 at random)

Po

int G

ain

Average: 8.3

CASAS Writing Assessment

Students who Matriculated into College After Completing the ELT Course

73, 83%

15, 17%

Students who completedELT and are not in CollegeClasses

Students who Matriculatedinto College Classes

College Class Completion

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Total Amount ofStudents

completing WNCclasses

Amount ofStudents who

have completedclasses with lessthan a C average

Amount ofStudents who

have completedclasses with a C

average

Amount ofStudents who

have completedclasses with a B

average

Amount ofStudents who

have completedclasses with a A

average

Num

ber o

f Stu

dent

s

“My Writing Lab” Evaluation

The online component "My Writing Lab" was a good learning tool.

69%

31%

0%

0%

Excellent

Commendable

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory

Grammar/Writing Improved with “My Writing Lab”

I feel that using "My Writing Lab" helped me improve my grammar and writing skills.

47%53%

0%

0%

0%Strongly Agree

Agree

No Opinion

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Reading Level Evaluation

I think the level of reading was appropriate for this class.

38%

56%

6%

0%

0%

Strongly Agree

Agree

No Opinion

Disagree

Strongly Disagree

Textbook Evaluation

I feel that the book used for this class was excellent.

75%

19%

6% 0%

Excellent

Commendable

Satisfactory

Unsatisfactory