A College Readiness Partnership between
Willow International Community College Center and
Clovis West High School
Abstract• A partnership between English administration and faculty
from Willow International and Clovis West High School has resulted in a significant increase of students who place directly in college-level English and thus, do not require remediation.
• Actions have included curriculum alignment between college mandated student learning outcomes and high school mandated standards which focused on academic behaviors as well as academic performance.
• Significant results include increased college freshman English placement, increased college attendance, and increased minority representation among college-going graduates.
The Problem from the Point of View of All Stakeholders
Too many college/university instructors complain that their students aren’t prepared well enough to succeed in post-secondary classes
Too many high school teachers insist they are teaching exactly what they should be teaching and should not have to change class content
Too many parents are confused and angry that their student is failing in college/university
Too many students struggle in post-secondary classes and accuse the educational system of being unfair
College/University Instructors
There is a disconnect between secondary and post-secondary
academic behaviors as well as academic skills
Students are not prepared for
college/university-level reading and
writing
Students expect that instructors will explain assigned texts, accept
late work, allow revisions, and give extra credit/second chances
(Borden, et. al., 2006; Conklin & Sanford, 2007; Conley, 2007; Kirst & Venezia, 2004; Martinez & Klopott, 2005; Tell & Cohen, 2007)
High School Teachers
Most high school English instructors feel that
literary analysis is the appropriate focus for
course offerings based on California standards
English teachers at high schools with API scores that are relatively high
see no reason to change curriculum content
College instructors need to focus on teaching their students and not on what
high school instructors teach their students
(Conley, 2007; Conklin & Sanford, 2007; Tell & Cohen, 2007)
Parents
Some parents contact college/university staff to discuss their child’s lack of
progress but faculty and staff are legally unable to
discuss student performance with parents
Some parents contact high school administration and counselors to discuss why
their child is not succeeding in
college/university
Parents and the community rightly expect
that educational professionals grow and
change by keeping current with sound educational
research
(Darlaston-Jones, et. al., 2003; Larose & Boivin, 1998)
Students
The situation is unfair; too many students are
failing their college/university
classes
Too many students do not understand the culture
and structure of postsecondary education
and the intellectual norms that must prevail in this
environment
Too many students are unable to take away the key intellectual lessons
a college/university course was designed to
convey and develop
(Conley, 2007; Kirst & Venezia, 2004)
CW Graduates Needing Remedial English
School Year UC CSU SCCCD
2005-2006 NA 45% 70%
2006-2007 NA 47% 75%
2007-2008 NA 47% 74%
2008-2009 NA 53% 79%
2009-2010 NA 45% 67%
(CW Counseling Office, 2010)
Comparison of English Remediation
National 4 year
National 2 year
CSUF All HS
CSU CWHS
WI All HS
WI CWHS
71%57%
35%55%
17%33%
29%43%
65%45%
83%67%
Remediation Rates
Freshman English Remedial English
(California Department of Education , 2010; CW Counseling Office, 2010; WI Counseling Office, 2010; )
Secondary-Led Focus Questions
• Leading Questions:• What should our students be able to do when they leave high
school?• Sub-Questions:• Why are good high schools with good teachers producing so
many graduates who struggle with post-secondary reading and writing?
• Is the high school English curriculum preparing our students to be college and career ready?
CW Demographics: 2010-2011
Cont Cultu
res
Creative
Writi
ng
Bible Lit/C
ont Issu
es
World
Literat
ure
AP Literat
ure
63
3829
50 49
Percentage of minorities in senior course offerings
Africa
n American
Asian
Hispan
icW
hite
Multiple
614
29
48
3
Senior class percentages by ethnicity
Current Course Offerings
•English 9 •Honors 9 Grade 9•English 10 •Honors 10 Grade 10•American Literature and Composition •AP Language and Composition Grade 11•World Literature and Composition •AP Literature and Composition Grade 12
Post-Secondary Teacher Survey
Hard Skills (Academic)• Reading Deficiency• Nonfiction comprehension• Documenting Sources
• Writing Deficiency• Topic Narrowing• Organizing Support• Formatting
• Critical Thinking Deficiency• Appropriate Sources• Synthesizing Sources
Soft Skills (Behavior)
• Attendance• Personal Responsibility• Preparation• Participation
• Time Management• Study Skills• Tenacity • Strategies
• Professional Interactions
SCCCD English Department, 2010
Too Many Student Require Remediation
CWHS ObservationsPost-secondary course
outcomes versus state standards
College Non-fiction versus High School fiction curriculum
Number, type, length of assigned and assessed texts
Mastery versus “Second Chance” behaviors
Professional Development for secondary teachers of English
SCCCD Observations Weak English Conventions
Skills overall An inability to read non-
fiction texts A habit of personal
expression and personal narratives
The expectation of second chances, extra credit, and leeway on due dates
An inability to manage time for assignments
Exit Points
WI 252 •43% will successfully complete the course•60% of those students will have success in 125•If 30 students begin the class, 8 will succeed in 125
WI 125 •52% will successfully complete the course•68% of those students will have success in 1A•If 30 students begin the class, 10 will succeed in 1A
Nationally •58% of high school students who initially place into freshman English actually complete a college degree•64% of students who pass ELA AP exams complete a college degree having placed into freshman or sophomore English
Dougherty, Mellor, & Jian, 2006; Schneiders, 2010; WI Counseling Office, 2010)
Standards and Outcomes
… respond to literature by identifying significant ideas, analyzing imagery, diction, and theme, supporting ideas and viewpoints through accurate and detailed textual references, demonstrating an appreciation of the effects caused by an author’s stylistic devices, and assessing the impact of perceived textual ambiguities, nuances and complexities
… produce expository, analytical, and argumentative compositions that introduce a complex central idea and develop it with appropriate evidence drawn from primary and/or secondary sources, cogent explanations, and clear transitions;
… Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly; write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts; Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources using advanced searches effectively
Institutional Practices
Common Goals
•Student post-secondary readiness •Student academic performance•Student academic behaviors•Collaboration between secondary and post-secondary institutions
Divergent Practices
•Formative Assessment Focus vs. Summative Assessment Focus•Concurrent Remediation vs. Prerequisite Remediation•Teacher-Student-Parent Relationships vs. Teacher-Student Relationships
Many students…
• Want an “easy” senior year• Don’t understand what it really means to be college-ready• Don’t understand what the post-secondary system requires• Don’t understand that college is a reasonable and realistic goal• Don’t understand that their journey towards college begins
before high school• There’s a strong correlation between elementary school
English and middle school English success• There’s a strong correlation between middle school English
and high school English and math success
(Dougherty, Mellor & Jian, 2006,;Larose & Boivin, 1998; Tell & Cohen, 2007)
Implications for Change• Secondary Schools need to ask: • How many students need English remediation in college?• How many students take AP/concurrent college classes?• How many students have appropriate academic behaviors?
• Post-Secondary Schools need to ask: • Are students successfully completing freshman English? • Do students choose stimulating?• Can students navigate through registration systems, research
mediums, and add value to their educational community?
All students can learn; all students deserve the opportunity to be college-ready
Establishing a Partnership
Administration Support
Curriculum Revision
CCS + BehaviorsCreating and Maintaining
Rigor
Addressing Resistance
Public Relations
Academic Behaviors
Time Management
Persistence
Common Policies
Online DialogueRevision
Grading PolicyMake-up PolicyMastery Policy
Weekly AgendaDue Date Calendar
Units based on Rhetorical Strategies
Initial Instruction
Themed Model Texts
Guided Practice
Supplementary Activities
Mastery and Intervention
Culminating Essays and Presentations
Guided Practice
Philosophical ChairsBackground ActivityState and Support
SummarizeRebuttal and Support
Reflection
Graphic OrganizersPre-Writing Outlines
Thesis Support
SyllogismsFallacies
Structure and StyleConclusion
Socratic SeminarPre-Reading
ReadingQuestion Generation
DiscussionEvaluation
Supplementary Activities
Technology
•Research•Tool Bar
Grammar
•Revision•Editing
Vocabulary
•Academic •Content
College and Career
•Application•Navigation
Piloting the New CurriculumInitial Benchmark Data for Non-AP 1A Placement Clovis West (2011 – 2012)
Placement Test Date ESLC 250/260
(Grade 11)125/126
(grade 12)1A
(College Eng)% 1A (College
Eng)
August 2011 (237) 6 75 86 70 29.5
Initial Student Comments Concerning Curriculum Changes
• I was looking forward to an easy senior year.
• Clovis West is a great school. Why take a chance to make it worse?
• You should have started in 9th grade so seniors would be used to the work you have planned.
• Push me – push me hard. I need to go to college. What ever that takes to get me there I am willing to do.
Piloting the New CurriculumSecond Benchmark Data for Non-AP 1A Placement Clovis West (2011 – 2012)
Placement Test Date ESLC 250/260 (Grade 11)
125/126 (grade 12)
1A (College Eng)
% 1A (College Eng)
August 2011 (237) 6 75 86 70 29.5
December 2011(229) 1 54 77 97 42.35%
Mid-year Student Survey: Student Self-Efficacy
235/237 Respondents Agree Disagree
I am a better reader than when school started this year.
80.8%(189)
29.2%(46)
I am a better thinker than when school started this year.
88.8%(208)
11.2%(25)
I am a better writer than when school started this year.
87.6%(205)
12.4%(30)
I feel more prepared to succeed in college next year.
92.7%(217)
7.3%(18)
Mid-Year Student Survey: Workload Quality and Quantity
235/237 Respondents Agree Disagree
The type of reading assignments in this class are appropriate for my grade level.
96.1%(226)
3.9%(9)
The number of reading assignments in this class are appropriate for my grade level. 90.6%
(213)9.4%(22)
The type of essay assignments in this class are appropriate for my grade level. 96.1%
(226)3.9%(9)
The number of essay assignments in this class is appropriate for my grade level. 87.2%
(205)12.8%(30)
Mid-Year Student Comments Concerning Curriculum Changes
• Without this class which gives me three more chances I would be in the lowest English class they had to offer and would be way behind going into college
• I believe that this class can help prepare high school students to transition to college. The earlier that this type of teaching and learning is started, the better it will show in the results.
• Teachers need to take their job more seriously and not give their students an easy grade. My 9-11 grade English classes didn’t teach me anything I feel; I wish I had better English classes my freshman through junior year.
• Coming into this class I can say I wrote like 4 papers all together and now I have to write 12. That is more than all the papers combined that [I’ve wrote] my whole high school career AND I was not prepared :(
1A Demographics (30)
1A African- American
Asian-American
European-American
Hispanic-American
MinorityTotals
Number 1 4 13 12 17
Class Percentage 3% 13.3% 43.3% 40.0% 56.6%
Site Percentage 6% 14% 49% 26% 51%
Final Results of Year 1 (2011 – 2012)
Placement Test Date ESLC 250/260
(Grade 11)125/126
(grade 12)1A
(College Eng)% 1A
(College Eng)
August 2011 (237) 6 75 86 70 29.5
December 2011 (229) 1 54 77 97 42.35
March 2012 (237) 0 25 82 130 54.85
May 2012 (237) 0 19 80 138 58.22
Where are we now? -• Breaking news: as of yesterday – literally – we have 57% of the
non-AP students ready for English 1A, and 128 students are enrolled in 1A for the Spring semester.
• Most of the rest of them have tested at a level that we expect will bring them to 1A readiness for Fall.
• Last year’s figures include this interesting fact. Since we began this program, we have raised college-bound seniors to 84% of the total graduating class.
• It is also worth remembering that Clovis West is a minority school (53%) and economically disadvantaged with 34% on lunch programs.
Exemplary people get exemplary awards• It hasn’t been widely broadcast, but this program was
awarded an honorable mention by the State Academic Senate’s Exemplary Award committee.
• In addition, Ellen Melocik, chair of the English department at CW, Karen Hammer, learning director at CW, and I will be presenting at the Community College League’s Innovations conference in March.
• We rock, he said modestly.
Comparative Results
SCCCD1A
PlacementBuchanan Clovis East Clovis High Clovis
North Clovis West
2010 31% 18% 18% X 26%
2012 28% 16% 14% 17% 40%
Percentage of students enrolled in a four year college
CUSD High
SchoolsBuchanan Clovis East Clovis High Clovis North Clovis
West
2012 42% 33% 29% 43% 44%
Recent Student Feedback
• I can’t believe I got an A on my first essay – one of the highest in the class! And your class also prepared me for reading and writing in my other classes [Military Academy]
• I can tell you with all the writing we did last year, the writings here are a piece of cake. [4-year institution]
• I knew exactly what to do for the first essay, and my teacher thought so too! And I didn’t wait until the night before to write it! [2-year institution]
• Just wanted to send a little thank you and say that surprisingly the readings that I read in high school, and that I never expected to help me, are actually giving me a slight advantage over my new classmates. [4-year institution]
How does this work for your institution?
• Connect with a partner high school• Designate leaders from both campuses• Administration must be on board • Financial Support• Policy Change Support• Time Support
• At least some staff must be willing and brave; leaving egos behind• Early parent/community communication• Open Forums• Newsletters
• Consistent Rigor for assignments and assessments• Norming• Calibration
• Data-Driven Analysis for Planning and Revision