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.