Thank you Mary for sharing your cutoffs and courses information. I am relatively new at this and appreciate any help I can get. Mary Mary Greiss-Shipley, Ed.D. Director, Student Success Programs Georgia Gwinnett College 1000 University Center Lane Lawrenceville, GA 30043 [log in to unmask] 678-407-5234 work phone 678-407-5318 fax -----Original Message----- From: Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Leahy, Mary Sent: Friday, February 09, 2007 10:12 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Low literacy levels in developmental reading and writing courses Sure. I'd be happy to share with the whole list. I'm not sure if what we do at COD will be relevant to all of you, but I'll send it out anyway. The first document attached to this e-mail is a section from my dissertation (in progress)which describes our Reading Competency Requirement. The other two documents are our placement charts for reading and writing based on the results of the ACT Compass Tests. We don't think it's a perfect system and are always trying to refine it. We will learn what we can do better as we progress through the NADE Certification process for our developmental English program. Hope this helps. Mary Mary C. Leahy Associate Professor, English Coordinator, Developmental Reading and Writing College of DuPage 425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 630-942-3607 Fax: 630-942-3711 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals on behalf of Susan Jones Sent: Thu 2/8/2007 6:04 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Re: Low literacy levels in developmental reading and writing courses I can't believe this isn't a topic worthy of discussion on the whole list.. we have the same issues and are currently/constantly trying to figure out how to address this issue. One serious difficulty is ascertaining which students really aren't going to be served by our facility and which ones could be reached across the yawning gap of the assorted obstacles to their success, because it goes well beyond literacy skills. It's time to go HOME for me... but I was afraid this would be one of those awful posts that had forty-five replies saying "send it to me, too!" Would you be up for emailing on the list about what you do? Susan Jones Academic Development Specialist Academic Development Center Parkland College Champaign, IL 61821 [log in to unmask] Webmastress, http://www.resourceroom.net http://bicyclecu.blogspot.com >>> "Leahy, Mary" <[log in to unmask]> 2/8/2007 5:36 AM >>> Geoff, We've had a reading and writing competency requirement in place at COD since 1995. We continually work to improve this process and are now in the process of applying for NADE Certification of our Developmental English Program. I'd be happy to share the particulars of what we do with you, if you'd like to e-mail me or give me a call. You could even stop by to visit one day, especially since you are so close! In a nutshell, all credit-seeking students are required to take placements tests before registering for classes (we do have a strict prerequisite system in place). Students take the ACT Compass Reading Placement Test for reading, and the ACT Compass English Test. If students score below a certain level on the English test, we ask them to write and essay, which faculty scores with rubrics for further placement. Students are then placed into appropriate courses to meet their literacy needs. Students need to pass these courses with a "C" or better, and pass an exit test (the same types of tests they previously took) before they may register for 100 level courses and above. Mary Mary C. Leahy Associate Professor, English Coordinator, Developmental Reading and Writing College of DuPage 425 Fawell Blvd. Glen Ellyn, IL 60137 630-942-3607 Fax: 630-942-3711 [log in to unmask] -----Original Message----- From: Open Forum for Learning Assistance Professionals on behalf of Geoffrey Krader Sent: Thu 2/8/2007 12:40 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Low literacy levels in developmental reading and writing courses A colleague of mine who teaches English initiated an online discussion at our college about the literacy level among students placing into our lowest level developmental reading and writing courses (his note is appended to this message). He asked me to share the note with all of you to see if we could learn from experiences and insights at other colleges. In particular, do you see similar issues in your developmental reading and writing courses and, if so, do you have any recommendations for dealing with these issues? Here is the note: Within the English dept. over the past few months we have been taking a hard look at the two lowest levels of developmental reading & writing. After a good deal of discussion, here is our consensus, very much condensed: * Students at these levels demonstrate sub-high-school literacy (first on standardized placement tests, later verified via classroom assessment). * We question whether it is appropriate to admit students with this literacy level as regular, matriculated college students. * We also are very concerned about the phenomenon of very low literacy students taking college-level courses at the 100 and even 200 level. * We question whether the current system is best for these students, regarding their academic progress and related to other issues such as expenses and financial aid. We would like to talk about other approaches to meeting the needs of very low literacy students which might improve upon current practices. Some possibilities that have come up include non-credit college-literacy-prep courses, expanding academic ESL offerings, identifying community resources for referrals, etc. Thanks for your comments and insights, Geoff Krader Morton College Cicero, Illinois ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To access the LRNASST-L archives or User Guide, or to change your subscription options (including subscribe/unsubscribe), point your web browser to http://www.lists.ufl.edu/archives/lrnasst-l.html To contact the LRNASST-L owner, email [log in to unmask]