Developmental Education Best Practices April 24, 2009
The Significance of Compass in Developmental Course Placement Presenters Tanya Bergman Testing Manager, Harper College Lois Lundquist ESL/International Student Staff Supervisor, Harper College
Compass at Harper Used since Spring 1996 Version 2007 2008 administered 15,340 tests Do not use Diagnostics
Who Tests? Anyone registering for Math and/or English Classes Exempt if ACT Scores English 19 and Reading 20 Math 23 Exempt if transferring college credit in Math or English. Anyone without high school diploma All new full time students Fall 2008 Orientation 3,006 students tested
What Happens When Tested? Receive Score Report Showing Mandatory Placement
Required Placement 2007/2008 Academic Assessment Summary Math Compass Score Range Math ACT Score Placement Trigonometry 54-100 and two semesters of h.s. geometry with a C- or better or Compass geometry > or = 46 College Algebra >or= 34 and two semesters of h.s. geometry with a C- or better or Compass geometry > or = 46 Algebra 53-100 plus two years of h.s. algebra and two semesters of h.s. geometry with a C- or better or Compass geometry > or = 46 28-36 and a Trigonometry course with a C or better MTH 200 or any lower box 28-36 MTH 140, 124, MTH 134 & MTH 220 or any lower box 23-27 MTH 101, 103, MTH 130, 165, MGT 225 or any lower box Algebra 35-52 20-22** MTH 070, 080, or any lower box Pre-Algebra 48-100 17-19** MTH 060, MGT 150 or the lower box Pre-Algebra 26-47 MTH 052, MTH 055 Pre-Algebra 0-25 MTH 051
Required Placement 2008/2009 Academic Assessment Summary Geometry Compass Score Range Math ACT Scores Placement Two semesters of h.s. geometry with a C- or better or Compass geometry> or = 46 23-36 Satisfies geometry Pre-requisite for any math class English Compass Score Range English/Reading ACT Scores Placement 65-100 and a Reading Compass Score of 65 or higher 19 in English and 20 in Reading ENG 101 or 130 35-64 * None ENG 100 0-34 * None ENG 098 Reading Compass Score Range Placement 77-100 No Reading 65-76* RDG 097 or 099 0-64* RDG 090
What Happens When Tested? Compass Test Scores May August 2008 Developmental Reading 51% Developmental Writing 46% Developmental Math 81%
Course Progression at Harper College MATH READING ENGLISH* Developmental/Remedial MTH 055 (052, 053, 054) Basic Math 3 Cr. Hrs. MTH 060 (067,068) Foundations of Mathematics I (i.e. Elementary Algebra) 4 Cr. Hrs. MTH 051 Arithmetic of Whole Numbers 1 Cr. Hr. RDG 090 Developmental Reading 3 Cr. Hrs. RDG 099 Developmental Reading 3 Cr. Hrs. ENG 098 Composition 3 Cr. Hrs. ENG 100 Composition 3 Cr. Hrs. MTH 080 Foundations of MathematicsII (i.e. Intermediate Algebra) 4 Cr. Hrs. MTH 070* Plane Geometry 3 Cr. Hrs. College Credit Courses Various College Level Math Courses No RDG Required ENG 101 Composition 3 Cr. Hrs. *If the student s native language is not English they will be screened to determine if they should take courses through the English as a Second Language Department to prepare for ENG 101.
Developmental Course Impact Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Reading 090/098 31 Sections 30 Sections English 098 10 Sections 10 Sections English 100 21 Sections 22 Sections English 101 99 Sections 111 Sections Developmental Math (Basic Arithmetic Int. Algebra) 95 Sections (2,016 students) 92 Sections (2,092 students)
Placement Success Entry Via Prior Course Entry Via Compass Entry Via Other* English C or better Reading C or better 58% 66% (59% of all students in English) 39% 55% (86% of all students in Reading) 73% _ Math C or better 47% 55% (45% of all students in Math) 60% *Other means of entry included ACT scores, counselor/ faculty override
What Happens when tested? Continued If Then Placed in Developmental Reading and/or Writing and English is not the primary language Hold placed on record until meeting with screener (screening process to be described later). Using writing sample and responses to oral questions, screener determines if remediation is developmental or ESL If the student is determined Developmental after screening, the hold is removed If student is determined to be an ESL student, the hold remains and the student is referred to the ESL Office to meet with an ESL Academic Advisor
What is screening? Students who do not meet the minimum COMPASS cutoffs place in developmental classes. For non native English speakers, L2 knowledge influences this determination. At Harper, screening is the term used when we assess non native speakers to discover if the low Reading and/or Writing scores result from limited L2 rather than developmental needs.
Screening Process The non native English student determined developmental meets with a screener Screeners are trained for consistency and come from the ESL and Developmental Reading/English Adjunct Pools
Screening Process Continued There is first a brief conversation with the student. Intent: to weed out the student who indicates a language other than English is spoken in the home however The language might only be used by live in grandparents and is not spoken by the student Education has been entirely in English in the American school system even though the student may speak another language The student has progressed through ESL or Bilingual classes in grade school and has completed high school in only mainstream classes
Screening Process Continued Once a student is determined a candidate for ESL classes, a writing assessment is given: A prompt is supplied The student is given 15 minutes without a dictionary The essay samples are evaluated looking for non native error indications including: Missing articles Unusual word choices Problems with word order Syntax errors
Screening Process Continued If the student is determined to be an ESL student, he/she is proceeds with appropriate ESL coursework to develop English skills. If the student is determined Developmental after screening, the student proceeds with the appropriate developmental coursework for Reading and/or Writing.
How Many Students Affected Tested June 2006 Aug. 2006 June 2007 Aug. 2007 Nov.2006 Jan. 2007 Nov.2007 Jan. 2008 Students Referred to Screener 287 228 96 74 Determined ESL 133 118 75 55 Determined Developmental 154 110 21 19
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