CHARTING A NEW COURSE The Sometimes Bumpy Road to Greater Success in Basic Writing

 January 2009 – The Road Begins with a very terse directive:  “Fix this!” How It Was --

 Spring 2009: More than 60% of students taking Basic Writing passed with a B or better (70% when including C’s).  : Changes begin to be implemented; slightly more than one-half of students taking Basic Writing pass with a C or better.  Fall 2010: Of that 60%, less than half made a C or better in Composition I.  : Percentage of students passing Basic Writing with a C or better begins to decline as the percentage of those going on to Composition I passing with a C or better begins to rise.

 What needed to be “fixed” – performance of students going from Basic Writing to Composition I.  Search for answers begins in four areas:  Consult composition faculty for their expectations of student performance (criteria)  Rework Basic Writing curriculum to address those criteria more effectively  Re-evaluate existing faculty  Where were these “struggling” students coming from?  How had they made A’s and B’s and not be able to perform in Composition I?  Chart a new path How It Was --

 Discover their concerns about students in their current sections.  Look for consensus in area of expectations  “On Day One, what should these students be able to do?”  Look for consensus (and consistency) in grading  “What constitutes an ‘A’ paper? A ‘B’ paper?” 1. Consult composition faculty for their expectations of student performance (criteria)

 Develop a clearly worded Common Syllabus that spells out performance standards and measurements of that performance.  Develop a new pre- and post-test that more accurately gauges student skill levels and, ultimately, growth.  Develop clearly worded assignments and grading criteria (rubrics) for all Basic Writing faculty to use 2. Rework Basic Writing curriculum to address those criteria more effectively

 My “inheritance”  Determining where the problems lie  Classroom observations  Looking at previously graded papers  “Norming” sessions with all BW faculty  Some very difficult decisions had to be made. 3. Re-evaluate existing faculty

 Greater communication among faculty  More effective use of online resources  More effective textbook choice  We wrote our own.  It reflects a view of academic writing consistent with student learning outcomes and Composition I skill criteria. 4. Chart a new path

Results?  Increased rigor in Basic Writing has resulted in, hopefully, a temporary decline in the number of students passing the course.  : Almost one-third passed with a C or better  However, what happens to those who do pass?  : Of the one-third who passed Basic Writing and went straight into Composition I, 77.6% passed Composition I with a C or better.  76% of students who went straight into Comp I made a C or better.

Fixing One Problem Uncovers Others  Far too many students withdrawing or failing  Why??  One possible explanation became clear because of a visit to Bartlesville.

The Problem with “Jennie”  A Basic Writing student at our Bartlesville campus  Attending every class  Participating in every tutoring opportunity she could get  Angry and frustrated  Why?

 After speaking with “Jennie,” her instructor, and campus services coordinator, some further checking revealed:  English ACT score: 8  “Jennie” needed more than what our current course is designed to provide. Where “Jennie” Actually Was --

“Jennie” and the Bigger Picture  A possible answer to the withdraw and failure problem  Students feeling left behind get frustrated – and angry – and stop coming to class or withdraw.  A growing problem

 Is it “fixed” yet?  It’s never ending.  “Just when I thought it was smooth sailing…”  It’s cyclical.  “Problems = Solutions … which uncover other problems!”  But ultimately it’s worth it. Our Bumpy Road to Success --