1. Basic Skills, Bridges, and Career Pathways -- The Wisconsin RISE Initiative Mark Johnson Wisconsin Technical College System

2. Today’s Presentation RISE Overview Career Pathways and Bridges Bridge Types and Characteristics Questions & Discussion

3. Wisconsin’s Challenge Good jobs and skilled workforce to build wealth for communities, workers, and companies Predictable, reliable, relevant & realistic ways for lower-skill adults to get more education and job skills Employers, educators, and workforce organizations working together to connect education, good-paying jobs, and reliable supply of skilled workers.

4. Wisconsin’s “Workforce of Tomorrow” is in the Workforce Today

5. The Wisconsin RISE Target Population -- 2010 Total number of adults (ages 25-54) who have no 2 or 4 year college credential and/or speak English “not well” or “not at all” 1.4 million Total number of those adults who worked last year 1.2 million Total number of those working adults with wages under $9.60 per hour* 337,000 Total number of those working adults with wages between $9.60 and $15.38 per hour 372,000 Total RISE target population: working adults with low wages (less than $15.38) 710,000 Developed by the Center on Wisconsin Strategy for RISE

6. Two Structural Elements of RISE -- Postsecondary career pathway curricula that chunk WTCS diploma or degree programs into certificates associated with career advancement opportunities -- Career pathway bridge curricula employing contextualized learning to accelerate the transitions of ABE/ELL learners to postsecondary occupational education.

7. Career Pathways

9. Waukesha County TC Contextualized, team-taught ABE/ELL modules in health care, culinary arts, welding, business. 1 year 2 years Lakeshore TC Pre-Tech Contextualized Math and Reading combined with Work- Certified. Earns 1 credit for Industrial Maintenance, Machine Tool, and Welding. Bypasses Accuplacer. Below Postsecondary Postsecondary Bridges

10. Below Postsecondary Postsecondary 1 year 2 years FVTC Accounting Career Pathway Accounting contextualized ABE Certificate (3 college credits), leads to an Accounting certificate and beyond. Madison College ELL/CNA 3 credits of concurrent ELL support. After CNA students can matriculate into other certificates or nursing sequence

11. Below Postsecondary Postsecondary CVTC RISE Welding 9 credit entry Point into 1-year TD 3 credits of ABE support MPTC Baking/Culinary 7 and 6 credit certificates, leading to the two-year degree. 3 credits of ABE/ELL support 1 year 2 years

12. Below Postsecondary Postsecondary 1 year 2 years NTC ELL/CNA 3 credits of ELL support for CNA, After CNA students can matriculate into other certificates or nursing sequence WTC CNC Machinist Three 6-credit stacked certificates with job exit points. 3 credits of integrated ABE support

13. Postsecondary 1 year WTC CNC Machinist CNC Set-up Operator CNC Set-up Set Up CNC Programmer ABE

14. Postsecondary Manufacturing Math 1 Manufacturing Math 1 – 1 Credit Blueprint Reading – 1 Credit Measurement and Inspection – 1 Credit Introduction to Machining – 1 Credit CNC Production Lathe: Operation – 1 Credit CNC Production Mill: Operation – 1 Credit ABE Math (CNC Pathway) NRS 5 -- 2 Credits ABE Reading and Study Skills – 1 Credit WTC CNC Machinist

15. Achieving a High School Credential As An Integral Part Of A Career Pathway Bridge HSED 5.10

16. Other Bridge Models Integrated Developmental and LPN at Blackhawk Integrated ELL and General Ed at FVTC Math/Reading/Science Bridge at Madison College

17. Bridging ELL Students Into Postsecondary Programs – A Promising Model Fox Valley Technical College became frustrated with the lack of success of ELL students who wanted to transition into Associate Degree programs at the college. The Associate Degree in the WTCS requires completion of General Education classes in addition to the program classes, and ELL students were not doing well in completing these classes.

18. Fox Valley Technical College also wanted to address key skill areas for ELL students that were troublesome... Critical thinking skills Confidence Reading skills in genre Writing and using various rhetorical styles Research skills Academic etiquette, e.g. absences, behavior, missing homework, asking for help, group work, testing, plagiarism, etc.

19. They had tried different bridge models... Preparatory workshops and courses Simultaneous Instruction Shadowing targeted courses They decided to try an IBEST approach... Integrated and team-taught General Education Courses Written Communication Oral/Interpersonal Communication

20. A variety of students International IEP Community residents, e.g. immigrants 20 countries TOEFL range of 400-500

21. The Bridge Approach Two Instructors General Studies faculty ELL faculty Integrated classes of native and non-native speakers of English Supplemental support class Preview and review of lessons Pronunciation Grammar and vocabulary Personalized attention

23. Benefits for ELL Students Access to two instructors Interaction with native speakers One on One attention Cross cultural experience Insight into target language and American society Continued support from day one Confidence building

24. Benefits for American Students Access to two instructors Cross cultural experience Insight into different customs and cultures Improved communication skills Learn how to interact with various populations Learn how to negotiate meaning and messages

25. Pros of Bridge Classes “Two Heads are Better than One” Camaraderie between instructors Global village environment Strong rapport between students and teachers Student centered classes ‘Adoption’ of ELL students Low attrition

26. Cons of Bridge Class “Two Heads are not Better than One” Potential for stress Intimidation Cultural misunderstandings Lowering the academic bar Threat of preferential treatment Assessment Time Deadlines

27. Statistical Results From Fall 2008 to Fall 2009: 28 students (100%) passed these bridged General Education classes and 19 (68%) enrolled in additional postsecondary courses 11 of the 19 (58%) enrolled in an AAS, TD, or Certificate programs 105 postsecondary courses were taken by these students oA’s = 59 oB’s = 21 oC’s = 13 oD’s = 3 oF’s = 0 oEX = 1 oW = 8

28. Future of the Approach Business Math (another Gen Ed) Printing eSEED (Entrepreneurship Training) Nursing Welding

29. Training Content Instructors English Language Learning (ELL) Adjustments Limit use of slang and informal style Be careful of sarcasm or "kidding" when working directly with ELL students Allow plenty of wait time when asking questions Ask only one question at a time, and wait for response Slow your speed of speech and try to help students hear word borders and phrases Provide definitions of key terms (hand-out or write on board). It is very helpful to see and hear words Organize presentation of new topics with introduction and summary Careful of "over-paraphrasing" Do not speak louder to be understood Remember that it is easier to understand for most people if they can see someone's mouth and body

30. Madison College -- Combining Developmental Math and Reading with College Chemistry Traditionally students can only take General Chemistry if they had a Compass Algebra score of 30+ or completed a 1 – 3 semester sequence of developmental math courses Students with satisfactory math skills still struggle with General Chemistry Bridge was developed to minimize remediation time and align necessary math with the chemistry

31. What is the Math Science Bridge? Joins together a new Applied Math for Chemistry developmental course and a new Applied Reading for Chemistry developmental course with General Chemistry Enables students to complete this coursework within one semester New math and reading course are specially linked to and aligned with the content in the college chemistry course

32. Who Qualifies ? Students with a Pre Algebra Compass Score of at least 30 (this level assumes competent in math concepts) Students who need to take general chemistry to satisfy admission requirements for their intended training program Students with a Algebra Compass of 30/40+ and Reading Compass of 75+ are eligible to take any General Chemistry Course and would NOT need to take the bridge

33. Early Signs of Bridge Success 46 Students have completed the courses All Students increased their Math and/or Reading competencies over the course of the semester 41 out of the 46 students passed college-level General Chemistry with a C or better Pass rate of the Science Math Bridge is higher than pass rate of traditional General Chemistry rate. Remember: none of these students had scored high enough on their assessment tests to take general chemistry

34. Student Feedback (What Worked?) Students reported benefitting from: Three great teachers (learned from different angles, more pressure to do well) Concurrent and applied basic skills instruction (esp. math) reinforced learning in Chemistry Being part of a cohort (“the best part of this whole experience”)

35. More Information: Case Studies on Five Bridges in Wisconsin Building Bridges in Wisconsin: Connecting Working Adults with College Credentials and Career Advancement Jessa Lewis Valentine, Adrienne Pagac, COWS, May 2010, at www.cows.org Welding - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SgGw4oN4cE Instructional Assistant (online) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-MoM7ALfBg Culinary Arts - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Swcj2s4FA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SgGw4oN4cE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-MoM7ALfBg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0Swcj2s4FA Integrated ABE/ELL/Occupational Teacher and Student Interviews Mark Johnson Wisconsin Technical College System mark.johnson@wtcsystem.edu 608.266.1272