Scaffolds to Success:
TRiO Learning Communities for
Underprepared Students
Yakima Valley Community College
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Kerrie Abb, Dean of Arts and Sciences
Marc Coomer, Asst Dean for Student Support
Wilma Dulin, SD Instructor/Faculty Director OIE
Gordon Koestler, English Instructor
YVCC’s Student Population
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About 11,000 students a year for 4400 FTE
60% students of color
2/3 female
2/3 transfer/workforce students (~6,500)
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95%
85%
85%
57%
3%
required to take at least one dev. ed. course
must take two or more dev. ed. courses
report being first generation*
receive Pell grants*
identify as having disabilities*
*these are optional reporting items, so % reflect of those who provide this data
YVCC’s SSS Target Population
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First Generation AND
Low Income AND
Under-prepared in both English and Math
May have disabilities
Each Fall Quarter, this is about 170 of the 550
incoming first time college student cohort - about
30%
SSS serves about 75 new, incoming students each
year - 40% of so of eligible
Elements of the
SSS program for
incoming
students
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Proactive
recruitment
RelationshipFocused
Orientation
Guided First Year
Schedule
Academic Support
Proactive Recruitment
Identifying
potential
students
• Role of OIE/Registrar
• Both 1st gen & low $
• Enrollment Services
Personal
Contact
• Letters
• Personal calls
• Orientation invitation
Relationship-Focused Orientation
• Run by TRiO Faculty, Staff,
and Students
• Small groups &
introductions
• College information &
Tours
• Advising & Early
Registration
• Book loans
• Financial aid support
• Welcome Event
+
SD 075
Math
ENGL& 101
+
CMST& 220
Math
Spring Quarter
ENGL 095
Winter Quarter
Fall Quarter
Guided First Year Schedule
ENGL 102
choice
Math
Why Learning Communities?
Collaboration
Learner and Learning
Centered
Integrate Knowledge
and Skills
Relationship building
Integrated Focus on Critical Thinking
Critical thinking about
• Self
• Academic skills
• College readiness
Using a recursive teaching
style that has students
• Reflecting
• Responding
• Reviewing
• Revising
Key Content
Becoming a Critical
Thinker!
• Who am I?
• What do I want to do
with my life?
• What education is
needed to do this?
• How will I pay for this
education?
• Am I college-ready?
Common Elements
• All instructors are academic advisors for SSS
• Use common texts and, whenever possible, open
source materials
• Collaborative learning and team assignments
• Study skills integrated in the classroom
• Weekly seminars
Example: How to Seminar Lesson
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Think and Brainstorm: Quality discussions
Set up note taking for video
Show Video
Compare notes
Add to brainstorm
Share rubric
Assign seminar topic
Seminar
Integrated Assignment:
Career Presentations & Essays
SD 075 Assignments
English 095 Assignments
• Identify personal attributes
• Research chosen career
– WOIS + 3 resources
– Career interviews
• Create a presentation
outline
• Create a poster
• Participate in a “poster
session”
• Summarize and respond to
assessment results
• Create a works cited page in
MLA style for resources
• Utilize word processing
software
• Write an essay on their
career choice, integrating at
least four resources,
interviews, and personal
assessments
Integrated Assignment Example:
Additional Support provided by TRiO SSS
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Math support groups
Financial workshops
Cultural events & Campus visits
Student club
Book loans
Scholarship opportunities
Online Canvas TRiO Toolkit
How do we know this is working?
• We use a matched-cohort protocol for analyzing
quantitative outcomes
– All students in the cohorts are 1st gen, low-income and
enrolled in English 095 Fall Quarter
– SSS Cohort enrolled in the learning communities
– SSS eligible enrolled in ENGL 095 but not in LC
• We use pre-/post efficacy surveys, focus groups,
and student interviews for gathering qualitative
data
2010-2012 three-year averages
Success Measure
Matched
Cohort
TRiO SSS
Cohort
Difference
Completion of Developmental English
78%
97%
+19%
First quarter enrollment in math
70%
87%
+17%
First quarter retention
76%
94%
+18%
Continuous enrollment in math
43%
69%
+26%
Successful completion of English 101 in
first year
36%
58%
+22%
Reenrollment in a second year (fall 2010
& 2011 cohorts only)
63%
81%
+18%
SAI Points per student and Highest
Momentum Earned
Momentum Points
Matched
SSS
Difference
Points per Student
2.90
3.01
+.11
No Momentum
8%
0%
-8%
College Ready (English or Math)
28%
41%
+13%
15 college Level Credits
29%
40%
+11%
30 College Level Credits
21%
9%
-12%
Quantitative Point
13%
10%
-2%
Tipping Point
<1%
0%
=
Qualitative Data
• College and English Efficacy Surveys:
Statistically significant increases
• Focus groups: SGID model; ATD coaches
• Interviews with students: TRiO staff
Bottom line: Students think this works!
Data shows us this program works!
• Higher course completion rates
• Higher retention rates
• More persistence in Math
• Developmental work before college-level work
• Strong student support
Collaborations are integral
• Arts and Sciences Division Funding
– Identifying faculty
– Scheduling – courses, rooms, computer labs
– Writing and Math Center
• Student Services
– Admissions and Registration
– Financial Aid
– Counseling, Advising and Disability Support
• Office of Institutional Effectiveness (OIE)
What would it take to take this to scale?
• Currently serving about 25% of eligible
• Increase the number of sections from the
current two to eight
• Train English instructors to integrate the SD
content into existing English courses and/or
teach the SD course
• Add counselors to teach the SD course
• Guarantee students an annual schedule of
sequenced courses to help us plan
To recap…
We changed our recruitment procedures
Proactive
Pre-college Orientation
We focus on first year students
Learning Communities with English
Math Sequences
Data demonstrates effectiveness
Higher course taking and completion
More momentum
To contact us…
• Kerrie Abb
509-574-4871
• Marc Coomer
509-574-4960
• Wilma Dulin
509-574-6832
• Gordon Koestler
509-574-4828
kabb@yvcc.edu
mcoomer@yvcc.edu
wdulin@yvcc.edu
gkoestler@yvcc.edu