Date: June 25, 2014
Department: Academic Literacy
Course: BE122- Advanced Reading and Study Skills for Native Speakers
Curriculum or Curricula: LA
PART I. STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES
For Part I, attach the summary report (Tables 1-4) from the QCC Course Objectives Form.
(See Table #5 for Student Learning Objectives for Actual Assessment Assignment)
TABLE 1. EDUCATIONAL CONTEXT
BE 122 is an intensive reading course for students requiring the development of reading skills and
the transfer of those skills directly to their content courses. Emphasis is placed on improving
general comprehension and interpretation, organizing ideas for study, developing general and
course specific vocabulary, and applying test-taking strategies. The objective is to develop
comprehension, vocabulary, and study techniques that will enable students to deal successfully
with college-level reading, lectures and examinations.
TABLE 2. Curricular Objectives
Note: Include in this table curriculum-specific objectives that meet Educational Goals 1 and 2:
Curricular objectives addressed by this course:
Upon completing the course, students should be able to demonstrate the ability to:
BE 122/226 Curricular Objectives:
1). Students will be able to recognize the main idea by differentiating major and minor details in
various reading passages.
2) Students will demonstrate their ability to compare/contrast two readings on the same topic.
3) Students will paraphrase and summarize reading passages, both in oral and written form.
4) Students will identify and write topic sentences using various reading passages
5)Students will recognize both an author’s purpose and point of view/bias.
5) Students will annotate texts using multiple techniques (e.g.. highlighting, marginalia, etc).
6) Students will distinguish between an inference and a stated claim.
7) Students will identify the writer’s tone.
8) Students will identify the organizational patterns of information in a reading.
9) Students will demonstrate effective group work skills through team project work and class reading
groups.
10) Students will use context clues, dictionaries and root/prefix/suffix knowledge to understand
unfamiliar words.
11) Students will utilize re-reading skills to answer comprehension questions during class, in the
computer lab, at home, and during exams.
12) Students will improve multiple-choice test taking ability through a heavy focus on test strategies
and question type identification.
13) Students will organize their ideas using appropriate transitional devices.
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TABLE 3. General Education Objectives, based on draft Distributed at the January 2010 Praxis
Workshops
To achieve these goals, students graduating with an Associate degree will:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to make
informed decisions.
Reason quantitatively and mathematically as required in their field of interest and in everyday
life.
Use information management and technology skills effectively for academic research and
lifelong learning.
Integrate knowledge and skills in their program of study.
Differentiate and make informed decisions about issues based on multiple value systems.
Work collaboratively in diverse groups directed at accomplishing learning objectives.
Use historical or social sciences perspectives to examine formation of ideas, human behavior,
social institutions, or social processes.
Employ concepts and methods of the natural and physical sciences to make informed
judgments.
Apply aesthetic and intellectual criteria in the evaluation or creation of works in the humanities
or the arts.
Gen Ed
objective’s
ID number
from list
(1-10)
General educational objectives addressed by this course: Select from preceding list.
1.
Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking.
2.
Use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate evidence in order to
make informed decisions.
Work collaboratively in diverse groups directed at accomplishing learning objectives.
7.
TABLE 4: Course Objectives and student learning outcomes
Course Objectives and Desired Outcomes
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1) Students will be able to recognize the main idea by differentiating major and minor details in various
reading passages.
2) Students will demonstrate their ability to compare/contrast two readings on the same topic.
3) Students will paraphrase and summarize reading passages, both in oral and written form.
4) Students will identify and write topic sentences using various reading passages
5)Students will recognize both an author’s purpose and point of view/bias.
5) Students will annotate texts using multiple techniques (e.g.. highlighting, marginalia, etc).
6) Students will distinguish between an inference and a stated claim.
7) Students will identify the writer’s tone.
8) Students will identify the organizational patterns of information in a reading.
9) Students will demonstrate effective group work skills through team project work and class reading
groups.
10) Students will use context clues, dictionaries and root/prefix/suffix knowledge to understand
unfamiliar words.
11) Students will utilize re-reading skills to answer comprehension questions during class, in the
computer lab, at home, and during exams.
12) Students will improve multiple-choice test taking ability through a heavy focus on test strategies and
question type identification.
13) Students will organize their ideas using appropriate transitional devices.
PART ii. Assignment Design: Aligning outcomes, activities, and assessment tools
For the assessment project, you will be designing one course assignment, which will address at least
one general educational objective, one curricular objective (if applicable), and one or more of the course
objectives. Please identify these in the following table:
TABLE 5: OBJECTIVES ADDRESSED IN ASSESSMENT ASSIGNMENT
Course Objective(s) selected for assessment: (select from Table 4)
3. Paraphrase and summarize reading passages, both in oral and written form.
Curricular Objective(s) selected for assessment: (select from Table 2)
1. Students will be able to recognize the main idea by differentiating major and minor details in
various reading passages.
3. Students will paraphrase and summarize reading passages, both in oral and written form.
4. Students will identify and write topic sentences using various reading passages
13. Students will organize their ideas using appropriate transitional devices.
9. Students will demonstrate effective group work skills through team project work and class
reading groups.
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General Education Objective(s) addressed in this assessment: (select from Table 3)
1. Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking.
Reading: Students will read various passages and summarize them.
Writing: Students will write summaries.
Listening and speaking: Students will discuss key components of main ideas in passages
and summary writing in pairs, groups and as a class.
2. Students will use analytical reasoning to identify issues or problems and evaluate
evidence in order to make informed decisions.
Students will make informed decisions about which ideas are most important to include in
their summaries.
7. Students will work collaboratively in diverse groups directed at accomplishing learning
objectives.
Student Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will differentiate between major and minor details in reading passages.
2. Students will organize their ideas using appropriate transitional devices.
3. Students will write effective summaries on various reading passages.
In the first row of Table 6 that follows, describe the assignment that has been selected/designed for
this project. In writing the description, keep in mind the course objective(s), curricular objective(s) and
the general education objective(s) identified above,
The assignment should be conceived as an instructional unit to be completed in one class session (such
as a lab) or over several class sessions. Since any one assignment is actually a complex activity, it is likely
to require that students demonstrate several types of knowledge and/or thinking processes.
Also in Table 6, please
a) identify the three to four most important student learning outcomes (1-4) you expect from this
assignment
b) describe the types of activities (a – d) students will be involved with for the assignment, and
c) list the type(s) of assessment tool(s) (A-D) you plan to use to evaluate each of the student
outcomes. (Classroom assessment tools may include paper and pencil tests, performance
assessments, oral questions, portfolios, and other options.)
Note: Copies of the actual assignments (written as they will be presented to the students) should be
gathered in an Assessment Portfolio for this course.
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TABLE 6: Assignment, Outcomes, Activities, and Assessment Tools
Briefly describe the assignment that will be assessed:
Students will be taught to read a short passage and summarize it effectively.
Desired student learning
outcomes for the assignment
(Students will…)
Briefly describe the range of
activities student will engage
in for this assignment.
What assessment tools will
be used to measure how well
students have met each
learning outcome? (Note: a
single assessment tool may be
used to measure multiple
learning outcomes; some
learning outcomes may be
measured using multiple
assessment tools.)
Baseline Assessment
1. Instrument Used: A
Summary Scoring Rubric
derived from the (MTEL)
Communication and Literacy
Skills Test (01) –
List in parentheses the Curricular
Objective(s) and/or General
Education Objective(s) (1-10)
associated with these desired
learning outcomes for the
assignment.
Students will be able to recognize
the main idea by differentiating
major and minor details in various
reading passages.(Curricular
Objective #1)
Students will identify and write
topic sentences using various
reading passages.(Curricular
Objective #4)
Students will summarize reading
passages by identifying main
ideas, organizing these ideas
effectively, using appropriate
transitional devices, and
producing their summaries by
using their own words.(Curricular
Objective #3)
Students will communicate
effectively through reading,
writing, listening and speaking.
(General Education Objective#1)
Students will use analytical
reasoning to identify issues or
problems and evaluate evidence
in order to make informed
decisions. (General Education
Objective #2)
In early February 2014, to form
baseline data the instructors
were asked to assess their
students’ summarizing skills.
Students were given a reading
entitled, “Why Losing is Good
for You” (See Attachment.) to
read and summarize. The MTEL
Rubric was used to evaluate
their performance. (See
Attachment.)
Preparation for Mid-term
Assessment:
In late February, instructors
were given a specific lesson on
summary writing to assist their
students in learning this skill.
Day of the Lesson:
After teachers taught their
students how to write a
summary, which took
approximately forty minutes,
they gave students the passage
on “Why Obesity Among 5
Year Olds Is So Dangerous”
“to read. (See Attachment.)
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The baseline, mid-term, and
final summary results were
examined using the MTEL
rubric. (See Attachment.)
Improvements between
assessments were evaluated
across sections and
assessments to determine the
improvement in students’
ability to write cohesive,
accurate, and well-written
summaries.
Students will work collaboratively
in diverse groups directed at
accomplishing learning objectives.
(General Education Objective #7)
This task took approximately
twenty-minutes. Once the
students had finished reading
it, they worked in pairs to write
a summary of it. This task took
approximately twenty to
twenty-five minutes. Once the
students finished writing their
summaries, the teachers noted
the keys ideas of the passage
on the board and asked
students to verify whether or
not they included these ideas.
If they hadn’t, they were
instructed to jot down notes
below their summaries and,
revise their summaries at
home. Finally, the teacher gave
students the second article,
entitled, “Premature Babies:
Talking to Them Improves
their Language
Development” and asked
them to summarize it for
homework.
During the following class the
teachers asked learners to
submit homework summaries
and revised in-class summaries.
At the beginning of class,
teachers discussed the key
points of the homework
reading/summary. This took
approximately fifteen minutes
to twenty minutes.
Mid-term Assessment:
Several classes later, the
students participated in the
Department’s Mid-term
Assessment of summary skill
writing, which was measured
with the MTEL. It should be
noted that it is a departmental
practice for all reading students
to participate in this midterm
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summary assessment. This task
required an entire class period.
The mid-term reading “The
Road to Ivory is Stained with
Blood”.
Once the students finished
writing their summaries,
teachers placed them in the Dr.
Julia Carroll’s (Chairperson of
the Department’s Assessment
Committee) mailbox labeled
with the teacher’s name and
class sections on them.
The Assessment Committee
then evaluated the summaries
according to the MTEL rubric
and recorded the scores on a
separate file. Finally, the
summaries were returned to
the teachers.
Preparation for the Final
Assessment:
At the end of the semester, the
students participated in the
Department Final Summary
Assessment. Like the Mid-term,
this assessment was a
Department-wide Assessment,
which all reading students were
obligated to take.
Prior to this assessment,
teachers repeated the
summary lesson with their own
readings passages. By revisiting
this lesson, the teachers
employed a spiral pedagogical
approach whereby the same or
very similar lesson was
repeated on several occasions
to reinforce learning.
Day of the Actual Final
Assessment
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The teachers administered the
Final Exam, which included a
summary. The passage that the
students read and summarized
was entitled “Paying a Price for
Loving Red Meat”. The
students were given the entire
class period to complete the
exam. Once again, teachers
placed the materials in Dr.
Carroll’s mailbox and the
Assessment Committee
evaluated them and recorded
the scores on a separate roster,
which was held on file.
Part iii. Assessment Standards (Rubrics)
Before the assignment is given, prepare a description of the standards by which students’ performance
will be measured. This could be a checklist, a descriptive holistic scale, or another form. The rubric (or a
version of it) may be given to the students with the assignment so they will know what the instructor’s
expectations are for this assignment.
Please note that while individual student performance is being measured, the assessment project is
collecting performance data ONLY for the student groups as a whole.
Table 7: Assessment Standards (Rubrics)
Describe the standards or rubrics for measuring student achievement of each outcome in the
assignment:
This assessment used the (MTEL) Communication and Literacy Skills Test (01) during the spring semester
of 2014 to evaluate the summary skills of six sections of BE122 students on three separate occasions
during the semester. The first summary was used as a baseline assessment to ascertain how well
students performed before receiving instruction. The next assessment was performed at the midterm
after the students had experienced a specific summary lesson and practice activities. Finally, the last
summary assessment was utilized at the end of the semester to measure the improvement across all
three assessments.
Instrument Used: A Summary Scoring Rubric derived from the (MTEL) Communication and Literacy
Skills Test (01) –
Background:
The MTEL Summary Scoring Rubric was developed by Department of Education of Massachusetts and
Pearson Education. It is a combined reading and writing test that incorporates the comprehension and
analysis of readings as well as outlining and summarizing. It was first copyrighted in 2008 through
Pearson Education.
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The Department of Academic Literacy at QCC utilizes this rubric to assess summary writing at midterms
and finals across all reading courses. In addition, many writing instructors use it as well as a tool to assist
their students with summary writing as part of their CATW assessment preparation. Since this rubric has
been successfully used as the official rubric to assess summary writing throughout the Department, the
members of the Assessment Committee concluded that it was an appropriate evaluation tool for the
task of summary writing. This rubric consists of a four-point scale. The score of one represents the
lowest score and is not passing. Two is approaching a passing level. Three is passing, and four is higher
than passing. Some of the most important criteria that these scores are based on include: the extent to
which the student understood the main idea of the article, how well the student organized his or her
own ideas, the degree to which the student used his or her own words, and how clearly the summary
was written. This rubric was provided to the BE122 instructors before they taught their lessons. Before
their students participated in the assessments, the instructors discussed the criteria of the rubric so that
the students would clearly understand how they were to be evaluated.
How the MTEL Rubric Measured Curricular and General Educational Objectives
for this Assessment:
This rubric measured both Curricular Outcomes and General Education Outcomes.
Curricular Objectives:
1. Students will be able to recognize the main idea by differentiating major and minor details in various
reading passages.(Curricular Objective #1)- This curricular objective is included the in the MTEL because
it examines how well students are able to locate an article’s most important ideas.
2. Students will identify and write topic sentences within various reading passages.(Curricular Objective
#4). In order for the students to develop the ability to convey the main ideas of an article, the students
were required to write clear and focused topic sentences.
3. Students will summarize reading passages by identifying main ideas, organizing these ideas
effectively, using appropriate transitional devices, and producing their summary by using their own
words.(Curricular Objective #3). All of these components above are included in the MTEL rubric.
General Educational Objectives:
1. Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking. (General Education
Objective#1). The rubric measured how well the students read and understood reading passages as
well as their ability to write an effective summary.
Part iv. assessment results
TABLE 8: Summary of Assessment Results
Use the following table to report the student results on the assessment. If you prefer, you may report
outcomes using the rubric(s), or other graphical representation. Include a comparison of the outcomes
you expected (from Table 7, Column 3) with the actual results. NOTE: A number of the pilot
assessments did not include expected success rates so there is no comparison of expected and actual
outcomes in some of the examples below. However, projecting outcomes is an important part of the
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assessment process; comparison between expected and actual outcomes helps set benchmarks for
student performance.
TABLE 8: Summary of Assessment Results (Part of TABLE 9’s focus is subsumed in this section.)
The committee started with the assumption that scores would increase as a result of (a) the lesson, and
(b) multiple exposures to the new skill in a variety of situations (solo, group, and class-wide
experiences). However, no specific expectations about the degree of improvement were hypothesized.
Thus, the generally positive results seem to indicate a highly successful unit.
Student achievement: Describe the group achievement of each desired outcome and the knowledge
and cognitive processes demonstrated:
The lesson had one desired outcome: to improve students’ ability to write effective summaries.
The following analysis indicates a improvement from the baseline assessment to the final assessment
and from the midterm and to the final (See Table 1).
Table 1: Assessment Results for- MTEL Summary Scoring Rubric
Summary n
Baseline
Average
Score
Mid-term
Summary n
Mid-Term
Summary
Average
Score
Final
Summary
n
Final
Summary
Average
A
21
2.4
21
2.1
20
2.7
B
18
1.8
15
2.1
12
2.8
C
15
2.3
15
2.5
17
2.7
D
20
2.1
18
2.4
15
2.9
E
23
2.3
18
2.2
21
2.5
F
20
1.9
19
2.2
20
2.8
Total
117
2.13
(average
score)
106
2.25
105
2.73
BE122
Baseline
Discussion of Results Related to Average Score on Assessment:
On the MTEL scoring rubric (Table 1), the passing score is “3” for summary writing. Data
indicates that the average score was above “2” in four of the six sections on the baseline summaries
before instruction. The average score was above “2” for all six sections on the mid-term after the
students had received a specific lesson on summary writing, and by the final assessment the average
score was significantly above “2” for all six sections. Sections B, D, and F average scores were within two
points from an overall passing score on the final assessment
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The average score on the final assessment for all six sections was 2.73, which is a +29.3%
increase in overall improvement. Even though a 2.73 is not quite a “3” which is considered a “passing”
score, a considerable number of students received at least a three or higher. In fact, in the baseline
assessment, only 29 students scored a 3 or higher. On the midterm assessment, 36 students scored a 3
or higher; however, on the final assessment 72 students earned a score of 3 or higher (See Figure 1.).
Table 2: Assessment Results for Percentage of Change between Assessments- Using the MTEL
Rubric
BE122
Percentage of change
between the Baseline
and the Mid-term
Percentage of change
between the Mid-term
and the Final
Percentage of change
between the Baseline
and the Final
A
-12.50%
28.57%
12.50%
B
16.67%
33.33%
55.56%
C
8.70%
8.00%
17.39%
D
14.29%
20.83%
38.10%
E
-4.35%
13.64%
8.70%
F
15.79%
27.27%
47.37%
Total
6.43%
21.94%
29.93%
Discussion of Results Related to Percentage of Change:
Percentage of Change between the Baseline and the Mid-term:
In four sections of the six, B, C, D, and F, respectively, that were assessed, a positive change resulted
between the baseline and the mid-term, with section B scoring the highest +16.67%. The two sections
with the weakest performance were section A, which had a -12.5% percentage change and section E,
which had a -4.35% change. This may have been because the Department mid-term assessment
occurred directly after spring break, and some students may have had some difficulty transitioning.
However, overall students in four sections out of the six showed general improvement.
Percentage of Change between the Mid-term and the Final:
Between the mid-term and the final assessments, the results evidenced a positive change in all six
sections, with section B presenting the highest rate of improvement at 33.33%. Sections A and F also
demonstrated notable improvement, with scores of +28.57% and +27.27% respectively. Students in
Section A made considerable progress moving from an average score of a 2.1 to a 2.7. Students in
section F moved from 2.2 to 2.8. Each of these sections had an average final assessment score of 2.73,
which is close to the passing score of a “3”. Although the average is below “3”, many students overall
did achieve the score of a three as will be illustrated in Figure #1.
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Percentage of Change between the Baseline and the Final:
Between the beginning and the end of the semester, all six sections of BE122 demonstrated
improvements in their ability to write a well-organized, cohesive, academic summary. The analysis and
comparison of the original scores on the baseline assessment to the final assessment indicate
improvement over time. All six sections demonstrated a positive change between assessments with
sections B and F scoring the highest at +55.56% and +47.37%.
Students Scoring “3” or Higher on Assessment:
The previous two data tables reveal that over time students in all six sections of BE122
improved their ability to write a well-written academic summary. However, it still must be
noted that even by the end of the semester, the average score on the final assessment, 2.73,
was under a “3” which is considered to be the lowest passing score using the MTEL Summary
Scoring Rubric. Nevertheless, as can be noted from the bar graph below, as the semester
progressed an increased number of students were able to pass the assessment.
Figure 1
Percentage of Students Scoring at least a 3 on Assessments
Students Scoring 3 or Higher
80
70
60
Score on Baseline
Assessment
50
40
Score on Mid-term
Assessment
30
20
Score on Final Assessment
10
0
Score on
Baseline
Assessment
Score on Mid- Score on Final
term
Assessment
Assessment
Baseline Assessment
Mid-term Assessment
Final Assessment
Out of 117 students, 29 students
scored a “ 3” or higher or 25%
Out of 106 students, 36 students
scored “3” or higher or 34%
Out of 105 students 72 were able to
score “3” or higher on the final
assessment or 69%
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Table 3: Comparison of Means for the MTEL Summary Scoring Rubric
n
Mean
SD
Baseline Score
114
2.13*
.65956
Midterm Score
104
2.25*
.63090
Final Score
105
2.73*
.52314

p < .0001
In Table 3, a t-test of dependent means also revealed a statistically significant increase in scores
between a) the baseline assessment and the midterm, b) the midterm assessment and the final, and c)
the Baseline assessment and the final (p < .0001). These analyses suggest that teaching the students’
summary writing skills at the beginning of the term improved their ability to compose summaries
significantly; however, repeating the lesson and offering additional opportunities to write more
summaries improved their performance even more. Thus, these results suggest that when teachers
engage in a spiral approach to teaching new skills to their developmental reading students, their
learners reap the benefit of repeated lessons and practice because this repetition advances their
summary writing scores.
As Table 4 indicates an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and a Tukey HSD revealed a
statistically significant difference (p < .05) between groups 1 and 2 during the baseline
assessment. However, after the midterm and final assessments, no statistical differences were
evidenced among any of the classes. These results suggest that student population was similar,
and the summary lesson and instruction in all six classes was consistent and similar since no
significant differences were demonstrated.
Table 4 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) among Six Classes

Baseline Score
Df
5
f
2.403
Significance
.042*
Midterm Score
5
.925
.468
Final Score
5
.828
.533*
p < .05
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Correlational Analyses of the Data
To examine the relationships among the summary tasks and the ACT Reading scores, the
following correlations were conducted.
Table 5
Correlation of Summary Scores to ACT Reading Scores
Summary
Base Line
Base Line
Midterm
Final
ACT Reading
Score
.246*
.070
.180
.321**
.266*
Midterm
.246*
Final
.070
.321**
ACT Reading
Score
.180
.266*
.373**
.373**
 p < .05
** p < .01
Correlational analyses revealed:
1. a weak positive correlation (.246) between the baseline summary scores and the midterm
summary scores (p < .05);
2. a moderate positive correlation (.321) between midterm summary scores and the final summary
scores (p < .01);
3. a weak positive relationship between the midterm summary scores and the ACT Reading scores;
and
4. a moderate positive correlation between the final summary scores and the ACT Reading scores.
A weak positive correlation between the baseline summary scores and the midterm summary
scores (.246) suggests that although the students had received specific instruction and practice in
summarizing, their performance on the midterm still evidenced a weak relationship with their baseline
scores. However, after the students received additional instruction and practice in summarizing, their
final scores moderately correlated with their ACT Reading scores. Thus, these correlations suggest that
as the students enhance their ability to summarize, they also advance their ACT Reading scores. This is
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an important finding because the level at which a student can compose a summary is related to his/her
ability to perform on the ACT Reading exam and thereby provides another assessment tool to the
teachers when they are trying to understand why certain students fail the ACT Reading while others
succeed. It also implies that remedial reading students require multiple learning experiences before
they comprehend new topics.
TABLE 9. Resulting Action Plan
In the table below, or in a separate attachment, interpret and evaluate the assessment results, and
describe the actions to be taken as a result of the assessment. In the evaluation of achievement, take
into account student success in demonstrating the types of knowledge and the cognitive processes
identified in the Course Objectives.
A. Analysis and interpretation of assessment results:
See section 8 above.
B. Evaluation of the assessment process:
What do the results suggest about how well the assignment and the assessment process worked both to
help students learn and to show what they have learned?
Judging by the increase in the students’ average scores across all three implementations of the
assessment, it appears that both the assignment and the assessment process yielded significant
outcomes. The students’ average score on the baseline assessment was 2.13. After the first lesson and
the mid-term assessment, the scores increased to 2.25, and after the final spiral lesson and assessment
it increased again to 2.73. From the original baseline to final assessment, this is an increase of 29.93%.
In section E, there was a slight dip between the baseline, an average score of 2.3 to the mid-term to 2.2;
however, by the final assessment, the students had increased their overall average to 2.5, which is still
moderately higher than their baseline score of 2.3, which was achieved early in the semester. This
variation could have resulted from the students’ self-selection when they registered for specific sections
of BE122.
In addition, a large number of students that participated in the study, 72 out of 106, had achieved
passing scores of least a 3 by the final assessment. These results again demonstrate the effectiveness of
both the assignment and the assessment process itself.
C. Resulting action plan:
Based on A and B, what changes, if any, do you anticipate making?
Modest to gains were achieved using, the MTEL, to measure summary skills across the three
implementations of the assessment instrument from the baseline to the mid-term to the final
assessment. The results from this assessment revealed that the students’ ability to summarize
improved over time with repeated lessons and practice.
This assessment insinuates that explicit repeated teaching of a) differentiating the main idea of a
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passage from extraneous minor details, b) paraphrasing , c) using transitions, and d) organizing a wellorganized cohesive summary, leads to enhanced ability to write effective summaries. Since summary
writing is an essential skill on Department Summary Reading Test, the BE122 faculty will be encouraged
to use this repeated-teaching and testing method as they fine tune their courses.
Since most remedial students arrive with weak academic skills, they require as much exposure to
academic language and repeated specific instructions as possible. This can consist of additional repeated
lessons, challenging academic material, and consistent review of the skills necessary to write an
effective summary.
As BE122 students are in the highest level of our reading program, it is also recommended that
instructors require their students to read two novels instead of one. These books should be at a
challenging level to ensure that they are academically prepared for the credit-bearing courses that they
will need to complete once they leave our department because credit-bearing courses often consist of a
rigorous curriculum that includes extensive reading. Therefore, our students need to increase their
reading speed, overall reading comprehension levels, as well as general language acquisition. This can
be accomplished when they are expected to read and write prolifically at high reading levels. Instructors
can then be encouraged to require their students to summarize various chapters of these novels to
progress their overall summary writing skill, which will also be needed in their credit-bearing classes.
To enhance this summary writing lesson further, instructors can be encouraged to develop model
summaries that directly correspond to the criteria of the rubric being utilized. For instance, students can
be provided with model summaries that have received the score of a 1, 2, 3, or 4 on the rubric. The
models can be distributed to the students without their corresponding scores and then the students can
work in groups to assess each summary. The classroom instructor can then lead the students through a
discussion/analysis of the scores that each summary should have received and the rationale behind each
decision so that the students view summarizing from the teacher’s perspective. After this review, the
students should score each other’s summaries to enhance their understanding of this skill by analyzing
and discussing their summaries along with the rubric.
Likewise, all BE122 instructors should participate in departmental norming sessions during which they
utilize these model summaries along with their corresponding rubrics to ensure consistency and
accuracy in their grading. These sessions will also permit teachers to glean ideas from one another to
enhance their summary teaching and evaluation skills even more. This will be especially helpful in that it
will increase the likelihood of fewer discrepancies among sections because the instructors will be
exposed to increased support among peers and other professionals in their fields.
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Addendum:
These documents were included in the instructor’s packet for the Spring 2014 Assessment of
BE 122. They include: a) the lesson plan, b) reading passages and c.) the rubric
The reading passages and MTEL Summary Scoring Rubric referred to in the lesson are attached
to the end of this section.
Overview of the Lesson for Session #1
The focus of this lesson is finding the key ideas in a reading passage and writing a summary
about those key ideas. The focus of the lesson will be the following:

Review the MTEL Summary Scoring Rubric with particular focus on a score of “3” as a
passing summary.

Read the passage

Identify the overall topic, main idea, and key ideas within the passage.

Draft a summary.

Include transition words that indicate an additional idea.

Edit for simple sentence structure and main idea/key ideas (time permitting)
The Summary Rubric
The Department of Academic Literacy at QCC utilizes the MTEL Summary Scoring Rubric
to assess summary writing at midterms and finals across all reading courses. This rubric consists
of a four-point scale. The score of one represents the lowest score and is not passing. Two is
approaching a passing level. Three is passing, and four is higher than passing. Some of the most
important criteria that these scores are based on include: the extent to which the student
understood the main idea of the article, how well the student organized his or her own ideas,
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the degree to which the student used his or her own words, and how clearly the summary was
written.
To help students understand the important parts of a summary, you can focus on “3” on
the four-point scale as the target for summary writing because it is considered to be a passing
score. We suggest that you and the students use the attached rubric to carefully examine
differences in scores on the scale; such analysis can help students to understand the differences
between a failing and passing summary score. One approach is to focus on the description of
how well main ideas and significant details are conveyed in the summary at the “3” level vs. the
“2” or “1”. For example, going from “3” to “1” on the scale reveals different levels of
performance in summary writing. You can ask the students to examine the first bullet point in
score level and underline the words that show those differences and consider the meaning with
regard to scoring:
3
The response conveys most of the main ideas and significant details of the original
passage, and is generally accurate and clear.
2
The response conveys only some of the main ideas and significant details of the original
passage.
1
The response fails to convey the main ideas and details of the original passage.
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Once students analyze those differences in scoring, you could ask them to consider the “4” vs.
“3” level by eliciting definitions for “accurately” and “clearly” in the context of good summary
writing.
4
The response accurately and clearly conveys all of the main ideas and significant details
of the original passage.
If time permits further analysis, you and the students can compare other bullet points in scoring
levels (paraphrasing, organization, and clarity).
The Reading Passage #1
The attached reading passage (Why Obesity Among 5 Year Olds Is So Dangerous) will be used to
demonstrate how to find the topic, main idea, and key ideas. We suggest that you and the
students work together on the initial part of this task (finding the topic and main idea) and
allow them to work in pairs for the second part of the task (finding key ideas).
Determining the Topic and Main Idea of Reading Passage #1
1. The topic of a reading passage is usually a few words that express the most general
point that is discussed in the passage. Elicit student responses about the topic of the
passage.
2. Next, the main idea of the entire passage usually contains the topic and the author’s
opinion or the point being made. Elicit student responses about the main idea of the
passage.
Determining the Key Ideas in the Passage
After you and the students have reviewed the topic and main idea of the passage, you can
ask pairs to find the key ideas in the passage. It is sometimes challenging for developmental
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reading students to understand the difference between general and specific ideas. Therefore, we
recommend that you work on this concept with the students before they participate in pair work.
For example, you can write down several examples of general vs. specific ideas on the board to
model this concept and/or elicit examples from the students such as fruit (general) and kinds of
fruit (specific). When you think students are ready to work on their own, ask them to highlight or
underline only the key ideas in this passage. When the pairs have finished, review key ideas with
the whole class.
Paraphrasing for the summary
After the topic, main idea, and key ideas have been identified, pairs can work on
drafting the summary. Drafting a passing summary (“3” score) requires paraphrasing, and we
suggest you elicit students’ knowledge of this skill. Depending on student responses about
paraphrasing, you may want to say that writing a good summary means that students should
change some of verbs, adjectives, and nouns with synonyms (or words with similar meanings),
and/or sentence structure. Below is one example of changing verbs, adjectives and/or nouns:
Example #1:
Original sentence: A new report that studied kids throughout childhood found that those who
are obese at five years old are more likely to be heavy later in life.
Revised sentence: A recent longitudinal study of children revealed that overweight five-yearolds were more likely to be overweight adults.
Below is an example of changing sentence structure from compound to complex:
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Example #2:
Original sentence: The study highlights the dynamic between early weight gain and obesity, and
the researchers say future work should focus on understanding what contributes to a child
becoming overweight so early in life.
Revised sentence: Since the research shows how gaining weight during childhood is linked to
obesity, researchers believe that other studies should explore contributing factors that lead to
early childhood obesity.
Writing the Summary
Ask students to draft a summary by stating the following:

The title of the passage

The author of the passage

The topic of the passage

The main idea

The key ideas
Adding Transition Words
The next part of drafting a summary is writing with coherence. Again, coherence may be a
complex or unknown term for developmental reading students, so we recommend discussing
this aspect as making connections with words that add ideas. Elicit transition words that help
students to add ideas into their writing. Ask students to look at their summary closely to see
where they might be able to add transition words.
The Homework Assignment
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For homework, ask students to read the attached passage #2 (Premature Babies: Talking to
Them Improves their Language Development) and draft a summary on their own. Remind them
that the summary should include the title, author’s name, topic, main idea, and key ideas.
Session #2
Review the homework summary as a whole class for content and coherence. After homework
review, assign the individual in-class assessment activity.
Baseline Reading
Losing Is Good for You
By ASHLEY MERRYMAN
Trophies were once rare things — sterling silver loving cups bought from jewelry stores for truly
special occasions. But in the 1960s, they began to be mass-produced, marketed in catalogs to
teachers and coaches, and sold in sporting-goods stores.
Today, participation trophies and prizes are almost a given, as children are constantly assured that
they are winners. One Maryland summer program gives awards every day — and the “day” is one
hour long. In Southern California, a regional branch of the American Youth Soccer Organization
hands out roughly 3,500 awards each season — each player gets one, while around a third get two.
Nationally, A.Y.S.O. local branches typically spend as much as 12 percent of their yearly budgets on
trophies.
It adds up: trophy and award sales are now an estimated $3 billion-a-year industry in the United
States and Canada.
By age 4 or 5, children aren’t fooled by all the trophies. They are surprisingly accurate in identifying
who excels and who struggles. Those who are outperformed know it and give up, while those who
do well feel cheated when they aren’t recognized for their accomplishments. They, too, may give
up.
It turns out that, once kids have some proficiency in a task, the excitement and uncertainty of real
competition may become the activity’s very appeal.
If children know they will automatically get an award, what is the impetus for improvement? Why
bother learning problem-solving skills, when there are never obstacles to begin with?
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If I were a baseball coach, I would announce at the first meeting that there would be only three
awards: Best Overall, Most Improved and Best Sportsmanship. Then I’d hand the kids a list of things
they’d have to do to earn one of those trophies. They would know from the get-go that excellence,
improvement, character and persistence were valued.
One researcher warns that when living rooms are filled with participation trophies, it’s part of a
larger cultural message: to succeed, you just have to show up. In college, those who’ve grown up
receiving endless awards do the requisite work, but don’t see the need to do it well. In the office,
they still believe that attendance is all it takes to get a promotion. However, in life, you’re going to
lose more often than you win, even if you’re good at something. You’ve got to get used to that to
keep going.
When children make mistakes, our job should not be to spin those losses into decorated victories.
Instead, our job is to help kids overcome setbacks, to help them see that progress over time is more
important than a particular win or loss, and to help them graciously congratulate the child who
succeeded when they failed. To do that, we need to refuse all the meaningless plastic and tin
destined for landfills. We have to stop letting the trophy industry run our children’s lives.
READINGS USED AS PART OF LESSON
Reading Passage #1- (In-Class Practice)
Why Obesity Among 5 Year Olds Is So Dangerous
By Alexandra Sifferlin
A new report that studied kids throughout childhood found that those who are obese at five
years old are more likely to be heavy later in life.
While other studies have hinted at that trend, those have generally involved what’s known as
prevalence of the condition — or the proportion of a population, at a given time, that is
considered obese. Such information doesn’t suggest the risk of developing obesity, which is
revealed by studying a population over specific periods of time. So in the latest study, published
in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists tracked a group of 7738 children, some of
whom were overweight or obese, and some who were normal weight, from 1998 (when they
were in kindergarten) to 2007 (when they were in ninth grade). They found that the 14.9% of
five-year-olds who were overweight at kindergarten were four times more likely to become
obese nearly a decade later than five-year-olds of a healthy weight.
During the study, the researchers measured the children’s height and weight seven times,
which allowed them to record the incidence of obesity almost yearly. Overall, since most of the
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children (6807) were normal weight at the start of the study, the children’s risk of becoming
obese decreased by 5.4% during the kindergarten year and by 1.7% between the fifth and
eighth grades. But the five-year-olds who were overweight, defined as having a body mass
index (BMI) within the 85th percentile for their age group were significantly more likely to
become obese, which the scientists defined as a BMI within the 95th percentile of their age
group as time went on. Among kids who became obese between the ages of five and 14, about
half had been overweight in the past and 75% were in a high BMI percentile at the start of the
study.
Obesity is connected to a high risk of chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease,
and stroke among adults, and young children who spend more years overweight or obese may
be putting themselves at even higher risk of these diseases, the scientists say.
The study highlights the dynamic between early weight gain and obesity, and the researchers
say future work should focus on understanding what contributes to a child becoming
overweight so early in life. The results suggest that education about weight gain and obesity
prevention efforts may need to start earlier with families of young children, before youngsters
become locked in a condition that’s difficult to change.
Reading Passage #2 – (Homework Assignment Practice Reading)
Premature Babies: Talking to Them Improves their Language Development
By Alice Park – February 10, 2014
Language and conversation is our lifeblood. And that’s even true, scientists say, if one of the
“speakers” may not have fully developed language skills.
Led by Dr. Betty Vohr, a professor of pediatrics at Brown University, researchers found that
premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) benefited when their mothers
spoke to them in attempts to engage them in conversation, compared to if their mothers simply
stroked them or if the babies were primarily around nurses who talked about or around them
but didn’t address the babies directly.
Vohr and her team studied 36 preterm infants and made 16-hour recordings when they were
32 weeks and 36 weeks old. The 32-week-old babies were born eight weeks before their
mother’s due date, and the 36-week-old infants were delivered four weeks shy of their
expected birth date. When the infants were 7 and 18 months old, the researchers tested their
cognitive and language skills, including their ability to communicate by receiving and expressing
themselves, first with vocalizations and eventually with their first words.
For every increase in 100 words that adults spoke to the preterm infants, the scientists found a
two-point increase in their language scores at 18 months, and a half-point increase in their
expressive communication score.
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Previous studies have documented that hearing and responding to speech is critical for normal
language development, and that premature babies are at higher risk of language delays
compared to babies born at term..
So the possibility that something as simple as having parents speak to their babies, even in the
isolette in a NICU, can minimize such potential language delays is exciting. The results are
intriguing because Vohr and her team were able to pinpoint what type of communication
seemed to make a difference. They found that actually engaging the baby by addressing the
infant – ‘Hi Joshua, mommy’s here’ – did better at 18 months than those whose mothers held
them, but didn’t speak as much, or those who were cared for by nurses who talked mostly
about their vital signs and other medical issues to other health care personnel.
Vohr says that although preterm babies can’t communicate with language, they do respond to
attempts to engage them with vocalizations. Studies also showed that they turn instinctively to
their mother’s voice after they are born, which presumably is familiar from their time in the
womb. “Our conclusion is that it’s really important for moms to come into the NICU, and for
them to talk to their babies,” says Vohr.
What’s more exciting, she says, is that while most of NICU care involves the latest technology
and expensive equipment, having mom or dad talk to their babies doesn’t cost anything. “This
just really involves talking to moms and informing them that you have an important role here,
and you can make a big difference for your baby,” says Vohr.
Departmental Mid-Term Assessment
The Road to Ivory is Stained with Blood
By Michael Dobie
The ongoing slaughter of African elephants, in service to the worldwide trade in illegal ivory, is
shameful and heartbreaking. However, a series of recent events here and abroad is creating
optimism that progress can be made in the fight to stop the killing.
The United States has banned nearly all trading of ivory and crushed six tons of seized ivory last
year, prompting China and France to do the same. The United States also was one of 46 nations
at a London conference earlier this month that called for a global crackdown on wildlife
trafficking that kills tens of thousands of elephants, rhinos and other endangered species every
year.
Time will tell whether those words lead to actions that help solve this serious problem, because
the notion of doing nothing is unacceptable. Elephant tusks can be used in jewelry and carvings.
As such, an estimated 35,000 African elephants are killed yearly by poachers; once numbering in
the millions, the population now is about 400,000. One species, the African forest elephant, has
declined 76 percent since 2002 and could be extinct in a decade. And it's not just elephants at
risk. Hundreds of African park rangers have been killed in the last few years.
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As consumers, we play a role in this. New York City's ivory market is the largest in the nation,
and the United States is one of world's prime destinations for ivory, behind only China in some
estimates. Elephant ivory trade was banned worldwide by treaty in 1989, which temporarily
slowed the killing, but the bloody business is back in full swing. Terrorist organizations and
rebel groups are now raising funds via the illegal harvest of ivory. The United Nations estimates
the global trade at more than $30 million a year.
The 1989 action and the new U.S. ban were well-intentioned, but problems with both limit their
effectiveness. The first ban exempted ivory harvested from elephants killed before 1989, an
exemption partially continued under the U.S. ban. But determining the age of old ivory is
notoriously difficult; often it comes down to the seller's word. Some sellers stain ivory to make it
look older. Allowing some legal trade of ivory has masked the illegal trade and allowed it to
flourish. As for the U.S. ban, it came via executive action by President Barack Obama, not
legislation, and can be undone by the next chief executive.
These problems are addressed by state legislation being offered by New York congressman
Robert Sweeney. It calls for a complete ban on ivory sales and tough penalties to match. Given
the size of the New York market, its effect could be dramatic. It's a strong complement to the
already existing federal ban on ivory and deserves legal passage. And it could serve as a model
for other states. Wildlife Conservation Society officials say groups in eight other states -including California and Florida -- are interested in supporting similar legislation.
The good news appears to be that the world finally is waking up to the magnitude of this crisis.
But saving elephants is not just a matter of government action. That's where we as individuals
come in. We need to understand that when we buy ivory, we're helping to make extinct the
largest and most majestic land animal on earth. So it's time to ask yourself about stopping the
harvesting of ivory from our planet’s precious wildlife: Do you care?
FINAL ASSESSMENT READING (Department Reading Summary Final
Reading)
Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat
By JANE E. BRODY
There was a time when red meat was a luxury for ordinary Americans, or was at least something
special: cooking a roast for Sunday dinner, ordering a steak at a restaurant. Not anymore. Meat
consumption has more than doubled in the United States in the last 50 years. Now a new study
of more than 500,000 Americans has provided the best evidence yet that our affinity for red
meat has exacted a hefty price on our health and limited our longevity.
The study found that, other things being equal, the men and women who consumed the most
red and processed meat were likely to die sooner, especially from one of our two leading killers,
heart disease and cancer, than people who consumed much smaller amounts of these foods.
Results of the decade-long study were published in the March 23 issue of The Archives of
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Internal Medicine. The study, directed by Rashmi Sinha, a nutritional doctor at the National
Cancer Institute, involved 322,263 men and 223,390 women ages 50 to 71 who participated in
the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. Each participant completed
detailed questionnaires about diet and other habits and characteristics, including smoking,
exercise, alcohol consumption, education, use of supplements, weight and family history of
cancer.
During the decade, 47,976 men and 23,276 women died, and the researchers kept track of the
timing and reasons for each death. Red meat consumption ranged from a low of less than an
ounce a day, on average, to a high of four ounces a day, and processed meat consumption ranged
from at most once a week to an average of one and a half ounces a day. The increase in mortality
risk tied to the higher levels of meat consumption was described as “modest,” ranging from
about 20 percent to nearly 40 percent. But the number of excess deaths that could be attributed
to high meat consumption is quite large given the size of the American population.
The new findings suggest that over the course of a decade, the deaths of one million men and
perhaps half a million women could be prevented just by eating less red and processed meats,
according to estimates prepared by Dr. Barry Popkin, who wrote an editorial accompanying the
report. To prevent premature deaths related to red and processed meats, Dr. Popkin suggested
in an interview that people should eat a hamburger only once or twice a week instead of every
day, a small steak once a week instead of every other day, and a hot dog every month and a half
instead of once a week.
In place of red meat, non-vegetarians might consider poultry and fish. In the study, the largest
consumers of “white” meat from poultry and fish had a slight survival advantage. Likewise,
those who ate the most fruits and vegetables also tended to live longer.
A question that arises from observational studies like this one is whether meat is in fact a hazard
or whether other factors associated with meat-eating are the real culprits in raising death rates.
The subjects in the study who ate the most red meat had other less-than-healthful habits. They
were more likely to smoke, weigh more for their height, and consume more calories and more
total fat and saturated fat. They also ate less fruits, vegetables and fiber; took fewer vitamin
supplements; and were less physically active.
Poultry and fish contain less saturated fat than red meat, and fish contains omega-3 fatty acids
that have been linked in several large studies to heart benefits. For example, men who consume
two servings of fatty fish a week were found to have a 50 percent lower risk of cardiac deaths,
and in the Nurses’ Health Study of 84,688 women, those who ate fish and foods rich in omega-3
fatty acids at least once a week cut their coronary risk by more than 20 percent.
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SCORING RUBRICS FOR COMMUNICATION AND LITERACY SKILLS:
WRITTEN SUMMARY EXERCISE (MTEL) Summary Scoring Rubric
Score Point Description
4
 The response accurately and clearly conveys all of the main ideas and significant details of the
original passage. It does not introduce information, opinion, or analysis not found in the original.
Relationships among ideas are preserved.
 The response is concise while providing enough statements of appropriate depth and specificity
to convey the main ideas and significant details of the original passage.
 The response is written in the candidate's own words, clearly and coherently conveying main
ideas and significant details.
 The response shows excellent control of grammar and conventions. Sentence structure, word
choice, and usage are precise and effective. Mechanics (i.e., spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization) conform to the standard conventions of written English.
3
 The response conveys most of the main ideas and significant details of the original passage, and
is generally accurate and clear. It introduces very little or no information, opinion, or analysis
not found in the original. Relationships among ideas are generally maintained.
 The response may be too long or too short, but generally provides enough statements of
appropriate depth and specificity to convey most of the main ideas and significant details of the
original passage.
 The response is generally written in the candidate's own words, conveying main ideas and
significant details in a generally clear and coherent manner.
 The response shows general control of grammar and conventions. Some minor errors in
sentence structure, word choice, usage and mechanics (i.e., spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization) may be present.
2
 The response conveys only some of the main ideas and significant details of the original passage.
Information, opinion, or analysis not found in the original passage may substitute for some of
the original ideas. Relationships among ideas may be unclear.
 The response either includes or excludes too much of the content of the original passage. It is
too long or too short. It may take the form of a list or an outline.
 The response may be written only partially in the candidate's own words while conveying main
ideas and significant details. Language not from the passage may be unclear and/or disjointed.
 The response shows limited control of grammar and conventions. Errors in sentence structure,
word choice, usage, and/or mechanics (i.e., spelling, punctuation, and capitalization) are
distracting.
1
 The response fails to convey the main ideas and details of the original passage. It may consist
mostly of information, opinion, or analysis not found in the original.
 The response is not concise. It either includes or excludes almost all the content of the original
passage.
 The response is written almost entirely of language from the original passage or is written in the
candidate's own words and is confused and/or incoherent.
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
The response fails to show control of grammar and conventions. Serious errors in sentence
structure, word choice, usage, and/or mechanics (i.e., spelling, punctuation, and capitalization)
impede communication.

The response is unrelated to the assigned topic, illegible, primarily in a language otherthan
English, not of sufficient length to score, or merely a repetition of the assignment.

There is no response to the assignment.
U
B
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