BASIC SKILL INITIATIVE REQUEST FOR FUNDS
BSC Mission Statement
Our mission is to improve the retention, persistence, and success of basic skills
students.
Funds used from the Basic Skills Initiative should include one or more of the following:
1. Promote the use of effective practices in developmental education for
administrative, student services, and instructional programs.
2. Provide professional development regarding effective practices in developmental
education.
3. Work with Institutional Research in tracking basic skills students from entry to
completion.
4. Assess and evaluate the programs designed to improve student success.
Complete the form on the page below and email the form as an attachment to
bsc@redwoods.edu.
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BASIC SKILL INITIATIVE REQUEST FOR FUNDS
1. Describe clearly and in detail fund request.
This is a BSI fund request for the outreach, teaching, coordination and assessment of
two new courses, ESL 302A and ESL 202B, at the College of the Redwoods (CR) main
campus and for the Del Norte campus. These courses are presently offered at the
Mendocino campus and provide a two-part sequence for beginning level English for
Speakers of 0ther Languages (ESOL) students. Both courses were developed and
approved through the college’s usual curriculum process. The funds requested here
would also support coordination (planning and assessment) of the project and
community outreach. The funding will cover the costs to develop new curriculum which
is necessary to a substantive ESL project that will best serve our students.
Outreach
Outreach to ESOL communities is critical to the success of these courses. In 2002 and
2003, there were activities that included meetings with Latino leaders, advocates and
community members through which survey data was garnered that strongly supported
the need for substantive ESOL offerings. Sadly, the findings aggregated from those
efforts have been lost. Because a need has been clearly established since that time
and the Chancellor has mandated the ESOL offerings through the Student Equity Plan
(SEP), outreach to gather survey data would be helpful but not necessary to begin
courses at the CR Eureka and the Del Norte campuses. However, outreach to inform
the local communities that would most benefit from ESOL that the courses exist and
that they are sufficient to meet their needs is required. Additionally, based on
successful culturally consistent models for outreach at other colleges, we know that a
successful effort requires that prospective students be given overt personal invitations
to study at the CR Eureka and Del Norte campuses. This means that a CR
representative(s) will go to religious centers, to the community centers, to leaders and
advocates in the various communities and invite individuals to come to the Eureka main
and Del Norte campuses to take courses. Additionally, mailing lists will be gathered and
course announcements will be mailed and/or posted.
This outreach is critical due to the isolation and vulnerability of the ESOL populations in
the districts. These communities have already been economically and politically
marginalized and consistently disregarded. The coordinator of this initiative will engage
in these efforts which will be shared with other units on campus.
Both instructors will be given outreach responsibilities.
Teaching
Two qualified part-time English as a Second Language (ESOL) instructors will be
funded to teach one course during the spring and two in the fall semesters.
Coordination and Assessment
One instructor will be given additional coordination tasks that will include assessment
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and curriculum development.
At this time, objective measures to determine the appropriate placement level or to
require prerequisite course completion before enrolling in either ESOL course offered at
CR have not yet been identified. During the first term in which these courses are taught,
one teaching faculty and other individuals responsible for this project will initiate the
process to gain approval to use the appropriate placement measures and establish
prerequisite requirements in guiding students toward the best course to meet their
needs.
Coordination of the courses will include the planning necessary to determine if
additional classes should be developed including, an ESOL lab course akin to English
52 at the Eureka campus. The coordinator will determine if outreach efforts are
successful.
Assessments will be administered at the end of each semester to measure whether
students are meeting the student learning outcomes for the courses. As with other
disciplines at CR, the coordinator will be required to submit a five-year plan for the
assessment of the course-level outcomes; assessment activities will take place
according to this schedule. The coordinator will determine if the sequential courses
meet the practical needs of students. If the sequential courses do not meet student
needs then the coordinator will propose a new model for ESL curriculum, including
drafting and ushering the curriculum through the process detailed by the Curriculum
Committee of the CR Academic Senate.
2. Describe how your proposal supports that Basic Skills Mission Statement.
The proposal supports the BSI mission by directly impacting retention rates, persistence
and success of basic skills students.
According to the Research and Planning Group for the California Community Colleges
(2007) and the Chancellor’s Report on English as a Second Language and Basic Skills
Report (2008),
"Basic Skills are those foundation skills in reading, writing, mathematics and ESL as
well as learning skills and study skills, which are necessary for the students to succeed
in college level work…The inclusion of ESL in this definition recognizes that all ESL is
not by definition subsumed under Basic Skills to the extent that a student is unable to
succeed in college level coursework due to the inability to speak, read, write or
comprehend English, ESL Skills are considered as foundation skills in accordance to
the definition above" (July, 2007; July, 2008, p 3).
Clearly, under this definition the courses proposed fall under the Basic Skills category
because they are foundational in nature and will help students to succeed in college
level coursework by improving their abilities to speak, read, write and comprehend
English. Student persistence, retention and success are improved as Basic Skills
improve and the mastering of the outcomes in the proposed courses builds those skills
necessary for college success.
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The Student Equity Plan, which was written in 2004, provides the rationale that supports
the need for ESL courses. While minority population numbers may be perceived as
comparatively low, CR is charged with serving all of the populations in the counties it
supports. English learners tend to fall under minority population status and these are,
primarily, Latino (10%). However, there is a significant Asian/ Pacific Islander (3-5%)
population here, and there are international students who are enrolled at the Eureka
campus who are failing.
Anita Janis, Dean of the Del Norte Center, supports efforts to pursue funding to begin a
similar program at the Del Norte campus in Crescent City. Aggregated statistics
demonstrate an even greater need in Del Norte County with a Latino population of 18%.
The Asian/Pacific Islander population at that location is about the same as it is in
Humboldt County.
By providing ESOL students with language learning support, and thereby serving some
of our District’s most impoverished populations, the college is fulfilling its mission to
support the economic vitality of the region. Many ESOL students are basic skills
students and by not acknowledging and addressing their needs the mission of the BSI is
only partially supported. This project will help to bring the Eureka campus in line with
the full scope of students the BSI reaches.
3. Describe anticipated expenses (attach another page if necessary).
Items:
Anticipated Expenses/ Eureka and Del Norte
Teaching: Part-Time Faculty
900.60 x 10 TLU
5 TLUs per course x two courses
90 teaching hours per one non-credit course
Outreach Activities: Part-Time Faculty
900.60 x 1 TLU
(1 TLU will be devoted to outreach activities, planning and
assessment.)
Flyers/Announcements
Meetings/Gatherings/Receptions
(Refreshments)
Cost:
Eureka:
$13,509
Del Norte:
$13,509
Eureka:
$900.60
Del Norte:
$900.60
Eureka:
$200.00
Del Norte:
$200.00
Eureka:
$200.00
Del Norte:
$200.00
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Eureka:
$900.60
Del Norte:
$900.60
Coordination Activities: Assessment, Reporting,
and Curriculum Development: One Part-Time Faculty
900.60 x 1 TLU
Total
$30,579.20
4. List faculty and staff involved and/or responsible for the project.
The Dean of Academic Affairs Eureka
The Dean of the Del Norte Center
Part-time faculty members hired to engage in program planning, outreach and
instruction
Human Resources officer who will engage in advertising for the positions.
Persons responsible for hiring the part-time faculty will be Area Coordinators appointed
by the Dean of Academic Affairs in Eureka and the Dean of Academic Affairs in Del
Norte.
The courses will be housed in Arts Languages and Social Sciences (ALSS).
5. Intended Outcomes (include specific, measurable targets):
I.
Curriculum Outcomes
A. The outcomes for ESL-302 B are:
1. Speak using vocabulary and oral proficiency at a beginning ESL level. 2. Write
sentences at a beginning ESL level. 3. Read and comprehend passages by
recognizing level-appropriate, high frequency vocabulary and identifying main ideas and
supporting details.
B. The outcomes for ESL-302 A are:
1. Speak with an expanded vocabulary and oral proficiency at a beginning ESL level.
2. Write more complex sentences at a beginning ESL level. 3. Read and write short
paragraphs with organization and content, vocabulary, and grammatical accuracy at a
beginning ESL level. 4. Read and comprehend passages by recognizing levelappropriate, high-frequency vocabulary and identifying main ideas and supporting
details.
II. The outcome of the overall program would be to support ESL students in their
ability to enter and successfully complete English 150, and then to successfully
complete a college level course English 1A.
6. Assessment Schedule (specify exactly what you will measure and how you will measure it):
The methods of assessment employed will use different forms.
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Because the funding is determined bi-annually, then appropriate assessment data will
be gathered at each semester cumulatively and after two semesters when the learning
outcomes will be assessed. At the end of the Spring 2011 semester (by methods
determined by the instructors) and then again at the end of the Fall semester, to
indicate if the outcomes are evinced. This process will mirror all other assessment
processes conducted by department/discipline for courses at the college. As with other
disciplines, the ESL course-level assessment five-year plan will be updated each fall
and the results of, and follow-up changes resulting from, assessment work will be
reported each spring as part of the program review process. This assessment will also
determine if students pass the classes and are prepared to advance to either English
150 or to the next ESL course (or remain in the course they have taken). Students will
be evaluated based upon their abilities to write short essay responses on quizzes
and/or tests, as well as oral in-class presentations; these will be scored using a threepoint rubric (fails to meet expectations, meets expectations, or exceeds expectations)
for each course-level outcome.
In December of 2012 the effectiveness of the courses will be determined, as will the
outreach activities. The instructor/coordinator will report efficacy to the Dean of
Academic Affairs, to the VP of Academic Affairs and to the Chair of the BSI committee.
This final assessment is critical since it will help determine if these courses help
students gain access to English 150. This application is modeled after the curriculum
that has already been approved at CR.
The curriculum package proposed for this project is an incomplete one, with two
courses that are missing from the sequence. The instructor with coordination duties will
create the additional courses and usher those through the curriculum process if
he/determines that this would create for our students the best possible ESOL outcomes.
It may be that in the future it would make sense to create three separate intensive
courses in grammar, reading and writing that a student may take in one semester. This
construct would reduce the time taken for sequential remediation (two semesters or
three) and would put a student on a faster track to advance to English 150.
We have students at the Eureka campus right now who are struggling and failing their
classes because the institution does not provide appropriate and needed ESOL
instruction for them to succeed in courses that are heavily dependent on students
having adequately developed writing skills. This project may not perfectly address the
needs of these students, but it is a step in the right direction, and it can be modified in
the future.
7. Proposed Timeline (provide timeline details for activities):
The proposed timeline is as follows:
Nov. 2011
Begin the hiring process
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Justine Shaw and/or Deanna Herrera-Thomas meet with Latino advocates and leaders
to begin to build important external bridges with the immigrant communities they serve.
Meeting hosted by the Headwaters Fund Director on Nov. 2.
Justine Shaw and Deanna Herrera-Thomas will obtain mailing lists which will be
provided to the appropriate administrator who will then mail out flyers/announcements
regarding the availability of courses to post in churches, schools, markets and hospitals.
December 2011
Hire the ESL instructor/coordinator Eureka
Hire the ESL instructor/ Del Norte
ESL Coordinator/instructors will begin the following outreach activities:
A.
Send out invitations to meet with Latino Leaders and advocates in the
communities surrounding the Eureka and Del Norte Campuses.
B.
Host two gatherings at local community homes or centers with Latino and Pacific
Islander leaders, teachers, advocates, and Latino students (and family members) who
attend CR. to publicize the courses.
C.
Discuss with CR and area high school counselors the importance of referring
ESL students to the courses.
D.
Publicize the CR campus community that the new courses are offered at the
Eureka campus.
E.
Consult with the DN Literacy Project past ESOL instructor on what was offered at
the DN library and reach out to students who were once served there.
Jan., 2012
Begin course instruction.
Feb., 2012
Obtaining appropriate pre-requisite testing approval will be engaged in.
Testing methods and instrumentation will be determined.
May, 2012
Assessment of Outcomes
New curriculum will be developed
August, 2012
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Outreach activities
A.
Send out flyers announcing the courses.
B.
Call list of Latino/Pacific Islander advocates and leaders to remind them of
courses available.
Begin Instruction of the courses
Nov., 2012
Instructor/Coordinator will assess Course Outcomes
Instructor/Coordinator will report to the BSI Chair and to the Dean of Instruction
8. I understand that if granted, Basic Skill funds can only be used for Basic Skill
Students. By Accepting funding for this project, I agree to provide a written and oral
report describing how well intended outcomes were met, the results of the assessment,
and how this information can be used in the future. Projects funded for two semesters
will require a mid-year update as well as a report upon completion. Please note: This is
a one-time allotment of funds. Any future funding is contingent upon the submissions
and granting of a new request and availability of funding.
6. Contact Person: Deanna Herrera-Thomas
7. Date Submitted:
Nov. 1, 2011
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