Peralta Community College District
Annual Program Update Template 2010-2011
Each discipline will complete this form to update program reviews developed in 2009-2010. These will
be reviewed at the college level and then forwarded to the district-wide planning and budgeting
process. The information on this form is required for all resource requests – including faculty staffing
requests – for the 2011-12 budget year.
I.
Overview
Date Submitted:
10/18/2010
Dean:
Dr. S. Thompson
BI Download:
10/07/2010
Dept. Chair:
Mika Van Spanje
Discipline:
ESL
Campus:
Merritt
Mission
The mission of the English as a Second Language Department at Merritt College is
to help students communicate better in English, adapt to American culture, and
become successful in academic, vocational and/or personal endeavors.
To achieve this, Merritt's ESL Department is conveniently located in the Fruitvale
District of Oakland where it provides language services to the local immigrant
community. The department places high value on maintaining not only a rigorous
program of study, but also a commitment to basic study skills and adaptation to
American culture. The ESL department strives to provide a positive experience and
build confidence in applying, beginning and transitioning college study at Merritt's
main campus as well as at other Peralta colleges.
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II.
Student Data
A. Enrollment
Fall 2008
Fall 2009
Fall 2010
Census Enrollment (duplicated)
369.0
353.0
302.0
Sections (master sections)
16.0
14.0
12.0
Total FTES
58.84
60.51
47.19
Total FTEF
4.93
4.53
3.73
FTES/FTEF
11.93
13.35
12.64
Enrolled
361.0
317.0
N/A
Retained
207.0
243.0
% Retained
57.0
76.0
N/A
N/A
361.0
168.0
46.0
154.0
42.0
317.0
197.0
62.0
74.0
23.0
B. Retention
C. Success
Total Graded
Success
% Success
Withdraw
% Withdraw
III.
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
Faculty Data (ZZ assignments excluded)
Fall 2010
Contract FTEF
Hourly FTEF
Extra Service FTEF
Total FTEF
% Contract/Total
2.85
0.67
0.22
3.73
76.34
IV. Faculty Data Comparables F2010 (ZZ assignments excluded) (Z assignments excluded)
Contract FTEF
Hourly FTEF
Extra Service FTEF
Total FTEF
% Contract/Total
Alameda
Berkeley
Laney
Merritt
3.3
2.47
0.5
6.26
52.65
1.63
3.13
0.0
4.76
34.26
7.03
17.92
0.23
25.18
27.92
2.85
0.67
0.22
3.73
76.31
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V.
Qualitative Assessments
CTE and Vocational: Community and labor market
relevance. Present evidence of community need
based on Advisory Committee input, industry need
data, McIntyre Environmental Scan, McKinsey
Economic Report, licensure and job placement rates,
etc.
The current economic recession has resulted in
increased numbers of ESL students who want
to take ESL classes at the Fruitvale Center.
Manual labor obs where spoken English is not
required are hard to find, and competition for
these jobs is fierce. As of fall '10, east bay Adult
Schools have closed their ESL programs, and
Merritt ESL department has seen an increase
in the number of students who are in need of
literacy classes or very basic pre-level 1
English. Although we do not offer vocational
courses other than an ESL Through Computer
class, VESL courses are part of the larger ESL
curriculum at the Peralta ESL departments.
Transfer and Basic Skills: Describe how your
course offerings address transfer, basic skills, and
program completion.
Transfer: Since Merritt's ESL program only
offers beginning ESL courses, we do not offer
help in transfering to college. We do, however,
refer students to Merritt's Latino Center,
Merritt's counseling dept. or any of our Peralta
sister schools if such help is requested.
Basic Skills: Since our courses are at the
beginning levels, basic skills are provided in all
ESL classes; however, they are especially
integrated in our pre-level 1 series: Basic ESL
Skills 294. In this course, besides English,
students are taught how to be successful in
college classes. Emphasis is on study skills
such as time management, organization,
decrease absenteesm, planning, and learning
pro-active behavior as far as success in
education is concerned .
Program Completion: Since we do not offer a
complete 6 - level ESL Program anymore, we
created the Beginning Levels ESL Program
which consists of pre-level 1 Basic ESL skills,
Level 1 Speaking and Grammar and Level 2
Speaking and Grammar. After completing this
series of courses, students receive a certificate
of completion as the first step towards college.
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VI. Strategic Planning Goals
Check all that apply.
Describe how goal applies to your program.
Advance Student Access, Success & Equity
Engage our Communities & Partners
Build Programs of Distinction
Create a Culture of Innovation & Collaboration
Develop Resources to Advance & Sustain Mission
As educators of non-native English speakers
who may not be familiar with navigating the
American educational venues, we are
committed to helping these students gain
access to basic college education equal to that
of native speakers.
We would like to see Merritt's ESL department
at the Fruitvale Center become a "household
word" in the community. Merritt's Fruitvale
Center is strategically located to collaborate
with the Latino community and further the
educational and work-related goals of the
immigrand populatio.
VII. College Strategic Plan Relevance
Check all that apply
New program under development
Program that is integral to your college’s overall strategy
Program that is essential for transfer
Program that serves a community niche
Programs where student enrollment or success has been demonstrably affected by extraordinary
external factors, such as barriers due to housing, employment, childcare etc.
Other
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VIII. Action Plan

Please describe your plan for responding to the above data. Consider curriculum,
pedagogy/instructional, scheduling, and marketing strategies. Also, please reference any cross district
collaboration with the same discipline at other Peralta colleges.
Include overall plans/goals and specific action steps.
The department's plan is to keep our ESL program at the Fruitivale location small but strong and
cohesive. Due to budgetary restrictions we do not foresee the ESL department growing into a complete
6-level program at Merritt any time soon. To serve the students and help them continue with their
English endeavors, Merritt's ESL department works closely with the other Peralta ESL departments. Our
plan is to focus more on cross district collaboration than on ESL expansion at Merritt. At monthly PEAC
(the 4- colleges ESL departments committee) meetings the 4 chairs of the ESL departments work
together to this end by sharing information, discussing issues and planning steps to keep ESL strong
and complete at PeraltainThe mission of the English as a Second language Department at Merritt
College is to help students communicate better in English, learn, share and appreciate our diverse
student body and become successful in academic, vocational and/or personal endeavors.

To this end, the English as a Second Language Department places high value on maintaining a rigorous
program of study. English as a Second Language has six levels of classes, plus a pre-level 1 series of
classes which we hope to make non-credit. When students have completed the six levels of ESL, they
can enter the regular English program. Our pre-level 1 Basic English classes are held on weekends at
the Fruitvale satellite campus and during the week at the Grupo Maya Community site in the Fruitvale
District. Levels 1 and 2 are held at our Fruitvale satellite campus. We have counselors at the Fruitvale
site to counsel students when they complete the Fruitvale classes..
IX. Needs
Please describe and prioritize any faculty, classified, and student assistant needs.
Now that Adult schools in the east bay so not provide ESL classes anymore, the ESL student body at
Peralta and more specifically at Merritt College has changed. We see more basic skills students
entering our classes since they have no where else to go. To help them integrate the department is in
need of more in-class student helpers / tutors. SInce the ESL department is not located on campus near
campus services, the Fruitvale Center is always short on placement counselors and financial aid
personnel.
Please describe and prioritize any equipment, material, and supply needs.
All equipment that is needed to successfully teach our classes was ordered in the fall of '09 through
Measure A money. Until today, this equipment has not arrived yet. In addition, we are low on copy paper,
out of paper clips, white-out, transparencies and other basic office supplies. Through Fund 17, these
supplies are currently ordered and we hope they will arrive in the not so far future.
Please describe and prioritize any facilities needs.
SInce our program has shrunk, our facilities are adequate.
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X.
Course SLOs and Assessment
Fall 2010
Number of active courses in your discipline
6
Number with SLOs
6
% SLOs/Active Courses
100%
Number of courses with SLOs that have been assessed
2
% Assessed/SLOs
33%
Describe types of assessment methods you are using
written, oral and listening tests and short projects are given to students. They are assessed through rubrics.
Describe results of your SLO assessment progress
As of Fall 2010 all acitive courses have SLO's and are in the process of being assessed!
XI. Program Learning Outcomes and Assessment
Fall 2010
Number of degrees and certificates in your discipline
Number with Program Learning Outcomes
Number assessed
% Assessed
Describe assessment methods you are using
Describe results of assessment
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