INRW Strategic Plan 2016 1
Division of College Readiness
INRW Strategic Plan
2015-2016
Overview: The 2015-2016 INRW strategic plan focuses on College Readiness, Student Success,
Co-requisite Models, Accelerated Models and NCBOs. At the end of the year, all data will be
collected and analyzed in order to help the team determine what is going well and what needs
additional support. The strategies identified in the plan are the result of the alignment and
restructuring of Developmental Education course offerings.
Various strategies are being
developed and implemented to meet the desire outcome of this plan.
Purpose: HCC’s INRW Department is designed to prepare students for college-level reading
and writing intensive courses by developing and integrating essential reading and writing skills
necessary to become independent learners.
Goal: The primary goal of HCC INRW Department is to prepare students for college-level
reading and writing courses.
Historical Context: Developmental Education at HCC has undergone a massive restructuring
over the last 3-4 years as part of a national and state-wide initiative to decrease the number of
developmental course requirements for students needing remediation. This effort is focused on
increasing student retention and completion by minimizing the number of exit points a student
may encounter during his or her initial steps into higher education. Prior to the aforementioned
restructuring, Developmental Reading and Developmental English courses at Houston
Community College were stand-alone multi-tiered tracks.
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 2
The Reading courses were designated as GUST 0341 (Developmental Reading I) and GUST
0342 (Developmental Reading II). The Developmental English courses were designated as
ENGL 0300 (Developmental English I) and ENGL 0310 (Developmental English II). Moreover,
there were also Read 0100 and English 0100 courses offered as supplemental support. However,
the multi-tiered stand-alone course structuring has been collapsed into a two-tiered integrated
format (INRW 0410 and INRW 0420). Respectively, these courses function as the equivalent as
the previous four courses (GUST 0341 and GUST 0342/ ENGL 0300 and ENGL 0310) in an
integrated form. INRW 0410 is the integration of GUST 0341 and ENGL 0300, and INRW 0420
is the integration of GUST 0342 and ENGL 0310. The support course also underwent a
transformation of sorts.
Initially, the College offered PREP 0100 as a tuition free summer pilot throughout the district in
an attempt to increase the number of student testing into college-level reading, writing and math
course. Students who took the COMPASS Test (placement test at that time), and did not test into
college-level courses enrolled in PREP 0100. In Summer 2012, the original pilot was staffed by
Developmental Reading, Writing, and Math faculty who collaboratively oversaw tandem
instructional sessions in a computer lab using Pearsons MyFoundationsLab as the primary basis
for instruction. Students were given Individual Study Plans (ISP) following the Diagnostic Test
within the aforementioned program. Faculty provided substantive support in real time to students
during their progression through their designated study plan dictated by Pearsons
MyFoundationsLab. Upon the completion of the summer pilot, students were retested and placed
accordingly into subsequent courses. By Fall 2012, PREP morphed into two disciplined-centered
versions of the former tandem course format. PRER 0200 and PREM 0200 were the designated
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 3
titles of each course. Said courses were also deemed companion courses for students on the
lower bubble range score at the lowest level of developmental course sequencing.
PRER 0200 was a requirement for those students who were deficient in Reading and/or Writing.
The course description for PRER 0200 reads as follows:
MyFoundationsLab will be used to create individualized assignments for each student
enrolled in the course. Students enrolled in this course are required to complete this
assignment by attending class, working with the instructor/tutor and by working on the
assigned computer modules. The assignments depend on the assessed needs of the
student; thus students will be assigned content appropriate to each student’s individual
needs. Each student must agree to accept and honor his or her particular assignment
before the student is enrolled in the course.
Hence, PRER 0200 was created to support students through intensive remediation in Reading
and/or Writing skills. Students were only required to work within the area(s) of the test that they
were more likely to improve within a short period of time and retest successfully in hopes of
upward placement. Following PRER 0200, PRER 0300 was instituted by Spring 2013. PRER
0300 was essentially the same as PRER 0200 with additional hours to increase the amount
support and to allow students to enroll in the course without as many encumbrances with
financial aid. By Fall 2014, PRER 0300 was replaced by PRER 0100.
The course description for PRER 0100 reads as follows:
This course is a combined 1 hour lecture/ lab performance-based companion course
designed to develop students’ critical reading and academic writing skills. Students who
enroll in this course are required to enroll in INRW 0410. PRER 0100 is a companion
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 4
course to INRW 0410. The content of this course is based upon the needs of the
accompanying INRW 0410 course. The focus is to prepare, support, and enable students
to successfully perform in INRW 0410. The course integrates complementary reading
and writing assignments with special emphasis given to reasoning and responding to
issues arising from class readings. Students who successfully complete this course and
INRW 0410 will qualify to take INRW 0420. PRER 0100 is a designated companion
course required for students who test higher than ABE/AEL courses, but below the lower
tier INRW enrollment threshold. The aforementioned students are required to attend a
regular lower INRW section (INRW 0410) and PRER 0100 as a mandatory support
course.
It should also be noted that all formats of PRER were preceded by the stand-alone support
courses for Reading and Writing respectively. The aforementioned Read 0100 and English 0100
were the two course formats that were combined to form a single support course (PRER
0100/officially deemed a companion course).
Accelerated Developmental Education
Acceleration is one strategy of addressing the apparent shortfalls of a more traditional
developmental education program.
As the data gathered by various studies show, developmental student attrition stems from failure
to enroll in the next course in the sequence rather than course failure. In other words, most comm
unity college students never enroll in their remedial courses or drop out in between courses in the
sequence. The more lengthy and complex that process, the more opportunity there is to fail to m
ove on to the next level. In addition, it seems that remedial students who do not enroll in remedia
courses, but who enroll directly in college level courses,
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 5
might have a better overall chance of completing those collegelevel courses. As Nikki Edgecombe of the Community College Research Center says:
Advocates of acceleration argue that a greater portion of students may complete
remediation and succeed in college-level courses if colleges either help them complete requirements
more quickly or enroll them in higher level courses while providing effective academic support…
[S]tudents would benefit from alternatives that minimize the number of exit points and allow them to
complete requirements more quickly or skip the sequence altogether.
The literature on developmental education and the recent trend towards acceleration
generally appears to use a common conception of acceleration. WestEd provides the
following description of acceleration:
Acceleration in developmental education is a strategy used by community colleges
to reduce the amount of time students spend in remediation and allow them to enroll more quickly—
or immediately in courses leading to certificates or degrees.
Acceleration requires rethinking the content to be
taught, in addition to the time frame in which the learning occurs.
Alternatively, a report by the Community College Research Center defines developmental
education acceleration as:
the reorganization of instruction and curricula in ways that facilitate the completion
of educational requirements in an expedited manner. Importantly, this definition does not necessarily
imply that students spend less total time in class.
Many accelerated course formats require the same number of instructional contact hours as traditional cla
sses. The difference is that those hours occur within a truncated timeframe, which can result in the
quicker completion of coursework or credentials.
The aim of accelerated developmental education is not simply the reduction in the time it takes a
student to complete developmental courses, but also improved certificate or degree completion
times and rates.
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 6
HCC INRW Structure:
Integrated Reading and Writing has undergone a restructuring of its leadership structure and
models of delivery as multiple pathways to credit bearing Reading and Writing courses. Houston
Community College is now structured as a matrix organization. Being a matrix organization, the
former six individual, autonomous college format now functions under a centralized
organization, whereas academic and student support leadership positions now have district-wide
responsibilities (see Figure 1). Moreover, as far as the INRW Department, instructors are able to
teach courses across the district.
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 7
HCC INRW Department Organizational Structure
Figure 1
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 8
There are currently five options offered at Houston Community College as HCC INRW
Pathways. Each model directly aligns with state mandates and state/institutional objectives for
movement through developmental education courses with a clear framework (see Figure 2).
Figure 2
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 9
HCC INRW Pathways Models Explanation:
Option 1 is comprised of two pathways. The first pathway allows students who score within the
range indicated in Figure 3 to enter into the lower level INRW (INRW 0410) course with a
supplemental support course (INRW 0100). Said students can take up to two semesters to
complete the required developmental sequence before reaching college-level courses, which is a
reduction of at least two tiers from the previous pathway.
The second pathway is the more traditional route for those students who score within the range
as indicated in Figure 3 for course placement. These students can opt for the traditional 12 weeks
or 16 weeks format for course delivery, or they can attempt Option 2 after consulting an
academic advisor and/or counselor.
Option 2 compresses content delivery of required developmental requirements into a single
semester. The single semester format is achieved by offering two 8 weeks course formats in
sequence (INRW 0410 and INRW 0420).
Option 3 mirrors option two, but can be defined as a co-remediation model. This option allows
those students who are eligible for placement into the higher level INRW (INRW 0420) to take
an 8 weeks compressed course, and be placed into a cohort for a second 8 weeks compressed
course college-level English (ENGL 1301).
Option 4 uses a non-course based offering (NCBO) to allow students to possibly by-pass the
lower level INRW (INRW 0410). The aforesaid NCBO is designated as INRW 0120. INRW
0120 is delivered in a four week format, which allows successful students the option to enroll
into a 12 weeks INRW 0420. By doing so, said students are able to meet all developmental
requirements within a single semester.
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 10
Option 5 is another co-remediation model. It allows eligible students to mainstream and enroll
into a college-level English (ENGL 1301) with a mandatory support course (ENGL 0100). These
select students are able to by-pass all developmental traditional sequencing. Instead, remediation
is delivered through the ENGL 0100 as an NCBO, which is mainstreaming with supplemental
support.
Figure 3
INRW NCBO Description:
Integrated Reading/Writing (IRW) (BASE) (NCBO) Integration of critical reading and academic
writing skills. Successful completion of this intervention if taught at the upper (exit) level fulfills
TSI requirements for reading and/or writing. This Intervention is designed specifically for
students assessed at BASE levels 3-4 and must be part of a student’s co-enrollment (co-requisite)
enrollment:
• as a mainstreamed intensifier providing contact hours for additional, just-in-time instructional
support for the student’s success in the developmental IRW course, or
• as a contextualized and/or integrated basic skills instructional support for a Career/Technical
Education course.
Approval Number ....................................................................................... 32.0108.XX 12
minimum contact hours per student ................................................................................ 4
maximum contact hours per student ........................................................................... 288
minimum contact hours per course ................................................................................. 4
maximum contact hours per course .............................................................................. 96
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 11
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
1. Locate explicit textual information, draw complex inferences, and describe, analyze, and evaluate the information
within and across multiple texts of varying lengths.
2. Comprehend and use vocabulary effectively in oral communication, reading, and writing.
3. Identify and analyze the audience, purpose, and message across a variety of texts.
4. Describe and apply insights gained from reading and writing a variety of texts.
5. Compose a variety of texts that demonstrate reading comprehension, clear focus, logical development of ideas,
and use of appropriate language that advance the writer’s purpose.
6. Determine and use effective approaches and rhetorical strategies for given reading and writing situations.
7. Generate ideas and gather information relevant to the topic and purpose, incorporating the ideas and words of
other writers in student writing using established strategies.
8. Evaluate relevance and quality of ideas and information in recognizing, formulating, and developing a claim.
9. Develop and use effective reading and revision strategies to strengthen the writer’s ability to compose collegelevel writing assignments.
10. Recognize and apply the conventions of standard English in reading and writing.
Strategic Plan Goals and Action Steps:
GOAL 1:
STUDENT SUCCESS
Objective 1.1: Improve student preparedness, readiness and alignment
Action: Expand the use of supplemental instruction models
• Expand and develop learning labs
• Expand the use of peer-to-peer instruction (INRW Reading tutors, Writing Center tutors, etc…)
Objective 1.2: Revamp INRW delivery to increase success
Action: Expand the use of active learning pedagogies with subjective contextual references
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 12
• Use professional development to improve higher-order thinking skills, analysis, and synthesis
through subject specific readings
• Expand learning to real-world contextualized applications
• Expand interdisciplinary and co-curricular connections to INRW best practices
GOAL 2:
STUDENT SUCCESS
Objective 2.1: Accelerate student progression through coursework to increase student goal
completion
Example Activities:
• Expand accelerated or short-term INRW courses
• Expand modular and differentiated learning in NCBO offerings
Objective 2.2: Develop coherent and intentional student pathways toward completion of INRW
sequence
Example Activities:
• Require prescribed plans at entry of pathway
• Expand the use of hybrid courses
• Increase the use of major-specific learning communities
Objective 2.3: Improve success milestones among students with the greatest achievement gaps
Example Activities:
• Continuously define and refine guidelines/criteria for milestones and gap measures
• Link achievement gap data to existing support structures to target and strengthen improvement
efforts
GOAL 3:
INRW Strategic Plan 2016 13
PERFORMANCE EXCELLENCE/ INNOVATION
Objective 3.1: Garner feedback from faculty in the evaluation and improvement of processes to
promote greater synergy
Example Activities:
• Create implementation committees to track, document, and record process-mapping efforts
Objective 3.2: Develop departmental operational processes to respond to the strategic plan goals
Example Activities:
• Align department and committee operating plans to institutional priorities
• Align department and committee budgets to institutional priorities
• Align PEP to institutional priorities/ Wildly Important Goals (WIGs)