Smart Start
Developmental Education Acceleration
Strategies
March 3, 2014
Our Institution
Dr. Sandy L. Robinson
Cuyahoga Community College Mission
To provide high quality, accessible and
affordable educational opportunities and
services - including university transfer,
technical and lifelong learning programs that promote individual development and
improve the overall quality of life in a
multicultural community.
 Ohio’s first and largest community college
 4th largest higher education institution in Ohio
 More than 55,000 credit & non-credit
students each year
 More than 144 degrees, certificates, and
university-transfer programs
Serving Northeast Ohio
Westshore Campus
Lake County
Advanced Technology
Training Center
Hospitality
Management
Center
at Public Square
Metropolitan Campus
Eastern
Campus
Corporate College East
Unified Technologies Center
Geauga
County
Cuyahoga County
Corporate College West
Lorain County
Western Campus
Summit County
Enrollment Data Fall 2013
Cuyahoga County
Medina County
Summit County
Lorain County
Lake County
Geauga County
82.0%
6.0%
4.0%
1.9%
1.3%
0.7 %
Medina County
Brunswick University Center
Our Students
 Average age is 29
 20% are 40+ years old
 70% are in career/technical programs
 80% place into Developmental math
 60% place into Developmental English
 70% receive financial aid
Student Diversity
 Eastern Campus: 36% are White; 53% are
African American; 1% Hispanic; 4% Asian
 Metropolitan Campus: 31% are White; 55%
are African American; 5% Hispanic; 3% Asian
 Western Campus: 82% are White; 6% are
African American; 4% Hispanic; 3% Asian
Race
Native
American
Black
Asian
Hispanic
White
Multiracial
Unknown
Total
Fall 2013
Fall
2012
#
#
Difference
#
%
200
262
-62
-23.7
8,412
9,613
-1,201
-12.5
779
793
-14
-1.8
1,225
1,060
165
15.6
15,429
16,593
-1,164
-7.0
138
71
67
94.4
1,727
1,673
54
3.2
27,910
30,065
-2,155
-7.2

Retention of new students – Fall to Spring: 66%;
Fall to Fall: 43%

Average time to graduation is 5.4 years for full-time
students; 9.8 years for part-time students

28% enrolled in nursing/health career programs
Program of Interest
2013
2012
#
#
#
%
Health Careers
3,975
4,209
-234
-5.6
Nursing
3,817
4,363
-546
-12.5
Business
4,970
5,425
-455
-8.4
960
966
-6
-0.6
1,866
2,249
-383
-17.0
701
525
176
33.5
AA/AS
8,274
8,230
44
0.5
Creative Arts Degree
1,044
1,196
-152
-12.7
36
133
-97
-72.9
1,130
1,575
-445
-28.3
Engineering
Public Service
AIT/ATS
Creative Arts Transfer
Certificate Programs
Other/Unknown
Total
Difference
1,137
1,194
-57
-4.8
27,910
30,065
-2,155
-7.2
 Cuyahoga Community College awards
approximately 2,000 degrees/
certificates each year
 Involved in two national
student surveys
 Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction
Survey
 Community College Survey of
Student Engagement
Say “Hello!”
Professor Rhonda Fabrizi
 Step 1: Find a table with a tent card that is the same color as the card
you received upon entering the workshop.
 Step 2: Move to that table.
 Step 3: Introduce yourself to everyone at your new table.
 Step 4: Choose someone at your table to be the Clock Watcher,
someone to be the Speaker, and someone to be the Recorder. Hold a
brief discussion of 5 minutes at your table on the following question:
What do we want most from this session?
 Step 5: Your group’s Clock Watcher will tell you when five minutes is up;
in the meantime, the Recorder is jotting down notes from your
discussion. When time is up, the Speaker will stand and briefly
summarize what your group wants from this session.
Test Prep: Mandatory
Preparation before
Placement Testing
Sally Kurowski, Director
English and math assessments are mandatory at Cuyahoga
Community College.
Mandatory Preparation before Placement Testing is an
innovation to help students prepare for English and math
assessment tests resulting in:




course placements that more accurately match their skills
a possible reduction of unnecessary coursework
a shorter developmental sequence
a college-level placement for some students.
Test Prep: Placement Testing
Work Team Recommendation
“The Review for Placement Testing Work Team recommends a
College-designed mandatory review before placement testing.
The review will be available in multiple formats: a two-hour stafffacilitated session (preferred format), an on-line session (in
development), and a student self-directed session and will
include:






the reason for assessment testing
the importance of assessment testing
general test taking tips
general computer skills information
specific COMPASS® test taking information
English and math content review.”
Test Prep: Target Population
All students who plan to take a math and/or
English course
Students wishing to take a course with a math
or English prerequisite
All applicants who are currently in high school
Test Prep: Positive Impact
Impact of Test Prep
Fall 2011 Baseline to Spring 2014
English
Term
Math
Placed into Dev Did not Place into Placed into Dev Did not Place into
Ed
Dev Ed
Ed
Dev Ed
Fall 2011
Baseline
(pre-intervention)
65%
35%
92%
8%
Spring 2012
Baseline
(pre-intervention)
68%
32%
95%
5%
Fall 2012
48%
52%
90%
10%
Spring 2013
45%
55%
94%
6%
Summer 2013
35%
65%
85%
15%
Fall 2013
27%
73%
89%
11%
Spring 2014
38%
62%
94%
6%
Test Prep: What Students
are Saying
 “Mandatory review was very helpful and allowed me to get
my mind on track before testing.”
 “Helped me realize (I was) not ready for the math test.”
 “It was calming. I feel better about the test.”
 “Very helpful! Thank you, Tri-C for providing this.”
 “Thanks for making it mandatory. Very useful, I feel more
confident taking the test.”
The Cuyahoga Community College
Test Prep Team has been awarded
The Chair Academy’s 2014 Idalynn
Karre Exemplary Leadership
Award. This award recognizes the
team’s “ability to advance
academic and administrative
leadership…”
Fast Track Program Overview
What is a Math Bridge
Program?
Dr. Jocelyn Ladner-Mathis, Dean of
Liberal Arts, Metropolitan Campus
 A two-week intensive math course to enhance and sharpen skills
students will need to place and succeed in the next higher math course
• Only those students scoring in a particular range on the COMPASS®
Mathematics Test are eligible for one of two bridge courses, MATH 0801
or MATH 0802.
• MATH 0801—bridge for select students placing into MATH 0910
• MATH 0802—bridge for select students placing into MATH 0950
• Acceleration strategies require cooperation at all levels: Faculty,
Administration, Assessment, Counseling, and Registration/Enrollment
staff.
• A comprehensive exam and a retake of the COMPASS® Mathematics
Skills Test determine a student’s successful completion of the course.
Fall 2013 College-wide
Bridge Grades
Math 0801
N
%
147
64.5%
81
35.5%
228
100.0%
N
%
Pass
59
55.1%
NoPass
48
44.9%
107
100.0%
Pass
NoPass
Math 0802
What is an english bridge
program?
ENG 0900—Transition to College
English
(Pass/No Pass Course)
Two-week intensive course/boot camp to enhance and sharpen all
writing skills students will need for ENG 1010 (College Composition I).
From here, students will be placed based upon their writing, either in
ENG 0990, 1010/1000, or 1010.
That, and so much more…
 The ENG 0900-Transition to College English/English Bridge
Program:
• Takes only those students scoring between 67-77 on the Writing
COMPASS Test
• Takes a systematic approach to assessment and course
scheduling
• Requires cooperation at all levels: Faculty, Administration,
Registration/Enrollment, Counseling
• Skills refresher with two weeks of intensive writing, revision, and
reflection on writing
• Allows for all levels of student success in 0900
• Assessment done by a portfolio and retake of COMPASS
• ENG 0900 is a refresher course as well as an authentic
assessment and placement of upper-performing developmental
students
• Uses 0900 as the initial entry point onto the
English Fast Track!(More on this later!)
Are there enough eligible
students?
Fall 2013:
1,103
 Objective: All eligible students to go through the program
Tri-C’s English Bridge
Philosophy
ENG 0990
ENG
1010
ENG 1010/1000
The data don’t lie!
Approximately 80% of all students who pass
ENG 0900 are placed into ENG 1010
@ 70% = ENG 1010
@20% = ENG 1010/1000
@10% = Do not pass and keep ENG
0990 placement
CALCULATING THE SUCCESS
OF ENGLISH BRIDGES –
Fall 2013
All Students in English Bridges (regardless of placement)
Campus
# of English
Total
Enrolled in
Bridge
English
English
CRN'S
Bridge Seats Bridge
Bridged
% Bridged
Fill Rate % Forward to
Forward
next English
East
6
108
93
86.1%
59
63.4%
Metro
6
108
106
98.1%
88
83.0%
West
7
105
58
55.2%
48
82.8%
Brunswick
1
12
12
100.0%
9
75.0%
Westshore
2
32
22
68.8%
18
81.8%
TOTAL
22
365
291
79.7%
222
76.3%

College-wide, COMPASS
Test Prep, coupled with
ENG 0900, reduced
placement in English
Developmental Education
courses from 65% in fall
2011 to 28% in fall 2013
Where the bridge led…
Writing COMPASS
Score (78 and above)
OR
PASS ENG 0900 AND
receive faculty
approval: ENG 1010
COMPASS Test
Prep
Writing COMPASS Score 0-30: Must
take Reading COMPASS Test
All students take the Writing COMPASS
Test
Reading COMPASS Score
0-45:
ENG 0960, Reading
Improvement
Reading COMPASS
Score
46-100:
ENG 0980
Writing COMPASS Score 31-66:
ENG 0990 OR ENG 1010/1000,
West and East Campuses
Writing COMPASS Score
31-60:
ENG 0990, Metro Campus
Reading COMPASS Score
46-64: ENG 0980
PASS ENG 0900 but
writing needs more
work:
ENG 1010/1000
Writing COMPASS Score 60-77:
ENG 0900
(Bridge Course, ALL Campuses)
Reading COMPASS Score
65-100: ENG 0980/0990
Accelerated Program
No Pass: ENG 0990
Wanna try it? Here’s how!
 Step 1: Determine who the stakeholders are.
 Step 2: Determine COMPASS cutoff scores.
 Step 3: Determine your course curriculum (see
our Tri-C ENG 0900 Sample Syllabus) and decide
days/times.
 Step 4: If you build it in the schedule, they will
come!
Wanna try it? Here’s how!
 Step 5: Create a Bridge faculty training or
workshop session.
 Step 6: Ask for English faculty volunteers to vet
the students’ portfolios.
 Step 7: Bridges run for two weeks.
 Step 8: On the 7th or 8th day (whichever is the last
day), student writing portfolios are due.
 Step 9: Enjoy
life on the Fast Track!
Questions?
SWOT Analysis Activity
 Choose an acceleration strategy.
 Identify the strategy’s Strengths, Weaknesses,
Opportunities, and Threats.
 Share your responses with the participants in your group.
Thank you!
Rhonda Fabrizi
Sally Kurowski
Dr. Jocelyn Ladner-Mathis
Dr. Sandy L. Robinson