Marsha Dowell, PhD, Senior Vice Chancellor
Warren Carson, PhD, Associate Vice Chancellor
Deryle Hope, PhD, Associate Director, International Studies
Cherie Pressley, Director , Upstate Regional Education Center

 Fall 2004—Freshman Composition
 Appointment of a Director of Composition
 Review of Institutional Assessment Data
 Anecdotal evidence—the degree of success in English
101 and English 102

 Why aren’t students performing better?
 Are we really teaching them what they need?

 Course Audit—30 sections of English 101, taught by 15 different instructors, using 15 different course syllabi of varying quality (AP)
 Development of claims and evidence (AP; NAEP)
 Formalized conversations and work sessions with
English faculty from the largest feeder high schools

 Efforts to align courses (EPIC), thereby helping to remove the disconnect between HS achievement and college success
 Mandatory professional development retreats each semester for ALL composition faculty

 Better sense of where HS curriculum ends and where the University curriculum begins
 A collaborative spirit among HS and University faculty members that focuses on transition to college and student success
 A shift away from a teaching-focused approach to a more learning-focused approach to writing instruction

 A common course syllabus for the English 101-102 sequence
 A scoring rubric to encourage more consistent grading
 Greater focus on best practices in writing assessment
 New placement model

 Reduction in the percentage of DFW grades in English
101-102
 Pilot dual enrollment courses in English 101-102

What is the Scholars Academy?
 An accelerated high school option located on the USC Upstate campus
 Open to rising 9 th graders in all Spartanburg school districts
 Students remain as home high school students but spend half-day at the university
 Students can earn up 60-70 college credits in 4 years along with a HS diploma

SC SCHOOL DISTRICT MAP

Daily Schedule
8:30 a.m.—12:30 p.m.
3 classes each day MWF, T Th
Honors/AP/Dual Credit
(college credit)
12-12:30 p.m. Lunch at USC Upstate
12:30 p.m. Return to home school
Take at least one class there.
Participate in extra-curriculars.

Requirements
 Maintain As & Bs in all courses
 Begin as a ninth grade student
 Commit to graduate the program
 Be self-motivated, academically gifted
 Have parent support

Campus Location
Library Building

Current Facts
Cohort 1: graduated 20 students
Cohort 2: 11 rising seniors
Cohort 3: 24 rising juniors
Cohort 4: 32 rising sophomores
Cohort 5: 40 rising freshmen
Experience with 127 students in a variety of courses

Freshman
Fall
Algebra II Honors/Geometry Honors
English II Honors (yr.-long)
US History 105 (dual credit)
Freshman Seminar (CP elective yr.-long)
Spring
Geometry Honors/Precalculus 126
English II Honors
US History106 (dual credit)
Physical Science 101 (dual credit)
Freshman Seminar

Sophomore
Fall
Precalculus 126/127 (dual credit)
Biology 101 (dual credit)
English III Honors
Sophomore Seminar
Spring
Precalculus 127/Calculus 141(dual credit)
World History 101(dual credit)
AP English Language and Composition
Sophomore Seminar

Juniors
Fall
English 102 (dual credit)
Calculus 141 or AP Calculus (dual credit)
Chemistry 111 or Astronomy 111 (dual credit)
German 101 (dual credit)
University Singers (dual credit)
Spring
AP English Literature
Calculus 142 or AP Calculus (dual credit)
Biology 102 or Chemistry 106 (dual credit)
Foreign Language or Economics (dual credit)
University Singers (dual credit

Findings
Students are generally unprepared
Students need interventions:
Study sessions with designated Cohort partners and upper class Academy peer coaches
Peer tutoring from university students
Group help/study sessions provided by professors
Extra coaching provided by
Academy instructors
Math lab/writing lab access

Findings, continued
Interventions are most effective after an
“awakening”:
First failing grade on a test or paper
Probationary status or loss of scholarship/ program status

 Academic








Shift from memorization to understanding
Focus on critical thinking
Higher standards of acceptable work
Students assume responsibility to learn from written texts
Develop metacognitive strategies
Student engagement
Technology
On-going research activities
 Socio - emotional











Realistic self-awareness of what it takes to be successful in college
Set priorities
Self-discipline
Be intellectually curious
Take initiative
Persevere and be resilient
Need support systems
Be flexible and adaptable
Overcome fear and doubt
Need a sense of accomplishment
Need validation and sense of belonging

Observations
• Motivated students who take advantage of interventions improve.
• Students who understand consequences tend to improve.
• Certain course parameters facilitate success.
• Early student success breeds success.