Debunking the Myths:
Assessment of a Community
College’s Challenged English
Language Learners
Eleanor Paterson, PhD
Director of the ESL Student Support
Center
Erie Community College
Pamela Murray, Consultant for ACT
 Students dominant in other
languages are entering
community colleges at a
steady rate.
Erie Community College-City
Campus
 Spring 2008
 44 languages
 57 countries
Countries Represented
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Afghanistan 2
Algeria 2
Bangladesh 1
Belarus 9
Belgium 1
Benin 1
Bosnia 8
Bulgaria 6
Burundi 2
Spring ‘08
 Cameroon 1
 Chile 2
 China 7
 Colombia 1
 Congo 5
 Costa Rica 1
 Croatia 1
 Cuba 2
 Dominican Republic 2
Countries …
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Eritrea 4
Estonia 1
Ethiopia 11
Ghana 1
Guinea 1
Haiti 4
India 6
Iran 6
Iraq 15
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Ivory Coast 1
Jamaica 1
Japan 2
Jordan 2
Kazakhstan 1
Korea 5
Liberia 11
Myanmar 7
Nepal 1
Countries …
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Nigeria 3
Pakistan 6
Poland 5
Puerto Rico 22
Russia 16
Rwanda 9
Saudi Arabia 1
Serbia 1
Somalia 15
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South Africa 1
Spain 1
Sudan 25
Taiwan 2
Thailand 1
Togo 3
Turkey 2
Ukraine 21
Uzbekistan 6
Countries…
 Venezuela 1
 Vietnam 6
 Yemen 8
 Total Countries 57
 Total Students 289
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Top Countries
Sudan 25
Puerto Rico 22
Ukraine 21
Russia 16
Somalia & Iraq 15 ea.
Languages - Spring ‘08
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Afrikaans 1
Akan 1
Amharic 11
Arabic 31
Bengali 1
Bosnian 4
Bulgarian 6
Burmese 7
Chinese 9
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Creole 6
Croatian 1
Dari 1
Dinka 10
Estonian 1
Farsi 7
French 16
Gokana 1
Grebo 1
Languages
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Gujarati 1
Hindi 3
Japanese 2
Kinyarwanda 7
Kirundi 3
Korean 5
Kpelle 1
Kru 6
Kurdish 5
Nepali 1
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Polish 5
Punjabi 2
Russian 27
Serbian 5
Shan 1
Shluh 1
Somali 14
Spanish 32
Sudanese 4
Languages
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Thai 1
Tigrinya 5
Turkish 8
Ukrainian 21
Urdu 6
Vietnamese 6
Yoruba 2
 Total Languages 44
 Total Students 289
Top Languages
Spanish 32
Arabic 31
Russian 27
Ukrainian 21
French 16
Description of the College
 Locations – City, North, South
 Programs – Liberal Arts, Technologies,
Transfer Options
 Degrees - A.A.S., A.O.S., A.S.
 Certificates – Baking & Pastry Arts, Crime
Scene Technology, Homeland Security,
Office Assistant and many others
ECC ‘08/SPRING
COLLEGE-WIDE/BILINGUAL DATA
08/SP COLLEGEWIDE
No.
12,665
08/SP BILINGUAL
No.
%
289
100.00
%
100.00
6.5
First-time freshmen
10.13
Transfers (Incoming)
2.57
Continuing Students
71.62
Returning Students
11.41
10.34
Concurrently in HS
4.27
0.00
.34
82.41
College-wide % VS
N=12665
 White
 Black
 Hispanic
 Asian
 Native
American
 International
 Unknown
Bilingual%
N=290
74.65%
17.85
3.96
1.97
0.88
32.76%
33.45
11.03
18.62
0.34
0.69
0.00
3.45
0.0
ECC ‘08/SPRING
COLLEGE-WIDE/BILINGUAL%

N=12665
 Male
48.85%
 Female
51.15
 25 or older 31.91
 Disabled
5.93
N=290
42.07%
57.93
69.31
1.03
’08 Spring- Students with Risk
Categories (Self reported)
College
Academically
Bilingual
54%
40%
63%
8%
8%
7%
13%
2%
disadvantaged
Financially
disadvantaged
Adult learner
Single parent
’08 Spring- Students with Risk
Categories (Self reported)
College
Displaced
18%
homemaker
Bilingual
2%
First generation to go to college - One out
of three or four for both categories.
‘08 SPRING - FIRST TIME
STUDENTS
BILINGUAL
N=19
COLLEGEWIDE
N=1,283
% receiving financial aid
73.7%
51%
‘08 SPRING - FIRST TIME
STUDENTS
Tutoring Lab Usage
BILINGUAL
COLLEGEWIDE
N=19
N=1,283
78.9%
30.6%
Challenges faced by our students
English language acquisition
- Improving language skills while
taking degree credit classes
- Understanding classroom language
- Giving oral responses in a classroom
of native English speakers
- Producing written assignments
Challenges faced by our students
Cultural Issues
- Educational styles
- Classroom behaviors
- Abiding by rules rather than
negotiating
- Adjusting to time management
-Tribal issues
-Adjusting to religious and ethnic
differences
First Steps to Enroll
 1. Visit the Admissions Office, complete
the application, and meet with a counselor
to discuss program options
 2. Visit the ESL Student Support Center
and sign up for the placement test
 3. Complete and submit the Financial Aid
form
Placement Testing
 Compass/ESL computerized test
 Oral Interview
 College Math
 Writing Sample
 CTBS Español
COMPASS- ESL
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Computer-adaptive
ATB Approved
Untimed
ESL e-Write
Tutorial; mouse
practice available
 Proficiency Descriptors
www.act.org/esl
COMPASS/ESL
COMPUTERIZED PLACEMENT TEST
 LISTENING COMPREHENSION
 GRAMMAR
 READING COMPREHENSION
Oral Interview
 Brief one on one interview, using the
NYSPLACE TEST

College Math
 Paper and pencil timed test
Writing Sample
 Written composition
 Students choose one out of four topics to
write about.
 The test is timed for 30 minutes.
 No dictionaries may be used.
 The compositions are scored by two
readers for placement
WHEN WE TEST
 On entry
 Before and after summer institutes
 To determine skills levels for the ESL
certificate
WHY WE TEST
 For entry
 To determine ATB skills
 To determine placement into
courses
 To look for progress
Student Life
 Clubs
 Multicultural Activities
 Planned Student Housing
How We Help
 Pre-Collegiate ESL Institute for
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prospective students
Summer Academic/ESL institutes for new
and continuing students
Instructional Support Specialist
Tutors
Labs
Advisement
How we Help
 Joint advisement with academic
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departments
Block scheduling
Tracking
Supporting student clubs and events
Counseling referral
Other Support Services for ESL
Students
 ESL Lab
 Language Lab
 Bilingual Faculty and Staff
After ECC
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/7533
66.html?imw=Y
http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/7447
22.html
Questions?
Thank You!
 Pamela Murray, Consultant, ACT, Inc.
 Dr. Eleanor Paterson, Director of the ESL
Student Support Center (851-1049)
patersonec@ecc.ed
Sudan is located in medal east Africa and has
Neighbors countries as you see in the map.
Sudan is about one Million square mile.
Sudan has four season a year. Summer, Winter,
Path, Autumn.
The population in Sudan is 35 Million people.
The religious in Sudan are, Cristina , Islamic , and
other religious.
Location
Caribbean,
island between
the Caribbean
Sea and the
North Atlantic
Ocean, east of
the Dominican
Republic.
Places to visit
The Old Ponce Fire
Station was built as the
main exhibit pavilion for
the 1882 Exhibition
Trade Fair. In 1883,the
building was dedicated
as Ponce’s official
firehouse a function
which it served fore
more than 100 years.
The wood frame, Gothic
structure exhibits a
Moorish of red and
black.
fire station
Morro
The Morro of P.R. is
one of the places
most visited by
tourist that go to
P.R. every year. The
morro is also known
as Castillo of San
Felipe of morro.This
place protected P.R.
for many attacks
years ago.
Bailes de
las
montanas
Was the principal
musical expression of
the Jibaro,the humble
and hardworking
mountain people who
worked the coffee
plantions and inland
farms of P.R. These
lively celebrations lasted
from early afternoon until
long into the night.