Exploring Reading Success: An Intervention with Entry
Level Courses: GEN 105
2009 KADE Conference
Eastern Kentucky University
November 13, 2009
Cathy Leist, Executive Director of REACH
Mark Woolwine, Coordinator of GEN 105
Overview
• KY Law: 13 KAR 2:020
• GEN 105
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Overview of Course
GSA Training
Critical Reading Rubric
Using the Rubric
Examples of Student Work
Portfolios
• Comments from the Instructors
• Strengths and Weaknesses of the Program
• Discussion & Questions
KY Law: 13 KAR 2:020
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“System wide standard" means an ACT Assessment sub-score of eighteen (18) in
English, nineteen (19) in mathematics, or twenty (20) in reading.
If a student is determined to have not met the system wide standards for readiness, an
institution shall use a placement exam to help place a student in the proper course.
An institution shall place a student who scores below the system wide standard in
mathematics, English, or reading in an: (a) Appropriate developmental course in the
relevant discipline; or (b) Entry-level college course, if the course offers supplementary
academic support, such as extra class sessions, additional labs, tutoring, and increased
monitoring of students, beyond that usually associated with an entry-level course.
Effective with the fall semester of 2010, an institution shall enroll a student who scores
below the statewide standards in an appropriate developmental or entry-level course until
readiness for credit-bearing courses has been demonstrated.
An institution shall ensure that a student who completes a developmental or supplemental
course shall enroll in a credit-bearing course in that subject or discipline, or in the case of
reading, appropriate course work requiring college-level reading skills.
For UofL….
• In compliance with state law, the university requires
that all university first-year, degree-seeking students
with less than 24 credit hours who are admitted with
reading deficiencies participate in placement testing
and course registration as determined by their
placement test results
Placement Testing for
Summer Orientation
• Students with an ACT Reading sub score of less
than 20 (or an SAT Critical Reading score of less
than 470) MUST take the Reading COMPASS
exam. The exam serves as a second predictor of
college reading readiness.
• Students whose scores on the Reading
COMPASS exam are less than 84 will be required
to register for GEN 105, “Special Topics in
Supplemented College Reading.”
GEN 105 Description
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Students enrolled in GEN 105 will attend the general education lecture
course for 3 hours each week .
Students enrolled in GEN 105 will attend 2 additional hours each week
for supplemented instruction in college reading, critical thinking, and
study strategies.
Students will receive 3 hours of college credit for successful completion
of the general education course section linked to GEN 105.
Students will receive 1 hour of college credit (elective credit only) for
GEN 105.
Students will attend a total number of 5 hours of class each week for
these linked courses.
Students will earn a total of 4 credit hours for attending the 5 hours of
class each week.
GEN 105 will be graded Pass/Fail and will appear as a separate course
on the student’s transcript.
Registration
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Use the online schedule of courses:
General Studies
14890 GEN 105 01 Supp College Reading - Biology
Note: The section above is a supplemented reading course reserved
for students in the Reach Supplemented Reading Program. Students
will be moved to BIOL-102-01 after the last day to drop/add. Students
will remain in a one hour credit section of Gen-105.
TTh 11:00am-12:15pm SK102
TTh 01:00pm-01:50pm SK111
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Karpoff, A
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BELKNAP
3 Content Areas- 7 Courses
• Offered 7 sections of GEN 105 for 2009 Fall
– GEN 105-01 – Biology 102
– GEN 105-02 – Biology 102
– GEN 105-03 – Psychology 201
– GEN 105-04 – Psychology 201
– GEN 105-05 – Psychology 201
– GEN 105-06 – History 101
– GEN 105-07 – History 101
Details to Remember
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For BIOL 102 only, a “conditional student” is approved to take 15 credit
hours
(can register for BIOL Lab + GEN 105 + GEN 101).
GEN 105 can only be taken 1 time for college course credit.
Students may repeat GEN 105 but need a different general education
course to replace an F grade earned in GEN 105.
Students are not required to repeat GEN 105 but the F earned will
affect GPA.
Noncompliant students will be contacted by the REACH ADS staff
following each summer orientation.
Noncompliant students who do not register for GEN 105 in their first
college semester will be administratively registered for GEN 105 in their
second college semester.
Letters informing the students of the administrative registration will be
sent out by REACH.
GSA Training
• Each GEN 105 section instructed by a graduate
student assistant (GSA)
• Selected to be an “expert” in the content course
(Biology, History, Psychology)
• Training – 3 Days
•How the Brain Learns
•Comprehension
Development
•Strategic Study- Reading
•Note taking From Lectures
•Test Taking
•Critical Thinking/Reading
with i2a
•Work with experienced
GSA
•Developed Reading Prompt for
Pre/Post Test
Critical Reading Prompt
• To assess reading comprehension, created critical reading
prompt to be administered the first day of class and again at the
end of the semester
• Served as Pre/Post Test
1. Demonstrate your text book reading skills by marking and
annotating the text.
2. Summarize the excerpt by the following:
• Briefly describe the key concepts the author is trying to get you
to understand.
• Show evidence from the reading that supports the key
concepts.
• How can you take this information and apply it to you and to the
study of “X” (X=content area)
• What questions does this information leave you with?
Critical Thinking Rubric
Using the Rubric
• “Model answer” developed by each
GEN-105 instructor (all “4’s”)
• Student assignments are then scored
using ideal responses
Accuracy
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Identifies main purpose and/or concepts in reading
– Purpose:
• The main purpose of this article is to inform us on how high fat diets really
work and many misconceptions people have. Also, how they aren’t safe
to follow and can damage your body.
• I found the main purpose of the article to be the information that high fat
diets are extremely dangerous to your health.
– Concepts:
• The main conclusions for this piece: pay close attention to high fat diets
because they are risky and if you really want to lose weight and keep it
off you have to make better choices.
• High fat diets can lead to may complications later on in life. And that high
fat diets are an unhealthy way to lose weight.
Clarity
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Understands the facts, data, or examples used to support
– Pulling facts that were interesting – needed to be present in the
reading
– Being able to define ‘good fat’ and ‘bad fat’
• Examples:
– Unsaturated fat is the “good fat” and saturated fat is the
“bad fat.” Although too much of any kind of fat is bad for
you.
– A bad fat is dietary and saturated fats and a good fat is
something that can be broken down easily.
Precision
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Identifies and uses the content specific vocabulary from the reading or
lecture
– Appropriate use of bad fat and good fat definitions
• Examples: a lot of people put down the complex carbohydrates
as a ‘good fat’ which is imprecise and somewhat inaccurate –
an example of a good fat is olive oil (I mentioned it in class as
did Dr. Karpoff)
– Support for your diet – at risk or healthy
• I would say my intake in a week would be at risk while at school
if I’m hungry I eat and the healthy choices aren’t all that
appealing as say a cheeseburger or something along those
lines.
Depth
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Demonstrates complexity of understanding
– Example:
• I would categorize it in between, reason number one is because I
fix my own food. I eat rice, salad, grilled chicken everyday but I
also love fast food. When I have the chance, I eat it, that would
be like once or twice a week.
• Yes, it is giving reasonable evidence that not even running 20
miles are you going to lose more than one pound. So this makes
readers think that their high fat diets make effects but in an
unhealthy way. They can just lose weight reducing the intake of
sugars and eating what they usually eat. The low sugar intake is
the key
Relevance
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Identifies or generates conclusion(s) and personal significance based
on content.
– Example:
• I agree with this article because there are risks to any diet you
come across. You have to pay attention to what is really
effective and what is going to leave a healthy impact on you.
• I agree to an extent. This article makes sense. Why would any
kind of diet that puts a lot of bad stuff (fat) in your body be good
for you. However, my father did the “Atkins diet” and lost almost
160 pounds of fat, not muscle.
Logic
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Applies concepts and content to other broad contexts
– I believe if he used a college students diet it would have had a
more personal effect on me. College students’ diets are commonly
more high in fat due to stress, not having time, or just simply what
is common for our age group. It would have made me open my
eyes more knowing the dramatic effects it has on our generation.
– I thought for the general public these examples were great. If the
targeted audience was to change the college scene, I feel that
examples should also change so that students would be able to
relate to them better and base their decisions upon such
examples.
Portfolio
• Pre and Post COMPASS Reading Scores
• 5 articles scored with rubric at various intervals
during the semester
• Pre and Post Reading Prompt scores
Comments from the GSA’s
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“I think that the critical readings have been integral in helping students
understand the need for the class.” –Sze Sze Tong
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“I have had several students tell me that they were only so-so students in
high school, but, because of GEN 105, they are excelling in college.” Sarah Jane Bodell
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“What I would change about the GEN105 sections is earlier training for
the GSAs who will be instructors in the future so that they are able to
spend time crafting that integration.” – Sze Sze Tong
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“Numerous students have commented that by taking the Gen 105 course
they have learned how to interpret the meanings of their text, better
articulate their understanding of the subject’s key concepts and feel more
prepared to comprehend the content of their current and future college
courses.” –Tessa Kandikatti
Strengths of the Program
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Direct application to the content
Provides credit hour towards degree
Use of skills across the spectrum
Mix of content tutoring with reading
skills
• Helps develop relationships with content
course instructors
Challenges of the Program
• Content tutoring vs. instructing skills
• Content-specific skills are not directly
transferable to other content areas
• GSA training – limited—”never enough
time”
• Motivating students to apply new skills
to content area
Looking Forward
• More and more training for GSA
Instructors
• Refinement of the rubric
• Revision of reading prompt
• Creating multiple critical reading
prompts
• Improving the selection of critical
reading assignments
Gen-105
Questions or Comments?