Skyline College

Reading

Program Review

Executive Summary

Short Summary of Findings

Skyline’s Reading Program is strong. The program is led by four full-time faculty, all English as well as reading instructors, trained through Title III in current technology, and active in professional organizations. The program is student-centered, up to date, innovative, and well connected to the English department, The Learning Center, and English and reading programs within the district and region, including San Francisco State University. The reading program, through its core courses is connected to ASTEP, Puente, Kababayan, and a learning community for entering students with very weak reading and composition skills. Although serving a very vulnerable population, the core courses remain strong in enrollments, retention, and success, especially in English 846, the integrated reading and writing course.

The reading program consists of two core courses: Reading 826, Reading Improvement, designed for entry-level seventh to eighth grade readers, and Reading 836, Academic Reading Strategies, designed for eighth to ninth grade readers. Additionally, we have two transfer reading courses, three ESL reading courses, an individualized reading course, a work-place literacy course and an open-entry reading enrichment course. The two core courses are tied by co-and prerequisites to the composition sequence: English 826, English 836, and English 100, the transfer English course. At the request of English faculty, these co/prerequisites were put into place in Fall 2001, necessitating also the development of a challenge process, curricular changes, and staffing pattern changes. Main curricular changes include reducing both Reading 826 and 836 to three class hours from the original five, and the addition of a lab unit by arrangement to both of these courses. An instructional aide was hired in The Learning Center to support the increased numbers of students taking these two courses and to work with students who have attached lab hours. Another major curricular change has been the development of English/Reading 846, an integrated course combining the curriculum of Reading 836 and English 836. Since the implementation of the prerequisites, reading faculty have focused on the core courses, a number of adjunct instructors have been hired to help support the program, and some of our other reading courses have either not been offered or offered less regularly than in the past. The workplace literacy course, our newest offering, suffers from inadequate development and staffing, and the reading-across-the-disciplines modules have yet to be developed.

Budget concerns include a request for a full-time reading instructor, preferably one who can teach the integrated composition/reading course, as well as help in the development of the workplace literacy course and reading-across-the curriculum-modules; for professional development money to keep staff abreast of their field and especially to prepare to teach the workplace literacy course; for equipment and supplies funding to support the workplace literacy program; and for renovation money to improve the reading classroom in Building 5.

Three Strengths of the Program

1) Student-centered:

· course revisions to better accommodate schedules

· prerequisites to help students succeed in current and subsequent courses

· challenge process to complement student placement methods

· support through Reading 812 and by arrangement lab hour via The Learning Center and other support services

· learning communities and integrated course

2) Innovative:

· learning communities and integrated course to better meet academic and scheduling needs of students

· revised curriculum to meet the workforce and academic needs of a literate, critical thinking population

· workforce literacy

· technology that supplements instruction

3) Connected:

· unified department that mentors and collaborates together and with the English department

· ongoing participation in The Learning Center

· regular district-wide meetings

· enriching relationship with San Francisco State University’s program in teaching post-secondary reading

· active participation in professional organizations

Three Suggestions for Improvement

1) Staffing

· full time instructor

· faculty and instructional aides to facilitate workforce literacy and respond to increased need for individual tutoring in The Learning Center

2) Program development funding

• to design and sustain curriculum for workplace literacy, reading-across-the-disciplines modules, and linked courses, including support materials for The Learning Center

• to foster links to the business community

· to evaluate and purchase software/program materials to support the reading program, including workforce literacy

3) Classroom space

· adequate classroom space to offer the full range of courses, not just the core courses

· classroom space with multimedia capability

Full-Time Faculty Signatures

___________________________ _____________________________ ___________________________

Betty Lindgren-Young, Professor of English Linda Vogel, Professor of English

___________________________ _____________________________ ___________________________

Karen Wong, Associate Professor of English Rachel Bell, Associate Professor of English

Submitted on: October 15, 2003

SKYLINE COLLEGE

READING PROGRAM REVIEW SELF STUDY

PART A: Overview of the Program

1. State the goals/ focus of the program and how the program contributes to the mission and priorities of the College.

A primary goal of the reading program is to remediate underprepared students, thus enabling them to complete their academic and/or vocational programs successfully. We focus on teaching students reading skills necessary for college-level study: actively engaging with the text, improving comprehension, building vocabulary, increasing rate, and implementing study skills. These skills lay the foundation for further work in critical thinking. Insofar as we are able, we offer college-level reading courses and are in the initial stages of developing curriculum for the workforce literacy initiative.

The reading program contributes to the mission and priorities of the College by offering remedial, developmental, and college level courses that enable students to develop their minds and skills to full potential. Students are encouraged to think for themselves in the context of a multicultural and rapidly changing world.

2. Discuss how this program coordinates, impacts, and/or interacts with other programs in the College.

The reading program coordinates primarily with the English/ESOL departments and The Learning Center. First, since Fall 2001, remedial and developmental English courses have reading co/prerequisites. Data thus far suggests that this reading requirement is facilitating student retention and success in developmental English courses. In Fall 1997-2000, before prerequisites, retention rate of English 836 and English 100 was 75% compared to Fall 2002, after prerequisites, when the retention rate was 79%. (See Appendix A.) To provide flexibility for students in satisfying this co/prerequisite, a new course, Reading 846, has been developed, combining both Reading 836 and English 836. Data thus far suggests that students are persisting and succeeding in the integrated course at a higher rate than the separate equivalent courses. (See Appendix C.) Second, Reading 863 and 864, Reading for Non-Native Speakers III and IV, articulate with ESOL 830 and 840. Third, reading faculty work with special programs such as ASTEP, Puente, and Kababayan, in most cases staffing reading classes that are part of these learning communities.

In addition, reading faculty work closely with The Learning Center (TLC), which is open to the campus community. The reading program offers many individual, self-paced learning programs through TLC. For example, Reading 812 is available to all students who seek assistance in their reading assignments and wish to improve their reading abilities. Also housed in TLC is the disabilities specialist to provide for those who require testing or special consideration; reading faculty coordinate with the Enablers Office and to a lesser degree with the other student services.

Faculty collaborate with the librarians to design research assignments. Some reading assignments require students to take advantage of resources available in the Career Center and Transfer Center.

Last but not least, the reading faculty coordinates with the Skyline and district reading and English departments by meeting on a regular basis to discuss common issues.

3. If the program utilizes advisory boards and/or professional organizations, describe the roles.

The reading faculty are members of professional organizations such as the Northern California College Reading Association, the College Reading and Learning Association, and the SMCCCD District Reading Committee, as well as various English-related organizations. We also attend conferences whenever possible. Through these means, department faculty stay current, learning about new theories, instructional designs, innovative technology, software, and classroom materials.

4. Explain how the program meets the needs of our diverse community.

We seek to engage our students' interest with texts that are relevant to their lives, that present different perspectives, and that address issues related to socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic diversity. While we infuse our general curriculum with this diversity, we've also designed reading courses to complement the ASTEP (African-American), Kababayan (Filipino), and Puente (Chicano/Latino) programs. We select texts emphasizing reading selections from across the curriculum, not solely literature.

In general, because over 70% of Skyline students place into remedial and developmental reading, students clearly need explicit instruction in expository reading strategies. Ever since we implemented reading co/ prerequisites, there appears to be a corresponding increase in both retention and success rates of students in developmental English classes. (See Appendix A.)

5. If the program has completed a previous self-study, evaluate the progress made toward previous goals.

Since our previous program review, we have addressed all major weaknesses that we identified: reevaluated and revised curriculum; improved placement testing procedures along with articulation between reading faculty and counselors; implemented technological instruction into Skyline's reading program. First, we spent the last year updating course outlines to reflect our current practices and pedagogy; in particular, we better articulated the differences between remedial and developmental reading. Second, we made great strides in the area of proper course placement due in large part to the efforts of Matriculation Coordinator Evelyn Seth. Virtually all students take the placement test, and with computer prerequisite checking, they enroll in the appropriate courses. Students also can engage in a challenge process to demonstrate that they have the requisite abilities to therefore bypass reading courses. Related to that process, Evelyn helped us to determine what best qualifies as multiple measures for placement as well. The data about the challenge process suggests that this is working. (See Appendix B.) Third, reading faculty have taken advantage of computer-assisted-instruction. We are trained, thanks to Title III. The primary reading classroom, 5102A, is fully equipped with a multimedia workstation, including internet access. However, Plato needs to be on that network so that we can demonstrate it to students. We also have access to the Center for Advanced Learning technology, where every student can be equipped with a computer.

PART B: Curriculum

1. Describe how the course offered in the program meet the needs of the discipline(s) and the students. Answer through descriptive narrative evaluation or research.

Reading 812: Reading Laboratory

Reading 812 meets the needs of all Skyline students on a one to one basis in The Learning Center. There is a distinct need for Reading 812 for those students having a lack of reading preparedness in K-12. Also, 812 is used to prepare students to do well on challenge tests and used for students who cannot enroll in a reading class due to space constraints. Students are assessed formally and/or informally and then assigned materials for remediation at their level. Students complete their assignments by arrangement and compile their work in folders, which are evaluated by TLC tutors and teachers. TLC serves as a safety net for Skyline students across the curriculum providing an absolutely essential support system so that students can have special academic needs met. The following history of retention and success from Fall of 1997-2002 reveals broad fluctuations and three years of noticeably high retention and success in the years 1999, 2000, 2001. We hope to better integrate Reading 812 with other instruction to improve student success. Reading 812 may also serve as the vehicle through which reading-across-the-disciplines modules are developed.

Reading 812

F 97	F 97	F 98	F 98	F 99	F 99	F 00	F00	F 01	F 01	F 02	F 02
%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc
87%	57%	79%	57%	92%	75%	96%	85%	88%	76%	79%	34%

Reading 826: Reading Improvement

In the Fall of 2000, Reading 826 was changed from five units to three units to accommodate student schedules; in addition, an hour-by-arrangement was added once the Learning Center could provide adequate support by hiring a Reading Instructional Aide and increasing the site license for Plato. Reading 826 meets the needs of students by improving their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and study-reading strategies levels at the 7-9th grade level, so they can progress to Reading 836 or Reading/English 846 or beyond. In addition to the aforementioned skills, the study-reading strategies component of the course, including goal setting, concentration, memory, and basic study techniques, makes this course effective as an orientation to college. The course content is designed to dovetail into the course content on the next reading level, and complement the course content of English 826. Because this is the lowest level in a sequence, the prerequisite is merely advisory, and so any student can enroll. Thus, inadequately prepared students who should be taking adult education classes or DSKL courses for learning disabled students, instead enroll in Reading 826 which may in turn account for the mixed retention and success rates.

For the first time in Fall 2003, a section of Reading 826 is linked to a section of English 826. We will continue the linked Reading/English classes in Spring 2004 with plans to add another section in Fall 2004.

Reading 826 (formerly 801)

F 97	F 97	F 98	F 98	F 99	F 99	F 00	F00	F 01	F 01	F 02	F 02
%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc
81%	66%	73%	70%	77%	65%	76%	65%	74%	66%	77%	63%

Reading 836: Academic Reading Strategies

In the Fall of 1999, Reading 836 was changed from five units to three units to accommodate student schedules; a year later an hour-by-arrangement was added once The Learning Center could provide adequate support by hiring a Reading Instructional Aide and increasing the site license for Plato. Reading 836 meets the needs of students by improving their vocabulary, reading comprehension, and study-reading strategies at the 9-11th grade level, at the least, and hopefully, to the college level so they can progress to English 100 and beyond. Most reading instructors teach both English and reading and emphasize reading across the curriculum. The reading co/prerequisite for reading and English courses was implemented in Fall 2001 because English faculty felt many students had reading difficulties. Data suggest that the reading co/prerequisites are contributing to higher success and retention in English courses. The reading prerequisites appear to be assisting students best in English 836, the level at which most students place.

Reading 836 (formerly 802)

F 97	F 97	F 98	F 98	F 99	F 99	F 00	F00	F 01	F 01	F 02	F 02
%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc
92%	77%	82%	79%	74%	63%	79%	65%	83%	72%	80%	64%

Reading 836: Academic Reading Strategies-ASTEP

Reading 836 Academic Reading Strategies-ASTEP (African American Success through Excellence and Persistence) is designed to provide a learning community of mentoring, counseling and other support services to encourage students to persist and succeed in graduating and transferring to a four-year college. The curriculum focuses on the African-American experience. The course is open to all eligible students, so there’s no data that can clearly show that African American students are persisting and succeeding.

Reading 846: Reading and Writing Connections

Reading 846 integrates English 836 and Reading 836 satisfying the requirements for both. This benefits students because the coursework is completed in less class time (5 units rather than 6), but more importantly all reading and writing is integral to the course. It prepares students to write college-level essays while teaching reading strategies to improve vocabulary, comprehension, and analysis, foundation skills for critical thinking. The retention rate is higher in the integrated English/Reading 846 course than the separate English and Reading 836 equivalents; the success rate is substantially higher in the integrated English/Reading 846 course than the separate equivalents. We have not been able to offer as many sections as we would like because most composition instructors are not qualified to teach this course.

Fall 2002	English 836	Reading 836	English/Reading 846
% Retention Rate	81	80	92
% Success Rate	59	64	83

Reading 846: Reading and Writing Connections--Kababayan

Reading 846 Reading and Writing Connections--Kababayan--is primarily for students in the Kababayan Program, which focuses on the Filipino-American student experience and provides support for improved English skills through integrated reading and writing and community support. The course is open to all eligible students. The course integrates English 836 and Reading 836 satisfying the requirements of both. As a learning community, mentoring, counseling and other support services encourage students to persist and succeed in graduating and transferring to a four-year college. This course will be offered for the first time this semester, and is overenrolled.

Reading 846: Reading and Writing Connections--Puente

Reading 846 Reading and Writing Connections--Puente--is primarily for students in the Puente Program, which focuses on the Chicano/Latino student experience and provides support for improved English skills through integrated reading and writing and community support. The course is open to all eligible students. The course integrates English 836 and Reading 836 satisfying the requirements of both. As a learning community with CRER 650: Puente Seminar, mentoring, counseling and other support services encourage students to persist and succeed in graduating and transferring to a four-year college. This course is being offered for the first time this semester, and is over enrolled.

Reading 863: Reading for Non-Native Speakers III

Reading 863 Reading for Non-Native Speakers III is an intermediate class improving reading comprehension and overall fluency level of English by focusing on vocabulary, spelling, reading skills and pronunciation. The course was revived in Fall 2002, so little data is available. In Fall 2002, there was 84% retention and 84% success.

Reading 864: Reading for Non-Native Speakers IV

Reading 864 Reading for Non-Native Speakers IV is a sequel to Reading 863; it is a more advanced class improving reading comprehension and overall fluency level of English by focusing on a higher level of vocabulary, spelling, and reading skills. Reading 864 was removed from the curriculum in Fall 2000 when faculty were needed for core courses, Reading 826 and 836. This course was revived in 2002 and shows a fairly consistent retention and success rate. In Spring 2003, we began offering Reading 863 and Reading 864 jointly because of enrollment concerns due budget constraints.

Reading 864

F 97	F 97	F 98	F 98	F 99	F 99	F 00	F00	F 01	F 01	F 02	F 02
%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc
95%	80%	79%	64%	88%	82%					89%	89%

Reading 880: Contextualized Reading for the Workplace

Contextualized Reading for the Workplace is designed to improve the vocabulary, reading comprehension and strategies necessary to pursue vocational training, certification, and/or employment skills. The text and other materials used in the course are employment-specific. Reading 880 has not yet been taught mainly because we do not have a reading instructor prepared to teach this class.

Reading 420: Critical and Effective Reading

Reading 420 is a college level reading course designed to further advance students' critical thinking and reading effectiveness across the curriculum. A wide range of challenging reading materials is used in a student centered, interactive classroom setting in which students analyze, develop and express ideas and arguments. In 1999, Reading 420 was modified to remove the speed-reading component and strengthen the critical reading aspect of this course. Since the modification, it has been taught only two times, in part due to low enrollment, room availability, and budget constraints. In the future, we would like to offer Reading 420 with English 100 as a learning community, as well as consider other strategies to best market Reading 420.

Reading 420

F 97	F 97	F 98	F 98	F 99	F 99	F 00	F00	F 01	F 01	F 02	F 02
%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc	%Ret	%Suc
				85%	80%					76%	68%

Reading 425: Speed Reading

Reading 425 is an 8-week course designed to improve students' reading rate, vocabulary, and comprehension. This course was created out of the speed-reading component of Reading 420, but it has been taught only in Summer 2002 with low enrollment. It is not clear why this class has had low enrollment. Ultimately, we would like to re-institute this class if enrollment, staffing, and classroom space issues can be resolved. Marketing strategies for building enrollment might include targeting evening and prospective students in feeder high schools.

Reading 813: Reading for Pleasure

Reading 813 was designed to serve multiple purposes: variable units made late schedule add-ons possible; no reading prerequisites made the course available to all students; high-interest, low readability reading material made it a community outreach class at the same time. However, this course has never been taught due to reading teacher shortage (all reading instructors are needed to staff core classes), room availability and budget constraints.

One Lab Hour by Arrangement

One hour by arrangement added to Reading 826 and Reading 836 was effective Spring 2002, when the courses were still numbered 801 and 802. This requirement may be met in a number of ways. One way is for students to go to The Learning Center for the lab hour to get additional faculty and/or tutor support in areas of particular need. Students' academic needs are addressed through assessment; students have individualized programs specified in lab folders from which their work in TLC is tracked. Certain software programs, such as Plato, provide assessment, instruction and practice; staffing by faculty, the instructional aide and student tutors provide reading supervision in TLC. Students can also attend numerous faculty-led workshops on reading, writing and study skills. Reports of student progress and number of hours students complete are made to reading faculty members.

Other ways students can meet the one-hour by arrangement are as follows: attending campus events; seeing counselors; getting assistance from their instructors; doing work at home in text or CD activities beyond what is assigned; reading additional books and magazines of student choice; participating in career and transfer workshops; conducting research in the library, etc.

The lab hour by arrangement is a critical part of the plan to serve as a safety net to retain and give added support to Skyline students, improve program outcomes, and better meet student equity goals. As such, its implementation has evolved and changed over several years to now when TLC is under the supervision of Language Arts Dean Martinez. Temporarily this semester, a record number of English and reading tutors and faculty will be serving students under the supervision of TLC English lead faculty member Rachel Bell. It is our recommendation that longitudinal studies be made on the efficacy of this attached lab hour.

2. State how the program has remained current in the discipline (s)

The Reading Department has remained current in the discipline by updating and revising course outlines to meet contemporary needs. We’ve also designed innovative learning communities such as the integration of reading and writing at the developmental level, linked Reading and English courses at the remedial level, and linked integrated reading and writing courses with counseling. In addition, we will be piloting new workplace literacy reading courses. Last but not least, we continually update and revise booklists to ensure consistency and prevent duplication.

Faculty has been technologically trained through Title lll and all full-time reading instructors have websites; all reading instructors use technology in the classroom to some extent; faculty attend reading conferences; reading instructors regularly attend meetings with other reading faculty in the district.

Rich collaboration between San Francisco State University and Skyline has occurred as a result of the FIPSE subcontract, which Karen Wong and Rachel Bell arranged. The interchange of wisdom and learning theory as we mentored the new graduates of SFSU in TLC enhanced and energized Skyline's Language Arts Division.

3. If the student population has changed, state how the program is addressing these changes

The main change to the student population is in numbers; there are now more sections of Reading 826 and 836 being taught due to the reading prerequisites added to courses. Reading courses for programs such as Kababayan and Puente are also integral to our program due to demographic changes. Other changes in the program are addressing workforce literacy and learning enrichment classes as community outreach for older and returning students.

4. All courses in the program should be reviewed and, if appropriate, modified every six years. If this has not occurred, please list the courses and explain

All courses in this program have been reviewed and updated as part of this program review.

5. If external accreditation or certification is required, please state the certifying agency and status of the program

No external accreditation or certification is required.

6. Discuss plans for future review and program modification

The immediate plan is to design a learning community between English 826 and Reading 826. The long-range plan is to research, design, and implement workforce literacy courses and reading-across-the-disciplines modules. Simultaneously, we will continue to review and to monitor retention and success of reading students in their reading and English courses, modifying the reading program accordingly. Included in the modification would be incorporating a wider range of marketing strategies to target a broader audience. More discussion needs to take place concerning the two-college level reading courses, Reading 420 and Reading 425.

PART C: Faculty and Staff

1. List major professional and staff development activities completed by faculty and staff in this program in the last six years and state what development is needed or proposed by faculty in this program.

· Professional Development to attain Reading Certificate from SFSU: Rachel Bell

· Flex day activities to learn how to use Plato and Daedalus: Rachel Bell, Betty Lindgren-Young, Linda Vogel, Karen Wong

· Trustees’ Grant to evaluate software and texts: Betty Lindgren-Young

· Professional Development to conduct research on developmental reading and writing programs: Karen Wong

· Professional Development to design official course outline and develop core curricular materials for English/Reading 846, Reading and Writing Connections: Karen Wong and Rachel Bell

· Trustees’ grant to conduct research on the efficacy of English 846, Reading and Writing Connections: Karen Wong (coordinator), Liza Erpelo, Betty Lindgren-Young, Rachel Bell

· Professional Development to rewrite Reading 420, Critical Reading, and Reading 425, Speed Reading, and to design Reading 813, Reading for Enrichment: Linda Vogel

· Professional Development to participate in Title III Computer training: Rachel Bell, Betty Lindgren-Young, Linda Vogel, Karen Wong. Karen became Co-Director of faculty development for the Title III project for the last four years.

· Title III workshops-- Reading Across the Curriculum, Cross-Cultural Communication, Conducting Informal Assessment: Betty Lindgren-Young, Linda Vogel, Karen Wong, Norman Prince, Liza Erpelo, Chuck Leach

· CTL Workshops: Dreamweaver, Claris HomePage, Banner, Gradekeeper: Betty Lindgren-Young, Linda Vogel, Karen Wong

· CPR (Calibrated Peer Review) training: Betty Lindgren-Young, Karen Wong

· SFSU FIPSE Grant to work in partnership with SFSU to implement an integrated reading and writing program: Karen Wong

· Museum of Tolerance: Betty Lindgren-Young, Linda Vogel, Karen Wong

· UC Berkeley Community College Symposium on Learning Communities: Rachel Bell, Karen Wong, Betty Lindgren-Young

· Northern California College Reading Association annual conferences. Los Rios CC, Santa Rosa CC, Diablo Valley CC: Betty Lindgren-Young & Linda Vogel

· College Reading and Learning Assistance annual conferences: Sacramento, New Orleans, Spokane, Salt Lake City, Reno (prior to budget constraints): Betty Lindgren Young and Linda Vogel

· International Reading Association annual conference, Florida, Spring 2003: Karen Wong, Roxanne Morgan

· NCTE annual conference: Liza Erpelo, Roxanne Morgan, Karen Wong, & Linda Vogel

· California Reading Association annual conference: Liza Erpelo & Roxanne Morgan

· Secondary Reading Institute sponsored by CAPA/CPDI and the California Reading and Literature Project, Summer 2002: Liza Erpelo

· 3^rd Annual CRAFT pedagogy in Practice Conference, SFSU, Spring: Liza Erpelo

· Generation 1.5 Second Language Writers, SFSU, Fall 2000: Liza Erpelo

· SFSU-MATESOL conference, May 2003: Susan Zoughbie

· Parent Education Network Conference: “Helping LD Kids at Home and School,” May 2003: Susan Zoughbie

· Dreamweaver and data base management courses: Chuck Leach, instructional aide.

Future Training Needs:

Workforce literacy training for current faculty, instructional aide, tutors
Training for working with reading-across-the-disciplines, both for reading staff and for discipline faculty who choose to participate
Ongoing technology training for current faculty and instructional aide

· Support to attend regional and national conferences to keep abreast of current research and changes in the field.

· Ongoing departmental mentoring and meetings to share techniques and assignments and resolve difficulties.

2. Describe the orientation process for new faculty and staff (include student workers such as tutors and aides.)

The Language Arts Division publishes the Language Arts Division Handbook for Adjunct Faculty that includes reading course outlines, a sample syllabus, and lists of suggested texts for each course.
Mentoring is an established practice within the division, and each full-time faculty member serves as a mentor for one or more adjunct reading instructors.
Full-time reading faculty assist the Language Arts Dean in providing classroom observations and peer evaluations of adjunct faculty. These observations become part of the mentoring process.
The second flex day in the fall semester includes a meeting of the reading department and serves as an orientation and mentoring time for those new and returning adjunct faculty and staff who are able to attend.
Program review provides an opportunity for full-time faculty to meet regularly to review course outlines and evaluate texts for inclusion on the list of recommended books for the various reading courses in the curriculum. These discussions and the book list have been very helpful in preparing us to be better mentors and in making additions to the division handbook.
Peer review of course texts and instructors' syllabi each semester
Betty Lindgren-Young, because she’s been a regular instructor of Reading 812 in The Learning Center each semester, has provided orientation and on-going mentoring support for Chuck Leach, the Reading Instructional Aide.
Graduate level students in the Reading Certificate Program at SFSU and peer tutors have worked as reading tutors in The Learning Center. They are trained and supervised by The Learning Center English Instructor with assistance from reading faculty and the reading instructional aide.

3. If recruitment of new and/or diverse faculty is needed, suggest recruitment techniques.

· Send announcements to university reading training programs

· Bring materials to conferences, such as NCCRA, CRLA, IRA

· Publish announcements on organization web sites, such as CRLA and IRA. Use the NCCRA e-mail list.

· Do what has worked very well in the past: maintain connections with the reading training program at SFSU. Recruit SFSU Reading Certificate students as graduate level reading tutors for The Learning Center and then hire them as adjunct instructors after they receive their degrees and certificates.

Include organizational chart.

Anita Martinez

Dean of Language Arts & Learning Resources

The Learning Center

English Faculty

Reading Faculty

Instructional Aides

Graduate Level/Peer Tutors

PART D: Facilities, Equipment, Materials and Maintenance

Discuss the effectiveness of the facilities, equipment, equipment maintenance, and materials for the program to meet its goals and focus. Include if they impact success and if they are accessible to all students.

Not all campus classrooms are adequately equipped to hold reading classes. Some classrooms have only one board; not all classrooms have new overhead projectors; and many classroom walls are so thin that noise and echoes from adjacent classrooms are a problem. Also, Media Services needs more student help to get the needed equipment to the classrooms (i.e. TV’s, computer carts, overheads). Additionally, it is difficult to find classroom space for the new reading course Reading 846: Reading & Writing Connections because it is an 80-minute class. In fact, finding space for any classes that don’t meet for the traditional 50 or 75-minute blocks is difficult. Finally, there are many benefits to having a full media-equipped reading classroom (room 5102A), but it is oddly shaped and the curtained wall at the end needs to be converted into a permanent wall. It was originally designed to be a reading lab. We would benefit from more such equipped classrooms to meet the needs of our technologically trained reading teachers.

List projected needs

Many of the needs were listed above:

· formal noise abating wall to separate 5102A from 5102B

· multiple writing boards needed in classrooms

· increased student assistance in Media Services to secure equipment

· improved sound proofing in classrooms

· more fully media-equipped classrooms

· more available classroom space for odd-time class offerings

· the computer station in the reading-dedicated classroom (room 5102A) needs to be networked to the TLC, so that programs such as PLATO can be demonstrated

· combination locks on the CTL in building 5 as present access to the room is difficult.

Describe the use of technology in the program and discuss if technology is current and comparable to other college or business industry

Currently all full-time reading instructors have websites and post much of their materials (i.e. syllabi, lesson plans) online. Reading instructors also use online discussion boards and computer-mediated communication. They also use programs such as Daedalus (for in-class chatting, composing, and brainstorming about the assigned reading) and PLATO (to access reading levels and practice areas of weakness). Reading instructors also use visual aides though overhead transparency projectors and overhead projectors connected to computers, so we need electronic classrooms.

If appropriate, describe the support the program receives from industry. If the support is not adequate, what is necessary to improve that support?

No support from industry.

PART E: Budget Request

1.What resources (staff, facilities, equipment and/or supplies) will be needed in the next six years?

(1) Funding is needed for at least one full-time reading instructor, preferably one with flexibility to teach English composition as well. We were moving forward in Fall 2002 to hire a full-time instructor, a faculty position approved through the faculty allocation process; however, the district hiring freeze stopped the process. Another full-time instructor is needed in the reading program to help with the following:

· Staff the increased number of core reading courses, an increase

resulting from reading courses being required prerequisites to the entire English composition sequence. Some composition courses, English 100, 110 and 165, are needed for transfer while another, English 836, is needed to qualify for vocational programs or to graduate. While adjunct reading faculty can be identified and hired to teach some sections, we are losing our adjuncts almost as fast was we can hire them to fulltime and better-paying part-time faculty positions at other colleges; two of our adjuncts were hired fulltime at CCSF within the past two years. We face the potential situation of not being able to offer enough sections to meet student demand, thus limiting student access to core basic skills classes.

· Staff English/Reading 846, the new Integrated Reading and Writing

course. This course shows improved retention and success rates compared to the separate courses of English 836 and Reading 836. Faculty can be assigned to teach this course only if they posses the minimum qualifications in both composition and reading. The majority of composition faculty do not. Current fulltime reading faculty are being assigned to teach these sections to the maximum extent possible without imperiling other offerings.

· Staff Learning Community sections of English/ Reading 836. Both the

Puente and Kababayan Programs offered the integrated class; it is likely that the other programs will request to do the same, but we may be limited in honoring their requests by the availability of qualified faculty.

· Design and staff the workforce literacy curriculum. Currently,

because of our heavy commitments to other program development efforts and other professional responsibilities, no one on staff is prepared or has time to design and implement the workforce literacy curriculum.

· Design and implement the reading-across-the-disciplines modules for

use in The Learning Center.

(2) Program development funding is needed to design and sustain curriculum for workplace literacy, reading-across-the-disciplines, and linked courses, including support materials for The Learning Center.

(3) If a workplace literacy program is developed, another reading instructional aide and additional tutors will be needed for The Learning Center to cover day, evening, and Saturday schedules.

(4) Current faculty, instructional aides, and tutors will need training in workforce literacy curriculum and strategies.

(5) Funding will be needed for duplicating costs, software, texts, and other media resources to support the workplace literacy program.

(6) Funding is needed to ensure that the reading classroom computer system can be connected to The Learning Center network so that all relevant and appropriate programs can be demonstrated in the classroom.

(7) For more than two years already, a request has been in place to renovate the Reading classroom, 5102A/5102B. Currently a vinyl folding curtain separates the two areas, and 5102B has become a mere storage room. Requested is a more useful situation with a soundproof wall with a door between the two rooms. Included in the request is a window in the wall between 5102B and The Learning Center. Room 5102B is wasted space which could better be used as a reading tutoring and small group meeting room. Construction funds are needed to facilitate this project.

(8) Funding for writing boards in classrooms that need them such as room 1219 (This is the classroom where English/Reading 846 is currently taught).

(9) Program development funding is needed to create better connections with other institutions of higher education.

(10) Program development funding is needed to attend local, regional, and national conferences to stay current in the field of reading and for ongoing technical training.

Skyline College Program Review

Worksheet for Enrollment, Performance, and WSCH/FTE

Weekly Student Contact Hours- WSCH

Report the 3 previous Fall semesters with the most recent on the right.

Term	Fall 2000	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
WSCH	1778	1711	2808

Please comment on program enrollment and expected trends.

WSCH has increased in the Fall 2002 for various reasons. First, one-hour-by-arrangement was added to the classes because faculty were concerned about productivity and student success. Second, reading courses became co/prerequisites for remedial and developmental English courses, which has in turn increased need, hence the increased number of reading sections and students enrolling in sections. Third, the co/prerequisites are being enforced through computer prerequisite checking and testing outreach efforts.

We expect slight growth if our workplace literacy courses are implemented and in demand. Numbers of students who need our program may show variation depending on demographic and socioeconomic trends in the county.

FTE and WSCH/FTE (LOAD)

Report the 3 previous Fall semesters with the most recent on the right.

Term	Fall 2000	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
FTE	3.933	3.8	4.933
WSCH	1778	1711	2808
LOAD	452	450	569
SKYLINE LOAD	499	536	578

STUDENT SUCCESS: READING CLASSES COMPARED TO SKYLINE

Please comment on the comparison of this program to College trends.

Unlike in past years, the load in Fall of 2002 more closely resembled the College's in general. That is due to the reasons articulated in the last section.

In addition, due to consistent testing and enforcement of co/prerequisites, students are persisting because they've enrolled in the appropriate level and have greater incentive to complete the course. Anecdotal evidence seems to indicate that students are leaving not for inadequate preparation (as in the past) but rather for personal reasons. At our request, our dean has contacted Student Services about the possibility of tracking student withdrawals so as to gather hard data in this area.

Retention and Success

Report data on program retention and success rate with the most recent on the right.

READING RETENTION AND SUCCESS

Term	Fall 2000	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
Retention	79	79	79
Success	66	70	64

Please comment on the program success and retention rate. Include factors that affect the rates and how college services are used to provide multiple avenues for student success.

Although the retention rate has remained steady at 79 per cent, the success rate dipped six percent between Fall 2001 and Fall 2002, a cause for concern. In general, incoming students have lower reading skills due to less reading preparation in K-12. However, that period was also marked by three distinct changes due to the implementation of the reading co/prerequisites in 2001. Number one, enrollment increased from 564 to 728 students. Secondly, students no longer self-selected, which diversified the population in terms of their commitment to the course as well as their abilities. Notably, the DSKLS program, which formerly provided reading and writing instruction for learning disabled students, was dismantled, and these students entered Reading 826 without adequate preparation. Third, the increased demand has precipitated additional sections of the course, many of which are taught by new adjunct instructors. Program coordination, mentoring, and evaluation are new issues for the reading program. Any of the aforementioned might account for the dip, which we hope to reverse. We also will continue to closely monitor our numbers.

However, we are pleased with the data that suggests the reading co/prerequisites are contributing to higher success and retention in English 836: Writing Development (See Appendix A.) English faculty had advocated for and strongly supports the reading co/prerequisites primarily for this purpose since their students were struggling with text-based writing. Additionally, English and reading faculty view their courses as service courses and as such, should be assisting students to succeed in all courses which require extensive reading and writing. No data has yet been gathered to test this hypothesis.

To provide multiple avenues for success, we have designed a challenge process for qualified students to demonstrate that they have the requisite abilities to therefore bypass reading courses. The process requires that two reading teachers evaluate a challenge packet independent of each other with the Dean as tie breaker.

We also provide one-on-one assistance for students through office hours, the related 16-hours by arrangement, and Reading 812, which is housed in TLC and is taught by both reading faculty with assistance from an instructional aide. We've also designed a new developmental course, English/Reading 846, which enables students to fulfill their reading and English requirements in one course, and next semester, we're implementing some linked reading and English courses at the remedial level.

Appendix A: Success and Retention in English Courses

The reading co/prerequisite was implemented in Fall 2001. In general the findings are mixed due to many variables. But the reading prerequisites appear to be assisting students best in English 836, the level at which most students place. Clearly a longitudinal study needs to be done to arrive at a stronger conclusion.

English 836: Writing Development & 100: Composition-- Retention rates have increased while success rates have fluctuated.

Term

Fall 1997-2000 (before

course pre/co-req's)

Fall 2001 (after

course pre/co req's)

Fall 2002

% Retention

% Success

Only English 826: Basic Writing Skills (Remedial/ Pre-transfer)-- There are several reasons why retention rates have fluctuated while success rates have decreased. Standards for English 826 are more demanding than in the past, as the revised course outline indicates; for example, in the past, students were to master writing the paragraph form, but today, students master writing full essays to pass. Yet incoming students have declining reading and writing skills with 70% placing in remedial and developmental classes. As a result, some students don’t even place at the English 826 level, and those students have no option but to enroll in this course anyway. There is literally no other class for them because this is the lowest level English class offered. At one time, there were the DSKL courses that taught reading and writing to the students who did not test high enough to be placed in a class, but DSKL classes are no longer offered.

Term	Fall 1997-2000	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
% Retention	78	72	75
% Success	67	57	52

Only English 836: Writing Development (Developmental/Pre-transfer)-- Most entering students place at this level. Both retention and success rates have increased.

Term	Fall 1997-2000	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
% Retention	68	79	81
% Success	54	64	60

Only English 100: Composition (Transfer)-- Both retention and success rates have fluctuated. But since the reading prerequisite was only recently implemented, it’s premature to draw any strong conclusions.

Term	Fall 1997-2000	Fall 2001	Fall 2002
% Retention	81	80	76
% Success	70	70	66

Appendix B: Challenge Process Results

Note: 150 students went through the challenge process, first initiated in Fall 2001.

Term

Fall 2001 (68)

Fall 2002 (82)

% Approved Challenges

% Success Rate

(C or better in the class)

This data is from Evelyn Seth and Don Biederman. However, they do note, "It is important to exercise caution in utilizing challenge outcomes data. The patterns we have seen over the past two years clearly demonstrate that students with approved challenges are as likely or more likely to succeed in their classes than students who enroll by placement or by completing prerequisite classes. In that sense, the challenge process is acting as a good indicator of future student success. On the other hand, challenge outcomes results do not prove that challenge criteria are ideally set or that existing course prerequisites are valid. Based on the results we have seen for the past two years, it appears that the challenge process is working reasonably well and meeting its intended purpose."

Appendix C: English/ Reading 836 and English/ Reading 846 Success Rates and Retention

Thus far data suggests that the English/Reading 846 class is effective, but please note that it would be premature to draw any strong conclusions since this course was only recently implemented.

Fall 2002	English 836	Reading 836	English/Reading 846
% Retention Rate	81	80	92
% Success Rate	59	64	83

Retention: The retention rate is higher in the integrated English/ Reading 846 course than the separate English and Reading 836 equivalents.

Success: The success rate is substantially higher in the integrated English/Reading 846 course than the separate English and Reading 836 equivalents. It is 24% higher than English and 19% higher than Reading.