Toward Informative Assessment and a Culture of Evidence

Examines how campuses in the Strengthening Pre-collegiate Education in Community Colleges initiative combined traditional and innovative measures of student performance such as "think-aloud" protocol and pre-post testing to improve teaching and learning

Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Success: Early Progress in the Achieving the Dream Initiative

Achieving the Dream is a multiyear, national initiative, launched by Lumina Foundation for Education, to help community college students stay in school and succeed. The 82 participating colleges commit to collecting and analyzing data to improve student outcomes, particularly for low-income students and students of color. This baseline report describes the early progress that the first 27 colleges have made after just one year of implementation

Effects of SI administration staffing and support on SI program outcomes in higher education

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an internationally recognized learning assistance program used in higher education to support traditionally challenging classes by offering regularly scheduled, peer-led, group study sessions for the students enrolled in the targeted course. This study explored the administrative hours spent on specific SI program constructs (training-related, observation of sessions, planning support, and administrative tasks) and program funding and their relationships with program outcomes (attendance rate for the program, the difference in the average final grades between SI session attendees and non-attendees, and the difference in the rate of Ds, Fs, and withdraws between the SI session attendees and non-attendees). This quantitative study collected data from SI programs at institutions across North America (N=63). Multiple linear regression and correlation were used to examine the relationships between the variables. The regression models and correlation analyses were statistically insignificant, except training-related hours per SI leader was significantly related to the attendance rates for the entire SI program. This result might suggest that training-related hours assist leaders in developing high-quality sessions, thereby increasing attendance percentage. This finding indicates that SI program administrators should enhance their training-related responsibilities per SI leader to increase attendance rates for the program. These findings were limited by small sample size and focus on supervisory constructs while ignoring other factors such as institutional characteristics that may influence program outcomes. Future studies should explore each supervisory construct individually while controlling for aspects of SI programs that may affect program outcomes and collect larger sample sizes.Includes bibliographical reference

For the Public Good: Quality Preparation for Every Teacher

The goal is to ensure that teachers enter the profession ready for the demands of the 21st-century classroom. The first report from Bank Street College of Education's Sustainable Funding Project  looks at ways of reaching that goal through yearlong co-teaching experiences, commonly referred to as residencies, in classroom settings with experienced mentors.The report—"For the Public Good: Quality Preparation for Every Teacher"—also identifies public funding streams to support residency programs nationwide and outlines how teacher preparation providers and school districts can establish mutually beneficial partnerships to support high-quality teacher preparation

Effectiveness of Remedial Mathematics Supplemental Instruction: a Community College Study.

The purpose of this mixed method study was to determine if there is a relationship between characteristics of supplemental instructors’ personal traits, teaching skills, subject matter, constructive/active, collaborative learning, effective communication, and their practices (as judged by students) and student success in their remedial mathematics course. The college Provost was contacted by email to request an authorization to conduct this study in his college. Once approved, the investigator contacted face to face his colleagues to ask their students to participate in the study because they enrolled in a remedial algebra class where the instructor is assisted by a supplemental instructor (SI leader). Sixteen algebra classes were selected, and each were assisted by supplemental instructors. Students’ scores on the pre-test (at beginning of the semester) and post-test (at the end of the semester) were collected to gauge their achievement on both tests. Students completed a questionnaire that asked about their perceptions about their supplemental instructors’ personal traits, teaching skills, subject matter, constructive/active, collaborative learning, effective communication, and their practices throughout the semester. Students’ mean scores difference on the post-test were higher in 62.5% of the sections than on the pre-test. The evaluation of achievement on both tests, the responses to the questionnaire and comments from students showed that SI leader’s characteristics associated to effective communication/active learning, teaching skills, and personal traits could be contributor to score achievements. The linear regression in the study shows that the three factors did not significantly predict the post-test score. However, the pre-test did significantly predict the post-test score in a remedial Math 20 at the end of the semester (Beta = .47, t (197) = 6.56, p <.05). In addition, the comments in the questionnaire found that students acknowledged their supplemental instructor role in the classroom and during the SI’s weekly sessions

Supplemental Instruction. Volume 3 : Organisation and Leadership

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BEYOND THE DREAM: IMPROVING COLLEGE-READINESS OF UNDERPREPARED COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS

The majority of the nation’s first-year college students are not prepared to assume postsecondary level studies. Many are diverted to developmental education programs and most never attain postsecondary credentials. Educational reform is on the national agenda and challenges community colleges to address the growing lack of postsecondary achievement. The purpose of this instrumental multi-case study was to explore and analyze reformative strategies that effectively address college-readiness and achievement of underprepared community college students. A qualitative methodology was employed in analyzing strategies implemented at community colleges to improve college-readiness. A criterion-based selection process identified six community colleges recognized by the Achieving the Dream organization as Leader Colleges in improving student success and located within systems with statewide educational policy reform. In addition, purposeful sampling was used to design a focus group of field experts to examine effective strategies and best practice criteria. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews with Core Team Leaders who led implementation of reformative strategies at the six colleges. Collected demographic survey-data offered context and pertinent document reviews and focus group data contributed to the triangulation of evidence. The interviews yielded insight into 18 strategies designed to improve college-readiness. Findings include descriptions, evidence of impact, factors that supported effectiveness, perceived potential for wide-scale implementation, and recommended best practices. Cross-case analyses offered aggregated comparative analysis and a disaggregated examination of ten common strategies. Composite analyses revealed seven themes that underscore common purposes of the strategies and factors that improve effective implementation. Three common core purposes among the effective strategies include instructional reform, student engagement, and transition to college. Four thematic elements that support effective implementation of strategies include college culture, evidence of effectiveness, integrated systems, and committed leadership. A Relational Paradigm is offered that describes the multidimensional interplay between the core purposes of the strategies and the contextual factors that influence effective implementation. The Paradigm can be used to guide adaptation of strategies to fit unique college cultures. Implications for community colleges to improve college-readiness include the need for strong leadership with system-wide collaborations to create new instructional and organizational models that support student transition, engagement, and learning

Supplemental Instruction in First-Year Chemistry Courses: Efficacy and Gender Balance

Increasing student success and retention rates are top goals for many higher education institutions. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a widely used academic support program designed to increase students’ academic performance and provide students the learning skills they need to persist to graduation. Unfortunately, a lack of time, personnel, and resources often prevent in-depth, meaningful analysis on the effectiveness of SI programs. This study examined the relationship of attending SI sessions for first-year chemistry courses to student grade outcomes and retention rates for attendees. The gender of SI leaders and SI participants was also assessed to determine if leader and participant gender were related to SI attendance, final course grades, or retention. The results indicated that students who attended SI earned significantly higher final course grades and were retained at significantly higher rates after one and two terms. A positive correlation was discovered between the number of SI sessions attended and final course grades. Significant differences in final grades were demonstrated between students who attended SI and those who did not at all levels of composite ACT scores. Both male and female students showed a preference for gender-matching with their SI leader, but students who attended SI sessions with both male and female SI leaders earned higher final course grades than students who gender-matched with their SI leader and students who only attended SI sessions with an SI leader whose gender differed from their own. No significant differences were found between male and female students for final course grades or retention outcomes

Evaluating a Peer Assisted Learning Programme for Mature Access Foundation Students Undertaking Computer Programming at an Irish University

Access Foundation Programmes are a widening-participation initiative designed to encourage engagement in higher education among underrepresented groups, including those with socioeconomic and educational disadvantage. In particular, mature students enrolled in these programmes experience greater difficulties making the transition to tertiary education, especially when they opt to study disciplines traditionally considered difficult. Computer programming is perceived as a traditionally difficult subject with typically lower pass rates and progression rates than other subjects. This paper describes the first of a three-cycle action research study examining the perceived effects of a structured Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Programme for mature students enrolled in a computer science programming module for an Access Foundation Programme in an Irish University. The focus of this qualitative study was to evaluate the perceived effect of a PAL programme on learning and whether it offered a positive learning support structure. Findings from our study suggest that PAL programmes have an overall positive effect on subject comprehension as well as enhanced learner confidence for mature Access Foundation students. Furthermore, PAL sessions offered students a support structure that helped with their transition and acculturation to tertiary education. This study also highlights the importance the PAL leader’s role has on the perceived effectiveness of the PAL sessions as well as the impact of the students’ shared history on the near-peer bond. The study concludes that the implementation of PAL programmes for Access Foundation Programmes has the potential to offer mature students a supportive learning environment and to improve their learning experience

Co-Enrolling Students in Math Remediation and College-Level Math in a Community College System

The purpose of this study was to conduct a rigorous examination of co-enrollment of students in math remediation and college-level math. A quasi-experimental, posthoc design examined the outcomes and the relationships of two groups of students who participated in a pilot project the goal of which was to assess the co-enrolled model that is designed to provide students with mathematics support. One group of students enrolled in a traditional model of developmental mathematics. The second group of students co-enrolled in developmental and college-level math. The sample for this study was students (N = 7616) from nine community colleges in a U. S. Southeastern state. Students were selected for this study who enrolled in co-enrolled in developmental math and college-level math simultaneously (n = 208) and a control group who enrolled in developmental and college-level math separately (n = 7408). All enrollments occurred during the fall 2016 and spring 2017 semesters. Co-enrolled students completed developmental and college-level math at higher rates than their developmental only peers. The co-enrolled students accumulated fewer credits and attained higher grades in college-level math than the developmental only students