THE BREAKING THROUGH - Jobs for the Future (JFF)

THE BREAKING THROUGH PRACTICE GUIDE

Aligning Programs for Low-Skilled Adults

PREFACE V

INTRODUCTION 5.3

ALIGNADULTEDUCATIONPROGRAMSWITHCOLLEGE 5.4

RefocusAdultEducationprogramsandStudentson College—NottheGED—astheEndGoal 5.6

ConnectAdultEducatorswithKeyCollegeDepartments 5.7

ReviseInstructiontoBridgetheAdultEducation/CollegeSkillsGap 5.8

Vignette:NorthShoreCommunityCollege,Massachusetts 5.9

ALIGNNONCREDITCOURSESANDPROGRAMSWITHACADEMICCOURSESANDPROGRAMS 5.12

AssessSkillsandCompetenciesinNoncreditCoursestoDocumentHow TheyCanAlignWith—andSometimesEarn—Credit 5.13

Vignette:PamlicoCommunityCollege,NorthCarolina 5.14

ALIGNDEVELOPMENTALEDUCATIONWITHTECHNICALEDUCATION 5.15

AccelerateDevelopmentalEducation 5.16

CustomizeDevelopmentalEducationforTechnicalInstruction 5.17

AllowGreaterFlexibilityinTakingtheCollege-EntranceExam 5.18

SCALINGUPACONTEXTUALIZEDDEVELOPMENTALEDUCATIONSTRATEGY:CASESTUDYOFSOUTHEASTARKANSASCOLLEGE 5.18

REFERENCES 5.20

TABLE OF CONTENTS

5.3BreakingThrough

ALIGNING PROGRAMS FOR LOW-SKILLED ADULTSIntroductionTheBreaking Throughreportof2004identifiedtheprofoundlackofconnectionsbetweenprogramshousedin

atypicalcommunitycollegeasacrucialbarriertotheeducationalandeconomicadvancementofpeoplewith

lowskills(Liebowitz&Taylor2004).Whilethereiswidevariationamongthenation’scommunitycolleges,most

collegeshaveseparatedivisionsforcredit-bearingacademicprograms,noncreditworkforceprograms,and

developmentaleducation;somehaveanadulteducationdivision.

Breaking Through’sresearchintotheparticularprogramsrevealedmyriadstructuralproblems—divergentmissions;

differingfundingstreams,withdifferingandoftenincompatiblegoals,performancemeasures,andtestingand

trackingsystems;programstaffunfamiliarwiththeneedsofemployersandmodernhighereducation(standards

forentryandthepreparationneededforentry-levelcourses);and,alltoooften,significantgapsbetweentheexit

standardsofoneprogramandtheentrystandardsoftheprogramintowhichitleads(Liebowitz&Taylor2004).

Thenatureofthisdisconnectiondifferssignificantlyevenamongthethreeprogramstypicallyservingasentry

pointstopostsecondaryeducationforlow-skilledadults(botholderandyounger).Inthecaseofadulteducation

andnoncreditworkforcetraining,theproblemstemsinlargepartfromthefactthatneitherprogramwasintended

toconnectitsstudentstopostsecondaryeducation.Developmentaleducationwasinstitutedpreciselytoprepare

peopleforcollege-levelwork,butpersistenceandtransitionratesareverylow.

DeeperinformationemergedduringthecourseofBreaking Through:

> Adulteducationprogramsoftendonotviewpostsecondaryeducationasanimportantgoalfortheirstudents

anddonotprovideinstructionalcontentthatadequatelypreparesstudentsforcollege-entranceexamsand

college-levelwork.

> Noncreditworkforceprogramsoftenprovidetechnicalinstructionthatmatchessomeorallofaschool’s“for-

credit”coursesandprograms,butlackmechanismsfordemonstratingstudents’masteryofessentialcontentto

for-creditinstructorsanddepartments.

> Thecontentandgoalsofdevelopmentaleducationprogramsdonotconnectwithstudents’goalsofadvancing

tobetterjobsandcareers.

Thesestructuralproblemsgoalongwaytowardexplainingthepoortransitionratesfromlower-levelprogramsto

higher-levelprogramsandthepoorsuccessratesinthehigher-levelprograms.Asonecollegeofficialexplained,

echoingwhattheresearchfoundtobeacommonopinion,“I’vebeenworkinginthisfieldformanyyears,andIcan

hardlyfigureoutwhattherouteintocollegeforalow-wageworkerwouldbeinmyarea.Howwouldapersonwith

lowskillsandlittlefamiliaritywithpublicinstitutionsfigureitout?”

TheBreaking Throughreportproposedthishigh-leveragestrategyinresponse:Restructureprogramsforprecollege

studentssothattheyalignwithcollege-levelprograms.

TheBreakingThroughPracticeGuide/ Al igningProgramsforLow-Ski l ledAdults5.4

Toacertainextent,thisrecommendationreflectsresearchattributinghighersuccessratesatsomeproprietary

technicalcolleges—comparedwiththoseatpubliccommunitycolleges—topurposefulstructuringandsequencingof

coursesinordertominimizepotentiallybewilderingchoicesandfocusstudentsonclearlychartedpaths(Bailey,

Badway,&Gumport2001).AtPortlandCommunityCollege,thedesignofthecollegecareer-pathwaysprogramis

drawninpartfromthesefeaturesofproprietaryschools.(See the Breaking Through Practice Guide: Labor Market

Payoffs for more information on Portland Community College’s career-pathways design.)

Inparticular:

> Adulteducationprogramsshouldpromotestudents’collegeaspirationsandensurethatcontentalignswith

collegetestsandskillneeds.

> Noncreditworkforceprogramsshouldlinkstudentswithcollege-levelprogrammingthroughstrategies(e.g.,

articulationagreements)thataligncompetenciesinnoncreditandcreditprograms.

> Developmentaleducationprogramsshouldconsiderdifferentprogrammingforstudentswithstrongcareer

goals(e.g.,addingcontentthatconnectswithstudents’goalsandthecollege’sprofessional/technical

programs).

Align Adult Education Programs with College “Adulteducation”refersheretoprogramsthatmanypeoplecallAdultBasicEducation(ABE),AdultSecondary

Education,GED,andESL.Itiswhatusuallycomestomindwhenconsideringprogramswhosemissionistohelp

adultsneedingremediationtoimprovetheirliteracyskills.ABEisformallytheAdultEducationandFamilyLiteracy

Act(AEFLA),TitleIIoftheWorkforceInvestmentAct.Inmoststates,manyservicesitesareaccessibletopeople

livinginlow-incomeareas.Inaddition,theseprograms,supportedthroughacombinationoffederalandstatefunds,

areofferedtoindividualsatnocost.

However,thosewhoenrollinadulteducationprogramsfacemanychallengesadvancingtopostsecondary

education.Forone,thecapacityofprogramsgenerallyfallsfarbelowneed(AdultEducationStateDirectors2006).

Thewaitinglistsareusuallylong,mainlybecausethefederalgovernmentandmoststateswoefullyunderfundthe

program.Asaresult,instructorpreparationandprofessionaldevelopmentareneglected,andprograminnovation

hasalowpriority(CouncilforAdvancementofAdultLiteracy2008).

Notsurprisingly,adulteducationprogramsdoapoorjobofadvancingstudentsintopostsecondaryeducation.

Washington,oneofthefewstateswithlongitudinaldataandtheonlyonetoanalyzeit,hasfoundthatonly4

percentofEnglishasaSecondLanguagestudentsand6percentofadulteducationstudentsadvancedtoattaining

eitherdegreesorcertificates.ResearchersDavidPrinceandDavisJenkins(2005)havefoundthatstudentswho

canearnatleastoneyearofcollegecreditandacredentialreachacrucial“tippingpoint”tosubstantialincome

increases.

5.5BreakingThrough

Thispoortrackrecordisdueinparttothehistoricalevolutionofadulteducation,whichwasneverconceivedor

designedtopreparestudentsforpostsecondaryeducation.Whilethefederalandstategovernmentshavelong

beeninvolvedinadulteducation,aformalfederalrolewasnotestablisheduntilPresidentLyndonJohnson’sWaron

Povertyinthemid-1960s.TitleIIBoftheEconomicOpportunityActof1964createdthefirstadultbasiceducation

programasastategrant.Today,TitleIIoftheWorkforceInvestmentActof1998fundsandABEconsistprimarilyof

grantstostateswithrequiredmatch.ThecurrentversionofWIAadministeredbytheOfficeofVocationalandAdult

EducationoftheU.S.DepartmentofEducation.

Asthefederalroleevolved,sotoodiddefinitionsandtestingmechanisms,andadulteducationbecamea

compressedversionofprimaryandsecondaryeducationforpeoplewhodidnothaveahighschooldiploma.The

TestofAdultBasicEducation—TABE—wasformanyyearstheinstrumentusedtoidentify,place,andtrackthe

progressofadultsneedingremediation.Morerecently,asitbecameclearthatEnglishisnotthefirstlanguage

formanyadultsseekingliteracyclasses,“Englishasasecondlanguage”wasaddedtothefederaladulteducation

program.ESLstudentsnowrepresentmorethanhalfofthe2.7millionpeopleenrolledacrossthenation(U.S.

DepartmentofEducation2005).(For more information, see “History of the Adult Education Act,” prepared by

Gary Eyre for the National Adult Education Professional Development Consortium, Inc. at www.naepdc.org/issues/

AEAHistort.htm.)

Manyadulteducators—andpeopleinthepopulationatlarge—havelongassumedthattheGEDisanappropriateand

sufficientterminalcredentialforstudentsinsuchprograms.However,accordingtotheNationalCommissionon

AdultLiteracy,theGEDnolongerfunctionsasaportaltopostsecondaryeducation.FewGEDcandidatesactually

enrollinhighereducation,and85percentofthosewhodomusttakeatleastoneremedialcourse(Councilfor

AdvancementofAdultLiteracy2008).

Whyistherecordsodismal?Fourmainbarrierstocreatingclearpathwaysfromadulteducationintopostsecondary

educationemergedduringtheBreaking Throughdemonstrationphase:

> ThepervasivebeliefthattheGEDissufficientasthefinalgoalandcredentialofadulteducationstudents;

> Thedelivery,inmanylocations,ofadulteducationbyentitieswithlittleornoconnectionwithhighereducation

ingeneralorwiththeparticularpostsecondaryeducationalinstitutionsofthearea;

> ThelargeandgrowinggapbetweenthecontentandskillstestedbytheGEDandthoserequiredforcollege

entranceandsuccess;and

> Theneedtosupportstudentsduringthetransitionfromadulteducationtocollege.

The Federal and State Investment in Adult Education

In2005,themostrecentprogramyearforwhichdataareavailable,thenation’sadulteducationsystem,as

definedbytheAdultEducationandFamilyLiteracyAct,TitleIIoftheWorkforceInvestmentAct,enrolled

2,677,119people;43percentwereinEnglish-literacyclasses.Thetotalfederalexpenditurewas$559,602,889.

Thestateshareoftotalexpendituresvariedwidely,rangingfrom25percentinMississippi,SouthDakota,

Tennessee,andTexasto90percentinFlorida.Overall,thefederalinvestmentwas26percentoftotal

expenditures(U.S.DepartmentofEducation2005).


Breaking ThroughcollegeshavetakenupthechallengeoftransitioningmoreABEstudentstocollege.Recognizing

thatmostGEDcompletersrequirefurtherremediationtobecollegeready,theyhavesoughttoeliminateor

significantlyreducethetimethatstudentsspendindevelopmentaleducation.Theyhavedevelopedfourstrategies

thatpromoteclearpathwaysfromadulteducationtopostsecondarycredentials:

> Connectadulteducationstaffwithkeycollegedepartments.

> Changethecultureofadulteducationprogramssothatbothstudentsandteachersconsiderpostsecondary

educationanimportantandattainablegoal.

> Ensurethatstudentsreceiveinstructionthatbridgestheadulteducation/collegeskillsgap.

> Supportstudentsastheytransitiontocollege.

REFOCUS ADULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND STUDENTS ON COLLEGE-NOT THE GED-AS THE END GOAL

Thegoaloftransitioningsignificantlyhigherpercentagesofadulteducationstudentstohighereducationwillnot

beachievedaslongasinstructors,adultstudents,andadultswhoareconsideringadulteducationbelievethat

theGEDisafinalgoalandcredential.Changingthisbeliefinvolvesreversinglong-standinghabitsofmindamong

instructors,managers,andcolleaguesinotherpartsofthecollege.

MostBreaking Throughcollegeshavereliedonacombinationofapproachestorefocusadulteducationstudents

andprogramsoncollegeastheendgoalratherthantheGED:presentingcollegeasanintegralgoalofadult

educationwhenrecruitingstudents;findingwaystohelpadulteducationparticipantsenvisionthemselvesas

collegestudents;andemphasizingtheimportanceofpostsecondarycredentialsforobtainingfamily-supporting

jobs.Thisispowerfulleverage:34percentofpeoplewhoenrollinadulteducationsaytheywantabetterjob

(Strawn2007).

ManyBreaking Throughcollegeshavealsostructuredsupportstoaidstudentsinsuccessfultransitions.Manyhave

adoptedformalsupporteffortstoeasethetransitionforstudentsfromadulteducationintocollege.

PamlicoCommunityCollegeineasternNorthCarolinaputsthecollege

emphasisupfront,whenitrecruitsstudents.Itcreatedastaffposition

chargedwithrecruitingandhiredalocaleducatorwhosepassionisto

increasepostsecondaryattainmentintheregion.Hestressescollege-

goingasanimportantgoalwhenhetalkswithpotentialstudents.Inside

theprogram,whichlikethecollegeissmall,instructorsbeginworking

earlywithanystudentexpressinginterestincollege,helpingeachto

createacustomizededucationplan.

Transitionplanningforcollege-boundadulteducationstudentsgoesinto

highgearwhentheypasstheirnext-to-lastGEDtest.Thecoachinbasic

skillsintroducesnewstudentstothedeansofallthecollegedepartments

andtellsthem,“Iknowthisisoverwhelming,soI’myourcontact.Here’s

mycellphonenumber.”Planningatthisstageincludessuchactivitiesas

reviewingandselectingcollegecourses,touringclassesandtheentire

Tip: “Identity” is a strong

influence. Many Breaking

Through colleges have

found that helping their

adult students identify as

college students improves

their chances of enrolling

in college. LaGuardia

Community College

offers “College for a Day”

opportunities, and South

Piedmont Community College

in North Carolina issues

college-student ID cards to

basic skills students.

5.7BreakingThrough

campus,preparingforthecollegeentranceexam,andpreparingfinancialaidapplications.GEDcompletersare

scheduledintosummerclassesbecausethedepartmenthaslearned,asonestaffmemberreports,“tonotlettime

goby—it’stooeasytolosethem.”

PittCommunityCollege’sReadyforCollegeprogramusescasemanagementtoincreasetransitionratesfrom

adulteducationintocollege.Thecoachconductsself-awarenesssessionsoncollege-readinessskills(e.g.,personal

responsibility,studyskills,managingtimeandstress)andorganizesmonthlycareerworkshopsoncollege

services,careeropportunities,financialplanning,andothertopics.Thecollegealsooffersmonthly“Courageous

Conversations”—freeworkshopsontopicssuchasservicesavailablefrom

thecollege,financialplanningforcollege,andcareeropportunitiesopened

upbycollege.

TheachievementcoachstayswithReadyforCollegestudentsthroughthe

firstyearofcollege.Whenstudentsgetclosetobeingreadytotakethe

GEDtests,sheremindsthemthatcollege,nottheGED,isthegoal.Working

withahalf-timecounselor,sheassistsstudentsonallaspectsofapplying

forcollegeandforfinancialaid.Forthefirstyearafterstudentsenter

college,sheofferssupportandnavigationassistanceaswellasaccessto

thearrayofcollege-andcommunity-basedservices.

CONNECT ADULT EDUCATORS WITH KEY COLLEGE DEPARTMENTS

Amajorreasonforthedisconnectionofadulteducationfromhighereducationistheadministrativeseparation

betweenthetwoareas,startingatthehighestlevel.Inthree-quartersofthestates,accountingfor76percentof

enrollments,adulteducationisadministerednotbythehighereducationsystembutbyK-12departments(thirty-

twostates)ordepartmentsoflabor(fivestates)(Tyler2005).

Moreover,theadministrationordeliveryofadulteducationbyacommunitycollegedoesnotimplyahigherlevel

ofunderstandingorconnection.Evenwhenadulteducationclassesarephysicallylocatedintheheartofthe

collegecampus,instructorsandadministratorsrarelycollaborate,andtheyoftenlackagoodunderstandingofone

another’swork.

Asaresult,Breaking Throughcollegeshavetakenstepstoconnectadulteducationwiththepostsecondarypartsof

thecollege—practicesthatcanbeadoptedbyanyprovider.

AtLaGuardiaCommunityCollege,theAdultandContinuingEducation

departmenthasinvestedindeveloping“GEDtoCareer”BridgePrograms

forinhealthcareandbusiness.Thegoalaretoimprovetherateof

successfultransitionstocollegeandtocreateaplatformfortherigorous

leveloflearningrequiredforsuccessincollege.Theseprogramsprovide

GEDstudentswithcontextualizedinstructionninehoursperweekfor

fourteenweeks(atotalofapproximatelyonehundredhours).Students

havetheoptionofattendinginthemorningorevening,andtheycan

accessthecomputerlab,drop-intutoring,andvariousassessments.

Tip: Get support from

college leadership and

involve key players in a

program-advisory role as you

attempt to link your program

to the college.

Tip: Empower case

managers to help students

mediate conflicts with

faculty, and to alert you

when there is a seemingly

intractable situation, as

well as to resolve students’

personal barriers.


StaffoftheGEDtoCareerBridgeProgramworkcloselywithothercollegestaffintheadmissions,financial

aid,career-development,andacademiccounselingofficestobetterunderstandthesystemsthatstudentsmust

navigateoncetheygraduatefromtheprogram.Staffinthehealthcarebridgeprogramalsoattendmeetingsof

thecollege’sAlliedHealthCommittee,wheretheygainabetterunderstandingofopportunitiesfortheirstudents

inthehealthfieldanddeveloprelationshipswithfacultywhowillworkwiththeprogramgraduateswhenthey

entercollege.Additionally,adulteducationstaffworkcloselywithfacultyintheacademicandvocationaltraining

divisionstocontextualizetheGEDcurricula.(See the Breaking Through Practice Guide: Accelerating the Pace of

Learning chapter.)

Thesecloseworkingrelationshipsnotonlyhelpadulteducationstaffmembersbetterunderstandthe

administrativesystemsandsupportstheirstudentswillfaceincollege;theyalsohelpthecollegestaffandfaculty

becomemorefamiliarwiththeadulteducationstaff,programs,andstudents.Itisatwo-waystreet.Thisincreased

familiarityhelpscollegefacultyandadministrativestaffbetterunderstandtheneeds,strengths,andweaknesses

ofstudentsenteringfromadulteducation.Thisisespeciallyimportantgiventhat20percentofenteringfreshman

atLaGuardiacomefromtheGEDprogram—PresidentMellowoftennotesthatGEDisthelargestfeeder“school”at

LaGuardia.

WhenDavidsonCountyCommunityCollegereorganizeditselfin2000-

01,guidedbythethen-president’svisionof“onecollegeforallstudents,”

itidentifiedtheBasicSkills(asNorthCarolinatermsadulteducation)

Departmentasanimportantpipelineforcredit-levelprograms.The

BasicSkillsDepartmentishousedwithinthecollege’sAcademicDivision,

whichhelpstopromotecollaborationbetweentheirfacultymembers.

Additionally,theBasicSkillsdirectorsitsonthecollegemanagement

team,furtherpromotingcollaboration.

Attheprogramlevel,theBasicSkillsDepartmentincreasinglyseesits

contextualizedcurriculaaskeytobettertransition-to-collegerates.

Basedonregionallabormarketdataandemployerinput,itdevelopedthe

curriculainoccupationalandindustryareasidentifiedashavingahigh

demandforlaborandhighplacementrates.BasicSkillsDepartmentfacultyworkcloselywithacademicfacultyto

contextualizematerialsusingthetextbooksfromfirst-yearcoursesinappropriateprogramareas.

REVISE INSTRUCTION TO BRIDGE THE ADULT EDUCATION/COLLEGE SKILLS GAP

Practitionersinadulteducationhavelongsuggestedthatthereisasignificantgapbetweenthelevelofskills

neededtopasstheGEDtestsandthelevelneededtosucceedincollege.Whilelittlereliableresearchisavailableon

thetopic,inputfromBreaking Throughprogramspointstoatleasttwodimensionsoftheskillsgap:thatinvolving

college-entranceexams,andthatinvolvingtheskillsneededtosucceedincollege.

Somefacetsofthegapareeasytodefine.Forexample,mostcollegeprogramsrequiretheabilitytoconductformal

researchandtowriteresearchpapers,butthisisnotpartofadulteducationcurriculumandnottestedbytheGED.

Inotherareas,thereislittlereliableinformationbutsomespeculation—forexample,thatmostcollege-entrance

examstestforproficiencyinareasofmathematicsbeyondthosetaughtinadulteducation.

Tip: Formalize agreements

with college leaders in

writing. Memoranda of

Understanding that spell out

the college’s commitment

are especially useful. So also

are articulation agreements

that enable both parties (in a

program and in the college)

to specify what they are

expecting the other party

to do.

5.9BreakingThrough

55 Create a collegewide team that includes faculty

and leadership from a number of departments:The

teamincludedrepresentativesfromdevelopmental

education,early-childhoodeducation,student

supportservices,transitionprograms,andnoncredit

departments.

55 Include partners from outside the college on the team:

NSCCcollaboratedwithcommunity-basedorganizations

andthelocalWorkforceInvestmentBoard.CBOs

broughtvaluableexperienceworkingwithlower-skilled,

low-incomestudents.

55 Work with employers to build support for the pathway

program.

Whilethecollegeiscurrentlycollectingandanalyzing

dataonprogramparticipants,italreadyreportsincreased

professionalismamongparticipantsworkinginthefield,as

wellasincreasedrecognitionoftheimportanceoftraining.

Itisalsofindingthatthesuccessoftheprogramisinpart

attributabletothesenseofprestigethatcomeswithbeing

partofanationalinitiative,whichhascreatedabuzzabout

thework.

NSCCisextendingBreaking Throughpracticesintoother

programsthroughoutthecollege,includingdevelopmental

education.TomakethetransitionfromESL/CDAtofor-

creditcourseseasierforstudents,ithasmodifiedtheearly-

childhoodeducationprogram.

55 Allow for multiple student entry points:AtNSCC,there

areentryoptionsforstudentswhoarenearlycollege

readybutneedsomebilingualsupport,aswellasfor

thosewhoneedmoreremediationandEnglishupfront.

55 Create opportunities for stackable certificates:The

benefitoftheCDAcredentialisthatthecreditscan

counttowardthefirstsemesteroftheAssociate’s

degree.

55 Map out the pathway for students:Themapclearly

indicatesentryandexitpoints,aswellasintermediary

credentialsthatleadtoemployment.

InMassachusetts,mostWIA-fundedESLclassesarerunby

CBOs.NorthShoreCommunityCollegerecognizedaneed

tobetteralignthecurriculumprovidedatlocalCBOswith

therequirementsforenrollingandsucceedingincommunity

collegecoursework.Thecollegenowprovidesprofessional

developmenttoESLproviderstoachievealignmentand

consistencyacrossprograms.

TwokeylessonsemergedfromNorthShoreCommunity

College’sBreaking Throughinitiative:

55 Targeting specific groups can lead to a greater

awareness throughout the college and community of

their needs:NSCC’sinitiativeledtoabroadfocuson

thebarriersfacingnon-nativeEnglishspeakersandan

efforttoalignthecollegecurriculawiththatforESL

classestaughtatacommunity-basedorganization.

55 Relationships with community-based organizations can

be mutually beneficial:NSCCprovidedprofessional

developmenttoCBOstaff,whiletheCBOprovided

studentswithadditionalsupports.

North Shore Community College, Massachusetts

BUILDING PATHWAYS FOR NON-NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKERS

NorthShoreCommunityCollege’sBreaking Throughinitiativehadaspecificpopulationinmind:low-skilledchildcare

workerswhowerenon-nativeEnglishspeakers.ThecollegecreatedaChildDevelopmentAssociate(CDA)trackfor

non-nativespeakersthatcouldleadintothecollege’sAssociate’sdegreeprograminearly-childhoodeducation,ideally

withouttheneedtoenrollindevelopmentaleducation.Toaccomplishthecollege’sgoals,NSCCworkedwithavarietyof

internalandexternalpartners:


Practitionershavefewtoolstheycanusetohelpthemidentifytheskillstheirstudentswillneedinordertoboth

passcollegetestsandsucceedincollege.Asaresult,theygenerallydevelop“bridge”curriculaonaone-by-one

basis.Someprogramsenablestudentstotakethecollege’sadmissionsexamforpracticesotheycanidentifyareas

ofweaknessrequiringfurtherinstruction.

LaGuardiaCommunityCollege’sGEDBridgeprogramsaredesignedto

simulatethecollegeexperience.TheGEDcurriculummirrorsthefirst-year

curriculaofprogramsinthecollege’sacademicdivision,andstudents

areexpectedtodorigorouswork.Theyarerequiredtoreadextensively

andtodeveloptheiracademicwritingskillsbywritingcomparative

orpersuasiveessays,interview-basednarratives,andmini-research

papers.Justascollege-levelstudentsareexpectedtostudyoutsidethe

classroom,GEDstudentsareexpectedtospendonehourpreparingfor

everyhourinclass.

GEDfacultydevoteasignificantamountoftimerevisingthecurriculum

toalignwithcollege-levelexpectations(aswelltocontextualizeit).Theprogramcoordinatorandinstructorsmeet

weekly,andinstructorsspendabout10hoursperweekdevelopingcoursematerials—andtheyspendevenmore

timeatthebeginningoftheprogram.GEDfacultyarecomprehensiveintheirapproachtodesigningrigorousGED

Table 1. Unit Objective in LaGuardia Community College’s GED Bridge Program

General Unit Overview GED College Career

•Studentsestimatemeasure-

mentsusingthescaleofa

map.

•Studentsconjectureand

estimatetheareaofacircle

withaonemileradiusfrom

theirmaps.

• Ingroups,studentsmeasurea

cityblockwithsurveyingtools.

•Studentscreatepopulation-to-

businessandbusiness-to-city

blockratios.

•Studentsusemathtoidentify

communityneeds.

•Calculatingareaandperimeter

•Usingradiusofacirclein

calculations

•Calculatingpercentandper-

centofchangeovertime

• Interpretingvisualandnumeri-

caldatafromamap,charts,

andtables

•Usinginductiveanddeductive

reasoningskills

•Supportinganargumentwith

data

•Usingscientificthinkingto

makeobservationsandques-

tionpatterns

•Thinkinglikeanentrepreneur

•Workingwithateamtosolve

aproblem

•Usingmathtostrengthen

persuasivewriting

•Appreciatingthelinkbetween

necessityandinvention

Tip: Make sure students are

well aware of the benefits of

intensive remediation – these

students are willing to put in

extra hours if they can see

how it is going to help them.

Confirming a Serious Skill Gap between Adult Education and College

TheLexileFramework®forReadingwasintroducedbyMetaMetricsin1997toestablishacommonmetricfor

assessingareader’slevelofproficiencyandatext’slevelofdifficulty.AccordingtoMetaMetrics,agapof200

pointsbetweenanindividual’sreadinglevelandatext’slevelofdifficultyindicatesthattheindividualwill

comprehend50percentorlessofthematerialinthetext.In2007,theTexasHigherEducationCoordinating

Board(THECB)commissionedMetaMetricstoassess“readabilitymeasures”indicatedbypassingscoreson

collegeentranceexamsandthetextsusedinthestate’scommunityandfour-yearcolleges.Accordingtothe

research,apassingscoreontheGEDreadingtestindicatesalevelof1060Lexiles.“Readiness”fortheTHECB

is1170Lexiles.However,75percentofcollegetextshadLexilelevelsbetween1130and1450(Smith&Koons

2008).

5.11BreakingThrough

curriculathatalignnotonlywithcollegestandardsbutalsowiththeskillsstudentswillneedintheircareers.They

havecreatedgridsthatsystemicallyaligntheobjectivesofeachunitwithstandardsexpectedintheGEDprogram,

incollege-levelcourses,andinjobs,andtheyusethesegridstodeveloplessonplansandcurricula.Programstaff

emphasizethatextensiveinteractionwithcollegeinstructorsisessentialfordevelopingthe“college”content(see

Table 1,on page 10).

PittCommunityCollegeprovidessupplementalinstructionfocusedonsubjectsandskillsthatwillbeneeded

tosucceedincollegeortopasstheadmissionstest.Forexample,oneoftheEnglishinstructorsinbasicskills

taughtthefor-creditfreshmanEnglishcourseinordertobetterunderstandtheacademicrequirementsher

Dorcas Place: How an Independent Program Built Bridges to College

DorcasPlaceAdultandFamilyLearningCenterinProvidence,RhodeIslandistheonlynoncollegeleadpartner

inBreaking Through.HowitbuiltpathwaystotheCommunityCollegeofRhodeIslandisanexampleforthe

country’smanynoncollege-basedadulteducationproviders.Itisalso,asformerexecutivedirectorBrenda

Dann-Messier(nowassistantU.S.secretaryofvocationalandadulteducation)says,alessoninapproaching

thechallengeofconnectingstudentswithcollegeincrementally.DorcasPlacehasbuiltonthelessonsit

haslearnedateachstage,whichisespeciallyimportantfororganizationswithambitiousmissionsandtight

budgets.

DorcasPlacelaunchedtheBridgetoCollege/Transitionsmodelseveralyearsago,withfundingfromthe

NellieMaeEducationFoundation.TheBridgetoCollegetookan“aspirational”approach:topromotethe

goalofpostsecondaryattainment,itsoughttochangeitsowncultureandthemind-setofthestudents.At

first,DorcasPlacemainlysuppliedGEDstudentswithinformationaboutcollege,suchasonfinancialaid

andadmissionpolicies.Recognizingthatinformationalonewouldconnectfewclientstocollege,itadded

counselingstafftosupportstudents’planningaroundcollegeandcareergoals.Whenthisstilldidnotpull

studentsintocollegeandhelpthemtostaythere,thenextstepwastoobtainfundstopaytuitionforthefirst

collegeclass.DorcasPlacealsoarrangedtoclusteritsstudentsintolearningcommunities—atfirstwithDorcas

Placestudents,andlaterwithotherstudents—tomakeitfeelmorelikecollege.Theagencyalsoidentified

threeareasofstudythatstudentscouldtryouttoseehowtheywoulddoandhowfacultywouldtreatthem:it

gavethem“atasteofcollege.”

Evenso,thestudentswerenotpreparedtosucceedincollege.Toomanybegancollegeindevelopmental

education,wheretheydidnotearncollegecredit,evenastheyuseduppartoftheireligibilityforPellGrants,

whicharelimitedinhowlongstudentscanusethem(onlyupto150percentoftheadvertisedlengthofthe

program).

Inresponse,DorcasPlaceispilotingaDevelopmentalEducationInstitutetoaddressacademicdeficiencies

andtotestwhetherprovidingdevelopmentaleducationinthecommunitycaneliminatelow-skilledadult

students’placementintodevelopmentaleducationatthecommunitycollege.Thusfar,mostofthestudents

aresucceedingintheinstitute.

DorcasPlaceisalsoaligningitscurriculumwithcollege-levelclassesattheCommunityCollegeofRhode

Island.Alignmentwillseektoreduceoreliminatestudents’needfordevelopmentaleducation.Asafirststep,

collegefacultymembersareprovidingprofessionaldevelopmentforABEinstructorsatDorcasPlace.


studentswillneedtosucceedintheclass.Asaresultofthisexperience,sherevisedthewritingassignmentsin

thedevelopmentaleducationcoursetobetterpreparestudentsforcollege-levelwork.Additionally,developmental

mathinstructorsmeetonceayearwithacademicmathfacultyandremainintouchyearround.Thecollegehas

twodevelopmentalmathlevels—oneleadstoamathcourseforthetechnicalprogramsandtheotherintocollege

algebra.Developmentaleducationfacultyrevisethecurriculaasneededsothatthesecoursesalignwithcollege-

levelwork.

Align Noncredit Courses and Programs with Academic Courses and ProgramsInrecentyears,college-based,noncreditworkforceprogramshaveemergedinresponsetoseveralforces:demand

bylocalemployersfortrainingthatwouldkeeptheirworkersandhencetheirfirmscompetitive;demandfrom

publicagenciesseekingtrainingforindividualswithanidentifiedneed(e.g.,workersrecentlylaidoffbyamajor

employer);andindividualswhoseekcredentialsthatcanbegainedquickly(e.g.,real-estatelicenses).Most

noncreditworkforceunitsdeliveramixoftrainingsofferedtoincumbentworkersattherequestofemployers,

trainingsofferedinresponsetorequestsfrompublicentities,andcoursespaidforbystudentfees.Themixvaries

fromcollegetocollege,asdoestheskilllevelofstudents.

Thesedepartmentsdeveloptheircoursesoutsidehighereducation’saccreditationstructure,whichsetsstandards

forhiringfaculty,coursecontent,andotherareasofcollegestructureandofferings.Statelegislaturesusea

college’saccreditationtodeterminewhetheritcanreceivepublicfunding.Thenoncreditpartofthecollegeisnot

coveredbytheaccreditationprocessorstandards.

Ontheonehand,thelackofaccreditationstandardsconfersflexibility:workforcedepartmentsareexemptfrom

standardsgoverningsuchareasashiring,coursecontent,andcourseschedules.Partlybecausetheyarenot

fundedthroughthecollege’sformulabasedonfull-timeequivalencyenrollments,manysuchdepartmentsbecome

highlyentrepreneurialinseekingrevenue-generatingtrainingopportunities.However,thislackofaccreditationalso

createsasignificantbarrierforstudentsseekingtoadvance.AsMacombCommunityCollegepresidentJimJacobs,

whocodirectsthenationalBreaking Throughinitiative,hasnoted,noncreditstudentsinvesttheirtimeandenergy

inlearningnewskills,buttheycannotparlaythatinvestmentintothecertificatesanddegreesofferedbythefor-

creditsideofthehouse(Jacobs&Teahen1997).

Thechallengespresentedbythedividebetweennoncreditandcreditdivisionsincollegeswillincreaseas

postsecondary,noncrediteducationbecomesmorecommon.Infact,manycommunitycollegesnowenrollmore

noncreditthancreditstudents(VanNoyet.al.2008).

Themainchallengetoconnectingnoncreditstudentswiththecreditsideofthecollegeisthelackofrecognized

mechanismsforassessingtheskillsandcompetenciesimpartedbynoncreditcoursesinwaysthatenable

comparisonswithfor-creditcourses.For-creditdepartmentswantassurancesthatnoncreditcoursesmeettheir

standardsforprerequisitesordegreefulfillment.

Breaking Through collegeshavepursuedanswerstothesechallenges.Inparticular,MottCommunityCollege

andOwensboroCommunity&TechnicalCollegehavedevelopedreplicableprocessesforassessingtheskillsand

competenciesimpartedbynoncreditcoursesinwaysthatenablecomparisonwithfor-creditcourses.

5.13BreakingThrough

ASSESS SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES IN NONCREDIT COURSES TO DOCUMENT HOW THEY CAN ALIGN WITH—AND SOMETIMES EARN—CREDIT

MottCommunityCollege’sWorkforceDevelopmentdivisionhasadoptedafewinnovativewaysofconnecting

noncreditandcreditprograms.First,ithasestablishedandpublishedcareerpathwaysthatconnectaseriesof

educationalprograms—bothnoncreditandcredit—toprovideaseamlesscareer-advancementpathwayforstudents.

Facultyandstaffhavecreatedpathwaysinfourareas,andmoreareunderdevelopment:business,management,

marketingandtechnology;engineering/manufacturingandindustrialtechnology;humanservicesandpublic

administration;andhealthsciences.Allofthepathwaysincludeintegratedworkexperienceandsupportservices,

whichenablesworkingstudentstocombineworkandschoolmoreeasily.

Second,theWorkforceDevelopmentdivisionhasestablished“articulationagreements”forcertaincoursesbetween

thecollege’snoncreditworkforcedivisionanditsfor-creditacademicdivision.Byformallyassessingtheskillsand

competenciesstudentsgaininthenoncreditcourses,thecollegecandemonstratethatatleastsomeofthecourses

areequivalenttothoseonits“creditside”andareworthyofacademiccredit.

Anotherapproachtothearticulation-agreementprocesswastorevisitsomeofthecoursesinthefor-credit

academicprogramstoseeiftheycouldbedeliveredinanontraditionalformatbythenoncreditworkforcedivision

(e.g.,accelerated,intensivecoursesgearedtostudentsworkingfull-timejobsandenablingthemtoearncredentials

morequickly).Astheworkforcedivisionisnotboundbyrulesandregulationsdictatedbytheaccreditation

process,ithasmoreflexibilityindesigningcourses.Cleverly,theworkforcedivisionthenworkedoutanarticulation

agreementwiththeacademicdivisiontograntacademiccredittocoursecompleters.

Third,theWorkforceDevelopmentdivisionblendssomeofitsvocationalprogramswithcreditandnoncredit

courses.Inthisway,studentsearnbothsomecollegecreditandindustry-recognizedcredentials.Forexample,the

LevelOneWeldingTechnicianProgramconsistsoffifteen-weeksoffull-timeeducation.Studentstakeeightclasses

foratotalof510contacthours.CompletersearnelevenhoursofcollegecreditandaLevelOnecertificatefromthe

AmericanWeldingSociety.

IthastakenthestaffintheWorkforceDevelopmentdivisionmanyyearstoimplementtheseinnovations.Staff

carefullycultivatedchampionsbothwithinandoutsidethecollege(e.g.,thedirectorofthelocalWorkforce

InvestmentBoard)tohelpmakethecaseforthechangesandtoimplementthem.Forexample,whenMott

CommunityCollege’snewvicepresidentofacademicaffairsheardhowenthusiasticallythedirectorof

MichiganWorks!(thelocalWorkforceInvestmentBoard)supportedthe

WorkforceDevelopmentdivision’scareerpathways,shereachedoutto

partnermorecloselywiththedivision.Andwhenthedeanofhealth

scienceswasfacingalongwaitinglistforthecredit-bearingCertified

NurseAssistantprogram,sheturnedtotheWorkforceDevelopment

divisiontodevelopanoncreditversionthatwouldmirrorthecredit

program.(For additional detail, see the Breaking Through Practice Guide:

Labor Market Payoffs.)

Tip: Cultivate champions

for nontraditional programs

from both within the college

and outside the college.

Sometimes strong supporters

outside the college can

have significant influence in

build ing support for your

programs inside the college.


55 Start with high-demand occupations:Pamlico

recognizedmanyemploymentoptionsforstudents

withinthehealthcareprofessions.

55 Look at the courses already offered at the college:

Pamlicoalreadyhadimplementedsomeelementsof

thehealthcarepathwayonboththefor-creditand

noncreditsidesofthecollege.

Pamlicofacilitatedtheseeffortsbyhiringastaffperson,

whopreviouslyhadtaughtEMTcourses,tobeincharge

ofhealthcarecoursesonboththecreditandnoncredit

sides.Heexpandedthenumberofcertificatesavailable

tostudents,aswellasthedaysandtimescourseswere

offered,tocreatemoreoptionsforstudents.

55 Identify one department or administrator in charge

of both the for-credit and noncredit elements of a

pathway:Thismakesiteasiertoconnectandalign

coursestoimprovethepathwayasawhole.

55 Think about labor market payoffs in terms of a portfolio

of skills:Withnewcertificateoptionsavailableon

boththecreditandnoncreditsides,studentscanearn

adegreealongwithvariouscertificatesthatsignify

specificskillssets,thusandimprovetheiremployability.

55 Ensure that students have information on the different

skills sets they can build, how to access them, and how

they relate to specific jobs.

PamlicosupplementeditsBreaking Througheffortswitha

newcounselorpositionandhiredaformerGEDinstructor

whohadagoodunderstandingoftheneedsofbasicskills

students.Thecollegerecommendsthatprograms:

55 Usecounselorstocreatedbridgesfrombasicskillsto

thecreditsideofthecollegeandtoconnectstudentsto

programinstructorsandcollegecounselors.

55 CounselGEDstudentsontheiroptionsinthecreditside

ofthecollege,stressingthebenefitsofcontinuingto

postsecondaryeducation.

TheinnovationsdevelopedthroughBreaking Through

haveledtoinstitutionalchanges,includingreorganization.

EventhoughPamlicoissmall,differentdepartmentswere

notaccustomedtoworkingtogether.Today,thenoncredit

andfor-creditdivisionsarebeingintegrated,andavice

presidentforinstructionwilloverseethisintegration.This

levelofchangerequiresbuy-inacrossthecollege,especially

attheleadershiplevel.

55 Startwithtwopeople:anallyfromadministrationand

onepassionatepersontogettheballrolling.

55 Findwaystocollaboratewithpeoplefromseveral

divisionswithinthecollege.

55 Assesshowtheinitiativefitswithwhatthecollegeis

alreadydoing.Theremaybeoverlapbetweenprojects.

55 UsetheBreaking Throughstrategiesaspartofhigh-

levelstrategicplanning.

55 Findopportunitiesforpeerlearningorvisitstoother

Breaking Throughcolleges.

Pamlico Community College, North Carolina

CREATING COMPREHENSIVE INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

PamlicoCommunityCollegeembracedBreaking Throughasanopportunitytodevelopinstitutional-levelinnovations,

usingcareerpathwaysinhealthcareasastartingpoint.RecognizingthatstudentsneededmorethanaGEDtoachieve

alabormarketpayoff,andthatfewstudentsweretransitioningtocollege,thedirectorofbasicskillsandthedeanof

noncrediteducationbothwantedtoeasetransitionsandclarifypathways.Healthcarewasseenasanidealpathwaywith

whichtostart.

5.15BreakingThrough

OwensboroCommunity&TechnicalCollege,aspartoftheKentuckyCommunity&TechnicalCollegeSystem,

hasaccesstoanimportanttooltosupportcareer-pathwaysprogression.Thestatewidesystemdevelopeda

comprehensivecoursecatalogthatservesasaguideforacademicprogramandservicesavailableateachofit

16colleges.Usingan“embeddedcredentials”approach,programsareclearlyoutlinedandcoursesalignedtoa

sequencethatleadstoavarietyofcredentialsanddegrees.OCTCoffersthreetypesofcredential:certificates,

diplomas,andAssociate’sdegrees(includingAssociateinArts,AssociateinScience,andAssociateinApplied

Science).(To view the on-line version of the Kentucky Community & Technical College System catalog, go to http://

legacy.kctcs.edu/catalog.)

Thecatalogpresentsaclearsuccessionofcoursesandcertificationsfrombeginningthroughadvancedlevels.For

example,a“welderhelper”certificateisconsideredanintroductoryorentry-level,short-termcredentialinOCTC’s

WeldingTechnologyprogrambecauseithasnoprerequisitecoursesforentry.Thiscertificateleadstoadvanced

certificates,adiploma(lessthanatwo-yeardegree),andthenadegree.StudentsinOCTC’s“QuickJobs”career-

pathwaysoptioncanenterthewelderhelpercertificateprogramwithoutanypostsecondaryexperienceandaTABE

(TestofAdultBasicEducation)scoreof9.Thisgivesstudents,particularlythosehesitanttotakeacademicclasses,

thechancetoexperiencecollegeandgainanindustry-recognizedcertificateinashortamountoftime.Asaresult,

OCTCisconfidentthatsequencedcredentialsprovidecareer-pathwaysopportunitiesthatleadtovaluablelabor-

marketpayoffs.

Align Developmental Education with Technical EducationDevelopmentaleducationhasthesamegeneralgoalasadulteducation:provideacademicremediationtostudents

withweakskills.However,onlydevelopmentaleducationexplicitlyfocusesoncollegepreparation.Also,while

federalfundingandrequirementspromotesomeconsistencyacrossadulteducationprograms,developmental

educationhasevolvedatthelocalandstatelevelwithstateandlocalfunding,withagreatdealofvariationamong

programsandstates.

Onedistinctionbetweenstudentsinadulteducationandthoseindevelopmentaleducationisthatadultstudentsin

developmentaleducationgenerallyhaveahighschoolcredential(GEDordiploma).Thatisbecauseahighschool

credentialisrequiredforPellGrants,themajorformoffederalfinancialaidforcommunitycollegestudents,and

PellGrantscanbeusedtopayfordevelopmentaleducation.Asurprisinglyhighpercentageofstudentstestinto

thelowestlevelofdevelopmentaleducation—33percentinmath,forinstance—whichistheequivalentof“adult

basiceducation”(Bailey2009).

Studentsarereferredtodevelopmentaleducationonthebasisoftheirscoresoncollege-entranceexams.Scores

belowthecollege’sminimumresultinareferral(eithermandatoryorvoluntary)todevelopmentaleducation.

Collegesgenerallyprovideadevelopmentaleducationsequenceoftwoorthreecourses,fromlow-tohigh-level

contentinreading,writing,andmath.

The Investment in Developmental Education

Theannualcostofdevelopmentaleducationis$1.9to$2.3billionatcommunitycollegesand$500millionat

four-yearcolleges.Reportsfromvariousstatesciteexpendituresoftensorhundredsofmillionsofdollars

annually.TheCommunityCollegeResearchCenterestimatesthatnearly60percentofcommunitycollege

studentstakeatleastonedevelopmentaleducationclass(Bailey2009).


Datafrom Achieving the Dream,anationalinitiativetohelpmorecommunitycollegestudentssucceed,bearout

suspicionsaboutthetrackrecordofdevelopmenteducation(Bailey,Jeong,&Cho2008):

Our results indicate that only 3 to 4 out of 10 students who are referred to remediation actually complete

the entire sequence to which they are referred. Most students exit in the beginning of their developmental

sequence—almost half fail to complete the first course in their sequence. The results also show that more

students exit their developmental sequences because they did not enroll in the first or a subsequent

course than because they failed a course in which they were enrolled.

Forstudentswhoplaceintothelowestlevelsofdevelopmentaleducation,only16percentprogressthroughthe

sequenceintocredit-levelcoursework(Bailey,Jeong,&Cho2008).ThroughAchieving the Dreamandother

initiatives,significantresourcesarebeingbroughttobearondevelopmentaleducation.Achieving the Dreamis

particularlyconcernedwithstudentgroupsthattraditionallyhavefacedsignificantbarrierstosuccess,including

studentsofcolorandlow-incomestudents.Theinitiativeaimstoscaleuphigh-impactstate-andsystem-level

policiesthatincreasestudentsuccess,bothbycreatingincentivesandbyremovingbarriers.Anemphasisondata

collectionhasallowedparticipatingstatestotrackoutcomesandlearnwhatworks.

Insixstates,theDevelopmentalEducationInitiativeisbuildingonmomentumcreatedbyAchieving the Dream.

Thesestatesarefocusingonspecificpolicylevers,suchasredesigningcoursesandsequencesandaligningwith

K-12curricula,whichareexpectedtoimproveoutcomesforstudentstestingintodevelopmentaleducation.(For

more information on Achieving the Dream and the Developmental Education Initiative, see www.achievingthedream.

org and http://www.deionline.org.)

Formanyadultstudents,especiallythosewithlowskilllevelsandfamiliestosupport,thetypicaldevelopmental

educationcurriculum,isdaunting.Breaking Through,withitsgoalofoccupationalortechnicalcertificatesand

degreesandafocusonadultswithlowacademicskills,wasdevelopedtoappealtothesestudents.Itspathway

innovationshavetwodistinguishingcharacteristics.Firstisthecareeridentityofthedevelopmentaleducation

portionofthepathway.Relatedtothecareeridentityisthenamethat“brands”it.Atmanycolleges,giving

specializeddevelopmentalprogramstheirownidentitycaneliminatemuchofthestigmaassociatedwithremedial

education.Bothcharacteristicsarepartoftheessentialcareer-pathwayspracticeinthisarea:linkthecontentof

andsuccessindevelopmentaleducationtocollegematriculation.

ACCELERATE DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION

SoutheastArkansasCollege’sinnovativecareerpathwayforLicensedPracticalNursingstartswithanintensive,

contextualizeddevelopmentaleducationsemester.Thefocusondevelopmentaleducationresultedfromananalysis

ofdataonSEARK’sstudents:nearly95percentofenteringstudentsneededremediation.AnLPNpathwayfitthe

billforaprogramthatwouldadvancethempastdevelopmentaleducationquickly.

Studentsmovethroughthepathwayincohorts,startingwithFastTrack,acontextualizeddevelopmentaleducation

courseexplicitlyfocusedonLPNpreparation.Thecourseiscompressedintoonesemesterandhassucceeded

withstudentswhoentertestingaslowasthefourthgrade.Itisimmediatelyfollowedbyaone-year,accelerated,

interdisciplinaryPracticalNursingTrackthatisdeliveredineight-weekmodules.Thespecialnameforthe

developmentaleducationportion—FastTrack—distinguishesitfromtheschool’sregulardevelopmentaleducation

classesandlikelyconfersaspecialstatusonthestudentswhoareinit.

5.17BreakingThrough

WhileFastTrack’sintensive“bootcamp”approachmotivatesmanystudents,ithasthepotentialtoleavebehind

thosewhodropoutduetounexpectedlifechallenges.However,thecollegehasadoptedtwooptionsforstudents

whoarefallingbehind:theycancontinueintheacceleratedprogrambyjoiningthenextcohortbehindthem,or

theycandropbacktotraditionallypacedcourses.

SEARKhasservedthreecohortsofaboutfifteenstudentseachinitsFastTrackdevelopmentaleducationprogram,

witha96percentcompletionrateforeachcohort(comparedto63percentorlessinthetraditionaldevelopmental

educationcourses).Everyoneinthefirstcohortand80percentofthesecondcohorthavepassedtheNational

CouncilLicensureExamforPracticalNurses(NCLEX-PN).

OwensboroCommunity&TechnicalCollege,withitsCommunityEconomicDevelopmentUnitinthelead,extended

itsBreaking ThroughmodelwithagrantfromtheRobertWoodJohnsonFoundation.Ithasdevelopedaworkplace-

basedmodeldesignedtoenableentry-levelhealthcareworkersatOwensboroMedicalHealthSystemtoearnan

Associate’sDegreeinNursinginthreeyears.UnderOCTC’sagreementwiththehealthsystem,theprogramhas

enrolledfrontlineworkersreferredbytheirsupervisors,andallcontinuetoworkfulltimewhilestudying.

PriortoBreaking Throughalargepercentageoftheparticipantsentered

requiringsignificantremediation,butsuccessrateswerenothighinthe

college’sregulardevelopmentaleducationprogram.Nursinginstructors

wereconvincedthatdevelopmentalcourseworkfailedtoprovidestudents

withskillsneededintheirprofession,especiallymathskills.

Theresultwasaspecialdevelopmentaleducationtrack—OCTC@OMHS—

organizedaroundcohorts.Thecollegedeliverstheprogramatthework

site,contextualizeditfornursing.Asoneprogramstaffersays,“We

neededtomaketheinstructionrelevantforstudents—remember,they

areworkingfulltimeaswellasgoingtoschool—andtobesurethatthey

learnedthemathandreadingskillstheyneededtosucceedinthenursing

program.”

Studentsmovedirectlyfromtheintensivedevelopmentaleducationcomponenttonursing.

Inthecollege’straditionalnursingprogram,45percentofthestudentsleaveafterthefirstyear.But75percentof

OCTC@OMHSstudentsareontracktocompletetheirRNcredential.

CUSTOMIZE DEVELOPMENTAL EDUCATION FOR TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION

Someleading-edgecommunitycollegemodelsintegratedevelopmentaleducationintocontentcoursesasaway

ofstreamliningbothtypesofeducation(e.g.,theWashingtonStateI-BESTmodel).However,manycollegeshave

pointedoutthattheideaofcreatingspecialdevelopmentaleducationcoursesintegratingremedialwithtechnical

instructionsoundsimpossiblycomplex.Typicalcommunitycollegesofferadozenormoretechnicalprograms:how

couldthecollegeofferaspecializeddevelopmentaleducationcourseforeachone?

OnepossibilityistoconsiderDavidsonCountyCommunityCollege’sstrategyforcustomizing.Theprogramhas

developedacentralizedsetofinstructionalmaterialsforeachoftheregion’sfivehigh-priorityindustriesand

occupations.Thesematerialsaretakenfromtextsusedinthecollege’sentry-levelfor-creditcoursesforeach

industryarea.Theprogramhaskeyedthesematerialstoremedialcontent/objectives,suchasfractionsandwriting

Tip: Provide students with a

clear career plan that spells

out courses to take and in

what sequence, career goals,

and barriers to be reduced

– these are especially useful

for students who need to

navigate through institutions

that haven’t yet created

clear pathways.


paragraphs.Instructorscanusethis“library”ofcontextualizedmaterialstocustomizelessonsforindividual

studentsorgroupsofstudentsinterestedindifferentindustryareas.Inthisway,DCCCcancontinuetoofferregular

technicaleducationcourses,whileatthesametimeprovidecustomizedcontextualizedremedialeducationwithin

thecourses.

ALLOW GREATER FLEXIBILITY IN TAKING THE COLLEGE-ENTRANCE EXAM

SomeBreaking Throughcollegeshaveexperimentedwithallowingmoreflexibilityinwhenorifstudentstakethe

college-entranceexam.Insomecases,thecollegeshaverecognizedthatstudentsmightbeabletosucceedinsome

technicaloracademiccourseswithoutgoingthroughdevelopmentaleducation.Inothers,theyrecognizethatthe

blanketcutoffscoreonaplacementteststudentstakewhenenteringacollegemightnotbeappropriateforall

programsthecollegeoffersandthatamorenuancedapproachwouldbemoreappropriate.

AtNorthShoreCommunityCollege,studentswhoseektoenrollintheEnglishasaSecondLanguage/Child

DevelopmentAssociate(CDA)degreepathwaybutcannotpassthecollege-entranceexamcanstillenrollinthe

firstCDAcourseanddelaytakingtheentranceexam.Theentry-levelcourseincludescontentthatinstructors

knowstudentsmusthaveinordertopassthecollege’stest.Astudentwhopassesthetestattheendofthecourse

canreceivecollegecreditforthecourse.Thisallowsthestudenttogetstartedwithaprogramwhilepreparingto

passtheentranceexam.NorthShoreCommunityCollegehasfoundthatthisapproachalsobuildsthestudent’s

confidence,whilethecollegemaintainsitsstandards.

AtWashtenawCommunityCollege,aprofessional-servicesinstructorintheAdultTransitionsProgramanalyzed

thespecificreading,writing,andmathskillsrequiredinentry-levelclassesfornineoccupationalprogramsatthe

college(e.g.,FundamentalsofWelding,ConstructionI,AutoBodyRepair/AutomotiveRefinishing).Staffcreateda

bookletthatsummarizestheentry-levelskillrequirementsforeachprogram’sentry-levelclass.

Byunderstandingthespecificskillsrequiredforentryintospecificprograms,theAdultTransitionsProgramcan

makethecaseforallowingstudentstoenterintotechnicalprogramsforwhichtheyhavethebasicskilllevels,even

iftheyfallbelowthecollege’splacementtestcutoffscore.Moreover,theanalysisandthebookletgivecounselors

andadvisorsatoolforhelpingstudentsinterestedintheprogramsassessiftheyarereadytoenterthem.They

alsohelpdevelopmentaleducationinstructorsaidstudentsintargetingtheirbasicskillsdevelopment,andthey

helpoutsideagenciesbetterunderstandtheentry-levelrequirementsofvariousprogramsandhencebetteradvise

theirclients.Sincetheprogramreleasedthebooklet,severalotherMichigancommunitycollegeshaveshown

interestinreplicatingthispractice.

Scaling Up a Contextualized Developmental Education Strategy: Case Study of Southeast Arkansas CollegeSoutheastArkansasCollegeisscalingupsuccessfulpracticesitdevelopedasapartnerinBreaking Through.The

goalofthesepracticesistomovestudentsquicklythroughclearpathwaysofremediationandpostsecondary

educationandintowell-payingjobs.SEARKisdoingthisbyextendinganumberofpracticesitdevelopedwithits

Breaking ThroughdemonstrationfundingtotheentireLicensedPracticalNursingandAlliedHealthprogram,as

wellasintoasecondoccupationalarea:EarlyChildhoodDevelopment.

5.19BreakingThrough

SEARK’sBreaking ThroughprogramgrewoutoftheeconomicrealitiesofsoutheastArkansas.Jobsthatpayfamily-

supportingwagesarenotplentiful,andmanythatdoexistrequirepostsecondaryeducation.However,95percent

ofthestudentsenrollingatthecollegerequireremediation.Somehaveneverreadamagazineorabook.

SEARK’sexperimentalLPNprogramaddressedremediationneedsquicklyandinnovatively,inacompletely

retooled,contextualizeddevelopmentaleducationprogramdeliveredtoaseriesofthreecohorts,onestarting

eachyearofthedemonstration.Completionrateswere96percent,comparedwith63percentintraditional

developmentaleducation.Eachcohortthenmovedimmediatelyintoanintensive,acceleratedPracticalNursing

trackthathadbuilt-inlabormarketpayoffs.Asaresult,studentshadjoboptionsthroughouttheireducation,at

theend,andevenafterward.Everyoneinthefirstcohortand80percentofthesecondcohortpassedtheirnursing

exam(theNCLEX-PN).

SEARKisstudyingthe“lessonslearned”fromthisdemonstrationandextendingthenewpracticesintootherparts

ofthecollege.Areorganizationhasplaceddevelopmentaleducationtogetherwithallcredit-levelprogramsunder

onevicepresidentforacademicaffairs.BasedontheBreaking Throughdemonstration,severalchangeshavetaken

place:

> General-educationinstructorsnowalsoserveasdevelopmentaleducationinstructors,improvingtheir

understandingofthefullcontinuumofstudentsSEARKisserving.

> Instructorshavebecomemoreinvolvedinsupportservicesastheylearnabouthowthesecanhelpmeetthe

needsoftheirstudents.

> Academicinstructorsindevelopmentaleducationlearnmoreaboutprofessionalcontentareas(andviceversa)

throughthepaired-instructorapproach.

> Thecollegeisfosteringinterdepartmentalcollaboration(e.g.,aligningreadingandwritingwiththecontent

subjectmatter).

Inaddition,thecollegeisimplementingpromisingpracticesfromBreaking Throughmorewidely.Mostimportantis

arevampingofdevelopmentaleducationsoitisnowcontextualizedforallalliedhealthstudents,includingnursing

students.

SEARKisalsocontextualizingandacceleratingdevelopmentaleducationforearly-childhoodeducationand

incorporatinga“clinical”experiencesostudentscangetappliedlearningorwork-basedlearning.Thecollegeis

developingitsownchildcarefacility,whichwillbeoperationalinthenextyearandwillbeusedasaclinicalsite.

Furthermore,theacceleratedandintegratedapproachisbeingappliedinupcominggeneral-education“honors”

courses,startingwithSociologyinfall2009andBiology/Ethicsinspring2010.

TheFastTrackprogramisalsohelpingthecollege“retool”readingacrosstheboard.AndbuildingontheFastTrack

programapproach,thecollegeisutilizingmore“block”schedulingfortraining.Forexample,Evergreen,alocal

papercompany,paysfortrainingitsstaffforanentiredayinthisblockformat.

Finally,SEARKhasscaledupanumberofBreaking Throughstrategiesforstudentsuccess,makingthemaccessible

toallstudents.Thesestrategiesincludetoursinparticularindustrysectorsandmandatoryorientation.Strategies

forStudentSuccess,acollege-successcoursedevelopedforBreaking Throughstudents,isnowmandatory,andit

incorporatestheCareerReadinessCertificate.


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