Campus Engagement Report College Readiness

Bunker Hill Community College

June 2012

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To: Richard M. Freeland, Ph.D., Commissioner of Higher Education

Cc: Susan Lane, Ed.D., Senior Director of Alignment and Engangement P-16 Policy and

Collaborative Initiatives

From: Mary L. Fifield, Ph.D., President of Bunker Hill Community College

Re: P-12 Collaborations toward Defining College Readiness

Date: June 1, 2012

Bunker Hill Community College collaborates with 25 Greater Boston high schools to provide pathways

from high school to college. In 2011-2012, the College offered 23 dual enrollment courses at area high

schools and community-based organizations; provided early Accuplacer testing to 600 plus students in

grades 11 and 12; ran more than 20 bootcamps at partner high schools and at the College to help 12th

grade and recently graduated students boost their Accuplacer scores; designed a new summer bridge

program to help high school graduates get a head start on college coursework; and offered Start Smart

Orientations and Learning Community Seminars to help students make a successful transition to the

college environment.

In 2009, Bunker Hill Community College and Malden High School partnered to offer dual enrollment

courses onsite at the high school. Over the past three years, the program and the partnership have

flourished. In spring 2012, a series of meetings were held onsite at the College and at Malden High

School to begin the process of arriving at a shared conception of college readiness. These discussions

have helped identify ways in which BHCC and Malden High School might broaden and deepen our

collaborations to help more students succeed. Recently, Malden High School was accredited as an official

satellite of Bunker Hill Community College by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges

(NEASC).

Bunker Hill Community College participants

Dr. James F. Canniff, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Student Services

Lori Catallozzi, Dean of Humanities and Learning Communities

Michael Dubson, Associate Professor of English

Deborah Fuller, Professor of English

Amparo Hernandez-Folch, Professor of Mathematics

Luana McCuish, Coordinator of Reading Programs and Professor of English

Timothy McLaughlin, Professor and Chairperson of English Department

Kirubahari Murugaiah, Coordinator of Developmental Mathematics and Assistant Professor of

Mathematics

William Sakamoto, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs and Enrollment Services

Jac-Lynn Stark, Assistant Professor of English

Donna DeSimone, Dean of Academic Support and College Pathways Programs

Malden High School participants

Dr. David DeRuosi, Superintendent Malden Public Schools

Dana Brown, Principal

Manjula Karumcheti, Guidance Counselor

Katy Kwong, Math faculty

Maggie Pettit, English faculty

Jen Rogowicz, Math faculty

Jane Skelton, Director of English Studies

Sean Walsh, English faculty

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Documents shared or referenced during discussions:

BHCC MAT171, 172, 181/183, and 197 course objectives

BHCC MAT192 College Algebra sample syllabus

BHCC developmental reading syllabi

ENG095 exit exam materials, including course objectives, sample exit exam, grading rubric and sample exams scored by rubric

Malden High School learning expectations and rubrics, as posted on the high schools web site

Materials from David Conleys Redefining College Readiness (2007)

Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for English Language Arts and Literacy (March 2011)

Toward a Shared Conception of College Readiness in Reading and Writing

In terms of reading skills needed to be successful at the college level, to state it most simply a student

needs to be ready to deal with the reading demands associated with taking college level courses.

Connolly defines this outcome broadly in Redefining College Readiness as demonstrating

Readingskills and strategies sufficient to process the full range of textual materials commonly encountered in entry-level college courses (p. 18). BHCC and Malden High currently approach this outcome in several ways:

The most simple determinant as currently defined by Accuplacer is a 10th grade or above reading level (69 or above on the Accuplacer).

The BHCC developmental RDG095 course, which is designed for students who test somewhere between 8

th and 10

th grade reading level on Accuplacer, emphasizes college text reading skills.

The current learning outcomes for this course state that by the end of the course a student should

be able to:

o Demonstrate an efficient, effective strategy for comprehending a variety of texts. o [Use] critical thinking skills to analyze ideas in college texts to

draw accurate conclusions, understand inference, recognize the difference between fact and opinion.

o Demonstrate an understanding of the demands of college coursework and the realities of college life . . .

Malden High Schools Learning Expectation #1 is Read critically for understanding. The rubric published on the high school webpage (http://www.malden.mec.edu/highschool) includes

the following language for students who meet this expectation at the highest level (4 on a 4 point

rubric):

o Student consistently and accurately interprets reading material in a highly insightful way. o Student provides effective and creative synthesis of reading material. o Student consistently analyzes reading material to determine whether it is credible,

accurate, and relevant to the students purpose.

In terms of writing skills needed to be successful at the college level, Connollys definition broadly states that a student should be able to respond successfully to the written assignments commonly required in such courses. A shared BHCC-Malden High definition of readiness for college writing could be triangulated by the following:

AP College Composition course offered at Malden High. The AP College Composition course affords students an opportunity to earn credit for the standard English Comp I and English Comp II required at virtually every college and university. The learning outcomes match closely the outcomes for ENG111 and ENG112 at BHCC.

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Malden High Student Expectation #3: Write for a variety of purposes. According to the rubric that accompanies this expectation, a student who achieves the highest level of competency

o Consistently communicates a main idea or theme clearly in writing. o Provides relevant support with substantive, accurate detail. o Presents information in a style and tone that is appropriate to his/her purpose. o Creates a product that follows the conventions of standard written English.

BHCC exit assessment for the ENG095 developmental writing skills course. Students who complete this course should be ready to meet the demands of College Writing I. The current end-

of-semester assessment requires students to write a multiple paragraph composition that is

focused by a main idea (thesis). Further, the composition should demonstrate the ability to

engage a reading and paraphrase or quote that reading in the essay. In addition, the essay needs

to show adequate control over the conventions of standard academic English. As defined by the

ENG095 Exit Exam Scoring rubric, this means that sentence level errors do not interfere

substantially with meaning and that substantial revision is not required.

These outcomes appear to be compatible with language in the Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for

English Language Arts and Literacy.

Toward a Shared Conception of College Readiness in Mathematics

In terms of mathematical skills needed to be successful at the college level, team discussions yielded a

number of observations:

Course alignment does not seem to be the significant factor in the lack of college readiness.

3-year to 4-year math requisite likely to impact college readiness in math. The shift from a 3-year to 4-year math requisite is a significant step toward improving college readiness in math, although

concerns were raised regarding how this move will impact graduation rates. The pressure of

increasing student retention and success rates can lead to teaching to the MCAS test versus teaching

mastery of mathematical concepts.

Course objectives for mathematics are well aligned between BHCC and Malden High School Most Bunker Hill Community College students are required to take Statistics for their specific

programs of study. Statistics is viewed as highly valuable in the workforce and for careers. Statistics

also plays an important role in the upcoming implementation of the Common Core State Standards

for Mathematics. Beginning next year, Malden High School students will be introduced to Statistics

topics during four of their math offerings. This is a positive step and will reinforce college readiness

for Malden High School students.

The objectives for BHCCs College Algebra are also aligned with Malden High Schools Algebra courses. However, one math teacher noted that in her observations, BHCCs approach to teaching Algebra stresses algebraic solving approaches whereas their classes use an approach that illustrate

four ways of solving any problem, with an emphasis on graphical representation and use of the

graphing calculator.

A newly designed high school course, Advanced Mathematical Decision Making (AMDM) based on the Common Core Standards will be introduced next year. Students seeking an alternative to

Precalculus or other College Preparatory courses will be advised to take AMDM. Malden High

School teachers believe that approximately 60% of students taking AMDM will likely attend BHCC.

AMDM is designed using a project-based approach and is therefore well aligned with revised BHCC

developmental level courses that emphasize contextualized learning and projects.

Motivation, attendance rate, and advising appear to be factors affecting college readiness in math.

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High school teachers use technology, including SmartBoards, Plato, and graphing calculators. There is also some use of YouTube videos and worksheets to supplement instruction.

Interventions to get students to pass are not very effective, so a lot of time is spent allowing

students to make corrections and retake tests and exams. Standardized midterms and finals have

been implemented but with open scores; teacher performance is being compared based on student

averages, which has the potential to pressure teachers to lower standards and pass students.

The teachers at Malden High School have the impression that 75% of their students are not ready for college level courses. There seems to be an increase in special needs and bilingual students.

The sophomore year offers Algebra 2 College Prep and Integrated Math. Integrated Math is a

course designed for the MCAS test. Many of the students in that class are candidates for BHCC.

Around 40% of the students in Algebra 2 College Prep are likely to attend a four-year college and

the same is true for Precalculus Honors students. (The data presented here is not based on formal

studies but on personal observations.)

Variables such as lack of motivation, low attendance rate, and untargeted advising seem to be the key factors affecting students lack of college readiness.

Misalignment of MCAS and Accuplacer contributes to students lack of college readiness.

With a focus on teaching to the MCAS test at the sophomore level where there are open response questions, a calculator portion, and unlimited testing time, students arriving at a college

placement center are unprepared for the type of questions in Accuplacer and the type of timed

testing they face in college classrooms.

Next Steps

Bunker Hill Community College and Malden High School faculty identified the following areas in which

deeper collaboration would be beneficial.

1. Expanded Early Accuplacer Preparation In addition to Early Accuplacer Testing sessions at the high school, Bunker Hill has free Accuplacer Prep available on Moodle that is open to all. This

information has been shared with the Malden High School teachers.

2. It is clear that each party would benefit from knowing more about what it is we do in the classroom. There is a real interest in the what and the how. Continued sharing and discussing of curricula, syllabi and assignments is a helpful process, as are classroom visits. Math faculty

have agreed to coordinate peer and classroom observations in mathematics for Malden High

School faculty and students for the upcoming semester.

3. Collaborative projects in reading and writing are being explored. Such endeavors might include aligning assessments, using common language in assessment rubrics, pairing high school and

college classes to share work, engaging in peer review, and providing teacher feedback.

4. Professional Development exchanges for mathematics faculty a. Focus on Contextualized/Project based teaching in mathematics - A revision of

pedagogy, teaching tools, and enhanced technologies is recommended to increase student

engagement in the classroom in preparation for college. Both Malden High School and

Bunker Hill Community College faculty would benefit from professional development

around project based and contextualized instruction. The high schools AMDM course will emphasize this, as does Bunker Hills developmental sequence. In light of this, Bunker Hill Community College faculty been have invited to the upcoming AMDM

Training and Malden faculty have been invited to the upcoming August professional

development organized by the math department.

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b. Focus on Technology in mathematics An October 2012 professional development is planned to focus further on various technologies such as MyMathLab and Minitab for

both faculty.

5. Revising pedagogy in College Algebra Malden High seems to integrate more deeply the use of the graphing calculator, graphical and visual approaches to problem solving in algebra, in contrast

to Bunker Hills College Algebra course that is taught with heavy emphasis on the algebraic solving process. This highlights a need for Bunker Hill Community College to revise the manner

in which the College Algebra course (MAT194) is delivered, with a stronger emphasis on visual

representation and use of graphing calculator to solve problems.

6. Enhancing Advising at Malden High students are not aware that developmental level course credits do not count toward their degree. Malden High School faculty have requested that a

Bunker Hill advisor visit the school and also wish to organize some field trips to the College to

clear up any misconceptions. Perhaps students can attend Bunker Hill orientation sessions and

visit during the first week of the semester.

7. Based on our charge, the main focus of spring 2012 discussions was on discrete reading, writing, and mathematical skills. However, a theme that continued to reassert itself in these discussions

was the need for students to develop habits of mind and practice that are essential to academic

success. These include the ability to set goals, manage time, seek out assistance when needed,

form study groups, spend adequate on task, and engage as active participants in the teaching and

learning process.

Toward a 21st Century Definition of College Readiness

The habits of mind and practice noted above are part of a broader set of 21st century integrated skills

that are increasingly essential to college and career success. These skills include the four Cs of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity; as well as a number of 21

st century skill

sets, including civic, environmental, financial, global, health and information literacy. Several

frameworks have informed our early conversations on redefining college readiness, including David

Conleys (2007) Definition of College Readiness, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework for 21

st Century Learning (2009), and LEAPs Essential Learning Outcomes (2007).

Bunker Hill Community Colleges Learning Community Seminar for First-Year Students develops a core set of competencies that map to these 21

st century skills. Core outcomes include reflection and

assessment; career exploration and planning; problem solving and goal setting; critical thinking and

information literacy; speaking and listening skills; teamwork and diversity; and community

engagement. Each Seminar explores a different academic topic, enabling faculty to teach these skills

within the context of an academic conversation.

Emerging research supports the positive effects of this kind of contextualized learning on student

success (Rutschow & Schneider, 2011). Grounded in knowledge transfer and active learning theory,

contextualized models help students engage with their academic interests earlier in their college

careers. Contextualized instruction models include integration of basic skills and 21st century skills

into academic course content, contextualization of these skills for students in vocational and technical

fields, and learning communities that integrate skills instruction with disciplinary content. Any

discussion of college readiness must consider how contextualization can be utilized to teach basic and

21st century skills within the core subjects.

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Further, a challenging and supportive teaching and learning environment is critical to supporting

student success. High impact practices such as active learning, student learning outcomes assessment,

integrated support services, and professional development are essential to helping students achieve

college readiness and success. Models such as learning communities foster relationships among

faculty, staff and students and create a trusting environment that enables students to set academic and

career goals and access the resources needed for success.

Discussions between Bunker Hill Community College and Malden High School are in the early stages.

Ongoing conversations will serve to refine our conceptions of what it means to be college ready and

the strategies and approaches that will help students master these skills and ways of thinking. Clearly

there is much to be gained by finding ways to deepen our collaborations. These efforts promise to have

significant payoff for the high school and the college alikekeeping in mind our shared objective of fostering a higher level of success for all of our students.