Co-Requisite Learning Support at Columbia State Community College: The Perks and the Pitfalls

About Columbia State Community College Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) system – 6 universities, 13 community colleges, 27 colleges of applied technology Nine county service area Five campuses Fall 2015 enrollment: 5,297 Mean age: 22.7; Median age 20 Fall 2015: 3,023 receiving financial aid (2,139 PELL) Fall 2015 % of students enrolled in Learning Support 24% LS Reading 25% LS English 39% LS Math

Before the Co-Requisite Fall 2013 Passing Rates for Completers: LS MATH – 49% (Emporium Model: 5 algebra-based competencies; one 3-hour course) LS READ – 66% (Emporium Model: 2 levels for reading skills; one 3-hour course) LS ENGL – 64% (Emporium Model: 2 levels for writing skills; one 3-hour course) MATH 1010 – 74% (broad spectrum math; one 3-hour course) MATH 1530 – 77.6% (elementary statistics; one 3-hour course) ENGL 1010 – 81.9% (argument and research; one 3-hour class)

Co-Requisite Math Fall 2015 Course Enrolled Passed Passing Rate MATH 0010 161 Not collected by course MATH 1010 80 49.7% MATH 0530 465 MATH 1530 240 51.6% LS MATH 670* 414* 61.8%* MATH 1010/1530 626 (631 *) 321* 50.9%* *Data provided by Tennessee Board of Regents

Co-Requisite Reading Fall 2015 Course Enrolled* Passed* Passing Rate* READ 0800/0802 394 232 53.9% ENGL 1010 191 48.5% *Data provided by Tennessee Board of Regents 394 out of 1887 ENGL 1010 students were also registered for READ 0800/0802. 268 out of 1887 ENGL 1010 students were registered for READ 0800/0802 and ENGL 0800/0802

Co-requisite English Fall 2015 Course Enrolled* Passed* Passing Rate* ENGL 0800/0802 436 231 53% ENGL 1010 435 211 48.5% *Data provided by Tennessee Board of Regents 435 out of 1887 ENGL 1010 students were also registered for ENGL 0800/0802. 268 out of 1887 ENGL 1010 students were registered for READ 0800/0802 and ENGL 0800/0802

Comparison COURSE FALL 2013: ENROLLED FALL 2013 : PASSED FALL 2013 ENGL 1010 1,174 962 81.9% 1,886 (61% INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT) NO CO-REQ: 1,013 CO-REQ: 309 TOTAL: 1,322 70.1% MATH 1010 131 97 74% 266 (103% INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT) NO CO-REQ: 77 CO-REQ: 80 TOTAL: 157 59% MATH 1530 513 398 77.6% 1,084 (111% INCREASE IN ENROLLMENT) NO CO-REQ: 573 CO-REQ: 425 TOTAL: 998 66.1%

Comparison LS MATH 594 (1ST attempt) 303 670 (644 1st attempt) COURSE FALL 2013 ENROLLED COMPLETED SPRING 2014 ENROLLED SPRING 2014 COMPLETED SPRING 2014 COLLEGE-LEVEL COMPLETION RATE FOR LS FALL 2015 ENROLLED FALL 2015 COMPLETED FALL 2015 COLLEGE-LEVEL COMPLETION RATE FOR LS LS MATH 594 (1ST attempt) 303 670 (644 1st attempt) 414(402 1st attempt) MATH 1530 AND MATH 1010 174 (Includes MATH 1000) 121 (Includes MATH 1000) 20.4% 631 (612 1st attempt) 321 (318 1st attempt) 50.9% (52% 1st attempt) LS ENGL 249 (1ST attempt) 156 436 (423 1st attempt) 231 (224 1st attempt) ENGL 1010 111 86 34.5% 435 (423 1st attempt) 211 (207 1st attempt) 48.5% (49% 1st attempt)

Perks Students complete Learning Support classes and college-level classes in a single term. In some instances, the same faculty may serve as instructor for both levels. At the end of the year, more students will have completed the college-level class than did so in the prepare for credit model. The Learning Support class can augment the college-level class. The TBR allowed institutions to implement the co-requisite model according to the individual institution’s needs.

Pitfalls Strain on faculty resources Finding additional qualified faculty Academic strain on underprepared students 9-hour language arts block Inconsistency in the college-level class Inconsistency in co-requisite implementation across the TBR Limited communication between the LS and college-level faculty Casual student attitudes regarding the LS class Student attendance concerns Financial strain on students who fail and lose financial aid No stand-alone sections for students who are not up to the academic challenge Idiosyncrasies of BANNER (information system)

Future Plans Make all Learning Support classes two credit hours only Allow early exit from LS Reading and LS Math classes Pair sections of LS English with sections of English 1010 to be taught by the same faculty Require two standard writing assignments in every English 1010 class Reinstate our former course description for English 1010, which allow for instruction in multiple rhetorical strategies, as opposed to exclusively argument and persuasive writing Provide stand-alone LS option to students who passed the college- level class but not the LS class and need to replace the “F” on their transcript

Contact Victoria Gay Columbia State Community College 1665 Hampshire Pike Columbia, TN 38401 (931)540-2859 vgay@columbiastate.edu