Acceleration at Citrus College Suzanne Martinez, College Success Grant Project Coordinator Becky Rudd, Language Arts faculty Bev Van Citters, Language Arts faculty

Fast Track Classes: Ideal for the student who is motivated to complete the required coursework sooner and willing to spend more time on homework, the Fast Track classes are on an accelerated time line -- eight weeks rather than 16 weeks -- enabling the student to complete two levels in one semester.

What classes are included? College Success English Classes: English 30/40 (Writing Skills sequence) English 40/100 (Writing Skills/Fundamentals of Composition sequence) College Success Reading Classes: Reading 19/40 (Literacy/Basic Reading sequence) Reading 40/99 (Basic Reading/Reading sequence)

How do they work? Classes meet Monday through Thursday for eight weeks per course. Classes are linked in the registration process so students register for both courses in a sequence at the beginning of the term. Students who successfully complete the first course in the sequence move on to the next course during the second eight- week session.

Benefits to Students Students are able to complete two levels of College Success classes in one semester Students build relationships with peers more quickly due to the condensed weekly hours together Students build relationships with instructors that promote learning

Do they work? Fall 2009Fall 2010 LCRegularFTFT + LCLCRegularFTFT + LC ENGL % (48/139) 83.0% (78/94) 53.8% (43/80) 81.5% (75/92) ENGL % (22/28) 67.7% (268/396) 83.5% (152/182) 87.1% (27/31) 60.6% (20/33) 66.8% (169/253) 89.1% (123/138) 90.9% (30/33) ENGL % (407/585) 84.2% (128/152) 88.1% (52/59) 78.9% (343/435) 86.4% (108/125) 95.0% (57/60) READ % (114/159) 92.1% (58/63) 83.8% (109/130) 93.5% (58/62) READ % (22/29) 78.8% (193/245) 91.3% (84/92) 96.8% (30/31) 71.5% (128/179) 87.2% (129/148) 93.9% (31/33) READ % (21/23) 77.2% (345/447) 96.6% (28/29) 96.4% (27/28) 68.7% (215/313) 95.2% (79/83) 100% (28/28)

Recent Concerns Persistence and completion rates Federal concerns over graduation rates Statewide emphasis on acceleration Funding available for sufficient sections of basic skills courses in English and reading Impact of SB1440 on reading

A New Direction

English 98 Prepares students for English 99 One-unit class that meets in our College Success Center Taught by adjunct English faculty Focuses on sentence skills, paragraph writing and reading strategies Consists of short lecture, collaborative learning activities, workshops, and individual work

English 99 Prepares students for English 101 Five-unit class meeting Monday through Thursday (some twice a week sections) Taught by full-time and adjunct faculty Focuses on essay writing, critical thinking, and critical reading Engages students in active reading, collaborative learning activities, discussion, and writing using fiction and non-fiction

Professional Development English and reading faculty collaborated to design a cross-training workshop for faculty scheduled to teach English 99 Blackboard website for faculty Meetings through summer to develop sample class schedule and discuss integrations Faculty lead position for English 98 and 99

College Success Support Programs College Success Center: Provides clinics on reading and writing skills as well as workshops on student skills College Success Counselor: Counselors designated to support College Success Program students Supplemental Instruction (SI) program: Several sections of English 99 include an SI component Citrus College Writing Café: Provides one-on-one support for developing writers

Benefits Students complete basic skills sequence in English and Reading in 6 units rather than 18 Reduces costs for students to complete the sequence

More Benefits Integrates the skills of reading and writing in one course while removing redundancy in content Implements positive aspects of acceleration: frequent interaction with instructor, peers and course content

QUESTIONS/COMMENTS? We are currently in the first semester of the new sequence—what questions, comments, suggestions do you have to add to the discussion? THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION AND SUPPORT!