1. A Classroom for All: Accelerated English as a Path to Equity and Inclusion
Brandon Feres
Candace McClelland-Fieler
Community College of Aurora, Dept. of English ccaurora.edu
June 2017

2. overview
Community College of Aurora’s student make-up, history with developmental education, and equity and inclusion initiative
Data from before and after our ALP-centered redesign
Our College Composition and Reading (CCR 094) structure
Principles of inclusive teaching
How our CCR 094 structure fosters inclusivity and equity

3. who we are at CCA
We are a “minority majority” community college of about 10,000
62% are students of color
22% black
24% Hispanic/Latino(a)
75% of our students are part-time students
Almost 78% of our Developmental English students are students of color

4. previous model and data
Our Developmental English program was problematic at many levels:
Time – often 2 semesters and sometimes 4 courses, all before college-level work
Money – see above
Success rates
Only 28% of successful ENG 060 students went on to pass ENG 121 (our measure of success)
Only 44% of successful ENG 090 students went on to pass ENG 121 (36% for black students)

5. Dev. Ed. Redesign (2014) + CCA’s Inclusive Excellence Initiative (2014)
CCR 092
5 credits, combined with 3-credit Academic Achievement course
CCR ENG 121
6 credits taken concurrently, only 12 students in CCR 094, same instructor for both courses
“Recognizing our diversity is only the first step toward Inclusive Excellence. We must also be intentional in valuing cultural differences and experiences while incorporating them into practices, curricula, and policies” (CCA).

6. defining “inclusive excellence”
1. A focus on student intellectual and social development.
2. A purposeful development and utilization of organizational resources to enhance student learning.
3. Attention to the cultural differences learners bring to the educational experience and that enhance the enterprise.
4. A welcoming community that engages all of its diversity in the service of student and organizational learning.
(From American Academy of Colleges and Universities)

7. principles of inclusive teaching
Incorporate diversity into the overall curriculum
Be intentional about creating a safe learning environment
Be proactive in connecting with and learning about your students
Create an environment where students’ voices can be activated
Provide flexibility in how students can demonstrate their knowledge
Be clear about how students will be evaluated
Continually assess classroom climate
Create community

8. structure and goals of CCR 094
Small class size (12) to create a learning community ethos
Same instructor for ENG CCR 094
Back-to-back scheduling
Students have access to instructor’s time, expertise, advice, and attention
Focus on responding directly to individual student needs
All CCR 094 work directly supports ENG 121 assignments
Minimal scheduling to address individual needs as they arise

9. how CCR 094 is conducive to I/E work
Small class size + workshop model = time and space to build meaningful connections
Time and space to activate their own voices
Twice the access to us and to their classmates
Designed as a student-directed community of support, where the content is dictated by immediate student needs
Creates a classroom climate where students develop self-efficacy and strategies for navigating college; students learn how and why to talk with us and to seek peer help
Space allows for vulnerability (both yours and your students) and the ability to make mistakes and “fail well”
Minimal scheduling/advance planning lets us address student needs as they come up

10. CCR 094 activities to support inclusivity
Community building activities
“Status of the class”
Draft conferencing (and eavesdropping)
Pre-conference questionnaires
Whole-group peer workshop
Essay process reflection
One-on-one research guidance
Active, assisted work time
Self-guided grammar interventions (we use Inquisitive)
Questions and answers about navigating the college experience
Advisors coming to class to register students

11. new data (2014-2017) Black 36% 68% Hispanic/Latino(a) 44% 73%
students who went on to pass ENG 121
Old ENG 090 model:
New CCR 094 model:
Black %
68%
Hispanic/Latino(a) %
73%
Asian %
77%
Native American %
43%
White %
75%
Total %
72%

12. guiding questions for teaching inclusively
How might your own cultural-bound assumptions influence how you communicate with students, both verbally and in writing?
How might the backgrounds and experiences of your students influence their motivation, engagement, and learning in your classroom?
How can you modify course materials, activities, assignments, and/or exams to be more accessible to all students in your class?

13. helpful inclusive excellence links
CCA’s Inclusive Excellence initiative:
University of Denver’s Center for Multicultural Excellence: