Assessment Made Fun & Easy

Ana Paula LawrenceNancy Silvestro

NJTESOL-NJBE Spring ConferenceMay 24, 2011

Who Are We?Nancy: ESL Dept. ChairpersonAna Paula: ESL InstructorElected members of College-wide Assessment Committee- worked on Middle States Periodic Report Review and PCCC’s Institutional Assessment Plan- hands on knowledgeCoordinated ESL program and course-level assessment activities

PCCC ESL SequenceESLG 001 – Class & LabBeginning ESL Grammar I

ESLR 001 – Class & LabBeginning ESL Reading & Oral Communication I

ESLW 001 – Class & LabBeginning ESL Writing I

ESLG 002 – Class & LabBeginning ESL Grammar II

ESLR 002 – Class & LabBeginning ESL Reading & Oral Communication II

ESLW 002 – Class & LabBeginning ESL Writing II

ESLS 002 – Class & LabESL Speaking & Pronunciation I

ESLG 003 – Class & LabIntermediate ESL Grammar

ESLR 003 – Class & LabIntermediate ESL Reading & Oral Communication

ESLW 003 – Class & LabIntermediate ESL Writing

ESLS 003 – Class & LabESL Speaking & Pronunciation II

ESLG 004 – Class & LabAdvanced ESL Grammar

ESLR 004 – Class & LabESL Reading in American Culture

ESLW 004 – Class & LabAdvanced ESL Writing I

ENR 107 – Class & LabAdvanced Reading in American Studies

ENW 107 – ClassAdvanced ESL Writing II

Our GoalsDemonstrate that assessment can be meaningful and valuable tool for improving student performance and teachingBreak faculty resistanceEngage faculty in FUN, EFFICIENT and FAST activities

Make It FunGroup work: We are good listeners and better talkers.Bring in the adjuncts.Feed ‘em all.Provide a classroom setting. Create a sense of community.

Make it EfficientIdentify the focus: We chose our five writing courses Get everyone involvedClarify the workshop goals: Overarching: initiate positive change Immediate: i.e. Establish SLOs Promote the benefits of a group activity: everyone has input and the project can be completed in hours (not weeks)!Make it visual: We used a large sheet of paper for each course and hung it on the wallProvide the tools (data, lists, syllabi, etc.)

Make It FastBe task-oriented: Each of our groups was clear about what to do and whySet time limits for each activityGet everyone involved : 100% attendance

Caveat - Adjuncts: $ for professional development- Full-time: Rewarded by the group

accomplishment

Workshop I: Assess Student Learning Outcomes:

Identify Reasons for Non-passing Scores

1:00-1:30 Level Leaders will present workshop objectives, rubrics and workshop format1:30-2:30 Groups (by level) will norm their rubric2:30-2:45 Break with refreshments2:45-3:45 Evaluation of essays in level groups3:35-4:00 Wrap up

Use of ResultsRevised SLOs for all writing courseRevised content of writing coursesAdjusted continuity among levelsIntegrated additional grammar instruction in writing courses based on identified common errors

ESL DEPARTMENTENW107 – Advanced ESL Writing II5 COLUMN GRID Fall 2008Cycle Number 1 Prepared by Ana Paula LawrenceAssessment Summary at a GlanceHow many students were included? 87How many sections of the course were included? 9 What was the number of full-time faculty? 4What was the number of adjunct faculty? 5How many online sections were included? 0On which campuses were the courses taught? Paterson

EXPANDED STATEMENT OF INSTITUTIONAL

PURPOSE

COURSE INTENDEDLEARNING

OUTCOMES

MEANS OF COURSE ASSESSMENT AND

CRITERIA FOR SUCCESS

SUMMARY OF DATA COLLECTED

USE OF RESULTS

Mission Statement:The Mission of Passaic County Community College is to provide academic, cultural and technological resources and experiences to the residents of Passaic County. Through education, we seek to help bring about more satisfying and productive personal lives, stronger community leadership, and a strengthened economic base. High quality college programs are at the heart of our mission. Additionally, we are committed to addressing community needs through English as a second language instruction, basic skills instruction, career training, cultural programming, and collaboration with other organizations and agencies.  Institutional Goal Statement:Educate Students in high quality programs that respond to changing community needs. Program DescriptionThis is an academic program intended to facilitate college-level study for those with limited English proficiency who require the skills necessary for success in college.  Course DescriptionThis course prepares advanced-level, non-native speakers of English for Composition I.

Upon Completion of this course, students will be able to: A. Write a 5-paragraph argumentative essay that demonstrates correct usage of grammar and mechanics, standard essay organization, and well-developed ideas.

A. 70% of students will score 7 or above on the ENW107 department exam.   B. 70% of students will demonstrate correct English grammar usage , standard essay organization and well-developed ideas in their writing as defined in the ENW107 rubric

A. In Fall 2008, 71 % of the 87 ENW107 students who took the department exam scored 7 or higher.  B. A cohort of 15 non-passing (scored 6) ENW107 department exams were analyzed to identify common reasons for failure.  40 % was determined to have failed because of incorrect grammar usage.  Further analysis revealed eight common grammar errors: Past participleRun-on sentenceCount / non-count nounsArticlesPrepositionsPast form of modalsWord formAdjective vs. adverbs

A. The department will investigate the possibility of offering an advanced-level grammar course designed to incorporate grammar (including the eight common errors identified) and writing instruction.

B. The department will re-evaluate the writing exit criteria and scoring rubric.

Workshop II: Revise Student Learning Outcomes & Course

Content based on Workshop I ResultsTime Activity Leader15 minutes EN101

requirements/syllabusAna Paula Lawrence

13 minutes SLO’s vs. course content Ana Paula Lawrence25 minutes Revise SLOs and course

content; write on poster paper Working groups:107003 & 004002 & 001

Level Leaders

60 minutes Presentation of SLO’s and content by levelDiscussionAdjustments

Level Leaders

7 minutes Wrap upNext step?

Nancy Silvestro

Where Are We Now?

Reviewing writing rubricsDeveloping an advanced level writing/editing coursePlanning for the next cycle based on results Completing assessment of grammar courses

The Assessment Loop

Discussion

QuestionsIdeasSuggestionsComparisons: How does your department/institution conduct course-level assessment?

Thank You!

Ana Paula Lawrence anapaulany@verizon.net

Nancy Silvestro nsilvestro@pccc.edu

“Assessment doesn’t prove anything, but it improves

everything.”