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Exploring Academic Support Models for College English

This project explores options for integrating student success support for English 1A, a required entry-level college composition course at Las Positas College in Livermore, California. 

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Background

Under assembly bill 705, California Community Colleges cannot require students to take remedial English. Instead, students must place themselves, and colleges must offer them guidance with this task. This has forced departments to be creative in not only how to guide students with their choice but design course offerings in a way that best supports student success.  

 

This decision is informed by research that indicates (1) a high school GPA of above 2.5 is a better indicator of success in college-level English than any placement test; and (2) regardless of GPA, students are more likely pass college-level English within the first year of college if they enroll directly into a college-level course that provides ample support than if they would take a pre-requisite remedial course before entering college-level English.

  

This has tasked English departments to consider best practices of integrating academic support for, in particular, those less likely to succeed, namely students who come to community college with a high school GPA under 2.5 and enroll in English 1A, our first college-level English course.

 

In 2019, the Las Positas College (LPC) English Department responded to this by offering an augmented version of English 1A, LPC's entry-level college composition course, called English 1A Extended, which integrates two additional hours of academic "lab" support per week. Lab hours are used for the instructor to facilitate lessons on basic reading and writing skills and also help students directly with their homework, projects, and essays for the course. Students entering college with a high school GPA below 2.5 are required to take English 1A Extended.

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This model has had limited success and the LPC English Department has decided to explore alternative academic support models to replace English 1A Extended by Fall 2023. 

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A Design Problem

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According to data from the LPC Institutional Research Office for Fall 2019 and Fall 2020, students passed English 1A Extended on average at 50% while students passed English 1A on average at 75%. In addition, equity gaps persisted in both English 1A and English 1A Extended:​

  • In Fall 2019, 27% of Black students succeeded in English 1A Extended.[1]

  • In Fall 2019, 63% of Black students succeed in English 1A; 61% of Latinx and 63% of multi-racial students succeeded in English 1A

  • In Fall 2020, 53% of Black students succeeded in English 1A; 59% of Latinx and 61% of multi-racial students succeeded in English 1A

 

Additional data from the LPC Institutional Research Office on disproportionately impacted groups reveal that male students, Latinx students, and students with a high school GPA below 2.6 are listed as experiencing disproportionate impact in the 2019-2020 academic year, the first full year of AB705 implementation.

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The following design flaws should be considered when redesigning academic support for English 1A students: 

  1. Forcing lower-skilled students (those with high school GPAs below 2.5) into the same course limited skill-level diversity in the classroom

  2. The required contact hours per week (3 hours lecture; 3 hours lab) were excessive and disadvantaged students with work and family commitments as well as those having to adapt to a significantly different work and life environment as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

  3. Offering only one academic support model could pose limitations on student access

  4. Lack of professional development in culturally responsive curriculum and practices

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Academic Support Models 

 

There are two main support models that the LPC English Department are considering, the corequisite model in which students enroll in a support class that is aligned with the core course (in this case, English 1A), and the academic support service model, in which students access support services already provided by the campus to increase success in the course. While the corequisite model is arguable more effective at improving student success, the academic support service model allows for more flexibility with student schedules, which in turn will allow more students access to English support. I suggest offering both options to students is necessary to increase success rates. Below are the suggested design features for each option.

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Design Features of the Corequisite Model

  • Students can enroll in English 1A and an attached paired course for an additional 1-2 units, regardless of their high school GPA.  

  • The paired course should include lessons on remedial skills and cultivating voice in writing as well as direct support with assignments in English 1A. 

  • The paired should be taught by the same professor who teaches the core course (as per best practices; see study) 

  • Professors who have sufficient training in culturally relevant curriculum and practices and should be selected to teach English 1A sections with a paired course (as per best practices; see same study) 

  • The department should consider accelerated options: for example, the professor offers a skills assessment twice during the semester, and students can essentially test out of the course

  • See example course description for San Diego Mesa College English corequisite course: English 31: Academic Literacy (2 Units) 

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Design Features of the Academic Support Service Model

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  1. Students earn 1-2 units for accessing a certain number of hours of support services, namely from LPC Smart Shops, which offers one-hour workshops on a number of reading, writing, research, and college success skills, and LPC tutoring. Students can access tutoring from peers through the LPC tutorial center, from English professors through the LPC RAW Center, and through an English Instructional Assistant through the English Center. Ideally, the course will have an embedded tutor in the course that provides tutoring hours outside of class time. 

  2. Professors should promote this academic support option in all English 1A courses and identify students who would most benefit from additional academic support. The English department should support professors in identifying students by offering training and/or providing diagnostic reading and writing assignments. 

  3. The enrollment period for the academic support service course should be extended through the first month of the semester to allow for students to be identified and for professors and the department to generate buy-in. 

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Works Consulted

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