Chapter list for _Becoming College Material_

Since 2008 I have been working on a book titled _Becoming College Material_, essentially writing a chapter per year based on things we figured out through building and rebuilding the developmental education programming at Adams State.  Some of these chapters have been published elsewhere, and the Pre-remediation chapter will be the project sponsored by my McGraw-Hill emerging leaders scholarship to the Kellogg Institute 2012-13.  My new thought is to ask McGraw-Hill to back the whole thing as a book.

Here are the chapters:

Ducks: Flying, Floating, Sinking, Absent (but not dead!)
STAY: together as a group
The Rock and the Hard Place
Pre-remediation: High school and middle school outreach/mentoring, the PROTEGE program
Service and Sustainability
Full Circle: We admit them one at a time; we graduate them one at a time.  "Cradle" to employment supports.
Gentle Pathways: Re-engaging veterans, non-traditional students, First Generation Students, Dev Ed supports
Promising Connections: First Year Experience, Composition & Mathematics
Building Relationships
Bridging the Gap
Telling the Story

Ducks: Flying, Floating, Sinking, Absent (but not dead!)

Through conversations with Andy Zaugg and the developmental team at Adams State, we identified four categories of students who find their way into our courses.We lovingly referred to the types of students as types of ducks and suggested different strategies for supporting their success in college.

Intervention: Becoming “College Material”

We have identified four levels of students in developmental classes in terms of techniques for intervention when they start to struggle.  We want to take a proactive approach to their education, giving them appropriate supports and setting up a path for success for every type of student.

Category	Description	Additional strategy required
Level 4	Mature learners who take responsibility for their own education Flying Ducks	None really. These students are the ones who are already attending class, doing assignments, and getting help when they need it. We may see some struggles if there is a cultural disconnect, for example first generation students who have high test scores but run into other non-academic challenges that threaten their ability to succeed.  See FGS interventions.
Level 3	“floating ducks”  these students may test just below the cut-off score for college credit courses and may have motivation issues, test anxiety or just need a quick refresher of math techniques/skills.  This student gets frustrated by having extended review of foundational skills (like fractions) and wants “accelerated” or individualized instruction.	Developmental coursework /teaching techniques are generally successful with these students, but students may benefit from a “Math Jam” or “Essay skills review” during orientation to refresh those skills prior to a placement test which boosts them up to the next course.  Some students need a “wake-up-call” to snap them into the “College Mindset”.  As developmental students, they are enrolled in the additional tutoring time and may work independently on computer-based instruction.  If the student maintains 80% or higher in the course, he/she no longer must attend tutoring.  Motivated students may work ahead in the coursework and perhaps test up at the end of the term.
Level 2 Classwork + Scheduled group tutoring and “group therapy”	“sinking ducks” these students require foundation skills AND may also display affective/social/avoidance behavior related to the material (math anxiety/fear/shame) and/or a traumatic educational experience related to content (“Mrs. Bailey said I’d never pass math”)	Developmental Coursework PLUS tutoring/small group support.  Students sign up for “math lab” (like a chemistry lab model) to attend 1 hour per week in the tutoring center (SSS if applicable/available) in conjunction with the developmental course.  If the student maintains an 80% or higher in the class, he/she no longer is required to attend weekly lab time (has become a “floating duck”).  Some of the small group tutoring time can address test anxiety and other emotional issues related to success in the subject.
Level 1 Intensive Support/ Flexible Schedule/ Individualized Learning Plan	Absent—these students do not have the attendance habit required to successfully pass coursework.  They may even have advanced skills in some areas but lack the life structure/support for childcare, transportation, work shift flexibility, time management, etc to attend a traditional class regularly.	FlexStart program “always an open door”—if the student has not shown regular attendance before the census date (or the student signs up for classes after orientation and tests into developmental classes), student is dropped from classes and instead meets 1 hour per week in the GTLC (SSS if applicable/available) to take assessments (Learning Styles, Study Behavior Inventories, Time Management, Math, English, etc) and work on personalized computer-based instruction in basic skills.  For example, the math test identifies which math skills are deficient so the student works independently or with a tutor on those specific skills.  Students must demonstrate mastery of required skills in the computer-based instruction software. Students “pay as you go” $10 per session. Students may even test up out of developmental coursework during FlexStart.   If the student successfully completes the FlexStart curriculum, he/she receives a $50 certificate towards next semester’s tuition and hits the ground running for appropriate coursework the following term.

The Rock and the Hard Place