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Discussion Announcement 
Dear Colleagues, 
I'm pleased to announce the following Guest Discussion, which will be
held during the week of February 4, 2008.
Topic: 
Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL
Guest Participants: 
JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall
Professor and Director
Language, Literacy and Culture Ph.D. Program
Director, Peace Corps Master's Intl Program in ESOL/Bilingual Education
University of Maryland Baltimore County
 
Forrest P. Chisman 
Executive Vice President
CAAL (Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy)
New York
Recommended preparations for this discussion:
Passing the Torch:  Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL 
(Executive Summary) 
by Forrest P. Chisman and JoAnn Crandall
CAAL February 20, 2007
16 pages
http://www.caalusa.org/eslexecsummary.pdf
 
Passing the Torch:  Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL 
(Full Report)
by Forrest P. Chisman and JoAnn Crandall
February 26, 2007
163 pages
http://www.caalusa.org/eslpassingtorch226.pdf
 
Excerpts from the Executive Summary of Passing the Torch:
 
[Adult education English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction is an
essential national education service, but the outcomes of most ESL
programs are by no means as great as they should and can be - in terms
of learning gains, retention, and transitions to further education. p.
4]
 
[.According to the NRS, the overwhelming majority of ESL students enter
programs at the two lowest levels, and NRS reports that only about 36
percent of ESL students advance one level per year. Longitudinal
research prepared for CAAL by two community colleges indicates that only
a small percentage of ESL students are enrolled in programs for as long
as four semesters (the equivalent of two years or less) - either
consecutively or at any time. As a result, few ESL students experience
significant learning gains from adult education ESL programs. Moreover,
only about 10 percent of non-credit ESL students make transitions to
credit ESL, and an even smaller percentage make transitions to college
academic or vocational programs. p. 5]
 
[The problems of learning gains, persistence, and transitions clearly
call for serious attention. Fortunately, at least some community
colleges and other ESL providers have devised innovative and effective
strategies to address them. This report is based on a two-year study of
ESL service at community colleges by the Council for Advancement of
Adult Literacy (CAAL). The study draws on the authors' extensive
knowledge of and exposure to dozens of community colleges and ESL
programs through other studies, but it is based primarily on an in-depth
examination of the innovative strategies adopted by five community
colleges identified by ESL experts and their peers as exemplary in their
provision of adult ESL service... p. 5]
 
 <http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomesfull.pdf>
PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES: Tracking ESL Student Performance 
by Steven Spurling, Sharon Seymour, and Forrest Chisman
CAAL January 2008
212 pages
http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomesfull.pdf  
Note: Alternate printing/display option for this title:
 
<http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomes1-tochapt2.pd
f> pathways-outcomes1 chapters 1 to 2.pdf
 
<http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomes2-chapt3-5.pd
f> pathways-outcomes2 chapters 3 to 5.pdf
 
<http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomes3-chapt6-8.pd
f> pathways-outcomes3 chapters 6 to 8.pdf
 
<http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomes4-chapt9-10.p
df> pathways-outcomes4 chapters 9 to 10.pdf 
This report is a longitudinal study of adult ESL services at the City
College of San Francisco (CCSF). Its primary aim is to help those who
plan and design community college ESL programs assess and develop
effective services. But it will also help those who offer adult ESL
services in other institutional settings, and policymakers and funding
organizations. The authors note that CCSF's ESL program has features in
common with many other community college programs, and point to the
model's importance because so many ESL professionals across the country
consider it to be "exemplary." It is both "a typical case and a best
case of adult education ESL in the United States." This groundbreaking
report contains a wealth of highly detailed research information and
analysis. It may well be the most comprehensive, in-depth research ever
conducted on any adult ESL program. It is based on College records
tracking all students over a seven-year period who first enrolled in
CCSF's credit and non-credit ESL programs in 1998, 1999, and 2000. More
than 38,000 non-credit and some 6600 credit ESL students make up the
"cohort" that was examined. The primary focus is on persistence,
learning gains, and transition to credit studies, and on the success in
credit courses of non-credit ESL students. Major attention is given to
the various features of CCSF's ESL program that affected student
outcomes and pathways -- such as terms and hours of attendance, and
program design and policy. CCSF's substantial data on "stop-outs" is
also presented and analyzed in depth. The report is organized to serve
the needs of various kinds of readers. 
 
 
Related resources of interest:
 
Challenges in Assessing for Post-Secondary Readiness
Policy Brief
by Daryl F. Mellard and Gretchen Anderson 
Division of Adult Studies, Center for Research on Learning, University
of Kansas
December 4, 2007 
This Policy Brief examines the major assessments in use today to measure
adult learning gains and determine student placements - e.g., BEST,
CASAS, TABE, COMPASS, ASSET, and ACCUPLACER - in terms of their uses and
how they well they align with postsecondary education entry
requirements. Special attention is given to the GED. The authors
identify several problems and challenges as well as recommendations to
resolve them. 
http://www.caalusa.org/content/assessmentmellard.pdf
 
Transitions:  Linkages between Adult Education and Community Colleges
Multiple resources from CAAL (Council for Advancement of Adult Literacy)
 <http://www.caalusa.org/publications.html#trans>
http://www.caalusa.org/publications.html#trans
 
Transitions to Post-Secondary Education
Multiple resources from NCSALL (National Center for the Study of Adult
Learning and Literacy)
http://www.ncsall.net/index.php?id=106
 
 
     
 
 
 
Marie Cora
 <mailto:marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com> marie.cora at hotspurpartners.com
NIFL Assessment Discussion List Moderator
http://www.nifl.gov/mailman/listinfo/assessment
 
 
 
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