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<title>RE: [Assessment 1134] Re: Intensity of Instruction and funding ofadult
ESLprograms</title>
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<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Dear Ajit,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Our research supports the idea you suggest: managed enrollment
is usually offered as one option (and often not at all levels) at the larger
campus sites, but not at remote locations. Interestingly, it usually seems to attract
more students than it can handle. The limit, of course, is that it managed
enrollment programs are usually also high intensity programs. Thus they require
more teacher hours/level than do open entry/exit programs and therefore APPEAR
more expensive. But if they move students up and out more quickly, then they
would be LESS expensive in reality. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Our research on 5 colleges (in “Passing the Torch”)supports
your hypothesis that high intensity, managed enrollment students are more likely
to attend more hours and to advance more levels, although we were not always
able to quantify this. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Our CCSF research (in “Pathways and Outcomes”
) provides quantitative evidence that supports your observation (and that
of others) that students who advance levels attend about 100-110 hours on
average, BUT students who attend this many hours are more likely to advance if
they do so consecutively (i.e. in the same term). CCSF offers few high
intensity programs in the traditional sense, but students who enroll in the high
intensity programs they DO offer both attend far more hours and advance far
more rapidly. In contrast, we found that students who attend 50 hours or
less rarely advance levels EVER. That doesn’t mean they don’t learn
anything, but they don’t learn enough to be promoted a level, and they almost
always drop out.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>CCSF also offers an interesting solution to BOTH the problems of
how to blend high intensity instruction and how to deal with the problem (raised
in various contexts in this discussion) of how deal with students who are
more proficient in one of the ESL skills (perhaps because of prior education)
than in others. They offer “Focus” programs at every level of
instruction. Each focus program offers 5 hours per week of instruction in one
of the core ESL skill areas (reading, writing, speaking, listening). Students in
the mainstream 10/hour per week program (which teaches all 4 skills) are not
required to take these focus programs, but some are advised to do so. A
remarkably large percentage of students enroll in one or more Focus programs during
their careers in non-credit ESL, and they almost always do so concurrently with
the mainstream program. Hence these students elect a fairly high intensity
schedule (15 hours per week) and one that allows them to make up for difficulties
in mastering particular skills. Not surprisingly, we found that students who
enroll in Focus programs attend more total hours, persist longer, and are more
likely to advance than are other students. In a way, one can see Focus programs
as one way of offering high intensity instruction as an option. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'>Forrest <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>
assessment-bounces@nifl.gov [mailto:assessment-bounces@nifl.gov] <b>On Behalf
Of </b>Gopalakrishnan, Ajit<br>
<b>Sent:</b> Thursday, February 07, 2008 1:14 PM<br>
<b>To:</b> The Assessment Discussion List<br>
<b>Subject:</b> [Assessment 1156] Re: Intensity of Instruction and funding
ofadult ESLprograms<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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</div>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>When the topic of managed enrollment has come up in my
discussions with local administrators, more so in recent years, I have tried to
reiterate that managed enrollment does not have to be an all or nothing
proposition. In CT, where close to 90% of the public adult education
expenditures come from state and local sources, several local program administrators
don't like the idea of denying entry to a local resident until the next
term/semester. It appears that our suggestion is similar to the
"tracks" concept you mention below --of course, the program needs to
have some minimum capacity in order to provide both managed and open entry
options. Even large programs may only be able to offer “tracks” at
one or two of their largest sites while the remaining smaller satellite
locations may end up continuing with an open-entry approach.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The end game is about finding ways that enable learners to
maximize their attendance hours. The most recent CAL study and two previous
studies through CASAS (one with CA data and the other with CT data) confirm
that learners who attend more hours (generally more than 100 hours) reflect the
greatest gains in ESL. These studies also show that a large number of ESL
students attend fewer than 60 hours. This brings us back to the persistence
issue. Jodi raised a question in an earlier email about intensity and
attendance. My hypothesis is that learners in more intensive (greater weekly
intensity) classes attend more total hours than learners in classes where the
same number of instructional hours are delivered over a longer duration. I have
seen it manifested in some local program data but need to study it more.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Ajit<o:p></o:p></p>
<p><br>
<span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Ajit Gopalakrishnan<br>
Connecticut Department of Education<br>
25 Industrial Park Road<br>
Middletown, CT 06457<br>
Phone: (860) 807-2125<br>
Fax: (860) 807-2062<br>
Email: ajit.gopalakrishnan@ct.gov<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: assessment-bounces@nifl.gov [</span><a
href="mailto:assessment-bounces@nifl.gov"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>mailto:assessment-bounces@nifl.gov</span></a><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>] On Behalf Of Forrest Chisman<br>
Sent: Wednesday, February 06, 2008 11:34 AM<br>
To: 'The Assessment Discussion List'<br>
Subject: [Assessment 1134] Re: Intensity of Instruction and funding ofadult
ESLprograms<br>
<br>
Jim,<br>
<br>
That's too bad about your experiences with managed enrollment. Some of the<br>
colleges we studied think they "beat this rap" by creating very large<br>
managed enrollment classes to allow for attrition. (For them, managed<br>
enrollment meant that if students didn't attend on a regular basis, they<br>
were dropped from the program.) They figured that what they lost in head<br>
counts, they made up for in contact hours. But we also heard stories like<br>
yours. I'm beginning to believe that "managed enrollment" works best
as one<br>
of several "tracks" -- if a program is large enough to have
"tracks" -- a<br>
track for the motivated. Some programs believe that it is by itself<br>
"motivational" -- in that it encourages students to make more of a<br>
"commitment."<br>
<br>
What do the rest of you think?<br>
<br>
Forrest <br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: assessment-bounces@nifl.gov [</span><a
href="mailto:assessment-bounces@nifl.gov"><span style='font-size:10.0pt'>mailto:assessment-bounces@nifl.gov</span></a><span
style='font-size:10.0pt'>] On<br>
Behalf Of Schneider, Jim<br>
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 11:30 PM<br>
To: Jodi Crandall; The Assessment Discussion List<br>
Subject: [Assessment 1126] Re: Intensity of Instruction and funding of adult<br>
ESLprograms<br>
<br>
<br>
At our cc based adult learning center we do not charge any fees for<br>
instruction.<br>
<br>
We have dabbled with the managed enrollment, however our institution is<br>
driven by enrollment and contact hours so that we simply cannot afford to<br>
operate in a managed enrollment fashion. I do believe that it is better for<br>
the teachers and students. Unfortunately, operating in a strict fashion, our<br>
enrollment took close to a 50% reduction. Still, recognizing the value of<br>
the concept, the past two years we have attempted a semi-managed enrollment.<br>
In the fall we have a 3 week enrollment period and then hold classes with no<br>
additional students for 5 weeks. Then an additional 3 week open enrollment<br>
followed by no new students for 5 weeks. Ideally, we would operate in this<br>
fashion year round providing some sense of continuity for the instructors<br>
and learners. Unfortunately, student attendance waxes and wanes due to<br>
employment, weather, transportation, etc. and in each year we attempted this<br>
we held to it through the second 5 weeks and then abandon it for the<br>
remainder of the year because student attendance/enrollment declined to
the<br>
point that we had to enroll any learner whenever they were interested to<br>
meet our enrollment goals.<br>
<br>
The bulk of our english learners enroll in the three levels of morning<br>
classes which meet Monday through Thursday from 8:30 until 11 a.m.. Our<br>
evening program has varied from 2-3 levels. Evening classes meet Monday and<br>
Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m.. Both morning and evening classes are offered for<br>
approximately 38 weeks through the fall and spring semesters.<br>
<br>
These offerings are "how we have always done it" and are somewhat
bound by<br>
the available funds.<br>
<br>
Jim, "I like the sound of eloquent" Schneider<br>
<br>
Message-----<br>
From: assessment-bounces@nifl.gov on behalf of JoAnn (Jodi) Crandall<br>
Sent: Tue 2/5/2008 3:30 PM<br>
To: Assessment@nifl.gov<br>
Subject: [Assessment 1116] Intensity of Instruction and funding of adult<br>
ESLprograms<br>
<br>
<br>
Hi, everyone. It has been interesting reading the postings today and want<br>
to respond to some of them now. I just learned from Forrest that his<br>
Internet Service Provider is down, but he expects to be back on line either<br>
tonight or tomorrow. He'll add his comments later.<br>
<br>
In the meantime, let me respond to a couple of themes that have emerged in<br>
the discussion.<br>
<br>
Jackie asked what we meant by "intensity of instruction" and Marie provided<br>
a definition from an excellent publication from the Center for Applied<br>
Linguistics which analyzes the effects of instructional hours and intensity<br>
of instruction on NRS level gains in listening and speaking.<br>
<br>
In our study, we define "intensity of instruction" as the number of
hours<br>
per week and differentiate it from "duration" which is the total
number of<br>
hours for the program.<br>
We think both intensity and duration are important. It is important to
have<br>
enough hours per week of instruction, but also important that there be<br>
enough weeks. Programs in the 5 community colleges we studied varied from
3<br>
to 20 hours per week of instruction, with 10 hours/week considered<br>
"semi-intensive" and 20 hours/week as "intensive"
instruction.<br>
<br>
As Jim so eloquently put it, there are some basic reasons why programs might<br>
not offer as many hours of instruction per week as they want to, with<br>
funding being at the root of many of the reasons.<br>
<br>
Forrest and I would be interested in knowing how many hours per week your<br>
various programs meet (and for how many weeks) and how you determined that<br>
schedule. Have you tried more intense programs for shorter periods of
time?<br>
What has been the impact on attendance?<br>
<br>
Have any of you provided adult ESL/ESOL programs that charge a fee? We
were<br>
surprised to learn of such a program at Bunker Hill Community College.
They<br>
provide free adult ESOL and also a fee-based program in an attempt to<br>
accommodate more learners. They found that at least some learners were
able<br>
to pay the fee and thus they were able to serve more learners.<br>
<br>
We'd also like to know if your programs are open-entry/open-exit, with<br>
learners coming to class when they can and sometimes leaving for several<br>
classes before they return, or if you have tried some kind of "managed<br>
enrollment" with attendance expectations of those who are enrolled in your<br>
classes. Several community colleges have experimented with this approach<br>
and have found it effective. I know that Forrest will have more to say<br>
about this.<br>
<br>
I have to go teach, but when I return, I'd like to talk a bit about issues<br>
surrounding literacy and prior education.<br>
<br>
Jodi Crandall<br>
<br>
<br>
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<span style='font-size:10.0pt'>Email delivered to ajit.gopalakrishnan@ct.gov<o:p></o:p></span></p>
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