(Frequently Asked Questions)
Q. Isn't it the responsibility of the reading specialists in English to address any shortcomings our students may have in progressing in their college-level reading skills, rather than the responsibility of faculty in other disciplines?
A. The reading specialists deal with those students who enter COD with less-than-adequate reading skills that put them at risk for successfully completing entry-level courses. What the CAAP testing has pointed out is that, on average, those students who enter with acceptable reading skills are not developing their skills over time at the same rate as students at other community colleges and baccalaureate institutions. In other words, at the end of their sophomore year, our students are somewhat less able to comprehend college-level texts, research materials, and the professional literature of their career-fields than similar students at other institutions.
This is an issue for faculty in all disciplines to be concerned about. While some of our students do need remedial assistance, most just need to continue to improve their college reading skills within the context of their courses. The majority of our students have no problems in the mechanics of reading. Where they need our assistance and encouragement is in how to "decode" the information, how to deal with college-level writing that is dense in information, rich in ideas, and linked into subject area schemata. Each discipline has its own vocabulary and its own way of structuring discourse. Learning to read philosophy is different than learning to read sociology is different than learning to read chemistry. Thus, each faculty member should be helping students master the techniques for reading in the discipline.
How might this be done? First of all, there should be reading assignments that challenge and stretch the students' abilities. Then there should be structures to strongly encourage them to do the required reading; discussions or aids to assist in understanding the vocabulary and structure of discourse in the discipline; and CAT's to help both the students and the instructor identify problem areas in the reading assignments. These activities don't have to take up much class time. However, any time devoted to helping students become comfortable with the vocabulary, complex ideas, and structure of discourse within a discipline will be time well spent.
Q. Haven't the results of the CAAP testing for reading been somewhat skewed by the large number of non-native speakers of English on campus?
A. Perhaps, but not in the way one might think. Analysis of the data from the CAAP reading test shows that although our students who are non-native speakers of English may start out at a somewhat lower reading level than our native speakers, the non-native speakers show significantly more improvement over time than the native speakers. If they have skewed the numbers, it is in the direction of improved reading abilities.
Assessment In
Action
A Sharing of Ideas
CATs for Reading
CATs can be used to encourage students to do their reading assignments and do them on time; more importantly, they serve as feedback to both the students and the instructor on how well the reading material is being comprehended.
In her Accounting 151 class, Jeannie Folk takes advantage of apparatus that is included in the textbook she chose. Each chapter has three to four "before you go onreview it" sections, and each of those sections has three to four questions covering the material just read. Jeannie has her students write out the questions and their responses and turn them in the first day the chapter is to be covered in class. This ensures that the students have done the reading in a timely fashion and that their reading has been more than just cursory. She scans the responses for completeness, is alerted to any patterns of misunderstanding, and assigns completion points for each chapter response.
Jeannie notes, "In the past, my major complaint re reading was that (1) hardly anyone read the chapter before we covered it in classeven though reading the chapter was listed as an assignmentand (2) some students never read the chapter/textbookI guess they thought coming to class was enough." This approach has solved many of those concerns.
Peter Klassen takes a somewhat different approach with his Sociology students. He uses an abbreviated form of the RSQC2 CAT (Recall, Summarize, Question, Connect, and Comment). At the beginning of class, Peter has his students write out a list of the most important or meaningful points they recall from the reading assignment. He then has them integrate these points into a summary sentence that captures the essence of the reading assignment. Finally, he has them jot down one or two questions they might have relating to the reading. Peter quickly scans these RSQ responses and then makes them the focus for the class discussion.
Peter notes that the first time or two he does this as a class activity, there is some resistance from students, but after that, students find it a useful technique. He is also careful to explain why he is doing it in exactly this way. Some of his students have asked if they couldn't just write out everything in advance at the time they are doing the reading. Peter points out to them that by recalling the information at a later time, they have a much better indication of how well they have read and understood the material. His experience is similar to Jeannie's; many more students come to class having completed the reading assignments on time.
One last remark from Peter that is good advice to anyone who administers a CAT; explain to your students the purpose of the CAT and how it will benefit them. Students are much more receptive when they understand why an activity is structured in a particular way and what the payoff is to them personally.