Describes a study comparing English course-level placement based on writing samples and standardized placement scores, as well as two different methods of grading writing samples. Results support the use of writing samples to supplement standardized placement scores as well as the use of a group holistic method of grading writing samples. Includes…

Identifies the forces responsible for the shift in writing instruction from product-oriented to process-oriented approaches. Briefly discusses the beginnings of writing across the curriculum at Carlton College and considers the suitability of this approach to community colleges. (DMM)

Supports the use of the applied linguistics technique of error analysis (i.e., charting and analyzing patterns in language errors) in developmental writing instruction. Argues that error enables teachers to diagnose the cognitive strategies and processes used by students in writing. Discusses teaching strategies and the approach's limitations.…

Research has found evidence for the validity of remedial and developmental English courses in preparing students to pass freshman-level English courses. To determine whether similar validity could be demonstrated for remedial and developmental English courses at Tennessee's Walters State Community College, the percentage of former remedial and…

At-risk students' failure within the system and the failure of the system to stimulate and interest them leads to a cycle of disengagement: since they lack competence, these students avoid reading. The term "at-risk" is ambiguous because of the evolution of its meaning and the different loci of blame for how people "become at…

Describes the Strategies for Teaching and Reinforcing Skills program at Bronx Community College as a solution to the mismatch between faculty expectations and the ability of poor inner-city students to perform. Discusses the writing across the curriculum program at suburban Richland College, focusing on administrative contributions to program…

Presents the case study of an African-American woman returning to a basic skills program in an inner-city community college, examining in particular a writing conference with the task of transforming telling of an experience into writing about it. (SLD)

Asserts that the teaching profession needs to recognize the natural connections between multicultural and developmental education. Presents eight steps developmental educators can take to promote pluralism, including (1) establishing a clear link between cultural pluralism and institutional and programmatic mission and goals; (2) striving for…

Employers consistently rank communication skills, in particular writing ability, among the most important skills for undergraduate business students to possess. However, improving writing skills, especially with respect to punctuation, grammar, and word choice, often requires substantial teacher time and effort. To assess and improve student…

A study was undertaken at Illinois' Moraine Valley Community College (MVCC) to gather information on the course taking patterns, course completion rates, and retention rates between summer 1990 and spring 1993 for students who successfully completed one of eight remedial classes. Students in the sample began in one of three levels of remedial…

In summer 1990, the English Department of the Metropolitan Community College District (MCCD) in Missouri conducted a self-study to determine whether the English program's subject matter, academic standards, and methods of instruction were consistent with objectives. An Evaluation Committee, consisting of three English instructors representing each…

Describes a study of the validity and reliability of a writing skills assessment test taken by 4,284 2-year college students in 1986-87. Assesses interrater reliability, influences of nonperformance factors (e.g., gender, native language, and form of test), predictive validity of test for future performance, and implications of findings. (DMM)

Describes Erie Community College's computerized system to help curriculum advisors better assess each student's reading and writing competency level and track their completion of required courses. Illustrates the system's provision of information on placement tests and developmental courses taken, and whether a required composition course has been…

Considers how sex discrimination and sexist language have affected educational environments, particularly basic writing and English-as-a-Second-Language instruction. Provides four practical suggestions for college teachers of bilingual and/or bidialectical students to alleviate such attitudes and behaviors. (HB)

Looks at how teaching basic writing is shaped by the material conditions of teachers working in those programs. Documents reactions of two writing programs on two different campuses to a 1991 statewide directive calling for the removal of all "remedial" courses from state campuses. Describes the programs' transformations after the directive, and…