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ASSESSMENT REPORT

FOR

                                         

Developmental Studies
Administrative or Educational Support Unit

September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003
Assessment Period Covered

July 17, 2003
Date Submitted

Expanded Statement of Institutional Purpose Linkage:
Institutional Mission/Goal(s) Reference:
Texas A&M International University, a Member of the Texas A&M University System, is committed to the preparation of students for leadership roles in their chosen profession and in an increasingly complex, culturally diverse state, national, and global society… Through instruction, faculty and student research, and public service, Texas A&M International University is a strategic point of delivery for well-defined programs and services that improve the quality of life for citizens of the border region, the State of Texas, and national and international communities.

Administrative or Educational Support Unit Mission Statement:
Committed to the success of its students, the Department of Developmental Studies’ mission parallels the University’s mission in that it endeavors to prepare students for future roles in the community by providing an academic foundation that will lead to a successful academic experience.  Access to Developmental Studies is not limited to students who need to meet Texas Academic Skills Program requirements; traditional and non-traditional students who want to strengthen their kills before enrolling in regular courses may also benefit from developmental courses.  Instructors of developmental classes work with professors of various departments to ensure curricular continuity and promote active learning through the use of successful teaching and learning strategies.

Intended Administrative Objectives:

1. Retention rates of under prepared students (those who have not passed Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP), a basic skills test in reading, writing, and math, or its equivalent as approved by the State of Texas) will increase.

2. Developmental students will be prepared for college level course work in the areas of math, reading, and writing.

3. Developmental students will meet Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) score requirements.

 

 

ASSESSMENT REPORT

FOR

Developmental Studies
 Administrative or Educational Support Unit

September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003
Assessment Period Covered 

July 17, 2003
Date Submitted

Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:

1. Retention rates of under prepared students (those who have not passed TASP, a basic skills test in reading, writing, and math, or its equivalent as approved by the State of Texas) will increase.

First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
1a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success:
Focus reports (run after the 12^th class day) part of the University Student Information System database used for reporting (Focus Report MTAECRP7), will indicate that at least 60% of developmental students who attended during the Fall 2002 – Summer 2003 academic year were retained in Fall 2003.

1a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
The retention rate was 59.02, one percentage below the 60% goal.

1a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Meeting was held with staff to discuss results.  Course syllabi in all developmental classes were modified to encourage greater participation and increased learning by holding students accountable early in the semester for their academic behavior (minimum number of absences allowed and required tutoring if not passing tests).  Meeting with members of Developmental Education Committee, which includes faculty representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, was held to discuss results.  They agreed to place developmental education recommendations (which included required tutoring in college level sequence courses for students who earned a “C” in their developmental courses) on the agenda for their next departmental meeting.  Class size was kept small in all areas.

 

ASSESSMENT REPORT

FOR

Developmental Studies
Administrative or Educational Support Unit

September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003
Assessment Period Covered

July 17, 2003
Date Submitted

Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:

2. Developmental students will be prepared for college level course work in the areas of math, reading, and writing.

First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
2a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success:
Focus reports (run after SSII) part of the University Student Information System database used for reporting (Focus Report MTNADE1), will indicate that students who scored below a 240 on Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) math and took Developmental Math (DMAT) 0310, attained a 2.0 grade point average (GPA) in College Algebra.  The baseline for Fall 2001 to Fall 2002 was 1.464 (n=28).

2a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
The average grade point average (GPA) in College Algebra for Developmental Math (DMAT) 0301 students was 1.541 (n=37).  The student count was higher than the previous year and the grade point average improved slightly; however, the 2.0 grade point average benchmark was not met.  The 87.5 high school grade point average exemption for Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) had no bearing on placement since the Department of Natural Sciences does not honor exemptions.  All students taking College Algebra must meet the pre-requisite test scores or complete the developmental math course sequence.

2a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Results were shared with the developmental math instructors as well as faculty who teach College Algebra.  As a result, the Developmental Math (DMAT) 0301 course syllabus was modified.  Students earning a C in Developmental Math (DMAT) 0301 will be required to attend Center for the Advancement of Scholastic Achievement (CASA) Tutoring Center the semester they take College Algebra.  All other students will be encouraged to attend CASA as well.  College Algebra faculty discussed modifying their syllabus by requiring mandatory tutoring for all students who are not passing the course.  Some College Algebra faculty have begun to refer their students to CASA for mandatory tutoring.

Second Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
2b. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success
Focus reports (run after SSII) part of the University Student Information System database used for reporting (Focus Report MTNADE3), will indicate that students who scored below a 220 on Texas Academic Skills Program and took Developmental English (DENG) 0370 attained a 2.0 grade point average in English 1301 and/or English 1302.  The baseline for Fall 2001 to Fall 2002 was 2.129 for English 1301 (n=31) and 1.778 for English (n=8).

2b. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Developmental English(DENG) 0370 students earned an average grade point average of 1.727 (n=22) in English 1301 and a 2.0 (n=2) in English 1302.  The count for English 1302 is too small to be used for evaluation purposes.  Developmental English (DENG) 0370 students did not do as well in English 1301 in Fall 2002 as they did in Fall 2001.  The likely reason for a lower performance is due to the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) 87.5 GPA rule.  Students earning that grade point average in high school were exempt from TASP and consequently did not take Developmental English (DENG) 0370 even if they failed the TASP writing (below 220 score).  This fact accounts for the drop in grade point average since the more academically successful developmental students went directly into English 1301.

2b. Use of Results to Improve Unit Service:
Results were shared with the developmental writing instructors.  As a result, the Developmental English (DENG) 0370 course syllabus was modified.  Students earning a grade of C in Developmental English (DENG) 0370 will be required to attend the Writing Center the semester they take English 1301.  The English 1301 committee has met and is developing a writing program for both English 1301 and 1302.  The Director of the Writing Center is chairing the initiative.

Third Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
2c. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success
Focus reports (run after SSII) part of the University Student Information System database used for reporting (Focus Report MTNADE4), will indicate that students who scored below a 230 on Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) reading and took Developmental Reading (DRDG) 0301 attained a 2.0 grade point average in the following reading courses: History 1301 and 1302, and Psychology 2301.  The baseline for Fall 2001 to Fall 2002 was 1.824 (n=17) for History 1301; 2.6 (n=5) for History 1302; 2.727 (n=11) for Psychology 2301.

2c. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
The average grade point average for Developmental Reading (DRDG) 0301 students who took History 1391 during 2002-2003 was 1.273 (n=11); History 1302 was 2.6 (n=5); Psychology 2301 was 2.0 (n=2).  Average grade point average was lower in History 1301/1302 and Psychology 2301 than previous year.  The likely reason for a lower performance is due to the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) 87.5 GPA rule.  Students earning that grade point average in high school were exempt from TASP and consequently did not take Developmental Reading (DRDG) 0301 even if they failed the TASP reading (below 230 score).  This fact accounts for the drop in grade point average since the more academically successful developmental students went directly into college level courses.

2c. Use of Results to Improve Unit Service:
Results were shared with the developmental reading instructors.  As a result, the Developmental Reading (DRDG) 0301 course syllabus was modified.  Students earning a grade of C in Developmental Reading (DRDG) 0301 will be required to attend Center for the Advancement of Scholastic Achievement (CASA) the semester they take History 1301, History 1302 or Psychology 2301.   The College of Arts and Sciences faculty who are members of the Developmental Education Committee met to discuss results and consider options for academic support.  The recommendations concerning required academic support for students who are not passing the college level course are on the agenda for consideration.

ASSESSMENT REPORT

FOR

Developmental Studies
 Administrative or Educational Support Unit

September 1, 2002 to August 31, 2003
Assessment Period Covered

July 17, 2003
Date Submitted

Intended Administrative or Educational Support Objective:

3. Developmental students will meet Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) score requirements.

First Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
3a. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success:
Focus reports (run after SS II) part of the University Student Information System database used for reporting (Focus Report MTAECRP4), will indicate that 75% of the students who remediate in math and then retest will attain a score of at least 230.  The baseline from Fall 2001 to Fall 2002 is 70%.

3a. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Results indicated that 72.06% of the students who took developmental math passed the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) test.  An additional 1.47% earned a B in College Algebra, another measure of success as per TASP standards.  These results do not meet the benchmark of 75% but they do reflect a 3% increase from 2001-2002 academic year.

3a. Use of Results to Improve Unit Services:
Developmental math (DMAT) faculty modified syllabus to include higher expectations related to student participation (minimum number of absences allowed) and the consequences (earning an F) related to non-participation so that students take their developmental work seriously, increase their learning, and meet the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) standards.

Second Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
3b. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success
Focus reports (run after SSII) part of the University Student Information System database (Focus Report MTAECRP4), will indicate that 58% of the students who remediate in reading and then retest will attain a score of at least 230.  The baseline from Fall 2001 to Fall 2002 is 53%.

3b. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Results indicated that 46% of developmental reading students passed the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP).  Another 2.17% met TASP standards through the B or better rule.  Results do not meet the 58% benchmark and represent a 7% decline from the 2001-2002 academic year.

3b. Use of Results to Improve Unit Service:
Results reflect the impact that the 87.5 high school grade point average exemption rule has had in the areas of reading and writing.  Students who have met that grade point average were placed in college level classes even though they might have performed poorly on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP).  As a result, the students in developmental reading and writing were particularly weak, all not having met the 87.5 grade point average.  Developmental reading and writing faculty met to discuss results.  The course syllabi were modified to increase student participation (minimum number of absences allowed) and to encourage students to improve performance.  Students earning a grade of C in developmental classes will be required to access tutorial services during the semester in which they take their college level sequence course.

Second Means of Assessment for Objective Identified Above:
3b. Means of Unit Assessment & Criteria for Success
Focus reports (run after SSII) part of the University Student Information System database (Focus Report MTAECRP4), will indicate that 73% of the students who remediate in writing and then retest will attain a score of at least 220.  The baseline from Fall 2001 to Fall 2002 is 68%.

3b. Summary of Assessment Data Collected:
Results indicate that 48% of developmental writing students who took the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP) passed.  Results did not meet benchmark and reflect a 20% decline.

3b. Use of Results to Improve Unit Service:
Results reflect the impact that the 87.5 high school grade point average exemption rule has had in the areas of reading and writing.  Students who have met that grade point average were placed in college level classes even though they might have performed poorly on the Texas Academic Skills Program (TASP).  As a result, the students in developmental reading and writing were particularly weak, all not having met the 87.5 grade point average.  Developmental reading and writing faculty met to discuss results.  The course syllabi were modified to increase student participation (minimum number of absences allowed) and to encourage students to improve performance.  Students earning a grade of C in developmental classes will be required to access tutorial services during the semester in which they take their college level sequence course.

 

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