Describes and discusses the Rio Grande Holistic Scale (a grading scale developed at the Rio Grande Campus of Austin Community College). Notes that the scale has been so successful that it now undergirds the entire basic writing program, crystallizing student thinking about the process of writing, unifying grading criteria, informing course…

Describes both past and more recent efforts by the California State University (CSU) system to come to terms with "remediation." Describes recently mandated collaborations between high school language arts faculty and CSU English faculty to reduce the need for remediation. Describes an ongoing outreach program addressing the needs of…

Describes the use of a focused learning strategy designed to help students in developing critical reading and writing skills. A major focus of the "learning to learn" strategy is decreasing student passivity through structured silent reading of relevant magazine and newspaper articles in a small group cooperative learning situation. (DMM)

Discusses the state of access to higher education among disenfranchised students, considering the systemic attack on economically impoverished students in higher education. Describes a group of students enrolled in the University of Minnesota General College under a pilot welfare reform program which was terminated abruptly for political reasons.…

Describes an experimental six-week summer intensive course in basic writing in which the instructor assumes the identity of "Ms. Mystery" and exchanges weekly letters with each of the students. Provides excerpts as well as analysis of these letters and argues the efficacy of letter writing as a pedagogic tool. (KEH)

The developmental writing program at Michigan State University offers special attention to students who enter the university at a competitive disadvantage with respect to their ability to express themselves in writing. The primary goal of the program is to seek to empower students so that they will be able to express themselves in writing for the…

Describes the Language across the Curriculum programs operating at Hostos Community College for English-as-a-Second-Language students; at Miami-Dade Community College for bilingual transfer students; and Dawson College for faculty. (DMM)

Describes the integrated skills reinforcement (ISR) approach to Language across the Curriculum used at La Guardia Community College (LCC) to teach basic skills within the context of the subject-content of various disciplines. Explains LCC's student-centered approach to faculty development, and the use of ISR as a basis for curricular,…

Discusses principles about writing instruction that emerged from mainstreaming basic writers in first-year composition at California State University, Chico: (1) students learn college writing by being in the context of college writing, not some other context; and (2) literacy learning does not come in discreet levels. Describes how writers in…

In 1996, New Jersey's Hudson County Community College (HCCC) participated in the American Association of Community Colleges' Exploring America's Communities project, works to strengthen the teaching and learning of American history, literature, and culture at U.S. community colleges. The primary goal of HCCC's project was to provide reading…

Describes and evaluates the effectiveness of an individualized Writing Lab module, developed to prepare students enrolled in Savannah State College's Developmental Studies English Fundamentals classes for the post-Collegiate Placement Examination. The module uses instructor-authored, computer-assisted instruction to provide immediate feedback on…

In 1996, Indian Hills Community College (Iowa) participated in the American Association of Community Colleges' Exploring America's Communities project, which works to strengthen the instruction of American history, literature, and culture at U.S. community colleges. The college's action plan was initially comprised of three parts: (1) establishing…

Describes the rationale for and outcomes of La Guardia Community College's Critical Thinking Program. Considers the relationship of critical thinking to writing and reading. Evaluates the program's impact on students' reading, writing, and speaking skills; higher-order reasoning/problem-solving abilities; and critical attitudes toward their lives…

Describes how two Queensborough Community College reading faculty staged a debate for developmental students to illustrate the connections between reading, writing, and critical thinking; and to encourage students to critically question and evaluate what they read and hear. Details follow-up writing and group assignments, including a student…

In this description of a learning community for "at-risk" and basic writing students at the University of Wyoming, I outline the reasons our students resist academic writing prior to their entry into college--reasons largely unrelated to typical perceptions of at-risk students as "lazy" or intellectually less capable. For…