In El Paso, Texas, the public institutions of higher education have joined with area school districts to create the El Paso College Readiness Initiative. Through a great deal of coordination and cooperation among the participating institutions, high school faculty, students, and parents are introduced to the placement test used by the city's…

The success of a developmental reading course really should be measured several semesters later by how well the students have transferred their new strategies to their content courses. To help facilitate this transfer, a list of ten instructional strategies are presented that have been developed from the literature and classroom experience.…

We have noticed a change in the use of prepositions in English. In our work with student essays, we increasingly encounter non-standard uses of prepositions, such as "concern on," "afraid from," and "enamored with." This trend is evident in both native and non-native American English speakers. We believe that the…

Developmental reading students respond positively to poetry. This genre engages them and intimidates less than prose. Reading poetry aloud further improves their reading skills because students feel compelled to increase their knowledge and abilities and to pay closer attention to the text when they are required to perform. Videotaping…

According to a study of 944 two- and four-year colleges, "caring attitude of faculty and staff" was listed as the most important factor for retaining students (Roueche, 1993). This article will explain how one teacher demonstrates genuine concern for students while demanding high standards of excellence and student accountability. This…

Described as "tough love," Louisiana State University at Eunice's "Pathways to Success" program experienced success in its first two years by implementing mandatory placement, attendance, tutoring, and advising policies. Selected student successes and retention data are discussed, along with policies and some practical advice…

Although the WebQuest has been around for several years, it appears that not many educators are aware of it, or know how to use it. Thus, it is important to not only expose developmental educators to the use of this strategy, but also to help them realize how they can easily implement it into their curriculum. The use of a Webquest integrates…

Colleges and universities are being challenged to meet the diverse needs of the increasing numbers of adult learners enrolling in developmental education courses. Some administrators have responded to this challenge with administrative units called University Colleges. These units are infrequently discussed in the literature. This article briefly…

This study used the National Educational Longitudinal Study: 88 /2000 (NELS 88: /2000) dataset to explore characteristics associated with college degree attainment. The study was informed by Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior. The sample size was 6,832 postsecondary students. The findings revealed that developmental math students were less…

Anyone who has ever taught developmental mathematics knows there is a problem in course placement. Some students test well and place clearly above their level, while other students place below their real capability because they either have been away from math for a number of years, or did not prepare for the assessment test. In either case, they…

This article addresses the concern many instructors have about students who do not complete assigned work, particularly the reading. The author explains briefly why extensive reading is so important in developmental writing classes and discusses a multi-step approach she has been using successfully for years. A list of short novels and stories…

Using popular culture in my developmental writing course has prompted me to reconsider what it means to create successful developmental writing assignments. Having slipped into the questionable habit of assuming that removing complexity makes an assignment appropriate for developing writers, I pared down a fairly open-ended "media…

It has long been established that self-assessment and goal-setting are regular features of the writing process of experienced writers. It has also been demonstrated that students develop more power and control over their writing when they are encouraged to become their own evaluators. Therefore, to help beginning writers think and act more like…

Although Language and Literacy research has become an impetus for change in the K-12 arena, Developmental and Adult Education practices have evolved little as a result of such inquiries. Driving instruction away from rote practice of discreet skills, educators have the opportunity to depart from deficit models of education and open up the…

This article is designed to present an overview of critical theory, research, and evaluation for the developmental mathematics educator. Students caught in the gap between high school mathematics preparation and entry-level college mathematics expectations--developmental mathematics education students--need to have their personal narratives told…