Teacher Evaluation of the Program
School: Westmoor High School
Teacher: Vicki Day
School Year: 2001–2002
Do you think your students have benefited from your collaborations in the CAPI project?
Jenna Palmer, the SFSU collaborator and I worked to improve the writing of my Junior Regular Class (30 students). These students are average and below average students; the average GPA ranges from 2.7 to 1.25. The student’s writing definitely improved during the course of the year. Below are specific examples of improvement.
– The first essay (due in October) 8 students did not attempt the assignment. Three formal essays later, only 2 students were unwilling or unable to complete the essay. The additional help from the SFSU collaborator created an atmosphere in the classroom whereby students felt that they would be successful and with “encouraging help,” students gained confidence.
– In the first essay, students wrote awkward topic sentences and thesis statements. By the last essay, students were familiar with the body paragraph format, and were capable of writing longer, more developed critical paragraphs. The first essay paragraphs done in October were short, and the sentences lacked coordination. Many times students did not logically follow their topic sentences. Their discursive facts and ideas did not follow an idea. Toward the end of the year, the discursive problems in the paragraphing were virtually eliminated.
– Students learned techniques to develop paragraphs. I believe the most valuable technique students learned is to ask why the fact was important when writing the concrete details, therefore, adding more commentary and adding more proof or concrete details, by asking why the commentary had meaning.
– Students learned to become better proofreaders, specifically with Standard English errors, verb tense, and subject/verb agreement.
– Students learned to construct complex sentences using formal Standard English.
Which, if any, of your teaching practices have changed or been influenced by working with your SFSU collaborator? What was the most useful/valuable practice you implemented in your classroom?
The most valuable teaching practice given or shared was the information on efficient, valuable grading. Reluctantly at first, I changed my grading on the essays; I changed from marking too many errors to the practice of attentive marking, pointing out one or two elements which relate to a specific skill that the student might improve.
By watching Jenna Palmer teach, I also learned that I needed to pay more attention to my students who never participate in class. She was very adept at including those students who were lower-skilled and never raised their hands to participate. I really believe that because Ms. Palmer was an additional teacher in the room, helping students one on one, students trusted her and responded to both in-class presentations, and the writing assignments.
What can you suggest as further methods of improving student proficiency for entering the CSU campuses?
The program is extraordinarily valuable. I do believe that the presence of a SFSU professor in the classroom substantiates and reinforces what the teacher is presenting to students. Students trust the SFSU collaborator, perhaps, more than their teacher. The SFSU collaborator is not “the authority” figure and makes a difference in the educational experience of the child.
I would like to see the CAPI project as a program in which students have a two year opportunity to work with the SFSU collaborator. No need to have the same teacher, but to have reinforced instruction for an additional year would be invaluable.
I also suggest that the SFSU CAPI project, give the teachers and the students examples of what they see as good examples of freshman college student writing. Examples of an exemplary paper, average and unacceptable papers provide models that high school teachers could use to demonstrate what is expected. With models as examples, students will have the opportunity to set goals for the end of their senior year. Anonymous papers that includes grading evidence, reinforces and encourages high school students to meet the standards acceptable for college work.
Finally, I believe that the diagnostic process should be reviewed. Perhaps, the students should turn-in the first essay, along with the final essay, to the reader. The reader might, therefore, make an estimation that reflects what the student improved upon (no matter the level of student), and then, reiterate what continued improvements the student might continue to focus on in the future.
Did the Diagnostic Writing Service (DWS) help you or your students? Why or why not?
The diagnostic was a good experience for the students. The problem with the diagnostic was that even though the student’s writing improved—evident within their in-class essays—the final diagnostic did not reveal improvement. Looking over the writing assignment, I concluded that the second diagnostic essays were written better than the first, although the reader did not. The standards of the first reader were different than the standards of the second reader. So, consistency is essential, not necessarily for the teacher, but for the student. Self-esteem for high school writers is essential to progress.
There certainly was a recognized improvement in the writing through the year. I do believe Jenna Palmer also noticed the rise in writing skills. The students, however, are sensitive to evaluations, especially from an institution such as SFSU. They would have been hurt to see no improvement recognized by the SFSU evaluator.
What other assistance or involvement would you like to have from San Francisco State University?
Personally, I would like to see what SFSU statistics show for the year my students were involved. How did Michael Kramer’s and Jeff Weather’s students fair at my school? What about the other schools? What are the differences between schools involved with CAPI?
As stated above, SFSU/CAPI might consider a two year program with the kids. Many schools have a school within school program (as Westmoor does—the WIT ACADEMY). Many students (not all) move from one teacher to another, but the student population of the class generally stays together.
Not to be repetitive, but this point fits into this question as well; it was asked whether or not the teachers could have access to college freshman work, so that we could provide examples to the students, so that they might set their own goals toward success.
Other: The Saturday Workshops were wonderful. It was difficult “to-get-there” and miss one day of weekend reprieve, but the information and chance to network was invaluable. The curriculum ideas presented, the teaching skills, and grading skills, helpful. Plus the lunches were delicious. THANK YOU.
I especially enjoyed working with Jenna Palmer. She is wonderful with the students, keen, respectful and greatly respected, as well. We all admired her. I really believe that the primary reason students improved was that there were two teachers, reinforcing each other supporting 30 students on a regular basis. Students got one on one attention. The one on one attention made each student realize some additional potential. Initially the students were perhaps, either unaware of their capabilities, or afraid to try because they thought they would be wrong. Jenna and I both encouraged each student based on individual needs to overcome obstacles to writing, by simply reworking their approach so that their paper grew to be clear, logical, well versed and thoughtful.
I have to tell this story (after all I am a teacher). Hai Ng, a recent immigrant from Vietnam, an extraordinarily bright young man, often complained to me that it took him forever to translate what he wanted to write, (and read). I often reminded him that he was very capable; that I was sorry that he had to struggle so, learning a new language is a dedication, which I don’t think I could do, but that HE could. He would always smile, but I could tell he was disappointed that I would not give him sympathy, nor allow him any deadline extensions.
Once, he told the same sympathetic story to Jenna Palmer. To my surprise, (since we had never discussed Hai’s habit of whining), Jenna told Hai the exact same thing I told him; albeit a little differently; for she told him she noticed he had little trouble understanding the reading, his writing was improving, and his vocabulary enlarging. She complimented his intelligence then mentioned that she thought he did a great job of looking up whatever he needed.
This was a boon to me, Jenna’s reinforcement of my previous repartee with Hai forced Hai to accept that he needed to persevere, as he had been doing under my tutoring.
YEAH JENNA. I thank her for that and for her endearing help with Lilibeth, Alberto, Josue, and Estefania in the junior class. Also, I can’t thank her enough for helping me create ”thee” perfect writing assignment for The Odyssey. We played around with creating just the right question, and it worked, the freshman wrote marvelous papers, and for once in many years, I ENJOYED READING THEM.
Thanks to you as well Kathy, THE BINDERS WERE WONDERFUL!!!! , along with the other many duties you managed. Many students used them daily. Alberto, enjoyed his the most. And, thank you for your support and efficiency. IT’S A WONDERFUL PROGRAM; I WILL MISS IT GREATLY NEXT YEAR!
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