Last spring, ESL instructors, Jean Jewell and Catherine Duva worked together on a project, funded by a Green River Community College grant, to promote diversity on campus. It was conceived as a cooperation among the advanced English as a Second Language (ESL) students, the journalism students from John Knowlton's class, and Irene Eggerman, a photography student from Patrick Navin's class.

The final result was a gallery filled with black and white photographs of Green River's ESL students. These beautifully framed photographed images hung in the Helen S. Smith Gallery and told stories of struggle, hardship, hope, and dreams for a better life. The diverse faces, photographed by student Irene Eggerman, came from far away places such as Mexico, Sudan, Afghanistan, India, Ecuador, Somalia, Vietnam, Korea, Ukraine, and Iran. The students came to Green River to improve their English as the first of many steps towards their life goals. Here are just a few of their stories:



George Ataka escaped Ethiopia at the age of 8. "Brave" cannot begin to describe him. He is considered one of the "Lost Boys of Sudan". His goal is to become an engineer.

Khatera Fahim is from Afghanistan. In 1998 the Taliban came to her home and announced that it was forbidden to go to school and that punishment for breaking this law was death. Her parents were both teachers. Here she can study in peace.

You can read more of their stories  and others on Green River's  online ESL exhibition.

A monthly newsletter that gives you the facts...    January  12, 2005 - Vol. III, Issue iii

Welcome to The Report Card, a monthly newsletter containing information on various topics related to institutional effectiveness. This issue is on Pre-College Instruction.

Background: 

Community colleges offer a range of pre-college courses and programs to prepare students for college-level course work or employment.  Basic skills consists of Adult Basic Education (ABE) for students with less than a ninth grade education, General Education (GED) for students lacking a high school diploma, and English as a Second Language (ESL) for students whose native language is other than English. Developmental studies consists of “brush-up” courses in math, reading, writing, and study skills to prepare students for college-level course work and are often taken along with other college-level courses. 

Over the last four years, the percentage of total FTES produced by pre-college instruction has decreased for both Green River and community college system as a whole (4% and 2%, respectively). The percentage of total FTEs produced by pre-college instruction at Green River, however, has been higher than that of the community college system. In 2003-04, pre-college instruction accounted for 25% of Green River's total FTEs compared to 22% system-wide.  (See Figure 1).

Highlights:

The number of FTEs produced by basic skills reached its four-year high in 2001-02 for both Green River and the community college system as a whole (1,071 FTEs and 25,007 FTEs, respectively) and has since declined by a total of 9%.  Likewise, the number of FTEs produced by developmental studies also reached its four-year high in 2001-02 for Green River (860 FTEs) and has since declined by a total of 14%.  In contrast, the number of FTEs produced by developmental studies system-wide increased steadily by a total of 10% over the four-year period. (See Figure 2). 

• At Green River, the number of FTEs produced by basic skills and developmental studies decreased over the last year (4% and 5%, respectively). The number of FTEs produced by basic skills system-wide decreased by 6%, whereas the number of FTEs produced by developmental studies increased by 4%.
   
• Last year, the number of FTEs produced by basic skills accounted for 14% of the total FTEs for both Green River and the community college system as a whole.  FTEs produced by developmental studies accounted for 11% of Green River’s total FTEs compared to 8% system-wide.

The number of FTEs produced by the various instructional areas in basic skills and developmental studies has fluctuated slightly over the last four years. ESL and ABE account for the majority of FTEs produced by basic skills.  In developmental studies, the largest number of FTEs are produced by math and IESL. 

• The number of FTEs produced by ABE dropped significantly between 2001-02 and 2002-03 (by 24%). ESL has steadily increased since 2000-01, reaching a high of 578 FTEs in 2002-03 then dropping slightly last year. (See Figure 3).
   
• The number of FTEs produced by IESL decreased by 36% since 2001-02. The number of FTEs produced by math steadily increased since 2000-01, reaching a high of 427 FTEs in 2002-03 then dropping slightly last year. (See Figure 4).

Many of our students must take developmental or basic skills classes as part of their Green River education. All new students seeking a degree or certificate (except those students who already earned an AA degree or transferred in with college-level math and English classes) are required to take a computerized assessment for course placement in English, reading, and math. Over 6,400 students took one or more sections of the COMPASS assessment within the last ten months. This includes first-time tests and re-tests. (See Figure 5).  

• Almost 48% of students assessed into below college-level English and 50% into below college-level reading.
   
• Majority of students (92%) assessed into below college-level math.

Over the last four years, Green River students who enrolled in developmental math and English completed these courses at a higher rate than students system-wide. (See Figure 6). 

• In 2003-04, nearly 81% of Green River students who enrolled in developmental math completed with a passing grade compared to 75% of students system-wide.
   
• Similarly, 92% of Green River students enrolled in developmental English completed with a passing grade compared to 84% of students system-wide.

The Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges developed the WABERS  (Web-based Adult Education Reporting System) to facilitate data collection and reporting of student enrollments in ABE and ESL programs per state and federal requirements. This information helps to support the progress of students and their success in the workplace and other educational areas. In fall 2002, Green River implemented CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System), the only adult assessment system of its kind to be approved and validated by the U.S. Department of Education in the area of adult literacy. CASAS consists of three tests:  appraisal (placement), pre-test, and post-test.  The appraisal is given prior to registration.  The pre-test is given with the first two weeks of class, and the post-test after 44 hours of instruction.  Pre- and post-tests are given to each student every year.  Only students who complete the pre and post-tests are now reported in WABERS (per federal reporting requirements). 

• In 2003-04, 35% of ABE students who enrolled in ABE levels 1-4 and who were federally reportable completed one level. Nearly 52% of ABE students enrolling in GED and who were federally reportable completed one level. (See Figure 7).
   
• In 2003-04, 57% of ESL students enrolled in levels 1-5 and who were federally reportable completed one level. The completion rates varied by level with Level 1 having the highest completion rate (66%) and Level 2 having the lowest with 49%.  (See Figure 8).