1. Required class?
Lecture hall?
High drop-out or failure rate?
How about designing something like this?
“An Adjunct Paired Class: Helping
Students Be Successful”
Gretchen M. Cupp, Reading
&
Dr. Rick Bliss, Biology
BSI Regional Meeting
Sacramento, California
April 30-May 1, 2009

2. Spring 2009
Reading 15A - Topics
Jan 21 Orientation
26 SURVEY – Preview
28 QUESTION – 5 W’s +H
Feb 2 QUESTION – levels of questions
4 READING—flash cards
9 READING – print & context clues
11 review for Exam 1
16 Washington’s Birthday holiday
18 review for Exam 1
23 READING—text patterns
25 READING—text patterns
Mar 2 READING—paraphrase
4 READING—paraphrase
9 review for Exam 2
11 review for Exam 2
16 READING—Fact vs. Opinion
18 READING—Fact vs. Opinion
23-27 Spring Break
30 RECITE
Apr 1 REVIEW—Annotate
6 review for Exam 3
8 review for Exam 3
13 REVIEW—Cornell notes
15 REVIEW—matrix
20 REVIEW—outline
22 REVIEW—outline
27 review for Exam 4
29 review for Exam 4
May 4 REVIEW—map
5 REVIEW—map
11 REVIEW—summary
13 review for Exam 5 & Bio 15 final
18 review for Exam 5 & Bio 15 final
20 R15A final @ 1 PM

3. Name: Date:
Examining Returned Test #1
1. How many wrong answers were the result of carelessness?
2. How many wrong answers were the result of studying the wrong
information?
3. How many wrong answers were the result of misreading directions?
4. How many wrong answers were the result of misreading the question?
5. How many wrong answers were the result of poor use of time?
6. How many wrong answers were the result of text anxiety?
7. What can I learn about the way in which my instructor constructs tests
from this exam?
8. What should I do to improve my performance on the next exam?
9. How many times did I change correct answers to incorrect ones?
10.How many times did I change incorrect answers to correct ones?

4. Reading 15A Strategy Sheet #1 (Survey)
Name: Date:
1. Why am I using this strategy:
Suits my purpose________
Suits my learning style________
Suits the subject matter________
It is an assignment________
Other________
2. How will I know it helped me?
3. Did it help me?
4. How can I modify this strategy to work better?

5. Reading 15A Strategy Sheet #2 (Question)
Name: Date:
1. Why am I using this strategy:
Suits my purpose________
Suits my learning style________
Suits the subject matter________
It is an assignment________
Other________
2. How will I know it has helped me?
3. Did it help me?
4. How can I modify this strategy to work better?

6. Reading 15A Strategy Sheet #3 (Read)
Name: Date:
1. What strategy will I choose:
2. Why will I choose this strategy:
Suits my purpose________
Suits my learning style________
Suits the subject matter________
It is an assignment________
Other________
3. How will I know it has helped me?
4. Did it help me?
5. How can I modify this strategy to work better?

7. Reading 15A Strategy Sheet #4 (Recite)
Name: Date:
1. Why am I using this strategy:
Suits my purpose________
Suits my learning style________
Suits the subject matter________
It is an assignment________
Other________
2. How will I know it has helped me?
3. Did it help me?
4. How can I modify this strategy to work better?

8. Reading 15A Strategy Sheet #5 (Review)
Name: Date:
1. What strategy will I choose:
2. Why will I choose this strategy:
Suits my purpose________
Suits my learning style________
Suits the subject matter________
It is an assignment________
Other________
3. How will I know it has helped me?
4. Did it help me?
5. How can I modify this strategy to work better?

9. Overall Success Rate
Biology-15 Overall Successful Completion Rate
by Reading Status
100
90
80
72.2
Percent of Students
70
60
43.9
50
40
30
20
10
0
Not enrolled in Reading Enrolled in Reading-
-15A 15A
Note: Success is considered an A, B, C or CR in the course.
Overall Retention Rate
Biology-15 Overall Retention Rate
by Reading Status
100
90 83.3
77.8
80
Percet of Students
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Not enrolled in Reading Enrolled in Reading-15A
-15A

10. Selected References
General:
Commander, N.E. & Smith, B. (2003). Developing adjunct reading and learning courses that
work. In N. Stahl and H. Boylan (Eds.), Teaching developmental Reading (pp. 95-109). Boston:
Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Hattie, J., Biggs, J., and Purdie, N. (1996). Effects of learning skills interventions on student
learning: A meta-analysis. Board of Educational Research, 66, 99-126.
Hodges, R. &Agee, K.S. (2009). Program management. In R. Flippo and D. Caverly (Eds.),
Handbook of college reading and study skills research (2nd ed.). (pg. 359-360). New York &
London: Routledge.
Mealey, D.L. (2003). Understanding the motivation problems at at-risk college students. In N.
Stahl and H. Boylan (Eds.), Teaching developmental reading (pp. 208-215).
Rooney, S.A., and Pottorff, C. (2008). Reading across disciplines. Boston: Pearson Custom
Publishing.
Simpson, M.L. & Nist, S.L. (2003). An update of strategic learning: It’s more than textbook
learning strategies. In N. Stahl and H. Boylan (Eds.), Teaching developmental reading (pp. 156-
178). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Simpson, M.L., Hynd, D.R., Nist, S.L. and Burrell, K.I. (1997). College academic assistance
programs and practices. Educational Psychology Review, 9 (1), 39-87.
Weinstein, C.E., Dierking, D., Husman, J., and Powdrill, L. (2003). The impact of a course in
strategic learning on the long-term retention of college students. In N. Stahl and H. Boylan
(Eds.), Teaching developmental reading (pp. 193-208). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Biology:
Holschuh, J.P. (2003). Do as I say, not as I do: High, average, and low-performing students’
strategy use in biology. In N. Stahl and H. Boylan (Eds.), Teaching developmental reading (pp.
316-329). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Wilson, J.E. (2006). Reading links: nursing and biology. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt
Publishing Company.