DOCUMENT RESUME EC 306 460 ED 420 124 AUTHOR Ijiri, L.; Carroll, J.; Fletcher, S.; Hubbard, L.; Manchester, J.; Van Someren, D. A Comprehensive Model of a Post-secondary Learning TITLE Disabilities Program: The Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL) at Curry College. PUB DATE 1998-00-00 NOTE 34p. Reports Descriptive (141) PUB TYPE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE Academic Achievement; Academic Persistence; College DESCRIPTORS Students; Colleges; Course Descriptions; Higher Education; Internet; *Intervention; *Learning Disabilities; Learning Strategies; *Metacognition; Outreach Programs; Student Personnel Services; Study Skills *Curry College MA IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This report describes a program at Curry College (Massachusetts) to support college students with learning disabilities in developing metacognitive awareness and achieving academic success. The Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL) was established in 1970 and has been recognized as a national exemplary program. An overview describes the program's philosophy and mission statement as well as general data on students, facilities, and Curry College. A section on publications and resources includes the publication of a collection of personal accounts by teachers and students in the program, the PAL outreach program, and development of an Internet bulletin board for learning disabilities. The report then describes specific program components, including: Summer PAL, the Adult Center at PAL, the Educational Diagnostic Center at PAL, PAL for English Speakers of Other Languages, and the Learning Academy (a summer high school program). Appended are instructional materials such as syllabi and descriptions of PAL courses (Learning Process, Social Cognition); information about outreach facilities and events; data on student enrollment and persistence to graduation; faculty biographies; and descriptions of PAL publications and resources, such as an Internet bulletin board. (DB) ******************************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** (NI O A Comprehensive Model of a Post-secondary Learning Disabilities Program: The Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL) at Curry College Ijiri, L., Carroll, J., Fletcher, S., Hubbard, L., Manchester, J., & Van Someren, D. (1998) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement ESOURCES INFORMATION EDUCATIO CENTER (ERIC) document has been reproduced as the person or organization received Iron originating d. 0 Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction Quality. Points Of view or opinions staled in Ina OOCu- mont do not necessarily represent olficiai OERI position or policy. 0 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY 0 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 U LI) ABSTRACT This report provides an overview of a comprehensive program established in 1970 to support college students with learning disabilities in developing metacognitive awareness and achieving academic success. The Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL) at Curry College, Milton, Mass., has been widely recognized as an exemplary program which led the nation in the development of learning disabilities support at the post-secondary level. This report provides program/project descriptions of PAL and of the specialized services it offers including: Summer PAL, the Adult Center at PAL, the Educational Diagnostic Center at PAL, PAL for English Speakers of Other Languages (PAL/ESOL), and the Learning Academy (a summer high school program). Also included in this document are instructional materials such as syllabi and descriptions of PAL courses (Learning Process, Social Cognition); information about outreach, facilities, and events; data on student enrollment and persistence to graduation; faculty biographies; and descriptions of PAL publications and resources such as an internet bulletin board managed The information is designed to provide readers with material which by PAL faculty. could be used to design and develop other post-secondary and transition programs for students with learning disabilities. 2 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 4 PROGRAM OVERVIEW 4 Philosophy and Mission Statement 4 Description of PAL 5 PAL Library 7 Summer PAL 8 Admissions 8 Student Data 9 Facilities 9 Recognition 10 Curry College 10 PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES 11 A Closer Look (1995) 11. PAL Outreach 12 LD-list 12 SPECIALIZED PROGRAMS 13 Summer PAL 13 Learning Academy (Summer High School Program) 14 Adult Center at PAL 15 Educational Diagnostic Center 16 PAL/ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) 17 Social Cognition course 18 Math Support 18 FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES 19 REFERENCES and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 25 APPENDIX 26 3 4 INTRODUCTION The Program for Advancement of Learning was founded in 1970 by Dr. Gertrude Webb, a visionary in the field of education who advocated for a metacognitive focus in working with students who learn differently. The establishment of PAL at Curry College pre-dates Federal legislation (PL94-142) mandating support for students with learning disabilities and is widely recognized as the first program of its kind at the college level (e.g., Brinckerhoff, Shaw, and MacGuire, 1993). Over the years, PAL has continually served as a model program in higher education and has recently developed significant outreach and curricular innovations that reflect the changing needs of service delivery at the post-secondary level. The purpose of this publication is to provide readers with a comprehensive overview of the Program for Advancement of Learning including descriptions of the program elements, mission and philosophy, syllabi and information about other PAL resources. PROGRAM OVERVIEW PAL Philosophy and Mission Statement The philosophy of PAL is firmly rooted in a strength-based, metacognitive, and proactive approach to working with students. Students in PAL are recognized and respected as unique individuals with the potential to succeed in becoming competent, effective learners. They work with learning specialists in an environment that nurtures positive self-worth by identifying and appreciating each student's specific learning style and learning strengths. A metacognitive perspective is at the heart of the approach in which students are continually encouraged to reflect on the learning process itself. PAL instructors work proactively with students within this process by encouraging them to understand the ways in which their strengths can be used to facilitate academic success. 5 4 The relationship between the student and the PAL instructor is essential to the teaching/learning experience. The two are continually engaged in a collaborative exchange where they work toward mutually defined goals. These goals are continually redefined with the instructor's support as students discover, develop and consolidate their abilities. Description of PAL PAL is a fee-based, comprehensive learning disabilities support program that provides services above and beyond reasonable accommodations as mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990). Students accepted to PAL are fully mainstreamed in academic courses with non-PAL students. As participants in PAL, they are scheduled to meet with their PAL instructor two to three times per week in a combination of one-to-one and small group sessions. These sessions with the PAL instructor comprise a course entitled "The Learning Process: Insights and Applications" for which students receive 1.5 academic credits each semester. The course is graded on a pass/fail basis which allows PAL instructors to work proactively with students by requiring regular attendance throughout the first year. PAL instructors and students jointly establish educational goals for the semester in a collaborative atmosphere. These goals take into account the many difficulties inherent in making a transition from high school to college (described by Dalke, 1991 and others, e.g., Mangrum and Strichart, 1988) such as the decrease in structure and the increase in the volume of reading and writing. To facilitate successful management of this transition, PAL instructors provide guided interactions around time management and other academic issues. Often, PAL instructors will use syllabi from each of a student's classes to help a student engage in a "reality" check of perceptions of classroom expectations. PAL sessions include use of content materials as the springboard for discussion and development of strategies. Support is provided to students in a wide variety of areas including written language, reading, oral expression, listening, organization, non-verbal 5 6 communication and math based on the students needs and interests. Each PAL session involves a delicate balance of providing support on strategies for success in the content areas and an ongoing process of developing a student's understanding of their learning profile. An important part of this process is the diagnostic testing which students submit as part of the application process. Students are required to submit subtest scores from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales - R (1981; or WAIS-III, 1997) and achievement testing. Such testing is then analyzed by the PAL instructor and then discussed throughout the year, as appropriate, with the student. Frequently, PAL instructors refer to students' testing profiles to illustrate the benefit of particular learning strategies. In this way, testing which students had previously been viewed as verification of their weaknesses, becomes the basis for discovery of their strengths. Although academic credit is only offered for the first year, support is available throughout a student's enrollment at Curry, if desired. After the first year, students decide in consultation with their PAL instructor whether to continue in "full" PAL, to reduce support to a "partial" (once per week) level, or to phase out of PAL completely. In helping students to move toward greater independence, PAL instructors serve as liaisons with other key offices and support services on campus and assist students in developing familiarity with these services before leaving PAL The network of support on campus includes the Essential Skills Center, a free tutoring and writing center available to all students; the Counseling Center, and Academic Advising. The PAL mentor/student relationship is the core of the program and its effectiveness. Thus, the experience and quality of the faculty are critical components in the success of the program. Currently the program is staffed by a talented team of 28 faculty; biographies are available in this document and illustrate the high caliber of expertise and teaching ability that the program has been able to attract. As members of the faculty, PAL instructors participate in the decision-making and development of all curricular changes. They serve on institutional 7 6 committees and in key leadership roles on campus, allowing for consistent and regular integration of a learning disabilities' perspective into all academic discussions. During their first year of enrollment at Curry, freshmen work with an academic advisor in PAL (often their own PAL instructor) to select classes for upcoming terms, review academic procedures and college policies such as pass/fail grading. After the first year, students are encouraged to transfer to an advisor outside of PAL either in their chosen major or a major which they are considering. Thus, in the first year, selection of courses can take into account the student's learning style and strengths and the PAL instructor's knowledge of professors' teaching styles. PAL Library To support all students with disabilities, Curry offers untimed exams and enhanced taped text book service at the PAL library. The PAL library staff coordinates with Recordings for the Blind and Dyslexic and works with students to determine whether taped textbooks will be beneficial to them. PAL then provides tapes through both an institutional membership to RFB and D and through individual memberships of students. Student course registrations are linked with the bookstore's textbook orders, and tapes are ordered for all students that request tapes in any given semester. Books which are not available through RFB and D are sent to the college's own tapers who selectively record chapters for students as needed based on professors' syllabi. At the PAL library, students take their exams in a quiet environment using tape recordings of exams or word processors if needed, and other accommodations as reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Coordinator of PAL. Students are required to provide one week's notice to both the classroom professor and the PAL library about a request for an untimed exam using a simple two-part carbon form. When necessary, evening monitors are hired to provide extended time for evening exams, and PAL instructors assist with the administration of fmal exams. Professors at Curry have been involved in period reviews of the untimed 3 7 exam procedures as a means of maintaining communication about the integrity of the exam process. In the Fall semester of 1997 over 300 individual exams were administered. To support this volume of exam and tape assistance, the PAL library employs a full-time program assistant, a part-time assistant, and dozens of tapers and exam monitors. Summer PAL In preparation for the first semester at Curry, all new PAL students are strongly encouraged to participate in Summer PAL, a three week, three-credit program that is offered twice each summer. The program provides a structured transition to college in a supportive, enjoyable environment that allows students to begin their freshman year with increased confidence and self-awareness. Students earn 3 credits for their participation in this intensive session which lays the foundation for developing self-understanding and effective learning habits. Summer PAL orients students to life at Curry and provides an opportunity to develop long lasting relationships with faculty and students. A detailed description of Summer PAL can be found in the section describing specialized programs. Admission Students apply to PAL at the time of their application to the college. A dual admissions process involves both representatives of the admissions office and the Coordinator of PAL, each of which independently reviews materials submitted in the application. Applicants to PAL are required to submit a psychoeducational evaluation which describes their learning disability and which includes subtest scores of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scales - Revised (1981; or WAIS-III, 1997), and achievement testing in areas such as reading, written language, and/or oral language. Students are also required to submit a Curry College application form, teacher recommendations, and official transcripts. Interviews are recommended; SAT's are waived for students applying to the college through PAL. A joint decision is made which takes all of the above information 9 8 into account including the student's learning profile, academic performance, extracurricular activities, and the appropriateness of PAL services given the students' needs. Student Data Students enrolled in PAL are fully mainstreamed for all Curry College classes. Students accepted through PAL comprise approximately 45% of the student body at Curry College. In the 1997-98 academic year, there were 432 students enrolled in PAL in the Fall semester, and 358 students in the Spring semester. The decline in enrollment between Fall and Spring semesters reflects the tendency for second and third year students to "phase" down the amount of support they receive over the course of an academic year. Approximately 2/3 of the PAL population are male. The majority of students have cognitive profiles in the average range. In recent years, students in PAL have maintained GPA's comparable to their non- PAL peers; PAL students have also graduated from Curry at the same rate as their non- PAL peers-- approximately 55% graduate in 5 years (some also transfer successfully to other colleges or universities). In the Fall semester of 1997, the average GPA for freshman PAL students was 2.56; the average for freshman non-PAL students was 2.61. The College's Honors program is consistently comprised of at least 1/2 PAL students. Further, PAL students have assumed many leadership roles on campus and are actively involved in athletics, drama and student government. Facilities Another important aspect of the program's success is the physical setting within which PAL takes place and the facilities available to students. PAL is housed in the Gertrude M. Webb Learning Center, a unique three-floor Tudor style building with several thousand square feet of space dedicated to students. Located in the Learning Center are PAL faculty classrooms/offices, a computer lab specifically for PAL students, the PAL 9 10