National Family Literacy Convention

Last April 10-14th, I attended the National Family Literacy Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Thank you! I came back with more enthusiasm, commitment and realized what a good job we are doing here at CMC. I will highlight information from several speakers, share some new books, and teaching strategies.


Sir Ken Robinson, who wrote The Element was not only hilarious, but most importantly, thought provoking. He pointed out that No Child Left Behind left millions of students behind and warned that if we are not careful, current policies may also. We must help students find their brilliance and passions. Sometimes the well intentioned goal of raising standards uses incorrect methods. Robinson reminds us that we can't run education as if it was a manufacturing process. While autos are indifferent to process, humans are not for we have feelings and emotions. According to Robinson, human life can not be standardized. We must reach each child, one at a time, to find out his story. A child does not jump out of bed and run to school to raise a standard score. Every child, every adult, has a personal, compelling story. He encouraged educators to use our imaginations to create new models and processes. An example of a innovative approach was a partnership in Tulsa, Oklahoma where children attended school in the same building as Grace Living Retirement Home. Several positive interactions resulted. One was the Reading Buddies Program where seniors learned about ipods and technology while students improved their reading skills. Both seniors and the children found a new energy as their lives expanded beyond themselves. Robinson said it was almost a spiritual process for both groups. I find Robinson's message important. In the Glenwood Learning Lab and in our classroom teaching, we first try to identify goals and passions and teach our classes mindful of each student's story.


Byron Pitts, 60 Minutes Correspondent, and author of Step Out On Nothing was also an inspiring speaker. In his book and speech, Pitts traces the angels in his life who helped him grow from an functionally illiterate, inner city kid to the nationally known correspondent he is today. Pitt the youngest of three children overcame many obstacles on his journey. His parents separated, he could not speak without stuttering, and he could not read in elementary school. Byron was so embarrassed by his lack of reading ability that he would spend endless hours with his older brother completing homework. No one knew he could not read because he was smart enough to hide his disability. At night his brother would read and re read sections of his textbook, and Bryon would memorize word for word passages so he could volunteer the practiced pieces the next day. In third grade, Bryon was tested in math and failed so dramatically that the psychologist told his mother that he was either retarded or mentally ill. His mother, a lady of incredible faith and personal strength, finally discovered Bryon could not read and she, with tutors and caring teachers, helped Bryon unlock the mysteries of the written word starting with the alphabet. Other angels helped along the way-- his coach who was like a father , his college roommate who practiced vocabulary with him daily,and a college professor, Dr.Ulle Lewis, who dedicated four extra hours a week to Bryon's studies.

Bryon Pitts' message to the audience was that we must believe in something greater than self and that aggressive literacy training was necessary in many places he has visited. In Afghanistan, many of the soldiers can not read a manual and are taught by show and tell. In Haiti, only 1 in 4 can read. In a Baltimore charter school where Bryon volunteers, 67% are from no parent households and are raised by grandparents, friends or foster parents. He mentioned a little girl who is 11 but looks 7 who asked him, "Where did you hide when the world hurts too much." In closing, Pitts asked us all to recognize the stuggles students face and step out to become the safety net that is necessary.

Assessment is Not "On Hold"

Howdy! As the new Dean of Arts and Sciences, I am excited to be at CMC and see so many wonderful things happening. In fact, this blog is just one great innovation that everyone at CMC can be involved in to get the word out. I decided to talk about a subject that I know often causes moans and groans from faculty and administration across the college. Having only done a preliminary search of files, I discovered CMC began work on assessment several years ago at multiple levels. This was great news to me as I have been asked to provide leadership and direction for assessment in the coming years. Yes, I said years! Why, you are wondering, are we still talking about assessment and we can't be done with it? Because the Higher Learning Commission will not provide accreditation without proof of ongoing improvement at a college. CMC must continue to move forward with assessment activities!

I have talked with some terrific faculty and administrators about their views on assessment and what they were doing a year ago. Because nobody asked for assessment reports this year, it is a common viewpoint that assessment was "on hold." Much work was done on writing course outcomes, developing rubrics, implementing common writing assignments, and even changing common practice to improve instruction. Hey! Hey! way to go faculty! You have always been doing "assessments" within your courses to determine if students were learning the outcomes that you deemed important within the AA, AS, DevEd, and CTE programs. Now we need to move forward to develop a simple but effective reporting procedure followed by improvements.

Assessment basics are not difficult to comprehend when explained in simple terms. Assessment is a cyclic process for educational improvement. An effective assessment program can be used to improve student learning, facilitate institutional improvements, and validate institutional effectiveness (HLC likes this one). CMC's commitment to assessment enables the College to realize its core values of Learning.

Assessment of student learning is a systematic attempt to...

1) Understand what students are/aren't learning
2) Provide feedback to reinforce student learning
3) Improve student learning!

Assessment is NOT...

1) Solely an administrative activity
2) A means of punishment. It is for improvement only!
3) An intrusion into a faculty member's classroom or an infringement on academic freedom.

Many people's immediate reaction to assessment is bewilderment. I plan to use several electronic media to talk about assessment in the coming weeks. I look forward to a healthy dialogue with faculty about how to make the process simple but effective. My goal is to develop a collaborative process and positive working relationship across CMC.

Sunny Schmitt