Increasing the Odds of Academic Success:

1
Increasing the Odds of Academic Success

• Identifying and Assisting Students with Learning
  Problems

2
Learning Disabilities (DSM IV)

• deficits in the students reading ability
  (dyslexia)
• deficits in the students speech ability
  (dyspraxia)
• deficits in the students writing ability
  (dysgraphia)
• deficits in the students math ability
  (dyscalculia)

3
Learning Disabilities (ADA)

• Under the ADA, an individual with a disability is
  a person who
• has a physical or mental impairment that
  substantially limits one or more major life
  activities
• has a record of such an impairment or
• is regarded as having such an impairment.
• Learning is regarded as a major life activity

4
Accommodations

• Typically we would hope that students with
  learning disabilities would receive accommodation
  services through an official organ of the
  college. However for a variety of reasons
  including the severity of the disability not all
  students will receive accommodations. If an
  advisor suspects that a learning problem exists
  they should encourage the student to seek
  assistance from the DSS office. But

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Not all students receive accommodations

• Some students were never diagnosed in high school
  and are not aware they are eligible for
  accommodations
• Some students have inadequate documentation and
  believe the necessary testing would be too
  expensive
• Some students have documentation that would make
  them eligible for services in high school but not
  in college (Difference between IDEA and ADA)
• Some students have problems but they do not rise
  to the level of severity to warrant a diagnosis
  and accommodations

6
Not all students want accommodations

• Some students do not ask for accommodation
  because the LD label caused them embarrassment in
  high school
• Documented accommodations might make some
  students ineligible for career goals (reading
  accommodations on state nursing boards)

7
Advising

• The information available to most advisors is not
  adequate to diagnose the existence of a learning
  disability unless they are part of the DSS
  program
• Most advisors are not qualified to diagnose a
  learning disability
• But the information they do have can sometimes
  suggest the existence of a learning problem that
  advisors may be able to address with appropriate
  advising.

8
Available Information

• Placement Scores
• High School Transcript
• Student Interview

9
Placement Scores

• ACT average score is approximately 21 and
  standard deviation is approximately 5
• Subscales on the ACT have an average score of
  approximately 10 and a standard deviation of
  approximately 3
• Is there a main scale that is close to 7 points
  or more lower than the other main scales?
• Is there one subscale close to 4 points or more
  lower than the other subscales

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Sample ACT Scores

• English 20
• Use/Mechanics 10
• Rhetoric 10
• Math 19
• EleAlg 9
• Alg/Geom 11
• Geom/Trig 10

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Sample ACT Scores

• Reading 14
• SocSci 7
• Arts/Lit 7
• SciReason 18
• Composite Score 18

12
Placement Scores

• If you really want to be scientific convert the
  main scores and subscales to Z-Scores
• Is there a main scale that is close to 1.5
  Z-Scores or more lower than any other main scale
  score
• Is any subscale score close to 1.5 Z-Scores or
  more below any main scale score or any other
  subscale score

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Z-Score TransformationsACT

• English (20-21)/5 -0.2
• Use/Mechanics (10-10)/3 0.0
• Rhetoric (10-10)/3 0.0
• Math (19-21)/5 -0.4
• EleAlg (9-10)/3 -0.3
• Alg/Geom (11-10)/3 0.3
• Geom/Trig (10-10)/3 0.0

14
Z-Score TransformationsACT

• Reading (14-21)/5 -1.4
• SocSci (7-10)/3 -1.0
• Arts/Lit (7-10)/3 -1.0
• SciReason (18-21)/5 -0.6
• Composite Scr (18-21)/5 -0.6

15
Reading Problems
16
High School Transcript

• Examine the students class placement. Was the
  student in the bottom third, middle third, or top
  third
• Did the student attend a number of different high
  schools prior to graduation
• Does the transcript indicate many absences while
  attending high school

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High School Transcript

• Mentally divide courses up into different skill
  areas.
• Courses that require good reading
• Courses that require math skills
• Courses that require writing skills
• Does the student have one skill area where their
  grades are obviously different from the grades in
  the other skill areas?

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Interview

• Typically these questions would only be asked if
  the placement test results and the pattern of
  high school grades indicated the strong
  possibility that the student has a learning
  problem.
• Ask the student if
• they received special education services in high
  school.
• members of the immediate family received special
  education services
• they received accommodations while taking the
  placement test (extra time, reader, etc.)
• they had many absences. If yes ask for an
  explanation (e.g. illness, skipping)

19
Interview

• Ask the student if they feel like they have
  problems with
• Reading-
• How fast do they read?
• Do they get confused about the meaning of a
  passage they are reading?
• Do they increase reading comprehension by
  subvocalizing
• Are they able to phonetically sound out new words

20
Interview

• Ask the student if they feel like they have
  problems with
• Writing-
• Do they find it very difficult to organize their
  thoughts on paper
• Do they have trouble remembering how to spell
  words when they write
• When they write do they make many grammatical
  errors
• Do they have difficulty taking notes in a lecture
  or outlining a chapter in a textbook

21
Interview

• Ask the student if they feel like they have
  problems with
• Math
• Do they have difficulty solving math problems?
• Do they find math story problems particularly
  difficult to solve? Have they memorized the
  multiplication tables
• Understanding the meaning of charts and graphs in
  textbooks

22
Interview

• Short Term memory-
• Do they often have to reread a passage because
  they cant remember what they just read
• Do they have difficulty recalling things that
  have just been said to them?
• Listening-
• When taking messages do they sometimes have
  difficulty understanding what is said or what is
  wanted of them?
• Do they have problems paying attention during a
  lecture
• Organization-
• Do they have difficulty figuring out where to
  start when given a complicated assignment such as
  a research paper

23
Interview

• Ask the student if they feel like they have
  problems with
• Determining the difference between his/her left
  and right hand
• Accidents and a tendency to feel klutzy and
  uncoordinated

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Suggested Actions

• If placement scores, HS grades and the interview
  responses are suggestive of learning problems
  encourage the student to talk with DSS to see if
  they are eligible for accommodations.
• As an advisor consider the following actions

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Suggested Actions

• Consider enrollment in study strategies courses
• Consider enrollment in developmental courses
• Keep enrollment in weak areas to a minimum each
  semester
• Attempt to enroll student in courses where
  strategies are employed that play into their
  strengths
• If institutional policies will allow keep
  semester enrollment between 12 to 14 hours
• Encourage selective use of a tape recorder
• Encourage use of tutors and assistance from the
  instructor during office hours

26
Contact Information

• Leslie L. Hemphill
• Director of Advisement and Counseling
• Cloud County Community College
• 2221 Campus Drive Concordia, Ks 66901
• 785.243.1435 Ext. 275
• This power point presentation is available at
  http//www.cloud.edu/les/presentation/fullscreen.h
  tm