CPTC Adopts Accelerated Learning Program

Clover Park Technical College will introduce the Accelerated Learning Program initiative Winter Quarter.

The program originated at the Community College of Baltimore County in 2007 and is designed to accelerate the progress of developmental education students into college level courses. Starting Jan. 5 qualified students will be co-enrolled in developmental-level English 094 and college-level English 101 for the pilot program. The students will complete both classes in the same quarter, earning 10 English credits.

“Instead of it taking two quarters, they take them at the same time and we close one of the gaps between the two levels,” said Kathi Medcalf, Basic Skills director.

The model includes two English 101 courses and one English 094 course per quarter. Each English 101 course will have 12 students at the developmental level who are also taking English 094. Instructor Kristin Martindale will teach all three courses.

“She’ll know what their strengths and weaknesses are, and the idea is that they’ll pass both classes because they’re getting support,” Medcalf said.

Medcalf and Martindale attended the Conference on Acceleration in Developmental Education last year to learn strategies to eliminate the potential exit points between the developmental and college level.

“The hope is to decrease those drop out points and speed up the time that people are spending in developmental education, because the longer they spend in DevEd, the less likely they are to graduate,” Medcalf said.