The 2010-11 WCC Assessment Report bears testimony to what program stakeholders - students, teachers, and coaches - know from first-hand experience: our writer coaching raises student writing achievement, gives hard-working teachers the individual attention to students the teachers long for, and offers community members a volunteer experience that makes a tangible impact, clearly visible every time a coach sits down with a student.
For 2010-11, 94% of the students with whom we worked reported that our writing support was helpful for them. Every teacher with whom we collaborated reported that our writing support was "helpful" or "very helpful" for their students. And among our volunteers, ninety-two percent agreed on the end-of-year coach survey with the statement "Overall, my experience as a writer coach is rewarding," with over 50% agreeing strongly.
We are still analyzing test-based assessment data, but the first reports, from Media Academy in Oakland, indicate strong impact on student writing achievement. In spring 2011, WCC coaches assisted Media Academy 10th-grade students in preparation for the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Subsequently, 70% of those students passed the English Language Arts section of the exam on the first attempt, and 34% of the students scored 380 (the threshold for proficiency) or above on the essay portion of the exam. "Unprecedented at our school," is how the Media Academy principal describes 10th-grade CAHSEE pass rates since WCC coaches began serving Media Academy students and teachers.
Academic achievement like this is attributable to many factors, including dedicated teachers, strong curriculum, and effective school leadership, but the Media Academy teachers and administration are adamant in their insistence that WriterCoach Connection is a major factor in their student's startling increases in writing achievement.
View the full 2010-11 Assessment Report, and the executive summary, here.
WCC coach Dale Marshall works with a Media Academy student in Oakland during the 2010-11 school year. The program made a signficant impact on writing achievement by Media students during 2010-11, as in previous years.
Bob Menzimer
