Adult Basic Literacy Education helps students who might need that extra push succeed at Sinclair Community College, according to Teresa DeMonico, professor of the ACA Department and assistant dean of the LCS Division.
The ABLE program started at Sinclair in 2008 and is a state and federally funded program that assists academically challenged and disadvantaged adults, according to DeMonico.
“We started the program because students who came to Sinclair and were seriously under prepared academically, would exhaust their Pell grant in developmental education classes,” she said. “And then not be able to have any to continue into their credit bearing classes.”
ABLE is part of the University System of Ohio initiative that emphasizes an equal, quality education for all students, while helping them obtain an actual certificate or degree completion, according to DeMonico.
Students are selected for the program by the scores they get on their Accuplacer placement test that all students must take when they first come to the college, DeMonico said. Classes are held on campus and materials and tuition are free. About 200 students a quarter are in the program.
“It’s not all the students that get redirected to the readiness (ABLE) program. It’s those most severely at risk students who tend to get into their classes and not make good head way,” DeMonico said. “They came here to be Sinclair students, so we wanted to keep them on campus, keep them with the college student body, but also recognize that the avenue that we were providing, as far as credit bearing classes, really weren’t serving them well.”
Students in the program are taught by certified instructors who are well versed in their subject area and have a passion for helping this student group, according to Linda Bumiller, coordinator for the ABLE program. Students receive a lot of individualized support and tutoring that helps them understand themselves better and stay on their educational path. There are also two counselors that help with any personal problems and deciding on a career.
“We use a tool called power path that checks for different learning styles and other things that might distract them in a typical learning environment,” Bumiller said. “That helps them learn about themselves and gives them tools to succeed.”
The program really focuses on students who don’t necessarily have the intellectual ability but have always found the classroom environment difficult to learn in, according to Bumiller. An example is of the student who constantly clicks their pen and has always been told to stop, she said. Instead of taking the tactile stimulation away that they need to be able to focus, the program teaches them to use koosh balls that won’t distract anyone else.
“For those students, those are coping mechanisms that help them learn,” DeMonico said. “I always give the example that Einstein didn’t know how to tie his own shoes. You would never say that Einstein didn’t have the capability, he just learned differently.”
The collaboration with ABLE and Sinclair has been very powerful and valuable, according to DeMonico. The program is still open for many students and has done a wonderful job helping those who are and have been a part of it, she said.
“What’s interesting is when some of the students hear about the readiness classes and they are like, ‘why can’t I take these classes,’” DeMonico said. “It really is a wonderful learning environment to just help get them on their feet and give them that one on one instructional attention that they need to help them succeed.”