It could have been a brilliant career

This morning's session was good - getting more towards the answers (though I believe tomorrow will be the reveal). Breakfast: potatoes, biscuit, banana, and coffee. Lunch: fake Moe's, day three. Went with the roasted habanero salsa this time: good, but it was cold. They must have taken it out of the fridge recently or something, and it kinda wrecked the temperature aesthetic. Toppings should be ambient, at least thermodynamically.

I asked Ed about the right to fail as it pertains to EAP situations, and his answer was "it depends." He said sometimes, it's a no-brainer, but others get more complex. The 1.5s, the people who grew up speaking English but with a Spanish syntax, older students, etc. He said that everyone should get the accuplacer regardless, though - then maybe the LOEP if needed. He didn't understand the concept of EAP without the same types of exit processes found in college prep. I guess if an EAP student tested in 9020 or 9003, then maybe it becomes their choice, but if they test into 10 or 01/02 it isn't? Beats me.

But here's what doesn't: the idea of gray areas on a placement test. Ed suggested something like this, and I'll use arbitrary #s just to make it easier.

0-5 / Lowest level
6-10 / Gray area
11-15 / Middle level
16-20 / Gray area
21 - 25 / Highest level
26-30 / Gray area
31 - / College level

Now, and this is kinda getting back to what Marianne said a few comments back, what if there were opportunities to look at placement a bit more holistically? Even though we might now say that someone testing anywhere between 11 and 20 should go to, let's just say, 9013, what if we said 11-15 goes into 9013, period, but if you scored 16-20, you should come on in - we have something to talk about.

And maybe there we say - look, you were close; how do you feel about math? When was the last time you took a math class? What's your attendance likely to be affected by? Are you willing to commit to lab hours? Tutoring? Maybe if someone in that gray area looks like a safe bet, we bump them up.

Not sure what to have for dinner. They're making something in the kitchen - the woman who organized it is a tesol person, and she recited the menu in Spanish. After a few people asked for clarification, she recited it more slowly in Spanish. Super nice person, and really smart, but c'mon - throw me a hueso. I heard carne, though, and I don't need to be an experto to figure that one out. I chipped in a buck, just to be social, but I'm thinking I might grab a slice before heading down.

Trivial Pursuit at 7:30. Tonight, we take back the crown.