Tracking Notes

a newsletter from Jefferson Academic Support Services

FAQ’s about Starfish

Q: I am an advisor. When do I check Starfish for referral and flags on my advisees?

A: It is advisable to check Starfish at least once a week. If the referral is showing as “active”, the student has not been seen for a PASS appointment by an Academic Coach. If the referral is “resolved”, the student has been seen at least once by an Academic Coach.

Q: I am an instructor. Do I continue to raise a PASS referral on a student who hasn’t shown improvement?

A: If you raise a PASS referral on a student in your class and he/she continues to not show improvement, send them an email outlining your concerns.

Q: What are Starfish Progress Surveys?

A: Instructors are sent two progress surveys per semester. Once around Week 4 and another one a week or so before midterm. These surveys are reminders for instructors to check on the status of students in your class and is an easy way for you to raise referrals and flags on students you have concerns about as well as raise a kudo recognizing students for their good work. If you have already raised a PASS referral on a student in your class for a low grade, we advise not to raise an additional referral on the progress survey.

Did You Know?

We See It All

In Fall 2016, over 220 students were served by Academic Support through tutoring, writing assistance, academic coaching, or a combination of all three.

Tutoring Works

For the past three years, struggling students who sought out tutoring have been more than twice as likely to pass Anatomy and Physiology than struggling peers who didn't.

It's a Busy, Busy World

In a normal semester, the Educational Testing Center proctors over 1,200 testing appointments.

The Learning and Writing Center

Sarah Cox and Elliott Freeman

Our lab currently offers:

14 computers to use for homework
One printer
Walk-in tutoring on scheduled days for science, math, and nursing
Help with APA
Help signing up for tutoring on Starfish – tutoring is available in a wide variety of subject areas.

OPEN LATE Events

This semester, the Learning and Writing Center is offering its first series of OPEN LATE events, including workshops and an open lab "write in" where students will have immediate access to a writing tutor for comments and questions as they work on their papers. These events are open to all students, and offer new opportunities for students with nontraditional schedules to get face-to-face help.

Next Evening Event:

Top 10 Mistakes in College Writing - February 22, 5:30 pm, Room 501

Contact Sarah:

Phone: (540) 985-8449

Email: sccox1@jchs.edu

Office: Room 507-B

Contact Elliott:

Phone: (540) 985-8449

Email: emfreeman@jchs.edu

Office: Room 507-A

Disability Services

Debbie Mitchell

One of the greatest fears of college students with disabilities is to be outed to their peers. There is no easy way to give pop quizzes while ensuring the student's confidentiality; however, these are some strategies that have been used by faculty:

Give the pop quiz at the end of the class instead of the beginning. Allow students with disabilities to take the quiz with the class and stay after class to meet their accommodation of extra time.
Allow students with disabilities to take the pop quiz with the class; stop when classmates stop, and grade only on portion completed.
If a student receives 1.5x additional time, grade 66% of the quiz
If a student receives 2x additional time, grade 50% of the quiz.

For more strategies, see the Cal Poly Disability Resource Center.

Contact Debbie:

Phone: (540) 985-8215

Fax: (540) 985-8001

Email: drmitchell2@jchs.edu

Office: Room 506

Click for Disability Services website