About Stretch

Stretch Composition is a pedagogical model for teaching writing that investigates the connections between instructional delivery and recursive development of writing competencies.

Composition and Writing instructors have long debated about the “best” way to teach composition to an ever-diversifying body of students.

Stretch Composition allows for students who are less experienced at “academic” or college writing get extra time to develop their skills and competency by “stretching” the freshman composition course (English 1A) over 2 (or more) semesters. The course is not remedial. In this program, students engage in college-level academic work over 2 semesters usually with the same cohort of students and the same instructor.

This model develops a true writing community in which students engage in deep and meaningful discussion about college level texts, and engage in complex inquiry processes that build synthesis and critical thinking skills. Additionally, the model allows students the time to truly improve on their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Data from numerous university programs that have implemented Stretch Composition show not only that students have developed superb skills and have increased their pass rates in the freshman composition sequence, but that Stretch students often outperform students in upper level composition courses.

(Source: Arizona State University, http://english.clas.asu.edu/wp-stretch).