The January Term, also known as the J-Term, wrapped up last month at the Community College of Rhode Island with 90 percent of the more than 250 students in the program passing with a grade of a C or higher.

“The pass rate is significantly higher than the same courses offered during the college’s 15-week session offered during the fall and spring semesters,” according to a release issued by CCRI.

The J-Term was a 12-day class session during the college’s winter break, and brought about controversy due to faculty members pushing against the session and a no confidence vote against members of administration.

According to the release, a freshman had told of their experience taking the session: “Over the three weeks of this course, I learned how to read and understand poetry, which was something I was never able to do before! This course has given me confidence entering my second semester of college. Also, this course put me ahead of the game to graduate from CCRI even faster.”

The release said students earn higher grades in “condensed sessions, including three-week winter sessions and six-week summer sessions” than in the standard 15-week semester period.

Emily LeStrange, a freshman at CCRI who participated in the J-Term program, took the condensed session of the class Critical Reading for College Success. She said that she would take another 12-day winter session.

“The benefits it had for me was that I completed three credits in a short amount of time,” she said. “I would recommend it to other students because it may make your spring classes more manageable.”

She said that while many told her that all of the work in the condensed session would be too much, she would not change anything. She added that she showed up to her class and did her work, resulting in her experience being good.

“The concentrated format provided a number of benefits that advance student success. Students used the time to get ahead on their course load, lighten their spring semester or catch up on their academic requirements. Whatever their particular reason for participating in the winter session, the positive response from students and the excellent pass rates tells us we were correct in our assessment to hold the session,” said Rosemary Costigan, Vice President of Academic Affairs, in a statement.

The program was the first offered for CCRI during the winter in more than 30 years. The release said that CCRI joins “25 community colleges across New England” by offering classes during a the winter break.