Basic Skills Initiative 101 Michael Poindexter, Vice President Student Services Julia Jolly, Associate Vice President Instruction OCTOBER 30, 2007 * LR-105 * 12-1 PM

2 Basic skills are those foundation skills in reading, writing, mathematics, learning skills, study skills, and English as a Second Language which are necessary for students to succeed in college-level work.

3 Improvements in basic skills outcomes are likely to be incremental. Appropriate, realistic expectations for change should be established and communicated.

4 More than one in every three students in the California Community Colleges enroll in a basic skills class.

5 Our charge in basic skills education is developmental, not remedial.

6 The improvement of basic skills education must be an institutional priority and is an institutional responsibility. “Those students” belong to the entire institution.

7 Instructional Practices Effective instructional practices are the key to achieving desired student outcomes for developmental programs.

8 Reasons to Focus on Basic Skills A Maryland study of post-remediation pass rates in college-level courses found that 80% of community college students who passed remedial mathematics also passed their first college-level mathematics course. The study also found that 80% of those who passed remedial English also passed college –level English (Maryland Higher Education Commission, 1996).

9 Kulik, Kulik and Schwalb (1983) found that those who qualified for remediation and participated in it generally had higher GPAs than non-participants who qualified for remediation. Kulik and Kulik (1991) “In nearly 80% of all studies, the GPAs were higher for students from the special remedial or developmental program” than similar students who did not participate in remediation (p.7).

10 The purpose of these courses is to teach students the basic skills necessary to pass college-level courses. Kulik, Kulik and Schwalb (1983) Those who participated in remediation were retained at higher levels than the general student population at colleges and universities.

11 Basic Skills Those who complete remedial courses in English or mathematics are very likely to pass their first college-level courses in those subjects.

12 Background on the Basic Skills Initiative Bill California Community Colleges Student Success Initiative - $33.1 million Allocations to colleges to: –Support improvements in Basic Skills –Support improvements in ESL Instruction –Support enhancements of Student Services Definitions: How do we define Basic Skills?

13 Related College Goals #1 – Develop and implement processes to promote engagement and success of first-year students. #3 – Improve basic skills competencies in reading, writing, and math and improve preparedness for degree- applicable courses through developing skills in reading, writing, math, and information competency across the curriculum and throughout the college. #8 – Deliver programs and services that demonstrate a commitment to learner-centered education and institutional effectiveness through continuous process improvement.

14 Basic Skills Plan for Spring 07 Professional Development Writing Center Support Services

15 Data - SCC