In this article, Gwen Taylor describes the West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) groundbreaking program, "Accelerating Opportunity" (AO), which targeted students who are deficient in math, reading, or writing. The program uses the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges' (2013) Integrated Basic…

As the state emerges from another recession, jobs that remain and those opening require workers with higher-order skills most often acquired in postsecondary education. Increasing numbers of adults look to community colleges to learn those skills and to find a way out of a cycle of low paying, unstable jobs. Even workers with years of experience…

In this Brief the authors first report on evidence about the effectiveness (or, unfortunately, in too many cases, the ineffectiveness) of remediation and then provide information about the progression of students through the developmental sequence. They discuss problems associated with the crucial assessments and make a brief statement about…

A previous working paper argued, that, to understand basic skills education, it is necessary to observe classrooms to see what the "instructional triangle" involving the instructor, students, and content is like. This working paper presents the results of observing classes in 13 community colleges. It starts with a conceptualization of…

Chaffey College, a three campus college with approximately 20,000 students located California's Inland Empire, has become the destination of many community college practitioners from around the country. The reason why? Over the past ten years, the college has become nationally-known as an institution with a "risk tolerant change-oriented…

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) was developed by the community and technical colleges in Washington State to increase the rate at which adult basic skills students enter and succeed in postsecondary occupational education and training. Under the I-BEST model, basic skills instructors and career-technical faculty jointly…

The Alternative Services To Raise Achievement (ASTRA) program at the Greater Hartford (Connecticut) Community College is designed to supply developmental and other services to students with academic potential who are in need of such services to complete their education. The program's structure is intended to meet the diverse needs of students;…

The Critical Success Factors Report is the North Carolina Community College System's major accountability document. This annual performance report serves to inform colleges and the public on the performance of North Carolina's 58 community colleges. In 1993, the State Board of Community Colleges began monitoring performance data on specific…

In March 1977, the New Jersey Board of Higher Education created the New Jersey Basic Skills Assessment Program. To direct the program, the Board created the Basic Skills Council, which was charged with developing a test in reading, writing, and mathematics for all freshmen entering all New Jersey public colleges and universities. The purpose was…

Community colleges play an important role in the U.S. economy, providing access to higher education for low-income young people, a path to higher-earning employment for low-income workers, and a supply of well-trained employees for local industry. In order to remain competitive with other major economies, however, the U.S. must sharply increase…

Forty-nine high-risk students enrolled in basic skills development classes at Essex Community College were evaluated on self-concept growth as shown by pre- and post-tests with the Tennessee Self Concept Scale (TSCS), by an open-ended self-evaluation questionnaire, and by improvement in grade point average (GPA). The developmental…

This paper reports on the programs and research projects developed and/or undertaken by the Center to promote the development of high risk children. Included are descriptions of the Center's Longitudinal Program and its nine project components which concentrate on the early development of basic abilities among children from low income families.…

This report provides descriptions and statistics on Georgia's ten Youth Development Centers designed for the care of delinquent children. Title I courses include business education, cultural enrichment, small appliance, furniture repair, and basic skills, with an emphasis on the latter. Results of the enrichment courses fall in the cognitive,…

Project SAMS (Skills, Activities, Matrixing System) was designed to develop and validate a curriculum process for educating students with profound disabilities. Central to the 3-year curriculum process was matrixing, or integrating, basic developmental skills across multiple functional, age-appropriate, and integrated activities. Components…

With a view to making literacy an integral part of the economic and social development program of Mali, the study represents the third project of the Experimental World Literacy Program which began with functional literacy pilot projects in Tanzania and Iran. A critical report of the implementation of the pilot project in Mali, it contains a…