Presents sentence-combining exercises that can help basic writing students to produce correct surface-structure transformations in their writing. (HTH)

Recommends an approach to basic skills instruction which takes poetry as its focus to study grammar, style, and ideas. Reports three benefits: poetry gives students something significant to read, utilizes professionals' grammar and usage to teach these areas, and generates readable topics for writing. Provides two typical assignments. (DMM)

This document, the last volume of a four-part publication, describes the programs in basic skills in mathematics at the nine senior colleges and eight community colleges of the City University of New York (CUNY), updating surveys made in 1976. These programs are for students who do not meet CUNY's standard for minimum competency in mathematics, or…

Describes a student-centered software package designed at the University of Texas (UT) at Austin to support student writing by helping students generate ideas, improve organization and development, and improve editing capabilities. Describes UT's basic writers and presents findings from the classroom research-based program evaluation. (DMM)

In spring 1984, a study was conducted at Sacramento City College (SCC) to explore whether students' reading and study skills improved after participation in an "adjunct" skills course (i.e., a team-taught course which presents reading, writing, and study skills education within the context of a regular college course). The study focused on 38…

Instructing a college class in remedial English can be a shock to teachers trained in specialized literature. To give such teachers an idea of what to anticipate, some common obstacles they will encounter and the special skills and attitudes they will need to be effective are discussed. (JMD)

Advocates the testing and placement of incoming college students, arguing that students need access to information on their personal attributes and institutional options. Identifies criteria to be considered in selecting placement tests and making placement decisions. Offers suggestions for creating a systematic placement process. (DMM)

This descriptive and evaluative report focuses on the work of Reading Area Community College's (RACC's) Basic Skills Articulation Team in developing a Basic Skills Integration Plan (BSIP) for the systematic integration of basic skills instruction into the college curriculum. Section A provides an introduction to the creation and activities of the…

Intended to aid any teacher at any level to assist students who are having major difficulties with writing experiences, this handbook presents basic writing skills that students should be able to perform upon graduation from high school. The handbook begins with a definition of writing and a word about the North Carolina competency testing…

In an effort to reduce attrition and save valuable educational assets, the Developmental Education Department at El Paso Community College developed two new 3-hour courses, which students can enroll in and complete at any time during the year. The two courses, College Prep Reading Development and College Prep Study Skills Development, were…

The Lafayette Parish Compensatory/Remedial Program for 1985-86 involved remedial teachers in 31 schools serving 1,022 students in grades 2 through 6 who had previously failed the state Basic Skills Test (BST). A minimum of 70 hours instruction was provided to the children in the area(s) in which each was deficient. Focus was on assessing the…

With declines in reading skills and increases in the standards for literacy, illiteracy has become a growing national problem. The task of dealing with illiteracy ranges from educating those adults whose basic skills are below the eighth grade level to teaching those who are struggling to learn English as their second language to serving those…

Describes LaGuardia Community College's two-phase developmental studies program, which consists of a basic skills program (in which students are assigned a package of courses based on their abilities) and basic skills instruction integrated into content area courses. Covers program content and administration, teacher training, and evaluation…

The articles in this journal issue present a rationale and methods for using elements of the humanities to teach remedial reading and writing. The titles of the articles and their authors are as follows: (1) "The Humanities and Basic Skills Project" (Nan Dougherty); (2) "The Humanities and Basic Skills" (Robert L. Horn); (3) "Beyond Fragmentation;…

The evaluated program provides remediation in mathematics for students in New York City high schools. In addition to outcomes of the total program, the report addresses the efficacy of a pilot instructional component, "Using Computers to Teach Basic Skills." Thirty teachers participated in the pilot program, intended to improve students'…