The problem addressed in this study was the absence of a clearly defined pathway to Composition I for Hispanic non-native English-speaking students (HNNESS) testing below college level English at the study site. The purpose of the study was to identify an optimal pre-college English pathway for HNNESS using the college assessment of basic skills…

Basic skills courses are designed to teach students certain basic academic competencies they have not mastered. However, very little research has examined the quality of instruction inside basic skills classes. This paper presents preliminary findings from observations in 13 California community colleges. The clearest finding is that…

Comprehensive programs to enable students to acquire skills necessary for college work are discussed. It is suggested that developmental courses be supplements to regular academic courses. In starting a new developmental program, three factors are important: commitment of the school's faculty and administration to the program's success, adequate…

Suggests that an integrated, comprehensive skills program can be used to assist underprepared students in attaining required academic standards. Describes approach which encourages development of proficiency in basic skills by focusing on synergism between cognitive and affective domains. (NB)

The Learning Laboratory component of the Department of Educational Program Support at the University of Wisconsin at Parkside was evaluated during the academic year 1983-1984 to monitor laboratory and material usage, determine from what areas students were referred, and identify their reasons for laboratory use. The laboratory was part of a…

The Summer Academic Skills Enhancement Program (SASEP) was offered in June-August 1993 to provide Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) clients with the reading comprehension and language mechanics skills required for employment in entry-level positions. A total of 125 referred clients were enrolled into both of two remedial courses of study.…

Investigated the effect of two variables on remedial students' performance in freshman composition: attending a remedial grammar course, and receiving tutoring at a skills development center. Found that tutoring had a significant positive impact on students, but that the grammar course had a negative effect. (ARH)

Cites results of recent studies about deteriorating basic skills of community college students. Presents opposing views on developmental education by John Roueche (EJ 189 264) and Arthur Cohen (EJ 201 762). Argues in favor of providing for underprepared students through specialized, developmental "intensive care units" built around prescriptive…

A questionnaire survey of all colleges and universities in the United States, to which 1,269 institutions (45%) responded, yielded findings about the academic preparation of incoming undergraduate students and the ways in which their deficiencies are being remediated. First, 85 percent of the responding institutions perceive poor academic…

An analysis of research on the effectiveness of developmental education is presented in this report. Chapter I highlights different perspectives on the role of developmental education at the college level; examines definitions and discusses the mission of developmental education; and puts forward a methodology for measuring its effectiveness.…

The Oregon State Disadvantaged Child Project provided compensatory education for students residing in the Portland core area. A total of 6,526 students were transported to schools outside the core area where they received instruction in basic skills along with 202 students at the receiving schools. About 500 additional students, mainly residents…

Peer tutoring programs represent an innovative approach for optimally utilizing resources existing within classrooms. While most tutoring programs are aimed at helping tutees or tutors with academic difficulties, this study involved all children in two classrooms in a peer tutoring project. A multiple baseline design indicated that prompting was…

A fourteen item Likert-type attitude scale concerning a college-level basic skills program was developed from topics suggested by the program staff. The scale was completed by 216 college freshmen who were enrolled in at least one of the three courses offered by the program: writing and reading, study habits and thinking strategies, and…

This report aims to address concerns regarding the need for developmental education in mathematics in the higher education institutions in Texas. Fifty-three million dollars of the $93 million appropriated for developmental education in Texas in 2002 went to mathematics. About 40% of new students in two-year colleges and 20% of new students in…

A project was conducted at Cumberland County College to determine (1) whether remediation of basic skills deficiencies has an effect on the successful completion of selected vocational courses; (2) the levels of basic skills competencies in reading, writing, and mathematics necessary for entry into selected vocational courses; and (3) the most…