The visibility of developmental education--or basic skills education as it is called most often in California--has increased in recent years. One major catalyst was a comprehensive community college strategic planning process completed in 2004 that listed basic skills as a critical area of focus. Another was an increase in the system's minimum…

Designed to clarify the function of the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree, this report lists and explains criteria for the degree as a means of enhancing the potential of the AAS to serve as a national employment credential and as the curricular foundation for the occupational mission of the community, technical, and junior colleges. The…

Designed to generate discussion among community college faculty and administrators in Illinois, this report provides an examination of the associate degree as it has evolved in Illinois public community colleges, along with recommended guidelines and alternatives for further development. First, the report reviews the current context of educational…

Developed by the Task Force on Academic Quality for the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, this report analyzes, discusses, and offers recommendations concerning ways to strengthen the quality of the associate degree in the state's community college system. Part I provides background on the charge of the Task Force and external…

Designed to encourage dialogue and inform decision making about the associate degree, this book presents perspectives on the role of the associate degree in the nation's two-year colleges. First, "Toward a Greater Degree: A Plan of Action," by Dale Parnell, suggests a plan for preserving and enhancing the value of the education being…

The policy statements contained in this document present the position of the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges (AACJC) on the Associate Degree, the Associate in Applied Science Degree (AAS), and the Associate Degree in Nursing. In its statement on the Associate Degree, the AACJC: (1) stresses the responsibility of faculty and…

The Illinois Board of Higher Education has endorsed a four-step plan to accelerate implementation of its policies on transfer and articulation. The plan involved calling for all community colleges to adopt the Illinois Community College Board's (ICCB's) Model Associate in Arts (AA) and Associate in Science (AS) Degree Requirements; developing a…

This staff analysis by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges discusses and offers recommendations concerning the report, "Proposals for Strengthening the Associate Degree in the California Community Colleges," by the Task Force on Academic Quality. The paper begins with brief staff comments on the associate…

In May 1985 and again in September 1986, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges adopted Title 5 regulations strengthening the associate degree by establishing two distinct sets of standards which establish whether or not individual courses may be applied for credit to the associate degree. Along with a brief history of the…