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…

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…

A survey of California community colleges was conducted in 1980-81 to determine the extent to which compensatory and developmental courses currently fulfill requirements for the associate degree (AA) and to determine how many of the compensatory courses were actually used by students to satisfy AA requirements. Responses to the survey were…

A survey was conducted by the Learning Assessment Retention Consortium of the California Community Colleges to determine the extent of community college involvement with academic standards in California. The survey investigated the relationship of the colleges to adult education, assessment practices, entrance standards for vocational and…

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…

A survey was administered to 1,903 students enrolled in 45 sections of History 27 (American history) and Political Science 5 (political institutions), both 3-unit courses required for graduation at Cerritos College (California), to ascertain whether students would have taken either course if it had not been required and to determine preferences…

This issue of "Forum," a journal designed to present ideas of California community college faculty, begins with "Community Colleges Can Keep the Door Open," by Jean B. Trapnell, which urges community colleges to reassess and integrate the new goals associated with lifelong learning with the primary goals of providing transfer,…