Although academic success among diverse community college students requires effective reading skills, providing support for struggling readers is becoming increasingly more difficult. The problem addressed in this quantitative study was that due to Assembly Bill 705, prohibiting colleges from offering remedial courses without data to substantiate their effectiveness, students at a Southern California community college may have no avenue to learn reading comprehension strategies that are necessary to be successful in college. The purpose of this quantitative study was to determine the predictive value of taking a reading strategies course (RSC) and socioeconomic status (SES) on final grades in English 1A, which was required for all students. Through an ex-post facto correlational methodology, the proficient academic reader was applied as the framework to operationalize and posit relationships between the variables. Two research questions provided insights regarding potential benefits of explicitly teaching first-year community college students reading comprehension strategies. Binomial logistic regression was used to determine if taking RSCs and SES were associated with final grades in an English 1A course. Results indicated that RSC and SES were not statistically significant predictors of final grades in English 1A. The results informed a curricular plan for an alternative English 1A integrated reading and writing course for students interested in developing college reading skills within the college writing classroom. Development of an English IA integrated reading and writing course has the potential for positive social change by supporting students in terms of acquiring reading strategies that are necessary for college success, lifelong learning, and social mobility. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]