Low basic skills levels of adults are a complex policy problem which has neither straightforward causes nor solutions, and successful interventions are still relatively rare. Tackling serious literacy and numeracy weaknesses among adults is challenging, partly because the task itself is difficult, and partly because even if accomplished…

More than 5 million adults lack both functional literacy (below level 1) and numeracy (below entry level 3); an estimated 11.5 million adults do not have basic digital skills; and one in five adults do not have basic financial capabilities. Around 850,000 people have English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) needs. At the same time,…

To increase the rate at which adult basic skills students advance to and succeed in college-level occupational programs, the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) developed the Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training, or I-BEST. In the I-BEST model, a basic skills instructor and an occupational instructor team…

"High School Redirection" is an alternative high school program for youth considered at risk of dropping out. The program emphasizes basic skills development (with a particular focus on reading skills) and offers limited extra-curricular activities. The schools operate in economically disadvantaged areas and serve students who have…

The learning lab at Hawaii Community College (HCC) has, for the past year and a half, utilized the PLATO (Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations) computer-assisted instructional program. PLATO, which is used by students whose preferred learning mode falls into the listening, visual, or reading categories, serves to broaden the learning…

This document was prepared primarily for managers, researchers, and management information staff at California Community Colleges who need to duplicate the results of the Performance for Excellence (PFE) reports in order to aid in the improvement of performance goals at their respective institutions. It is hoped that by providing this document,…

In fall 1985, a study was conducted by the Colorado State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education to analyze the efficiency and effectiveness of community college assessment programs throughout the state. Each community college in the state randomly selected 100 students whose basic skills had been assessed and who had enrolled in…

Techniques and procedures used to evaluate the outcomes of the student development program, and to use the evaluation results, are presented. Specific evaluation questions are posed that address overall outcomes, not individual student outcomes, and quantitative measures are suggested to accompany the questions. The measures include statistical…

Results are presented of a 10-year longitudinal study of students who completed the Inquiry Program (IP) at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, which provides an alternative approach for meeting most general education requirements. Standard performance measures and questionnaires completed by program graduates were examined. Compared to other…

This final report evaluates California State University's (CSU) Summer Bridge and Intensive Learning Experience (ILE) programs, which are remedial/developmental programs providing basic skills instruction, orientation, and advisement to entering CSU students at risk of dropping out. The underlying objective of both programs is to increase the…

In spring 1985, a study was conducted to evaluate the basic skills program of San Joaquin Delta College (SJDC). The study focused on student demographics, skill growth, the effects of basic skills classes on performance in other classes, retention rates, self-confidence, assessment scores related to course selection/performance, and re-entry…

In the prevailing atmosphere of concern for basic skills development, Houston Community College System (HCCS) faculty and administration perceived the need for a self-evaluation of HCCS's developmental studies programs. The purposes of the resulting study are: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of the institution's developmental studies programs by…

An evaluation of the nurse education program at Middlesex County College (MCC) was conducted in response to an increasing dropout rate and a decline in the passing rate of program graduates on the Licensing Board Examination (LBE). The study focused on the relationship between student background and performance and between student performance in…

The Learning Center (LC) at South Plains College (SPC), in Texas, offers remedial reading instruction, college-level reading and human development, Success Seminars, orientation services, tutoring, and independent study for academic skills development. The center, which has the most successful remedial reading program in the state, combines the…

Results of an evaluation of the Individualized Study Program (ISP), a 2-year pilot program at the Learning Skills Center (LSC) of the University of California, Davis, are presented. The program target group were disadvantaged students who had not met the university's entrance requirements. The ISP, which is designed to improve retention of…