Basic College Skills Right on CUE

By Andrea Bennett on July 27, 2009 2:14 PM

For some community college students, the gap between what they learned in high school and what they need to know to succeed in college credit courses is a vast one.

It is estimated that about 90 percent of incoming California Community College students are not prepared to succeed in degree-credit courses and require basic skills coursework to earn a college degree. Evidence shows very few of these students reach that goal.

The state-funded Basic Skills Initiative, which began in 2006, was a response to this situation. It provides community colleges with the support to assess their basic skills education and English as a second language instruction needs; provide faculty and staff professional development; and implement needed change to their programs.

One California Community College district enlisted the expertise of the Center for Urban Education (CUE), based at the USC Rossier School of Education, to help it maximize the impact of its Basic Skills Initiative dollars.

Through the revolutionary Center for Urban Education Equity Model, the San José/Evergreen Community College District has been working to identify and lift institutional barriers to racial-ethnic equity within its large basic skills student population.

This month, the Center for Urban Education wrapped up the first phase of its work to advance equity in basic skills education at the San José/Evergreen Community College District. The model employed toward this goal is unique in that it combined the center’s renowned equity scorecard method of data inquiry with its acclaimed benchmarking process, which involves the analysis of institutional practices and benchmark goal setting.

Community colleges across the state and institutions around the country have used the equity scorecard’s process of examining and reflecting on the meaning of quantitative data to document racial-ethnic inequities in their student outcomes. The benchmarking process was developed to analyze and act on those problems revealed through the data inquiry. This process helps institutions figure out what is causing the disparities and how to make changes to address them.

The resulting Center for Urban Education Equity Model was first embraced by the San José/Evergreen district in the spring of 2008.

It took courage for the district to challenge itself in such a way and admit change was needed, said Rosa G. Perez, chancellor of the San José/Evergreen Community College District.

“To begin to resolve the issues surrounding why students of color are less successful in our institutions, we must all share the courage and conviction that as institutions we are charged with the responsibility of questioning institutional assumptions and practices that may hamper student successes,” Perez said.

Center for Urban Education staff was invited to train staff, faculty and administrators at San José City College and Evergreen Valley College to use institutional data to investigate institutional attitudes, beliefs and practices that contribute to inequitable outcomes for students on their campuses.

With the direction and support of Center for Urban Education staff, led by team facilitator Elsa Macias, evidence teams at each college assessed their own institutions and students, identified critical intervention points and set measurable goals to eliminate those gaps in performance among students in basic skills courses.

Reports on the progress may come as early as next month. The next phase of the project will involve implementing the changes needed and assessing the results of those changes.

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