Back to Basics: Improving College Readiness of Community College Students


 

Publication Date: June 2008

Publisher: California Legislative Analyst's Office

Author(s): Paul Steenhausen

Research Area: Education

Keywords: Community Colleges; student preparation

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

Most students who enter California Community Colleges (CCC) lack sufficient reading, writing, and mathematics skills to undertake college level work. Thus, one of the CCC system's core missions is to provide precollegiate basic skills instruction to these students. In this report, we find that a large percentage of students do not overcome their basic skills deficiencies during their time at CCC. We identify a number of state policies that we believe stand in the way of student success, and recommend several structural and systemwide changes designed to help increase preparedness and achievement among community college students.