BASIC SKILLS INITIATIVE

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BASIC SKILLS INITIATIVE
A statewide effort to bring focus and funding to
foster student success in a students path from
developmental education to college-level courses

• Saddleback College
• Irvine Valley College

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Basic Skills Initiative (BSI)

• Requires colleges to significantly transform how
  they address and meet the needs of basic skills
  and ESL students.
• Basic skills . . .foundation skills in reading,
  writing, mathematics, learning skills, study
  skills, and English as a Second Language that are
  necessary for students to succeed in
  college-level work.
• Activities may include organizational,
  administrative, instructional, and support
  services.

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Basic Skills InitiativeFUNDING

• Saddleback College

• Irvine Valley College

• Curriculum Planning and Development 45,000
• Tutoring 10,000
• Instructional Materials and Equipment 33,000
• Other purpose directly related to the
  enhance-ment of basic skills, ESL instruction,
  and related student programs. 78,876
• TOTAL 166,876

• Curriculum Planning and Development 10,730
• Student Assessment 36,064
• Tutoring 21,094
• Instructional Materials and Equipment 19,220
• Other purpose directly related to the
  enhance-ment of basic skills, ESL instruction,
  and related student programs 15,680
• TOTAL 100,000

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Saddleback College
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Saddleback CollegeBasic Skills Initiative Process

• 15 Member Committee
• Selection of best practices based on strengths
  and weaknesses
• Creation of awareness of Basic Skills Initiative
• Endorsement of recommended plan
• Academic Senate
• Classified Senate
• Four College Planning groups
• Planning and Budget Council

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Saddleback CollegeKey Plan Components

• Formation of Basic Skills Advisory Council
• Initiation of Inter-segmental Group
• Area High Schools
• Primary Four-year Transfer Institutions
• Year Round Faculty Development Program with Focus
  on
• Basic Skills Information
• Skills and Knowledge
• Best Practices
• Increase SLO Outcomes
• Increase Retention
• Increase Persistence

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Saddleback CollegePlanned Action

• Organization/Administration
• Identify a faculty member as Coordinator of Basic
  Skills Operations
• Advisory Council and Inter-segmental group
• Five discipline experts
• Review and if necessary revision of
• Developmental education course contents
• Entry and exit skills
• Faculty and Staff Development
• Opportunities to participate in
• College, regional, and state events
• Develop in-house workshops and presentations
• Select speakers

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Saddleback CollegeInstructional Practices

• Promote Individualized student learning
• Learner-centered v. Teacher-centered
• Learning Assistance Program
• ESL
• Developmental Writing
• Developmental Reading
• Information Competency
• Developmental Mathematics

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Irvine Valley College
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Irvine Valley CollegeBasic Skills Initiative
Process

• Institutional Effectiveness Committee
• 14 Members
• One of five strategic planning committees for the
  college
• Action Plan closely linked to the College
  Strategic Plan
• Funded proposals were competitive,
  criterion-based, and each contain research
  component to assess project effectiveness

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Irvine Valley CollegeAction Plan

• Organizational/Administrative Practices
• Designed to increase student success and
  persistence rates
• Increase tutoring services
• Improve assessment and diagnostic tools in
  writing and mathematics
• Train faculty in English to score diagnostic
  tests for cross-validation and norming

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Irvine Valley CollegeAction Plan (cont.)

• Review math assessment test and implement
  recommended revisions
• Staff development for faculty in ESL to review
  best practices in teaching ESL
• Develop an ESL success center designed to promote
  success, persistence, and transfer
• Develop 2-week pre-algebra course modules
  designed to meet specific needs of students to
  accelerate advancement to algebra

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Expected Outcomes

• As a result of completing the Basic Skills
  Initiative Projects
• More accurate student placement in appropriate
  writing courses will increase student success in
  writing courses
• Math tutoring and needs-based pre-algebra
  curriculum will increase student persistence and
  success in algebra courses
• ESL will re-design curriculum that will increase
  student success and persistence rates

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Thank you

• Rajen Vurdien, Vice President for Instruction
• Saddleback College
• Craig Justice, Vice President of Instruction,
  Irvine Valley College