The mission of the California Community Colleges, first articulated in the "Master Plan for Higher Education" (1960) and since reaffirmed in California Assembly Bill 1725, is to provide Californians with quality courses and programs in transfer and career education and in the mastery of basic skills and English as a Second Language (ESL). Due to their open door policy, competing priorities, diminishing resources, and student demand for education, colleges face continuous challenges to prioritize and adapt their curriculum to meet multiple challenges. Three factors shape curriculum policy for community colleges: (1) local needs, including student instructional needs, economic development needs, and community education needs; (2) the delineation of function between the California Community Colleges, California State University, and the University of California; and (3) course and program standards. To meet their challenges, the colleges have developed a curriculum with four types of courses, each designed to fulfill one aspect of the college's mission. Degree-credit courses are college-level courses designed to prepare students for transfer and employment. Nondegree-credit courses provide non-college-level work designed to prepare students to succeed in college-level work. Noncredit courses provide instruction to ensure students can participate fully as citizens, including ESL. The final classification is Community service courses, designed to provide, without state funding or college credit, avocational and recreational courses, cultural activities, and community development and recreational activities. (MAB)