A research project was conducted by the Council on Learning Assistance (CLAS) to gain a clearer understanding of the extent and nature of basic skills education in Washington's community colleges. During the study, course information and enrollment statistics for 1984-85 were solicited from CLAS representatives and deans of instruction in an effort to determine what percent of total instructional effort is devoted to basic skills/developmental education; whether the amount of effort varied from quarter to quarter; the number of students in one, two, or three basic skills courses; what percentage of basic skills enrollment is made up of reading only, writing only, reading and writing combined, and math; and what course numbering systems are used. Study findings included the following: (1) for the four quarters of 1984-85, 16.82% of the Washington community college system's full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment was generated by basic skills classes; (2) basic skills enrollments increased significantly during the summer term; (3) campus student/faculty ratios ranged from a high of 64:1 to a low of 17:1, with an average ratio of 33:1; (4) 64% of the basic skills students were enrolled in one developmental course, 15% in two courses, and 21% in three or more courses; and (5) except for the summer quarter, the majority of students were attending full-time. Extensive appendices present enrollment, student characteristics, student/faculty ratio, and course numbering data for each campus and the system as a whole. (AYC)