The document addresses remedial or developmental programs in postsecondary California education. It also presents the results of the 1998 basic skills survey of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges' Basic Skills Ad Hoc Committee. Basic Skills courses usually refer to precollegiate basic skills courses. These are courses designed to address the reading, writing, and computational skill deficiencies of students not meeting the skills requisites for the associate degree, transfer, and/or other college-level courses. The survey found among the colleges much variation in practices but many similar problems developing strong basic skills instruction. Some common challenges facing basic skills instructors include classes that are too large, lack of adequate funding, ineffective assessment tools, inadequate research, lack of qualified reading instructors, problems coordinating programs, and insufficient faculty development opportunities. In spite of these challenges, many colleges have developed exemplary programs that stand as models. Based on these successes, a number of recommendations for good practice have been made for local senates to consider as they recommend policy for student success, planning and budgeting, curriculum, and other academic and professional matters. Appendix contains basic skills survey results. (Contains 12 references.) (JA)