As they closed the books on the 2012-2013 school year, Long Beach City College continued the task of pouring over years of student enrollment data. They found that after years of offering remedial courses for students who entered unprepared for the rigors of higher education, the college reported and astonishing 500 percent increase in the number of first-year college students who placed in college-level English courses compared to the prior year. The number of students who qualified for college math was double what the college reported the previous year. Administrators attribute the gains at leas partially, to a six-year-old partnership between the college and the Long Beach Unified School District (LBUSD). As part of its 21st Century Initiative, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) encourages community colleges to work more closely with business partners, local community organizations, and K-12 and baccalaureate institutions to develop clearer academic pathways for three main purposes: (1) to prepare students for the rigors of college-level work; (2) to guide them through the system from enrollment to graduation; and (3) to help them achieve successful and sustainable careers. In order to meet the goals of the completion agenda, community college leaders say K-12 and four-year college and university partners must continue to work across institutions to serve students and create clearer academic pathways to success.