The view of the government in England is that good English and mathematics knowledge is key to employment and education prospects. Students who do not achieve a GCSE grade 4 or above in these subjects must continue to study English and mathematics alongside their chosen post-16 studies. This article outlines the background to this situation, then…

This report offers research and analysis of outcomes for 15,743 students who enrolled in basic skills mathematics classes at Rio Hondo College in California between fall 1996 and summer 2001. The research was done at the request of the basic skills mathematics faculty. Although the California Community College Chancellor's Office defines remedial…

Although K-12 schools and community colleges share responsibility for the futures of a vast number of young Californians, and both are under pressure to improve student academic achievement, the groups operate under separate governance systems, pursue distinct missions, gauge success based on different measures, and are seldom looked at together.…

Asera assesses the challenges that community colleges face in educating students in basic skills. For a significant group of college students the seemingly automatic skills of literacy and numeracy have become opaque, creating a particular challenge for community colleges, 98 percent of which offer at least one remedial reading, writing or…

Reflecting concern with the nationwide decline in basic skills mastery, the 1975 statewide basic skills tests of the New Jersey Educational Assessment Program (NJEAP) were used to assess the relative performance of college bound seniors. The results of a random 10% sample of the 55,000 students in college preparatory programs were compared with…

A statement regarding what is needed in academic preparation for college in the 1980s, which was developed during 1980-81 under th aegis of the College Board's Project EQuality, is presented. The work of school and college teacher in cooperation with other professionals addresses expectations about six basic academic competencies that should have…

To be prepared for a successful college experience, students must know certain academic subjects and have the skills to demonstrate their competencies in these subjects. This booklet outlines what college entrants need to know and be able to do to enter college in Alabama. As of July 1989, admissions standards of all Alabama public colleges and…

A project designed to evaluate the quality of basic skills programs in writing, reading, and mathematics, which was implemented at a regional university and a community college within a statewide system in the Southeastern United States, is described. A multiple-indicator strategy was used, involving both short-range and long-range postprogram…

Project EQuality, initiated by the College Board in response to the 17-year decline in high school students' college admissions test scores, is described. The project is an effort to enlist schools and colleges in a cooperative campaign to strengthen the quality of secondary education and to carry further the gains of equal opportunity made over…

One of our nation's educational triumphs is that admission to college has been brought within the reach of a majority of our high school graduates. Yet inadequate preparation often deprives students of this opportunity. Their stunted hopes are a major reason for growing naitonal concern about the quality of education in our schools. The College…

In March 1977, the New Jersey Board of Higher Education created the New Jersey Basic Skills Assessment Program. To direct the program, the Board created the Basic Skills Council, which was charged with developing a test in reading, writing, and mathematics for all freshmen entering all New Jersey public colleges and universities. The purpose was…

A discussion of the nature and scope of basic skills training introduces a series of recommendations for the improved effectiveness of this training based on a survey of California community colleges. The first sections of this report discuss issues of community college responsibility for basic skills training, its priority as an institutional…

Techniques designed to improve basic competencies of minority students attending selected, historically black colleges are reviewed. The efforts to improve instruction in targeted subject areas have been implemented with the assistance of the Southern Regional Education Board. Attention is directed to: modification of curricula and instructional…

This research report presents the findings of an evaluation of the compensatory education program at El Paso Community College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, which has been in existence for six years. The results of scores made on admission tests were used to determine whether entering students were functioning at the college level. Students with…