City College of San Francisco - California Competes

THEME I
success (analyzing the progress of students through the College’s pre-collegiate programs in English,
Mathematics, and English as a Second Language); Part 2 focuses on retention/success programs and
the extent to which they foster greater achievement levels. Together, they provide information about
(1) the scope and size of the student population needing pre-collegiate competencies (including basic
skills); (2) support programs the College provides for these students; and (3) the level of success of
these programs.
These reports are also a good example of how research efforts interface with planning that maps back to
the College Mission. In particular, they gave the then newly rejuvenated Basic Skills Subcommittee a basis
for a comprehensive analysis of best practices. In addition, each of the involved departments has used
data in the report to evaluate and modify its instructional programs, as discussed below.
Within the Koret-funded efforts in particular, involving all members of the Koret team in a data-driven
process of decision making has played a key role in fostering conversations among faculty and administrators
that have allowed faculty and staff to take a hard look at quantitative and qualitative data collected
and analyzed by an external evaluator, connect the data findings to differences in practice, identify the
elements that appear to be most successful and those that need improvement, and modify our approach
accordingly. In essence, it is the reflection on evaluation findings that has provided the greatest amount
of professional development for faculty, staff, and administrators alike, helping the College to identify
and promote best practices.
Results and Outcomes of the Basic Skills Initiative. This section of the case study focuses in particular
on instructional practices relating to basic skills, primarily funded by the Koret, Carnegie, and Hewlett
Foundations, with less attention to other aspects of the Basic Skills Initiative such as those funded by
Title III.
To date, the Initiative has focused on 26 Math sections and 17 English sections, serving a total of 1,251
students (850 in Math and 401 in English; see descriptions of activities below). Overall, 93 percent of those
served were non-White. Latinos comprised the largest group of participants at 29 percent (357 students)
followed by African Americans at 25 percent (312 students). The Initiative is currently targeting six English
(six paired English 9 and 90 sections) and eight Math sections, which altogether serve nearly 500 students.
Faculty and staff members from English and Math have traveled to the Kellogg Institute during summer
(one in 2002 and two in 2003) for faculty development with the National Center for Developmental
Education (NCDE). The participation of these three individuals in the NCDE program has had a significant
influence on the activities of each Department, which we describe below.
English activities past, present & future. In 1997 (a year prior to the institutional focus on basic skills) the
English Department initiated an effort to better understand the progress and success of their students.
A commissioned study showed that students concurrently enrolled in both a reading course and a writing
course passed more frequently than students enrolled in just one of these courses. In response to these
results, in 1999 the English Department created the Learning Communities Program (later dissolved due
to funding shortfalls) in which related courses would be linked through content, ideas, and activities.
Based on these earlier developments, the Koret-funded English improvement strategy in basic skills as
of 2003 has focused on the integration of reading (English 9) and writing (English 90). Specifically, the
English Department has linked sections of each (when possible, scheduling the courses back to back so
that instructors have a longer block of time with students). In doing so, the English faculty have worked
on creating a more integrated curriculum that features increased interaction among instructors and additional
time with tutors. Linking the courses has required faculty to meet weekly to discuss how they can
connect the activities of one course section with those of the other. For example, students in the reading
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