That’s truly good to hear... considering that the Chinese have been gaining mastery in English and languages and the Indians have trumped the mathematical and scientific world.

Academic America: rise from slumber!

Mind Power, Dr. at Ateneo de Manila, at 5:55 am EDT on August 1, 2007

Community colleges are the last resort for students who could not succeed in school because of: unequal funding in their school district and hence lack of available rigorous academic courses, lower socioeconomic status which repeatedly affect college degree status-the wealthier you are the more resources you have to attend the best college possible; the less you have, the less resources you have to succeed in school and transfer to college, and for decades, 4 year colleges and universities including in California, have deferred remedial education to community colleges where many college students get a “second,” and “third” chance...

Implementing “standards” at the community college level will denigrate the open door and remedial policies that have allowed a wide swath of students, predominantly lower SES, minority students, and women to benefit from these policies.

Roger, at 10:10 am EDT on September 14, 2006

Roger,

Your argument is fatuous. To what end are open door policies and remedial course work aimed? It would seem they are aimed at providing students, many grasping that second or third chance, with the knowledge necessary to attain higher levels of intellectual accomplishment and thus meet higher standards.

If what community colleges do is to provide credentials reflecting attainment of high school level intellectual skills they should not confer associates degrees but “real” high school diplomas. I think California community colleges should be lauded for aspiring to have their students stretch themselves and to truly qualify for a postsecondary degree.

Your view that higher standards will “denigrate” open door and remedial policies is a non sequitur. In fact, it would seem, these policies are in place for the very purpose of providing students with opportunities to overcome past impediments, and to then meet higher standards.

The students, and we, gain nothing if what they receive in the end is a piece of paper with no achievement behind it. I would infer from your comment that “we” really shouldn’t expect much from these students anyway. It is better to fob off a worthless degree on them than to actually serve their desire to attain something of value.

Paul, at 11:35 am EDT on September 14, 2006

I third you Paul.

I did my doctoral dissertation research on adding a component of dicsipline to programs of students attempting a twice failed remedial math class. The results were not only significantly better for that group, they were statistically better than that of the group of all students taking a remedial math class. The next higher math and composition classes are not brain surgery and do not present barriers. They perhaps lengthen the race one or two semesters. All community college students with the right motivation will pass these classes and graduate.

Merrill Eastcott, Dean, Academic Affairs at Los Angeles City College, at 1:30 pm EDT on September 14, 2006

I’m a California community college teacher (English) who opposed the statewide Academic Senate’s proposal to make a transfer-level freshman comp class a requirement for an A.A./A.S. degree.

Here’s why: My school offers an English class for students who are looking for a terminal A.A./A.S. degree. It focuses on business writing, and when I taught it, ended with students’ learning to put together an effective resume and cover letter that they could use when they were looking for a job. It doesn’t make sense to ask these students to take a traditional freshman comp class that typically ends with a term paper complete with all the academic paraphernalia required by the MLA style sheet.

Philip, at 5:30 pm EDT on September 14, 2006

one size won’t fit

If I read things right, it would seem that no distinction is being made for college transfer AA degrees and professional/techical AAS type degrees that don’t transfer. Yes, if a student is going to transfer, they should complete college level work, and maybe more, when it comes to writing and math. In the state of Washington, an AA means a student has completed all of their general education requirements so they can transfer to a four-year school with darn near junior standing, but perhaps not quite ready for the discipline of their choice. This is a deal worked out between the institutions state-wide.

If an AA is to have meaning, it must resonate with the schools to which a student wishes to transfer. But if a student is after an AAS in welding or dental hygiene (a highly competetive program most places I’ve been) or some such thing, they don’t need the college essay class and may or may not be well served by algebra. Still, I’d like to see such students get something beyond the business writing class that was mentioned earlier, maybe some critical thinking skills to prepare them to be critical citizens and consumers of mass culture, some enhancement of their life beyond the ability to land the job they want.

bradley bleck, instructor at Spokane Falls CC, at 8:05 pm EDT on September 14, 2006

I am delighted to see the bar being raised at the community college level — way past time. However, it truely is the high school where the ball is being dropped. Unless the local community college “powers that be” truthfully address the high school administrators in their respective areas about their lack of teaching english grammer, punctuation and spelling (and math also) we will continually have to deal with students who enter our colleges and become demoralized with their failure to perform.

judy campbell, at 4:35 pm EDT on September 15, 2006

Generally, most faculty support raising the standards to a university tranfer level; however, college faculty and administrators concerned with the “barriers” that these increased standards may create need to put some time and energy into planning additional student support or enhanced curriculum models. In addition, strengthened assessment rules could assist in improving success and limiting the “barrier” issues.

Laura Hope, English Professor at Chaffey College, at 5:40 pm EDT on September 18, 2006