The Basic Skills Initiative

and Community College Libraries

ConferenceDiablo Valley CollegeApril 24, 2009

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Nancy Cook Sacramento/Central Valley Network Coordinator

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CCC BSI 2009

Years of the BSI

Year 1: Effective practices report, the “Poppy Copy”

Year 2: Regional meetings raise awareness of need

Year 3: Regional meetings encourage call to action plus content-level workshops

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History of the BSI

BSI discussions born out of need to raise math and English requirements

Collaboration between Academic Senate Chief Instructional Officers Chief Student Services Officers Chancellor’s Office

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BSI Grants

$33 million each year, 110 community colleges

$1.6 million each year for professional development

Year 1: Center for Student Success Years 2 & 3: Foothill-De Anza Community

College District, Barbara Illowsky Year 4: Los Angeles Community College

District, Deborah Harrington

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Highly Coordinated

Workshops important to introduce and motivate to action

Now a strong need to link all parts into organized, “highly coordinated” whole

Remember Strand A from Poppy Copy Most successful BSI Programs are either

centralized or “highly coordinated”

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CCC BSI 2009: Building a Success Network

Need for connection, community, professional learning

Four Regional Network Pilots: Sacramento/Central Valley: Nancy Cook Bay Area: Anniqua Rana Los Angeles: Daryl Kinney San Diego: Lisa Brewster

Why Do We Need a Network?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnFwiqdx8

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What Does This all Mean?

Huge popularity of social networksNeed for sharp technology skills to

compete in global society

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Building the Pilot Network: 2009

2010

2011

Summer Leadership Training:

Network building capacity,

sustainability, and scalability

Activity

What is the greatest challenge you face in trying to implement library services to help basic skills students be more successful?

Write challenge on index cardTurn to person in front, behind, or

beside you and tell your challengeDiscuss what can be done to

overcome these challengesWrite solution to challenge on other

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Valuable BSI Resources

Official BSI web site: http://cccbsi.org/

CCC BSI 2009 blog site: http://cccbsi.edulounge.net

Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges: http://cccbsi.org/Websites/basicskills/Images/Lit_Review_Student_Success.pdf

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BSI Resources

NEW—Effective Practices for Promoting the Transition of High School Students to College: http://www.cccbsi.org/Websites/basicskills/Images/High-School-Transition.pdf

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BSI Resources

 Promising Practices for Transitioning Students from Adult Education to Postsecondary Education: http://cccbsi.org/Websites/basicskills/Images/Promising-Practices.pdf

Basic Skills Handbook: http://cccbsi.org/basic-skills-handbook

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BSI Resources

BSI Effective Practices Database: http://bsi.cccco.edu/

National Association for Developmental Education (NADE): http://www.nade.net/

Brand New—CalADE—California chapter of NADE: contact the Academic Senate info@asccc.org

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BSI Resources

National Center for Developmental Education (NCDE): http://www.ncde.appstate.edu/

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ARCC Data

ARCC Data: Accountability Report for the Community Colleges

MIS data from colleges (Management Information System)

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Basic Skills in ARCC

Annual Successful Course Completion Rate for Credit Basic Skills Courses Horizontal Progress▪ Completed any credit basic skills course at 2 or more levels below transfer and retained to end of course with (A,B,C, CR)

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Basic Skills in ARCC

Improvement Rates for ESL and Credit Basic Skills Courses Vertical Progress▪ Track freshmen enrolled in any basic skills course who then enroll in a subsequent semester in a higher level course of the same discipline—can be basic skills or not▪ Must complete higher course with A,B,C or CR/P

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Accessing ARCC Data

http://www.cccco.edu/SystemOffice/Divisions/TechResearchInfo/ResearchandPlanning/ARCC/tabid/292/Default.aspx

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Student Equity Plan (SEP)

A plan for addressing the needs of historically underrepresented students in order to increase their success rate

Every college required to have oneCheck with your VPI to locate yours

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Basic Skills Action Plans

Due in Chancellor’s Office every fallProvides detailed goals for

academic yearProvides broad goals for next five

yearsPierce College

http://faculty.piercecollege.edu/senate/policies/skillsAction.pdf

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How can Librarians Help Basic Skills Students ?

Think technology!

Digital immigrants vs. digital natives

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Using Technology in Libraries

Sierra CollegeFlickr: http://lrc.sierracollege.edu/VoiceThread:

http://voicethread.com/#q.b122517.i635453

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Activity

Cha Cha—a free research service using your cell phone

In your phone text message window, type 242242

Ask any question—What were the primary causes of WWI

In minutes you get an answer! (Be sure texting is free on your

phone; otherwise watch a neighbor do this)

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Getting Involved with BSI

Meet with other librarians and brainstorm ideas for projects/programs/activities to help basic skills students succeed

Meet with your college’s basic skills committee and discuss ideas

Better yet, ask to join your college’s basic skills committee and provide regular input

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Examples of Basic Skills Committees

Los Medanos College: http://www.losmedanos.edu/deved/devcom.asp

Mission College: http://www.missioncollege.org/basicSkills/

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Getting Involved with BSI

Teach a workshop on Finding Resources as part of your college’s student workshop series

Butte College: http://

www.butte.edu/departments/cas/documents/workshops_maincampus.pdf

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Getting Involved with BSI

Make what you do interesting and applicable to today’s 18 to 24 year-olds

Publish newslettersMake “catchy” headlines, titles,

descriptions Riverside City College: http://

www.slideshare.net/ncook/cap-fall-2009

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Nancy Cook, Sacramento/Central Valley

Network Coordinator

ncook@sierracollege.edu

http://cccbsi.edulounge.net

Questions or Comments ?

Small Group Activity

Get into 10 groups based on color/number on your name tag

Choose one or two effective practices from list on handout

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Small Group Activity

In groups, discuss/brainstorm ideas for the question below

Write ideas on paper; then hang on wall

Have 35 minutes for activityHave 10 minutes for perusing

others’ ideas Based on the effective practice(s)

you have chosen, what library services programs and/or activities can you create that will help basic skills students be more successful? Give strategies for implementing these

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