Organizational & Administrative Practices
Affecting developmental education at the college
1. Program Structure
Basic Skills as a Foundation for Student Success in California Community Colleges
1. Developmental education is a clearly stated institutional priority.
2. A clearly articulated mission based on a shared, overarching philosophy drives the developmental education program. Clearly specified goals and objectives are established for developmental courses and programs.
3. The developmental education program is centralized or highly coordinated.
4. Institutional policies facilitate student completion of necessary developmental coursework as early as possible in the educational sequence.
5. A comprehensive system of support services exists, and is characterized by a high degree of integration among academic and student support services.
6. Faculty who are both knowledgeable and enthusiastic about developmental
education are recruited and hired to teach in the program.
7. Institutions manage faculty and student expectations regarding
1. Outreach & Recruitment
2. Orientation *
3. Assessment * & Placement *
4. Career Cruising
5. Educational Advisement *
6. CAP and/or Jump Start
* Mandatory for all new students
8. Financial Aid
disseminated to support all
students. Mechanisms exist to ensure that developmental students are
aware of such opportunities and are provided with assistance to apply
for an acquire financial aid.
9. Program Evaluations
Regular program evaluations are conducted, results are disseminated widely, and data is used to improve practice.
Faculty and staff training/professional development to support effective developmental education at the college.
1. Administrators support and encourage faculty development in basic
skills, and the improvement of teaching and learning is connected to the institutional mission.
2. The faculty play a primary role in needs assessment, planning, and implementation of staff development programs and activities in support of basic skills programs.
3. Staff development programs are structured and appropriately supported to sustain them as ongoing efforts related to institutional goals for the
improvement of teaching and learning.
4. Staff development opportunities are flexible, varied, and responsive to developmental needs of individual faculty, diverse student populations,
and coordinated programs/services.
5. Faculty development is clearly connected to intrinsic and extrinsic faculty reward structures.
10 practices linked to effective outcomes for all students.
1. Sound principles of learning theory are applied in the design/delivery of courses in the developmental program.
3. The developmental education program addresses holistic development of all aspects of the student. Attention is paid to the social and emotional development of the students as well as to their cognitive growth.
4. Culturally Responsive Teaching theory and practices are applied to all aspects of the
developmental instructional programs and services.
5. A high degree of structure is provided in developmental education courses.
6. Developmental education faculty employ a variety of instructional methods to accommodate student diversity.
7. Programs align entry/exit skills among levels and link course content to college-level performance requirements.
8. Developmental faculty routinely share instructional strategies.
9. Faculty and advisors closely monitor student performance.
10. Programs provide comprehensive academic support mechanisms, including
the use of trained tutors.