Thanks to intersegmental work such as the American Diploma Project, the Academic Senate has been able to bring the ICAS Competency Statements to the attention of many groups, including the California Department of Education. This will inform work being done on alignment of expectations and assessment.
Whereas, The California Community College System and the Academic Senate are committed to our colleges being open access institutions;
Whereas, An unintended consequence of our colleges being fully open access institutions without academic admissions requirements is that prospective students and others may presume that there is no need for secondary students to prepare academically to attend community colleges, and, as a result, students may not take advantage of the college preparation opportunities in high school;
Whereas, Up to 70-80% of entering students require basic skills instruction at community colleges, which means that they take a much longer time to complete their college goals than they would if they graduated from high school with a higher level of skills; and
Whereas, Communicating college preparation expectations to secondary students and parents is a strategy that is recommended in various research studies as a mechanism to increase student success, retention, and completion in college;
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges maintain its commitment to open access and simultaneously more clearly articulate and actively communicate our expected levels for entering freshmen such as expressed in the 2000 Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates document Academic Literacy: A Statement of Competencies Expected of Students Entering California's Public Colleges and Universities; and
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the System Office and administrative leaders to develop a clearer message and strategies to convey to secondary students, teachers, and parents that optimal community college success is greatly dependent upon the skills and knowledge levels students bring with them when they enter community colleges. MSC Disposition: System Office, Local Senates