Whereas, The Consultation Council Assessment Task Force recommendations include the suggestion of a pilot project to explore the alignment across colleges of course outcomes for a sequence of composition courses "as a first step in researching the feasibility of implementing a common assessment";
Whereas, The Consultation Council Assessment Task Force lacked professional representation from composition and reading faculty, who are the experts in assessment in their discipline;
Whereas, The Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) in its Position Statement of November 2006, asserts that "The methods and criteria that readers use to assess writing should be locally developed," and "There is no test which can be used in all environments for all purposes, and the best assessment for any group of students must be locally determined."; and
Whereas, The Consultation Council Task Force itself acknowledged that "Education Code 70902(b)(7) clearly puts responsibility for curriculum under the joint responsibility of the local board and the academic senates of the district, a significant impediment to the implementation of a statewide curriculum in English, mathematics, or ESL";
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges resist the implementation of any pilot project or systemwide change that may threaten or in any way diminish the autonomy of individual colleges in curricular decisions or ability to exercise local control over academic standards. MSR Disposition: Referred to the Executive Committee for immediate action and report back in Spring 2008.