Curriculum

Changing Graduation Requirements for English and Mathematics

Whereas, Numerous community colleges are currently debating changes in their local graduation requirements, and several resolutions introduced and referred by the plenary body at the Fall 2002 session addressed proposed changes to Title 5 English and mathematics requirements for graduation, specifically
9.04recommended the right of local faculty, working through their local senates to determine mathematics requirements that best meet the needs of their students and communities, while

Curriculum Committees and Alternative Modes of Delivery

Whereas a responsible California community college system is responding to increasing public demand (i.e., welfare reform) for delivery of instruction in alternative formats by developing new courses and/or changing the format of existing courses in alternative formats, and

Whereas the delivery of such courses will have a variety of modes of delivery, length, and format, and

Whereas any new courses or major changes in existing courses must go through the college curriculum committees,

Occupational Career Certificates

Whereas currently only occupational career certificates of 18 or more units are approved by the Chancellor's Office, and many programs leading to licensing and credentialing require fewer units, and

Whereas the approval process for occupational career ladder certificates is not based on competency criteria, even when such criteria have been developed by professionals in the field, such as Model Program Curricula in interior design, automotive repair, psychiatric technician, etc., and

Models for Content Review

Whereas Title 5 requires general education instructors to carry out content review of their courses to validate the writing skills prerequisites and corequisites, and

Whereas there are currently no models to assist faculty to carry out content reviews of student writing skills in the content areas,

Prerequisite Research

Whereas some current research that seems to show that English and math prerequisites are predictors of student success in general education courses is, in fact, flawed research because of the flawed research design, and

Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges should only support indicators of student success that are valid and reliable,

Resolved that the Academic Senate support funding for longitudinal research designs relating to the use of math and writing skills to predict student success in other general education courses.

Curriculum Depository

Whereas technology now exists to allow for the archiving of curriculum materials for all courses accepted and taught at each community college within the state, and

Whereas access to these materials would reduce duplication of effort and would save time in the preparation of curriculum, and

Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is the most logical place for the depository and dissemination of those materials,

Regional Curriculum Colloquia

Whereas faculty are the key component in curriculum processes, and

Whereas faculty need accurate information about curriculum processes in order to assure that students are well served in their goals of articulation, transfer, and completion of programs in a timely manner, and

Whereas regional curriculum colloquia have provided essential information and training for curriculum committee chairs and committee members, but such colloquia have been discontinued because of lack of Chancellor's Office funding,

ESL

Whereas courses in English as a Second Language (ESL) have been erroneously included in basic skills, and

Whereas ESL courses at a certain level have been identified as transferable,

Resolved that the Academic Senate urge the Chancellor and the Board of Governors to recognize that English as a Second Language (ESL) mastery is distinct from basic skills competency.

Certificates Task Force

Whereas Article 2, section 53200, of Title 5 indicates that local boards must mutually agree with or rely primarily on the advice of the faculty senate in the area of the granting of degrees and certificates, and

Whereas the published list of the Chancellor's Office Certificates Task Force includes only two faculty members of its ten members,

Basic Skills Certificates

Whereas the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has consistently opposed the establishment of a separate basic skills discipline, and

Whereas there is confusion about the definition, levels, and courses in basic skills English and math, and

Whereas the value of a basic skills certificate has not been adequately researched and studied,

Resolved that the Academic Senate oppose the establishment or use of basic skills certificates at this time.

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