1. The Basic Skills Initiative
and Community College
Libraries Conference
Diablo Valley College
April 24, 2009
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2. Nancy Cook
Sacramento/Central Valley Network Coordinator
CCC BSI 2009
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3. 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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4. 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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5. $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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6. 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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7. 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

8. Why Do We Need a Network?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpEnF

wiqdx8
8

9. What Does This all Mean?
Huge popularity of social networks

Need for sharp technology skills to compete

in global society
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10. Building the Pilot Network:
2009

12. Summer Leadership
Training:
Network building
capacity, sustainability, and
scalability

13. 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 card

Turn to person in front, behind, or beside

you and tell your challenge
Discuss what can be done to overcome

these challenges
Write solution to challenge on other side

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14. 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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15. BSI Resources
NEW—Effective Practices for Promoting the

Transition of High School Students to
College:
http://www.cccbsi.org/Websites/basicskills/I
mages/High-School-Transition.pdf
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16. 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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17. 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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18. BSI Resources
National Center for Developmental

Education (NCDE):
http://www.ncde.appstate.edu/
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19. ARCC Data
ARCC Data: Accountability Report for the

Community Colleges
 MIS data from colleges (Management
Information System)
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20. 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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21. 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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22. Accessing ARCC Data
http://www.cccco.edu/SystemOffice/Divisio

ns/TechResearchInfo/ResearchandPlanning/
ARCC/tabid/292/Default.aspx
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23. 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 one
 Check with your VPI to locate yours
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24. Basic Skills Action Plans
Due in Chancellor’s Office every fall

Provides detailed goals for academic year

 Provides broad goals for next five years
 Pierce College
 http://faculty.piercecollege.edu/senate/policies/sk
illsAction.pdf
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25. How can Librarians Help Basic
Skills Students ?
Think technology!

Digital immigrants vs. digital natives

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26. Using Technology in Libraries
Sierra College

Flickr: http://lrc.sierracollege.edu/

 VoiceThread:
http://voicethread.com/#q.b122517.i635453
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27. 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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28. 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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29. 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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30. 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/documen
ts/workshops_maincampus.pdf
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31. Getting Involved with BSI
Make what you do interesting and

applicable to today’s 18 to 24 year-olds
 Publish newsletters
 Make “catchy” headlines, titles, descriptions
 Riverside City College:
http://www.slideshare.net/ncook/cap-fall-2009
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32. Questions or Comments ?
Nancy Cook, Sacramento/Central
Valley Network Coordinator
ncook@sierracollege.edu
http://cccbsi.edulounge.net

33. 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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34. Small Group Activity
In groups, discuss/brainstorm ideas for the

question below
 Write ideas on paper; then hang on wall
 Have 35 minutes for activity
 Have 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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