REDWOODS COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
Meeting of the Basic Skills Committee
Friday, November 1, 2013, SS 203, 9am - 10am.
Summary Notes
1. Called to Order: Present: Erin Wall, Tracey Thomas, Harry Pyke, Pam Kessler, Sheila Hall,
Angelina Hill, Steve Jackson, Crislyn Parker-support
2. Approve Notes:
3. Action Items
3.1 Review Charge and Scope:
 Membership has changes slightly, to include members of the EMC; Barbara Jaffari will not
be on the committee. The group is looking at Danny Walker to represent for CTE.)
 Discussion on mission and scope with basic skills courses moving to non-credit. There is
still discussion of who will have oversight of non-credit basic skills courses (instruction or
community Ed) and this could affect the scope.
 Important to strengthen articulation between credit and noncredit courses.
 Agreement that an outcome of BSC should be to recommend the non-credit courses are
systematically assessed.
4. Discussion Items
4.1 Review Annual Plan Submitted to Chancellor’s Office
 Discussion on how to organize and award funding based on the categories included in the
report to the Chancellor’s office.
o Discussion that BSI funds pay for development of pathways from non-credit to credit.
o Coordinating the call for proposals to relate to basic skills, the college mission and
institutional planning.
o Coordinate professional development staff training, which seems to be splintered, into a
common goal and pathway
o How to improve awareness in all departments of what the BSC is doing. One
suggestion is BSC should be an EMC standing agenda item.
 Agreement to bring in outside speakers, not only for basic skills, but to address retention and
persistence. Discussion to bring in speakers who can assist us in strategizing.
 There are areas where specific student populations are continually under average, and other
areas where this has been successfully addressed. A suggestion is to lead from the middle
and utilize our own faculty resources in addressing some of these problems.
 Next steps:
o Erin and Tracey will facilitate articulation between basic skills and transitioning
students to college level courses for faculty, and will include Julia.
4.2 Remind Basic Skills-funded Applicants to Report Outcomes and Assessments
5. Reports/Other:
 Discussion to meet twice monthly. Next meeting will be Friday, November 15, 9am.
 Future Agenda Item: Organizing and Targeting areas for funding.