Reading Competencies:
Practices & Issues
Barbara Illowsky, De Anza College
illowskybarbara@deanza.edu
Dianne McKay, Mission College
dianne_mckay@wvm.edu
Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein, Santa Monica
College
Tahvildaran_Richard@smc.edu
Resolution 9.08, Spring 2006
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for
California Community Colleges research
current practices and the need for
reading competency systemwide to
develop a position paper on this topic.
Outcomes:
At the end of this session, we will:
know each other
 understand various current practices
across the state
 grasp the issues involved in instituting a
reading requirement
 have developed survey questions

Agenda:
Introductory Questions (15 minutes)
 Mission College Practices (10 minutes)
 Santa Monica College Practices (10
minutes)
 Issues discussion (15 minutes)
 Issues report out (5 minutes)
 Survey questions – develop (15 minutes)
 Wrap up (5 minutes)

Introductory Questions
What is your interest in attending this
session?
 Does your college currently have a
Reading Competency requirement for the
associate degree?
 Is your college thinking of adding a
Reading Competency requirement for the
associate degree?

Mission College Practices
Reading at Mission College is a separate
department from English with its own
courses.
 Mission has a reading competency for
graduation which can be achieved through
either course work or proficiency testing.

Mission College Practices

Reading has a 3 course sequence to
achieve the graduation competency:
◦ READ 960: Reading Fundamentals:
Instruction in word attack, vocabulary
development and comprehension.
◦ READ 961: Effective Reading: For students to
correct or improve reading habits and skills
including expanding vocabulary, improving
comprehension and attaining an efficient
reading rate.
Mission College Practices
◦ READ 053: Speed and Critical Reading:
(transferable to CSU) Enables students to
reach their optimal reading speeds and to
improve comprehension of collegiate and
technical materials.
 Completion of this course with a grade of “C” or
better meets the graduation competency
requirement.
Mission College Practices

Mission uses the Comprehensive Test of
English Placement (Reading
Comprehension) Test for placement with
the following cut scores:
◦
◦
◦
◦
6 – 12 correct: READ 960
13 – 19 correct: READ 961 (also ESL 970)
20 – 26 correct: READ 053
27 – 35 correct: Reading Proficiency. Meets
graduation requirement.
Santa Monica College Practices
Reading at SMC is embedded within a
series of English course offerings.
 SMC measures a student’s reading
competency for graduation by her
successful completion of English 1
(Reading & Compositions) paired with
English 48 (Critical Study Reading, Speed
Reading & Vocabulary)

Santa Monica College Practices
student access to an online Reading Lab
 sequence of courses aimed at Reading
Competency
 courses are grouped as Levels C, B, & A
 placement in a particular writing &
reading class is based on the results of
his/her English assessment

Santa Monica College Practices

SMC Reading Lab:
http://homepage.smc.edu/reading_lab/
Issues discussion
What would be or were issues on your
campus for instituting a reading
competency requirement?
 Break into groups

Issues report out
Pressure to eliminate reading competency
 Faulty placement tools
 Need tailored of curriculum for a variety
of levels of students (rubrics)
 Political issues/$$
 Lack of qualified Reading Specialists (esp.
for adults)
 Students’ unrealistic time frames for
getting up to transfer level

(continued)
Prereqs. tend to lower class size
 What classes to cancel
 Student flight away
 Attitudes regarding professional
responsibility – ALL faculty teaching
 Comfort level with status quo
 May inhibit open access
 Mission statement (not compatible)

Survey questions:

Does your college have a Reading
Competency graduation requirement?
Yes, subsumed in English writing course No
Yes, separate from English writing course Not sure

If yes, what is the requirement?
Reading Course
Reading Placement/Proficiency Test
Writing Course Writing Placement/Proficiency Test
Other (describe)
Report out of survey questions:

Is reading a requirement at the transfer
level or developmental level?

Do you have a Reading Across the Curric.
Program? For transfer or for dev. Ed only?
Are the courses taught by faculty or IA’s?

How many faculty teaching Reading have a
reading specialty training?
(Continued)
How does the college comply with Title 5
requirements about Reading? How do
you measure it?
 Do you ADVISE or PLACE students?
 Do you have a time by which they must
take the class?
 Do you have a reading test for
matriculation?

(Continued)
How many reading/Eng levels do you have
below English 1A?
 Do you have reading pre-reqs for GE
courses?

(Continued)
Does your college have an AA Reading
requirement?
 If yes, how many courses satisfy this req?
 What are the courses?
 Can students test out of the Reading req?
 What test do you use?
 What scores allow students to test out?

Next Steps
Basic Skills Committee of ASCCC will
develop a survey.
 Survey will, hopefully, be sent out in Spring
2009.
 Results will be published.

THANK YOU!!!