Tracking Student Progress Through
Basic Skills: A Discipline Framework
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We will start at 11:00
Janet Fulks, Bakersfield College
Marcy Alancraig, Cabrillo College
ASCCC Basic Skills Webinar Series
Tracking Student Progress Through
Basic Skills: A Discipline Framework
Janet Fulks, Bakersfield College
Marcy Alancraig, Cabrillo College
ASCCC Basic Skills Webinar Series
Outcomes for this Session
• Relate the story of CB 21 coding for
basic skills
Demonstrate what this project might
mean for your college
How do you define basic skills?
Type the answer in the chat box.
Title 5
• math
• reading
• writing
• ESL
Basic Skills
improvement
was only 50%
ESL
improvement
only 47.4%
There was no
movement for
a decade.
THE MYSTERY
Why did the AARC
report reveal that
less than half the
students in basic
skills and ESL were
progressing?
To find the clues
First we need some
basics
Every course is described or defined by course basic
codes (CB coding) that assign data elements to allow
reporting and analysis according to specific curriculum
functions.
Some examples:
Repeatability (CB 12)
Course title (CB 02)
TOPs code (CB03)
Credit status (CB 04)
Transfer status (CB 05)
Basic skills/ Degree
applicable (CB 08)
Course Prior to Transfer
(CB21)
Noncredit Category
(CB22)
Part of a Program (CB24)
Uses of Course Coding
The following represent a few reports created purely on the MIS
* coding without ever referencing the Course Outline of
Record:
• Allocation of funding to the colleges
• Census data
• FTES counts for apportionment
• FTEF counts for staffing reports
• Equity reporting
• Reporting to the federal database IPEDS
• Report to the California database CPEC
• Report to the state legislature ARCC – Accountability
report for California Community Colleges
• * MIS = Management Information Systems
CCC MIS Database
EOPS
DSPS
VTEA
PBS
Emp.
Assign.
Matric.
Student
Demographics
(SB)
Fin.
Aid
Emp.
Demo.
CalWORKs
Assess.
Enrollments
(SX)
Pgm.
Awds.
Calendar
Assignments
Sessions
Sections
Courses
How is the data used?
The data, based upon the coding, can be used to
Justify funding increases or decreases
Provide a rationale for policies
Provide accountability for expenditures such
as Perkins and Basic Skills Initiative Dollars
Program review
Educational improvement
ARCC Report
• Basic Skills
Success
Basic Skills
Progress –
progress up the
levels CB
A to B to C to
college level
Basic Skills
Supplemental Report
Basic Skills Success and Basic
Skills progress by discipline
Math (4 levels credit
Reading (4 levels)
Writing/English (4 levels)
ESL (writing, reading,
speaking/listening, 6 levels;
integrated)
Plus number of sections &
assessment levels & noncredit
The Problem
Discovered!
The Coding was Not
Consistent with
the Curriculum
CB 21 had no consistent definition
Used to mean “courses prior to
college/transfer” but …
What is transfer level?
What is college level?
Prior to Fall 2009 – meant graduation requirements
Currently
graduation requirements = intermediate algebra
(college level but not transferable)
Currently Title 5 allows Algebra as degree
applicable which then dictates that this is
equivalent to college level .
Student Success Conference 2009
College #1
Sample Coding – Credit Courses only
CB04 Degree applicability or not
CB08 Basic Skills or not
Elementary Geometry
Intermediate Algebra
Elementary Algebra
Pre-algebra
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= N NOT Degree Applicable
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=B Basic Skills
CB 21 levels
A
A
B
C
College #2
Elementary Algebra
Arithmetic
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= N NOT Degree Applicable
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=B Basic Skills
A
B
College #3
Elementary Algebra
Elementary Algebra- 1st half
Elementary Algebra -2nd half
Intermediate Algebra
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=N Not basic Skills
A
A
A
A
College #4
Intermediate Algebra
Basic Mathematics
Beginning Algebra
CB04= D Degree Applicable
CB04= N NOT Degree Applicable
CB04= N NOT Degree Applicable
CB08=N Not basic Skills
CB08=B Basic Skills
CB08=B Basic Skills
A
C
Y
Coding Problems
Some CB coding was incorrect
All coded at the same CB 21 level
CB 21 coded backwards or inconsistently
Some courses are incorrectly identified as transfer
(CB 05)
Some courses are incorrectly identified as degree
applicable – contrary to Title 5 (CB 08)
Some courses are NOT identified as Basic Skills
when they were basic skills
Some courses were placed in the wrong TOP codes
The solution to the
Problem!
Gather Faculty to create
rubrics to define what each
level below transfer means
Student Success Conference 2009
ASCCC Organized Meetings
English
Reading
Mathematics
ESL
Non-Credit
CB 21 Rubrics
Developed by over 350 faculty
Work included national literature research
Created CB 21 rubrics for statewide levels of all courses
within common guidelines
Vetted by over 300 faculty
Shared with professional groups (CATESOL, ECCTYC, CMC3,
CRLA)
Officially adopted by all 110 colleges April 2009
RESULTS……..
• Corrected existing coding inconsistencies
Involved collaboration of faculty, selected curriculum committee
members, discipline faculty, CIOs and researchers
Discipline
Credit
Noncredit
Likely bridge
noncredit to credit
Math
Four levels CB 21 A, B, C, D
Six levels CB 21
A, B, C, D, E, F
Levels C & D
English
Four levels CB 21 A, B, C, D
Seven levels CB
21 A, B, C, D, E, F,
G
Level B or C
Reading
Four levels CB 21
A, B, C, D
Five levels CB 21
A, B, C, D, E
Level A or B
ESL
6 levels ESL Reading CB 21
A, B, C, D, E, F
8 levels ESL
Integrated CB 21
A,B,C,D,E, F, G, H
Most noncredit end
2 levels prior to
English 1 A at Level
B
6 levels ESL Writing CB 21
A, B, C, D, E, F
6 levels ESL Speaking &
Listening CB 21
A, B, C, D, E, F
Student Success Conference 2009
Includes
vocational and
Cultural skills
Where are the Rubrics and
Guidelines?
They can be found at
http://www.cccbsi.org
And the CCCCO website
Student Success Conference 2009
How can you use the rubrics?
Let’s answer a few key questions
Type in your answer to the
questions below
? This CB21 recoding process
A. required new TOP codes for all ESL, basic
skills math, English and reading
B. corrected existing inaccuracies in CB 21
coding
C. aligned statewide levels of basic skills
courses
D. helped correct other CB data elements
E. did all of the above
? Which of the basic skills courses
are coded with CB 21 ?
A. Reading, math, ESL and writing
(English) courses in a sequence
B. All reading, math, ESL and writing
(English) basic skills courses
C. Study Skills courses
D. Transfer courses
E. None – all of the above are basic skills
? Can a course be coded as both degree
applicable (CB04) and basic skills (CB08) ?
A.Yes
B.No
C.Under some specific
conditions
? Can you have more than one
course on a specific CB21 level ?
A. Yes, it is allowable
B. No, it is not allowable
C. Yes, it is allowable but you
should examine why
Deleted T.O.P. codes
New T.O.P. Code or Existing Codes
4930.21 – Writing
4930.70 – Reading Skills Development
4930.71 – Reading Skills, College Level
1501.00 – English (writing)
1520.00 – Reading
4930.40 – Career Technical Computational Skills
4930.41 – Pre-Algebra (Basic Math/Arithmetic)
4930.42 – Elementary Algebra
1701.00 – Mathematics, General
1702.00 – Mathematics Skills
4930.20 – Communication Skills
1506.00 – Speech Communication
or 4930.33 – Learning Skills, Speech Impaired
or Other appropriate T.O.P. codes
4930.80 – ESL–Intermediate
4930.81 – ESL–Advanced
4930.82 – ESL–Elementary
4930.83 – ESL–Degree-applicable
4930.84 – ESL Writing
4930.85 – ESL Reading
4930.86 – ESL Speaking/Listening
4930.87 – ESL Integrated
4930.91 – ESL Civics
4930.87 – ESL Integrated
or 4930.90 – Citizenship
? When courses are coded, are you
allowed to have gaps? For instance
CB 21 D,C,A ?
A. Yes gaps are allowable
B. No gaps are not allowable
C. You may have gaps but this
should result in discussions
about your curriculum
Things to Consider
Student success:
Should you have more levels or fewer levels?
The longer the ladder the fewer students complete
Research indicates too many steps are a barrier to
progress
There are TIPPING POINTS
Dialogue:
Stimulate discussions about basic skills and degreeapplicable courses appropriate to your college vision,
mission and culture
ARCC DATA
Indicator
Student Progress &
Achievement
2008
51.2%
Statewide Rates
2009
2010
51.8% 52.3%
2011
53.6%
Completed 30 or more
units
70.4%
71.2%
72.4%
72.8%
Fall to Fall Persistence
68.3%
69.2%
68.7%
67.6%
Voc Ed Course
Completion
78.2%
77.7%
77.6%
77.0%
Basic Skills Course
Completion
60.5%
60.5%
61.5%
61.4%
Basic Skills Course
Improvement
50.0%
51.2%
53.8%
54.6%
ESL Course
Improvement
44.7%
50.1%
50.2%
58.6%
Now that you know about CB 21,
what might this information mean
for your college specifically?
Student Success Conference 2009
Coding Makes a BIG Difference in
Outcomes Reports!
What will you do at your college?
How will you define basic skills?
Thanks