Increasing Student Achievement for Basic Skills Students. Research Report Number 08-1

The purpose of this paper is to describe basic skills students in relation to their participation in basic skills and their success in transitioning to college-level classes, and the momentum they gain towards college success from this participation. In the period of time covered by the data used for this analysis, 24 colleges offered I-BEST (Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training) programs. The first part of this paper provides a description of basic skills students in all colleges. Subsequently, comparisons are drawn from within the 24 I-BEST colleges for students enrolled exclusively in basic skills, students who also attempt other college classes during the year and for I-BEST students. The data source for this paper is the Student Achievement Initiative database. The findings in this report suggest that there can be a strong interface between I-BEST, instruction methodology, and building pathways for students to the "tipping point" and beyond. The Achievement Initiative's momentum points can be helpful in development of this interface. The evidence in this report suggests that I-BEST should consider getting students to the starting line and in fact further suggests that some I-BEST students can get well beyond. The findings have implications for advising as well. Momentum points in the Achievement Initiative are useful milestones that students can strive to achieve. They should be made aware when they reach critical momentum points and learn how reaching them gives momentum for going even further. Finally, the report identifies colleges where students appear to move further and faster. The State Board Student Achievement Initiative provides a means to measure incremental progress in student achievement and provide evidence for developing and improving practices. Previously, the community and technical college system did not have a consistent way to quantitatively evaluate promising practices. The Student Achievement Initiative provides a common measurement through the "momentum" points, which can be used to measure results in a uniform way. Next steps could be for these leaders to identify, assess and share promising practices with the system that help students progress forward. (Contains 3 tables and 7 figures.)