This document is a compilation of background readings for the user of Computerized Placement Tests (CPTs) developed by the College Board for student placement purposes. CPTs are computerized adaptive tests that test the individual abilities and backgrounds of examinees. CPTs are part of the ACCUPLACER student information management system. The…

The findings of numerous empirically based research studies reflecting the views of teachers, students, and administrators can be used to identify a "core of techniques" associated with effective community college teachers. Community college teaching is generally more student-centered than four-year college instruction, with the choice of teaching…

In 1989, Oakton Community College (OCC) in Des Plaines, Illinois, began developing an honors core seminar in the sciences. The course was to be an interdisciplinary, laboratory-based science and humanities seminar, designed to explore the nature, process, and methods of science and the place of science in society. Rather than mastering a body of…

In 1987, Midlands Technical College (MTC), in Columbia, South Carolina, initiated a Computer Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) project, the Midlands Teaching Factory, LTD, which integrated various college departments with the goal of manufacturing a high quality, saleable product. The faculty developed a teaching factory model which was designed to…

In the California Community Colleges (CCC), noncredit adult education courses provide remedial, developmental, occupational, and other educational opportunities for students who do not need to obtain unit credit at the time of enrollment. Of California's 107 community colleges, 95 offer noncredit instruction. Community colleges, together with high…

Issued jointly by Oregon's Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Commissioner of Community Colleges, this policy statement is aimed at implementing the Oregon Tech Prep/Associate Degree Program (TPAD), a new applied academics curricular structure. The paper begins with a summary of Oregon's school reform effort, an open letter to the…

In 1991, an instructional development needs assessment was conducted of the part-time faculty at Northwestern Michigan College (NMC). A survey instrument, requesting participants to rank-order a variety of skills and competencies were mailed to two groups: part-time faculty who had taught at least one quarter at NMC in the 1989-90 school year; and…

This document presents a descriptive study of the Home Visit Program, which is part of Project Focus. The project was designed to support healthy family development by offering a broad range of services to families of children from birth to 5 years of age in two school districts. Emphasis was placed on preventive services for families in high-risk…

The Project for Adult College Education (PACE) at Los Angeles Pierce College, in California, is a transfer-oriented General Education program for working adults. The program was initiated in 1986, enrolling approximately 200 adult students each semester during the first 2 years. The program now enrolls approximately 400 adult students each…

Following the introduction of a one-credit practice lab, and computer-assisted practice into a developmental reading course at the Riverside Campus of Austin Community College (Texas), students made gains on course exit test scores. In an effort to determine whether the test-score gains were due to increased practice time or due to the use of…

Endorsing a broader definition of scholarship and increased recognition of faculty and administrator scholarship in two-year colleges, this collection of seven articles examines the role of leadership in changing institutional attitudes and values; the connection between scholarship and teaching; and the professional obligations of community…

In February 1992, a survey was conducted of all 50 public colleges in the Illinois Community College System (ICCS) to gather information pertinent to the condition of the colleges' physical plants, such as financial data for fiscal year (FY) 1991 and budget estimates for FY 1992. Results of the survey, based on responses from 42 of the colleges,…

This brochure, one in a series of four, is designed to assist parents encourage their daughters efforts related to mathematics and science. Addressing the parents in a personal manner, six sections give parents suggestions on how this can be accomplished. The first section emphasizes to parents the importance of mathematics and science in possible…

This paper describes a 1993-94 pilot program in Memphis (Tennessee) that was developed to increase the number of minority students prepared for, matriculating to, and graduating from postsecondary institutions. The communitywide partnership of institutions that implemented the program is described, along with the needs assessment commissioned by…

Focusing on corrective strategies for improving reading skills of at-risk community college students, this document reviews the history of such strategies, highlights current efforts, and assesses future needs. The first section traces the history of remedial reading programs at community colleges, beginning with small individualized sections…