Many at Solano Community College do better than average

Many at SCC do better than average
http://www.thereporter.com/news/ci_8822546

Solano Community College ranks higher than other community colleges in the state in terms of the number of students transferring to four-year college institutions. Almost 100,000 community college students statewide are taking advantage of the state's educational system and choosing to continue their education at four-year institutions, according to a recent state report.

At SCC, about 50 percent of the students either transferred to a four-year college, earned their Associate of Arts or Science degree, earned a certificate or achieved transfer-dedicated or transfer- prepared status from 2001 to 2007, down from 53 percent between 2000 and 2006.

Relative to SCC's 50 percent tansfer rate, a series of articles by the Contra Costa Times says that estimates have one in four students community college students statewide reaching four-year institutions. Some students come to the community college system unprepared for college-level work. Seeing a decline in basic skills throughout the community college system, the state approved the Basic Skills initiative which was designed out of the need to provide basic skills, and by extension English as a Second Language education to students under-prepared for college-level work, including those unable to pass the California High School Exit Exam.

The state budgeted about $30 million to help community colleges with tutoring and other individual programs. The students who do attend SCC are bucking the state trend in Basic Skills Improvement. From 2004-05 to 2006-07 SCC students improved almost 59 percent in their Basic Skills, all of the 109 community colleges in the state improved just 50 percent on their Basic Skills..