Project Overview
The data element CB 21 indicates course levels in a sequence below the transferable course in English, ESL, mathematics, and reading. These sequences are used to report student progress through sequential basic skills courses statewide; to provide a matrix for the comparison of courses prior to transfer across all 110 community colleges; and to provide a common course level for reporting student placement. This project was developed collaboratively by the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, partners in the Basic Skills Initiative, and Academic Affairs and Management Information Systems staff in the Chancellor’s Office.
Re-coding of the CB 21 data element and some T.O.P. codes is necessary to improve reporting for the legislated accountability reports (ARCC Assembly Bill (AB) 1417 and the ARCC supplemental Senate Bill (SB) 361) as well as to provide useful data to colleges concerning student placement, progress and success in basic skills. Along with the CB 21 re-coding process, changes in the T.O.P codes for these courses are also necessary. This project began on campuses in November 2009 and revised data must be reported to the Chancellor’s Office Management Information Systems (COMIS) no later than March 1, 2010. Earlier deadlines have been unofficially announced and should now be replaced with March 1, 2010. This new deadline is intended to give discipline faculty adequate time to review coding for all relevant courses, to submit proposed changes through the Master Course File Maintenance process, and to fix any identified errors prior to final upload.
Using the rubrics developed by discipline faculty, the community colleges will re-code the CB 21 data element only for credit and noncredit courses in English, ESL, mathematics, and reading.
The changes are expansive and require curricular discussion of student expectations. It is important that prior to re-coding the college promotes curricular discussion about basic skills coursework and student pathways. These discussions should involve discipline faculty experts in each discipline, the CIO and the person who inputs the data into the MIS system. It is also highly suggested that the institutional researcher be part of this process in order to create a better understanding of the useful applications of these metrics at the local level and in using the CB 21 data element in the basic skills supplemental report.
Resources:
· Coding the Students Progress Pathway through Basic Skills English, ESL, Mathematics and Reading Courses in California Community Colleges includes the rubrics for CB 21 re-coding
· CB 21 Data Element (revised 2009)
· CB 22 Data Element