Question 2: Recommendation 16

This is Aiden Ely, Coordinator for Transfer and Articulation in the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office.  Prior to this position I worked for 16 years at a local community college primarily in workforce development, work experience and other special programs.

Recommendtion 16 speaks to providing additional learning support at key transition points in the education process.  While I support the intent of providing learning support to students at key transition points, I am concerned that a traditional view of "freshman" or "first year college student" may not be applicable to many students in the community college environment and thereby disqualify them for much needed support. Many of our students do not enroll right out of college as full time freshman in the traditional sense.  Years may have passed since high school graduation or they may come in after having dropped out gone to adult ed. and passing their GED.  Many take only one course, stop, continue, stop, continue all the while working and/or raising children. It may take two years or more to complete the coursework that a traditional full time freshman would complete in a single academic year. At the post secondary level (at least in community colleges), the need for additional learning support may be better served by assessment methodologies rather than by a standardized, traditional "point in time".