Seizing the Moment:

Community Colleges Collaborating to Improve   Student Success  

As the national movement to increase community college access continues to gain momentum, a new report from Higher Ed for Higher Standards suggests that these efforts will be much more successful if they include clear strategies for increasing college readiness so students are better prepared for success.

Produced in partnership with American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT), this action-oriented report outlines key steps community colleges can take to improve college readiness and completion rates by leveraging the more ambitious K-12 standards & assessments most states have adopted.

The report bases its recommendations on examples of community colleges around the country that have adopted innovative approaches to working with their local high schools to increase college readiness rates, while also changing their approaches to placement and first year course design to improve student success. The recommendations cover three critical areas:

• Precollege interventions to help students speed up and catch up
•  Streamlined placement policies to smooth student transitions
• Redesigned freshman year experiences to meet student needs and maximize their chances for success

Leading institutions highlighted in the report will be featured at the upcoming Achieving the Dream conference in February and the AACC Annual Convention in April.