Basic Skills Plus & Accelerating Opportunity
Basic Skills Plus and Accelerating Opportunity are two initiatives that help Basic Skills students transition to post-secondary education and jobs with family sustaining wages. Formerly, such students followed a linear progression through basic and secondary education before enrolling in college-level courses. This initiative integrates Basic Skills and occupational education to accelerate students more rapidly through completion of a credential of value in the local labor market. The System Office has two major desired outcomes for these initiatives: the implementation of Basic Skills Plus in all 58 colleges by 2014 and the utilization of Accelerating Opportunity colleges as mentors to other colleges in the state throughout the grant period.
Basic Skills Plus
In 2010, building on more than ten years experience with Pathways to Employment programs, which funded local programs to integrate occupational short term courses and Basic Skills, the System Office created Basic Skills Plus to provide full integration of adult secondary instruction (GED and Adult High School), with college occupational education (both curriculum and continuing education), and employability skills. In July 2010, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted a budget bill with provisions enacted to support Basic Skills Plus. In November 2010, the first two colleges were approved by the State Board of Community Colleges to provide Basic Skills Plus programs. In November 2012, 43 colleges have been approved by the State Board to offer Basic Skills Plus, which is considered the umbrella program for transition programs for Basic Skills students in North Carolina’s community colleges.
Contact Dr. Clark Dimond at 919-807-7180 or dimondc@nccommunitycolleges.edu
Accelerating Opportunity
Like Basic Skills Plus, Accelerating Opportunity is an initiative designed to integrate Basic Skills and occupational education; however, it is not limited to students at the adult secondary education level. This grant also serves students enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) and students with English and math skills from the sixth to ninth grade levels. Accelerating Opportunity also differs from Basic Skills Plus in that it targets specifically curriculum programs, not continuing education. In July 2012, nine colleges were given funding to develop Accelerating Opportunity pathway programs. These colleges serve as “lab schools” in which to develop activities that could strengthen Basic Skills Plus programs at all colleges.
Colleges that received Accelerating Opportunity funding include: Blue Ridge Community College, Caldwell Technical Institute and Community College, Central Piedmont Community College, College of the Albemarle, Davidson County Community College, Richmond Community College, South Piedmont Community College, Wake Technical Community College, and Wilkes Community College.
Contact Dr. Cassandra Atkinson at 919-807-7144 or atkinsonc@nccommunitycolleges.edu
| Recent Activity Reports | Post date |
|---|---|
| Accelerating Opportunity April 2013 | 2013-04-26 10:34 |
| March 21, 2013 Activity Report | 2013-03-22 14:20 |
| February 26, 2013 Update | 2013-02-26 09:00 |
| January 4, 2013 Update | 2013-01-07 14:08 |
