The document summarizes a presentation about accountability and action plans related to basic skills initiatives at California community colleges. It finds that while most colleges created action plans, only a few were truly "actionable" by identifying clear problems, strategies, and outcomes. The most effective plans incorporated practitioner inquiry, addressed institutional culture change, and viewed basic skills challenges holistically across the student journey.

1. Basic Skills Action Plans: Action-ability and Account-ability BSI Leadership Institute, June 16, 2009 Laura Lord, Research Associate

2. The Center for Urban Education (CUE) conducts socially conscious research and develops tools needed for institutions of higher education to produce equity in student outcomes.

3. Accountability (& action) for California’s Basic Skills Challenge The Basic Skills Initiative

4. Intermediate Algebra Transfer Level Math Elementary Algebra Pre-Algebra Navigating the Basic Skills Pipeline Only about 10% of Original Cohort Succeeds in Navigating the Gateway Curriculum

18. No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier 8 colleges high usage of inquiry 12 colleges low usage of inquiry

19. No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier 5 colleges high inclusion of culture 12 colleges low inclusion of culture

20. No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier 4 colleges high usage of inquiry/ culture

21. No Low Med High Culture Inquiry No Low Med High Non-HSI 1 19 Outlier

25. Copy Right Citation Dowd, A. C., Lord, L., Bensimon, E.M., and Kutz, E. (2009). Performance Funding for Practitioner Inquiry in California: A Model for Improving Institutional Effectiveness. Paper presented at the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Diego, CA . © 2009 University of Southern California, Center for Urban Education, All rights reserved. Reproduction or translation of this work beyond that permitted in Section 117 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act without the express written permission of the copyright owner is unlawful. Request for further information should be addressed to the Center for Urban Education.