College of the Redwoods‘ Academic Senate recently voted to make college-level English and math a requirement for all AA/AS degrees, including the vocational/technical programs, which up to now have been exempt from this requirement. The new requirement will go into effect Fall 2007. The decision was made to go with English 1A rather than an equivalent course as students would still need 1A if they later decide to transfer to a four-year school. Since we already offer themed 1As, we will gradually expand our offerings to accommodate these additional students. We currently offer a professional and technical writing theme and are developing a health-related theme for students in health occupations.

Butte, Shasta, and Lassen colleges responded to a survey on 1A curriculum. While there is some variation in what areas are covered, all schools include the research paper in the 3-unit course. A growing concern is that too much is attempted in 1A. We can not cover in one semester every skill a college student should have, yet we keep adding more and more to the curriculum. Start with composition; add argumentation; add reading skills; add media literacy; add electronic research; add evaluation of sources; add complications of citing electronic sources. The result is often a smorgasbord of language/critical thinking skills, with no clear focus. A clearer vision of what is both essential and reasonable for college-level English is urgently needed.