Bright Spot: Ventura College Eliminates Remedial Math and Improves Student Success

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For far too long in California, remedial courses in California Community Colleges meant costly barriers to student success. Fortunately, recent legislation – Assembly Bill 705 signed into law in 2017 – requires these colleges to eliminate remedial courses and instead use research-backed strategies like corequisite support to help students complete transfer-level courses. Ed Trust–West’s latest “bright spot” looks at Ventura College (VC) and its implementation of Assembly Bill 705 (AB 705), outlining the successful strategies the college is leveraging to place students into coursework that gives them the best chance of completing transferable, college-level math within a year of their first attempt. The report describes VC’s strategies for increasing access to transfer-level math courses and supporting students to complete those courses.

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Karla Fernandez

Communications Manager

Karla Fernandez (she/her/hers) joins Ed Trust–West as a Communications Manager with over 11 years of experience advancing social impact initiatives.

Karla started her career as a teacher at Chicago Public Schools and UIC College Prep. After teaching, Karla joined United Friends of the Children to support LA County’s youth in foster care as a college counselor. Through Leadership for Educational Equity, Karla also served as a Policy Advisor Fellow for the office of a Los Angeles Unified School Board Member. She solidified her interests in policy analysis and quantitative research during her time with the Price Center for Social Innovation, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, and the USC Presidential Working Group on Sustainability. Before joining The Education Trust–West, Karla was the Associate Director for the Southeast Los Angeles (SELA) Collaborative, a network of nonprofits advocating for communities in SELA.

Karla holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Anthropology from the University of Chicago, a Master of Public Policy from the USC Price School of Public Policy, and a Graduate Certificate in Policy Advocacy from the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Karla is based out of southern California and is passionate about using data analysis, communications, and digital strategies for policy advocacy and social justice efforts.