EO 1110 was created to help students succeed in their entry-level Written Communication (WC) and Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (QR) courses in their first year of enrollment. The policy is intended to support students to complete these entry-level General Education courses in their first year of study, which sets them up to take courses in their major in a timely fashion.

In addition, since students are no longer required to take non-credit developmental courses, per EO 1110, they are theoretically able to earn more baccalaureate-level units from the beginning, which can help reduce their time to degree.

This report looks at how students are faring under the new policy, and includes an analysis of credit accumulation and of students’ progression toward General Education WC and QR requirements, both key metrics for the system in meeting the GI 2025 goals. The report also looks at how course completion rates differ based on the different types of courses and supports offered.

One key finding: Students who were successful in the first semester stretch courses tended to be successful in the second semester stretch courses. This was particularly true in WC, where 84 percent of students who completed the first semester stretch course completed the A2 requirement in the first year.

The first report in the series, College-Ready in the California State University System: Campus Experiences Implementing EO 1110, examines how campuses in the California State University (CSU) system are implementing Executive Order 1110.