BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1008
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 29, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Kevin De Leon, Chair
AB 1008 (Block) - As Amended: April 13, 2009
Policy Committee: Higher
EducationVote:8-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) to
convene a working group, including the Legislative Analyst's
Office (LAO), the CCC Consultation Council, and the Academic
Senate of the CCC to make findings and recommendations by July
1, 2010 regarding statewide assessments that can be used to test
the basic skills of entering CCC students.
FISCAL EFFECT
Negligible fiscal impact, as the bill codifies a current
function. (Following an LAO recommendation (see Comment #1
below), the CCC Chancellor's Office established a working group
to look into establishing a statewide assessment test that could
be used by all CCCs.
COMMENTS
1)Background . According to the Chancellor's Office, about 90%
of incoming CCC students are not proficient in university
level math or English. The CCC system provided basic skills
instruction to over 600,000 students in 2006-07. (Basic
skills education refers to courses and programs designed to
help under-prepared CCC students succeed in college-level
reading, writing, and mathematics.)
Numerous studies have found that the proficiency of incoming
CCC students for college-level work should be assessed prior
to enrolling in classes. The most commonly used assessment
instruments are standardized tests. Based on assessment
results, campuses can then direct students to take coursework
AB 1008
Page 2
that is appropriate for their skill level.
In a recent report, the LAO noted that individual colleges
often use different assessment tests and employ different
definitions of college readiness, sending a confusing message
to students. The LAO recommended, among other structural and
system-wide CCC changes that are needed in order to improve
student preparedness and success, making available a statewide
CCC placement test derived from K-12's math and English
standards tests, and creating a strong incentive for students
to take required assessments.
2)Purpose . The author asserts that "establishing a working
group regarding statewide assessments will help the state
create tangible solutions to effectively assess the basic
skills of incoming students."
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081