BILL ANALYSIS AB 2302 Page 1 CORRECTED - 06/02/2010 Technical change (Member name) ASSEMBLY THIRD READING AB 2302 (Fong) As Amended April 28, 2010 Majority vote HIGHER EDUCATION 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 12-5 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Block, Norby, Adams, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Ammiano, | | |Chesbro, Fong, Fuller, | |Bradford, | | |Galgiani, Portantino, | |Charles Calderon, Coto, | | |Ruskin | |Davis, | | | | |Monning, Ruskin, Skinner, | | | | |Solorio, | | | | |Torlakson, Torrico | | | | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| | | |Nays:|Conway, Harkey, Miller, | | | | |Nielsen, Norby | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Requires the California State University (CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC), and requests the University of California (UC), to develop a common core curriculum for major preparation, to develop transfer agreements, and to establish transfer degree programs that would guarantee as associate degree and transfer to the UC and CSU systems. Specifically, this bill : 1)Requires UC, CSU, and CCC to develop an intersegmental common core transfer curriculum in major preparation courses that shall be the same for all transfer students, regardless of the public four-year institution or the campus to which the students transfer. 2)Stipulates that any CCC student successfully completing the existing transfer core curriculum in general education courses and the applicable major preparation courses developed per 1) above is deemed eligible for a transfer degree, commencing with 2012-13 academic calendar. 3)Requires CSU and requests UC, effective July 1, 2013, to AB 2302 Page 2 develop transfer admission agreement programs at each CCC campus for CCC students demonstrating intent to meet academic requirements for transfer, and requires the transfer admission agreement to guarantee admission to the campus and major identified in the agreement and transfer of all units included in the agreement. 4)Requires the CCC Chancellor, the CSU Chancellor, and the UC President, to jointly develop and implement a transfer degree program, with the transfer degree to be granted by each CCC, commencing with the 2012-13 academic year, to students who complete the common core curriculum in general education and major preparation in his or her major. 5)Stipulates that the transfer degree constitutes a recognized educational credential awarded by a CCC, equivalent to satisfactory completion of the requirements of a postsecondary educational program at the associate degree level, and guarantees a transfer student upper-division status at UC or CSU upon enrollment in the major for which the student completes the applicable lower division requirements. 6)Subject to a competitive application process, CSU is required, and UC is requested, to guarantee admission to their respective segments to each student who earns a transfer degree, but stipulates that this does not limit UC's and CSU's authority to impose post-transfer academic requirements on transfer students. 7)Requires the CCC Chancellor, the CSU Chancellor, and the UC President, to report to the Legislature on implementation of all of the above by June 30, 2011. 8)Sunsets existing law related to UC and CSU articulation agreements, effective July 1, 2013, and repeals other transfer-related requirements in existing law. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee: 1)At the system-wide level, each of the three segments would incur costs of several hundred thousand dollars to develop and implement a common core curriculum for major preparation courses and a transfer degree program. AB 2302 Page 3 2)Individual campuses for the three segments would incur significant costs to develop transfer admission agreements between UC and CSU campuses and CCC campuses. 3)Potential significant long-term savings to the extent the new transfer mechanism results in students graduating with fewer total credits. COMMENTS : While the rate of student transfer has generally increased over the past 15 years, the transfer process is widely regarded as complex, confusing, and inefficient. A CSU study found that transfer students graduated with an average of 141 semester units (120 units is usually needed to graduate). The excess units resulted from course-taking actions at both CSU and CCC. A separate study found that CCC transfer students earn an average of 75 CCC units. Numerous entities have called for the streamlining of the transfer process, including the Legislative Analyst's Office and the Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy (IHELP). This bill contains many of the recommendations included in IHELP's report entitled, "Crafting a Student-Centered Transfer Process in California: Lessons From Other States" (August 2009). CCC students who wish to transfer to a UC or CSU campus typically take a set of general education courses (about 40 units), courses related to their major interest (6-8 units), and electives or local degree requirements, which together constitute lower division preparation. UC, CSU, and CCC are required to maintain a common core curriculum for general education for the purposes of transfer but not for major preparation. Each major at each UC campus has its own set of major preparation requirements, and while CSU has established common major preparation requirements for high demand majors, CSU can require additional pre-major courses that differ by campus. This bill would require UC to develop a common core curriculum for major preparation and would disallow CSU from imposing additional pre-major courses that differ by campus. However, this bill would allow UC and CSU to impose additional pre-major requirements after the student has transferred. Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916) AB 2302 Page 4 319-3960 FN: 0004546