BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1440|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1440
Author: Padilla (D)
Amended: 4/28/10
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/21/10
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Maldonado
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 10-0, 5/27/10
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Corbett, Denham, Leno, Price,
Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cox
SUBJECT : Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill (1) establishes the Student Transfer
Achievement Reform Act and requires a community college
district to grant an associate degree that deems the
student eligible for transfer into the California State
University, subject to specified requirements, (2) requires
the CSU to guarantee admission with junior status to
California Community College students meeting those
requirements, and (3) imposes specified restrictions on CSU
course requirements for these "transfer" students.
ANALYSIS :
CONTINUED
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Existing Law
1.Requires the segments of higher education to develop an
intersegmental common core curriculum in general
education for the purpose of transfer. This common core
curriculum is known as the Intersegmental General
Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). Any student who
completes the IGETC course pattern is deemed to have
completed the lower division coursework required for
transfer to the University of California or the
California State University (CSU).
2.Requests the University of California (UC) to identify
commonalities and differences in similar majors across
all UC campus and provide California Community College
(CCC) students with the information in at least the top
20 majors.
3.Requires the Chancellor of CSU, in consultation with the
Academic Senate of the CSU, to establish specified
components necessary for a clear degree path for transfer
students, including specification of a systemwide lower
division transfer curriculum for each high-demand
baccalaureate major.
4.Requires the CSU Chancellor's Office to implement
articulated nursing degree transfer pathways for
Associates Degrees in Nursing (AND) students a CCCs
seeking Bachelor's Degree in Nursing (BSN) at CUS prior
to the 2012-13 academic year.
5.Requires the governing board of each public postsecondary
education segment to be accountable for the development
and implementation of formal systemwide articulation
agreements and transfer agreement programs, including
those for general education or a transfer core
curriculum, and other appropriate procedures to support
and enhance the transfer function.
This bill establishes the Student Transfer Achievement
Reform Act. Specifically, this bill:
1.Requires, commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12
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academic year, a community college district to grant an
associate degree to a student in his/her field of study
that deems the student eligible for transfer into a CSU
baccalaureate program.
2.Requires a granting of this degree when a student:
A. Completes 60 semester or 90 quarter units
eligible for transfer to the CSU and that includes
the CSU General Education Breadth program for IGETC,
and a minimum of 18 semester or 27 quarter units in a
major area of emphasis as determined by the district.
B. Obtains a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
3.Prohibits a community college district from imposing ay
additional requirements for a student to be eligible for
the associate degree and subsequent admission to the
CSU.
4.Prohibits (a) the provisions of this bill from
precluding students assessed at below collegiate level
from acquiring remedial noncollegiate level coursework
in preparation for obtaining the associate degree, and
(b) remedial noncollegiate level coursework from being
counted as part of the transferable units.
5.Requires the CSU to guarantee admission with junior
status to any community college student who meets the
CCC requirements for transfer as established by this
bill.
6.Prohibits the CSU from guaranteeing these transfer
students admission for specific majors or campuses.
7.Requires the CSU to grant these transfer students
priority admission to a program or major similar to
their CCC major or area of emphasis.
8.Authorizes the CSU to require these transfer students to
take additional courses so long as the student is not
required to take any more than 60 additional semester
units or 90 quarter units at the CSU for majors
requiring 120 semester units or 180 quarter units.
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9.Exempts high unit majors upon agreement by the
Chancellors of the CSU and the CCC and their respective
academic senates.
10.Prohibits the CSU from requiring these transfer students
to repeat courses similar to those taken and counted
towards their associate degree.
11.Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to review and
report to the Legislature, within four years of
implementation, on the following:
A. The outcomes of implementation of this bill,
including, but not limited to:
(1) Transfer rates.
(2) The average amount of time and units it
takes a student to earn an associate degree
pursuant to this bill and a subsequent
baccalaureate degree.
(3) Student progression and completion rates.
(4) Other relevant indicators of student
success.
B. Recommendations for statutory changes necessary
to facilitate the goal of a clear and transparent
transfer process.
Comments
Need for the Bill . According to a recent report by the
Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy,
Crafting a Student-Centered Transfer Process in California:
Lessons from Other States , the decentralized, segmental
structure of California higher education and the tradition
of local faculty autonomy have resulted in campus to campus
rather than systemwide course transferability agreements.
The report noted that, in spite of existing and ongoing
efforts to improve the process, transfer rates remain low,
students continue to take more units than are needed at
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both the community college and university level, and there
is a lack of consistency in lower-division major
prerequisites and general education patterns.
Additionally, the potential cost-efficiencies of completing
lower division courses in the lower-cost community college
system are lost when students transfer without completing a
transfer curriculum.
Degree in Statute ? Typically, degree content and approval
is governed by the Academic Senates. This bill statutorily
prescribes the content of a community college degree that
meets transfer eligibility requirements. Placing degree
content in statute inhibits the flexibility to modify these
requirements, as well as establish a precedent for
superseding the traditional role of faculty in this regard.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12
2012-13 Fund
Enrollment cost Unknown, dependent upon
student General
pressure response
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/28/10)
Campaign for College Opportunity (co-source)
California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office
(co-source)
California State University (co-source)
Student Senate for California Community Colleges
(co-source)
California Student Senate Association (co-source)
Advancement Project
Alliance for a Better Community
Bakersfield College
California Business for Education Excellence
California Business Roundtable
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California Catholic Conference
California Chamber of Commerce
California Communities United Institute
California Postsecondary Education Commission
California State Student Association
California Teachers Association
Californians for Justice
Cerritos Community College District
Chaffey Community College District Office
Citrus College
Coastline Community College
College of Marin
College of the Canyons
College of the Desert
College of the Sequoias
College OPTIONS
College Summit
Community Coalition
Community College League of California
Compton Community College District
Contra Costa Community College District
EdVoice
Education Trust West
Families in Schools
Gay-Straight Alliance Network
Girls, Inc. of Orange County
Glendale Community College
Glendora Chamber of Commerce
Governmental Solutions Group, LLC
Green Dot Public Schools
Greenlining Institute
Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District
Hispanas Organizing for Political Equality
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Hispanic Scholarship Fund -- Northwest
Imperial Valley Community College District
Justice Matters Institute
K-16 Bridge Program
Kern Community College District
Latin Business Association
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Mission College
Los Angeles Pierce College
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Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Unified School District - Huntington Park
College Ready Academy High School
Los Medanos College
MiraCosta Community College
Mt. San Antonio College
North Bay Leadership Council
Orange County Business Council
Organization en California de Lideres Campesinas
Organization for Farmworker Women Leaders
Parents Investing for a Quality Education - San Diego
Pasadena City College
Policylink
Progressive Christians Uniting
Project Grad Los Angeles
Public Advocate, Inc.
Rio Hondo College
San Bernardino Community College District
San Diego Community College District
San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
School Services of California, Inc.
Snowline Joint Unified School District - Serrano High
School
SoCal College Access Network
Southern California College Access Network
Southwestern College
Stanislaus County Office of Education
The Advancement Project
The Greenlining Institute
The Institute for College Access and Success
The Women's Foundation of California
University of Southern California, Center for Enrollment
Research, Policy and Practice
West Valley Mission Community College District
Yosemite Community College district
Yuba Community College District
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
"The coursework necessary to transfer to the CSU or the
University of California can vary widely from campus to
campus. Students seeking to transfer are frustrated and
discouraged by conflicting and duplicative requirements.
Students planning on applying to several CSU campuses for
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the same major may need to have completed different
prerequisites to attend each institution. Many students
are unable to effectively qualify for more than one
transfer option. Existing law does not require alignment
between the CCC and universities. The resulting confusion
surrounding transfer requirements delays degree attainment,
increases costs, and reduces access for additional students
seeking admission."
The California Postsecondary Education Commission, in
support, states "The transfer degree authorized in SB 1440
will yield long-term benefits to the state by providing
students with a more streamlined path to their degree.
Each additional unnecessary course a student takes adds
costs to for both the state and students and this bill
provides a more cost-effective system of student transfer."
CPM:cm 5/28/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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