BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 230 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 27, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Julia Brownley, Chair AB 230 (Carter) - As Amended: April 14, 2011 ÝThis bill was referred to and heard by the Assembly Higher Education Committee as it relates to the issues under its jurisdiction] SUBJECT : Joint educational programs: middle college high school students: enrollment priority SUMMARY : Exempts a student attending a middle college high school (MCHS) from the requirement that California Community College (CCC) governing boards assign a low enrollment priority to concurrent enrollment students if that student is seeking to enroll in a community college course that is required for the student's middle college high school program. EXISTING LAW : 1)Authorizes the governing board of a community college district to admit to any community college under its jurisdiction as a special part-time or full-time student in any session or term any student who is eligible to attend community college, as specified. 2)Requires a CCC governing board to assign concurrent enrollment students a low enrollment priority to ensure that these students do not displace regularly admitted students. 3)Finds and declares that MCHSs have proven to be a highly effective collaborative effort between local school districts and community colleges, and that the goal of the MCHS is to select at-risk high school students who are performing below their academic potential and place them in an alternative high school located on a community college campus in order to reduce the likelihood that they will drop out of school before graduation. 4)Establishes MCHSs as broad-based instructional programs focusing on college preparatory and school-to-work curricula, career education, work experience, community service, support and motivational activities, reduced adult-student ratios, AB 230 Page 2 flexible scheduling to allow for work internships, community service experiences, and work apprenticeships. 5)Authorizes school districts to establish and maintain one or more alternative schools within the district, defines alternative school for this purpose, and authorizes the SPI, for the operation of an alternative school, to waive any provision of the Education Code, except as specified. FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has been keyed non-fiscal. COMMENTS : MCHSs and Early College High Schools (ECHS) operate in a similar manner to provide high school pupils opportunities to take college courses while still in high school as part of an integrated program. Pupils participating in these programs are considered special part-time or full-time students for purposes of attending a community college to fulfill the college aspect of the program. Because current law assigns high school pupils who seek CCC concurrent enrollment a low enrollment priority, pupils that are part of a MCHS or ECHS program, fall under this low enrollment priority category. According to information provided by the author, pupils attending MCHS and ECHS programs are encountering difficulty in enrolling in the necessary community college classes they need to meet the dual degree coursework requirement of such programs and thus there has been a decrease in the number of students completing the full mission of these programs. The author also points out that MCHSs and ECHSs are experiencing a drop in the number of new student applications due to pupils' difficulty in enrolling in community college courses. This bill seeks to exempt a MCHS pupil from being assigned a "low-enrollment priority" by a community college, if the pupil is seeking to enroll in a community college course that is required for that pupil's middle college high school program. The intent of the bill is to give pupils in these programs increased access to CCC courses and expand their opportunities to complete the MCHS program. Budget cuts and increased student demand has left CCCs unable to provide course offerings to fully meet the needs of all students seeking CCC enrollment. According to the CCC Chancellor's Office, in 2009-10, the CCC system took a $520 million (8%) budget cut which resulted statewide in 38,000 fewer course sections being offered and 140,000 first-time students being AB 230 Page 3 turned away. Furthermore, the CCC reductions in the 2011-12 Budget will mean an anticipated 350,000 students will be turned away next year. Because there is more demand than there are course offerings, course registration priorities play an important role in managing CCC enrollment. Enrollment priorities determine which groups of students are enrolled in courses and which students get turned away. Existing law requires CCC to assign high school pupils a low enrollment priority in order to ensure they do not displace regularly admitted CCC students. This bill creates a narrow exemption from the low enrollment priority for students attending a MCHS, if the student is seeking to enroll in a community college course that is required for the student's MCHS program. The proposal does not give MCHS students priority in CCC enrollment but rather gives CCCs some flexibility in the priority assignment for MCHS students. Background on MCHS and ECHS : MCHS are established in the Education Code as broad-based, comprehensive instructional programs focusing on college preparatory and school-to-work curricula, career education, work experience, community service, support and motivational activities. Located on a community college campus, MCHSs offer students at risk of educational failure the opportunity to take high school classes and college classes to increase the likelihood of participating pupils to qualify for college upon graduation. According to CDE, MCHS were initially federally funded through the CCC Chancellor's Office. The Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC) received funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other foundation partners for the ECHS Initiative. According to information on CDE's Web site, ECHS are small, autonomous schools that blend high school and college into a single education program. They are designed to offer students the opportunity to achieve an Associate's Degree or two years of college credit and a high school diploma, within four to five years of entering ninth grade. According to the Foundation for California Community Colleges (FCCC), many ECHSs have some of the highest API scores, graduation and attendance rates in their respective districts or regions, and the FCCC points out that nationwide, attendance rates for ECHS students average over 90%, as do grade-to-grade promotion rates. In California, the FCCC serves as an intermediary for the ECHS initiative, and works with 23 community college-high school partnerships throughout AB 230 Page 4 the state that serve more than 5,500 youth. The initiative works with underrepresented students historically at risk for not attending college. FCCC points out that it "has already seen the success of many of its 23 partner schools. In spring 2008, six of the schools celebrated their first graduations, with 157 total graduates. Of these students, nine also earned their associate's degrees at the same time as their high school diplomas, and 83 were slated to finish their associate's degrees within the following year." The National Center for Restructuring Education, Schools and Teaching, conducted a survey study of high school students participating in MCHS and ECHS and found that students from all backgrounds including at-risk students performed well in their college classes, and concludes that students who receive support in undertaking challenging college-level courses can perform well regardless of gender, race/ethnicity, place of birth, and socio-economic status. These programs aim to increase access to higher education for students from underserved populations. Suggested amendment : According to the author there are 38 MCHS and ECHS programs in the state and this bill only applies to students in MCHS programs. ECHS do not exist in the EC, however the CDE Web site notes that ECHS are operated as alternative schools. The EC authorizes schools districts to operate alternative schools to meet the same standards for curriculum, instruction, and student performance as traditional schools, but to also meet these objectives by offering a different structure, learning philosophy, or academic emphasis to accommodate different student needs, interests and learning styles. The MCHS model is one such type of alternative school, and so are magnet schools, and metropolitan center and technical (MET) high schools, among others. This bill was heard in and passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee on April 12, 2011 with a vote of 8-0. Arguments in support: The Regional Council of Rural Counties writes, "AB 230 recognizes that middle high school students are part of a specialized program and would eliminate their low enrollment priority by allowing those students to register for community college classes without limitations. Often rural areas lack comprehensive educational programs and resources. Enrollment opportunities, such as those provided by AB 230, would increase student access to advanced courses and alternative learning opportunities." AB 230 Page 5 Related legislation : AB 160 (Portantino) removes certain restrictions on concurrent enrollment and authorizes school districts to enter into partnerships with community college districts to provide high school pupils opportunities for advanced scholastic work, career technical or other coursework at a community college campus. AB 160 is pending in this Committee. AB 194 (Beall) requires each campus of the California State University (CSU) and the CCCs, and requests the University of California (UC), to give priority in enrollment in classes to foster youth and to former foster youth up to 24 years of age. AB 194 is pending in the Senate Rules Committee. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO Regional Council of Rural Counties Opposition None on file. Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Aviña / ED. / (916) 319-2087