BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1056|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1056
Author: Fong (D)
Amended: 8/30/11 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/29/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Hancock, Huff, Liu,
Price, Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Vargas, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 9-0, 8/25/11
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Emmerson, Lieu, Pavley,
Price, Runner, Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-1, 6/2/11 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Community college electronic transcripts
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Chancellors Office of the
California Community Colleges to implement a process to
facilitate the electronic receipt and transmission of
student transcripts.
ANALYSIS : Existing law specifies legislative intent,
applicable definitions, and general provisions on the
establishment, maintenance, and destruction of student
records. In addition, existing law outlines the rights of
students and permits a community college to make a
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reasonable charge for transcripts.
This bill requires the Chancellor's Office of the
California Community Colleges (CCC) to implement a
procedure to facilitate the electronic transmission of
student transcripts. Specifically, this bill:
1. Specifies legislative intent that CCC students have
their educational records transferred between higher
education segments and colleges electronically using
transmission systems and protocols that satisfy the
following:
A. Are secured, protect student privacy, and are not
susceptible to fraud.
B. Permit expeditious review of student transcripts
for purposes of admission, academic assessment, and
placement.
C. Reduce operational costs, as specified.
D. Minimize delays in the transmission of student
records.
E. Permit for compatibility with other technological
infrastructure, as specified.
F. Conform to national standards and protocols of
electronic transcript transmission.
G. Capability with current and future transcript
systems developed and operated by CCC districts, the
California Department of Education (CDE), the
California State University (CSU), and the University
of California (UC).
2. Requires the Chancellor's Office of the CCC, by January
1, 2012, to implement a procedure that complies with all
of the aforementioned criteria to facilitate the
electronic receipt and transmission of student
transcripts by districts.
3. Requires, contingent upon the Chancellor's Office of the
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CCC receipt of new, one-time state, federal, or
philanthropic funding sufficient for this purpose and as
a condition for receiving funding, all community college
districts to implement a process, consistent with the
aforementioned criteria, for the receipt and
transmission of electronic student transcripts.
4. Requires the Chancellor's Office of the CCC to determine
the requirements and procedures for dispersing funds
received to participating community college districts
and to report to appropriate legislative committees, a
year after funds are dispersed, the community colleges
that have adopted electronic transcripts and the
remaining community colleges that have yet to adopt the
electronic transcript delivery system.
5. Provides that any community college district that elects
to implement a process for the receipt and transmission
of electronic student transcripts may later opt out of
the provisions of this section in any subsequent year.
6. Sunsets the aforementioned provisions on January 1,
2015.
7. Provides that if the Commission on State Mandates
determines this act contains costs mandated by the stat,
reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for
those costs shall be made.
Comments
According to the author's office, this bill is a cost
saving measure that will reduce the staff time and
streamline the transcript process which allows colleges to
focus their efforts on other staff duties, while preserving
student services. Currently, paper-based transcripts can
take two to three weeks to be delivered which can delay a
student's enrollment in and/or hinder their ability to
transfer. With the implementation of SB 1440 (Padilla),
Chapter 428, Statutes of 2010, the Student Transfer
Achievement Reform Act, and AB 2302 (Fong), Chapter 427,
Statutes of 2010, the Statewide Transfer Pathway Act,
community colleges anticipate transfer rates to
significantly increase. This increase will require a more
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efficient manner of transcript transmission. "eTranscript"
provides an easily accessible and cost-effective way to
electronically deliver student transcripts between higher
education institutions, generally within 24 hours.
Information from the Chancellor's Office of the CCC's . A
new electronic transcript system will allow student data to
be instantly shared among college's information systems
without human interaction. Converting from a paper-based
transcript to an eTranscript California system could save a
college anywhere from $4 to $10 per transcript in paper,
consumption reductions, operating costs and postage.
Depending on the number of transcripts processed by the
college, the new system could save each institution tens of
thousands of dollars annually. The eTranscript California
system would also allow students to view their transcripts
online, making it easier to choose the right classes,
rather than waiting weeks to obtain their transcripts in
the mail.
Since July 2007, the Statewide Electronic Transcript
Exchange program (eTranscript CA) has offered an
Internet-based tool for requesting, viewing and
transmitting academic transcripts. The project was
developed and sponsored by the CCC Technology Center and
offers services to CCC, CSU, UC, and California's
independent and private colleges. As of September 2010,
approximately 57 institutions were participating in the
program.
Protection of student privacy . This bill specifies
legislative intent to ensure that educational records
transferred electronically using transmission systems and
protocols that satisfy multiple criteria, including: "are
secure, protect student privacy, and are not susceptible to
fraud."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
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Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13
2013-14 Fund
Electronic transcript Likely
minor costs to Chancellor's General
Procedure Office
CCC implementation $167 $168 Gen/Fed
Savings will likely offset ongoing,
Local
Out-year costs;
Potentially significant
reimbursableGeneral
mandate
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/30/11)
Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges
California Federation of Teachers
Community College League of California
ASSEMBLY FLOOR
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill
Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos,
Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson,
Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani,
Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Hagman,
Halderman, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, Hill, Huber,
Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell,
Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan,
Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, Wagner,
Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NOES: Grove
NO VOTE RECORDED: Gorell, Hall
CPM:do 8/30/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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