BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 650|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 650
Author: Lowenthal (D)
Amended: 5/10/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 4/13/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Runner, Alquist, Hancock, Huff, Liu,
Price, Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 9-0, 5/16/11
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Emmerson, Lieu, Pavley,
Price, Runner, Steinberg
SUBJECT : Postsecondary education: College Promise
Partnership Act
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill permits Long Beach Community College
District to admit students who are participants in the
College Promise Partnership, to any community college under
its jurisdiction as a special part-time or full-time
student and to permit assigned priority for enrollment and
course registration for these pupils.
ANALYSIS :
Existing Law
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1.Authorizes a governing board of a school district, upon
recommendation of the principal of a student's school of
attendance, and with parental consent, to authorize a
student who would benefit from advanced scholastic or
vocational work to attend a community college as a
special part-time or full-time student.
2.Provides that, for purposes of receiving state
apportionments, California Community College (CCC)
districts may only include high school students within
the CCC district's report on full-time equivalent
students (FTES) if the students are enrolled in courses
that are open to the general public, as specified.
3.Allows the governing board of a CCC to restrict
enrollment of K-12 school district students based on age,
completion of a specified grade level, and demonstrated
eligibility.
4.Requires the California Community College Chancellor's
Office (CCCCO) to report to the Department of Finance
annually on the amount of FTES claimed by each CCC
district for high school students enrolled in non-credit,
non-degree applicable, degree applicable (excluding
physical education), and degree-applicable physical
education, pursuant to the aforementioned provisions.
This bill:
1. Permits the Long Beach Community College District
(LBCCD) and the Long Beach Unified School District
(LBUSD) enter into a partnership, under the College
Promise Partnership Act, to provide pupils with an
aligned sequence of high school coursework that leads
to college courses, as specified.
2. Specifies the purpose of the partnership is to provide
a bridge to college for pupils not already college
bound and to reduce the time for advanced student to
complete programs.
3. Requires pupils participating in the partnership to
complete the augmented California Standards Tests in
grade 11 and enroll in coursework in grade 12 to remedy
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any deficiencies diagnosed.
4 Requires the consent of a parent or guardian of a
pupil prior to a pupils' participation in the
partnership.
5. Authorizes LBCCD to include high school pupils who
attend a community college within the district who
participate in a partnership to receive state
apportionments on the same basis as other community
college students.
6. Requires LBCCD and LBUSD to design curricular pathways
for a participating pupil to obtaining credit in
general education courses or a career technical
certificate or degree.
7. Requires the partnership to coordinate the delivery of
student support services including counseling to
participating pupils.
8. Requires the LBCCD to implement the partnership in a
manner that does not result in increased allocations
from the General Fund for the LBCCD.
9. Requires the LBCCD, if it enters into a partnership,
to provide for an independent evaluation of the
partnership funded with resources provided by the
participating entities, which shall be presented to the
Chancellor of the CCC and the Legislature.
10. Requires the evaluation, at a minimum, to provide
recommendations for the improvement of, and issues
related to the establishment of admittance, enrollment,
course registration priority provided to pupils
participating in the partnership and a review and
analysis of whether the partnership met the following
objectives:
A. An increase in the percentage of students who
attended the school district who attend college
directly from high school.
B. An increase in the percentage of students who
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attended the school district who are determined, by
assessment or other means, to be prepared for
college-level English and mathematics by the
commencement of their first regular semester of
college.
C. An increase in the average number of college
units completed prior to first semester enrollment
by entering freshmen from the school district.
D. An increase in the number of students who
attended the school district who successfully
complete college-level English and mathematics in
their first year.
E. An increase in the number of students who
attended the school district who complete 25
transferable units in their first year.
F. An increase in the number of students who
attended the school district who earn a degree or
certificate at the college, or successfully transfer
to a four-year university, within four years of
graduating from high school.
G. The evaluation is submitted to the Legislature
on or before December 30, 2016.
11. Sunsets as of June 30, 2018, as specified.
Comment
Need for the Bill . The Long Beach "College Promise" is a
nationally recognized program that provides early and
sustained outreach to students and families through college
transition, academic support and guidance, guaranteed
admission to California State University, Long Beach, and a
tuition-free first semester at LBCCD. This bill takes the
"College Promise" to the next level by authorizing
collaboration between Long Beach's three premier
educational institutions to provide participating pupils
with:
1.Concurrent enrollment, so that LBUSD students can earn
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college credit while they simultaneously meet high school
graduation requirements.
2.Priority for enrollment and course registration to
certain students, as specified.
3.Measurable results that are clearly defined with metrics
that must be achieved, or else the Act sunsets in 2019.
Additional Background . Current law does not outline a
comprehensive strategy for concurrent enrollment. As a
result of past improper concurrent enrollment practices,
inadvertent barriers that inhibit the creation and growth
of more comprehensive practices have been the result. The
basic underlying concern is that concurrent enrollment
allows both the K-12 district and the CCC district to claim
apportionments for the same student (double-dipping\
Prioritizing Enrollment and Displacement Issues . As the
state continues to go through a significant downturn in
available funding for adult education and community
colleges, adult education (offered by K-12) funding for
this has been reduced by over 20 percent and the remaining
funding put into the "flexibility" category meaning the
funding has become discretionary, with most K-12 school
districts using these funds to maintain the core K-12
programs within a district. In addition, community
colleges are suffering from budgetary shortfalls combined
with increased student demand, in part due to unemployment
and the overall economic slowdown, leaving the community
colleges unable to provide course offerings to fully meet
student needs. According to Chancellor Jack Scott, the
proposed 2011Budget translates into approximately 400,000
students losing access to classes (200,000 students already
in the system for which the colleges are receiving no state
remuneration and roughly 200,000 additional students).
When implementing budget cuts in prior years, community
college CEOs were directed by state chancellor Jack Scott
to retain courses that lead to job retraining, degrees,
certificates, transfer, and that help increase basic
English and math skills.
This bill includes an additional priority for enrollment
and registration to include students that are participating
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in the "College Promise."
The sunset of "College Promise Partnership" is conditional
and contingent upon the certification by the State Board of
Education and the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges (CCC) that at least four out of six measureable
objectives are met. Committee staff believes that (1) a
certification by the specified parties may not yield useful
analysis for future replication of this program, and (2)
having a "conditional" sunset is not a typical practice of
the committee. Therefore, staff recommends an amendment
that (1) de-links extension of the program from the
envisioned certification, and (2) provides in-lieu of the
certification, an evaluation by an independent evaluator
selected by the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges in a competitive contracting process, funded with
resources provided by participating entities, evaluate and
provide recommendations on the six areas identified in the
measure, and require a final report to be submitted by
December 30, 2016.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13
2013-14 Fund
Authorizes partner- Likely minor, non-reimbursable
costs Local/
ship
General*
*Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/17/11)
Long Beach City College
Long Beach Unified School District
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
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CPM:cm 5/17/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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