BILL NUMBER: AB 51 AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY FEBRUARY 26, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY FEBRUARY 13, 2013 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JANUARY 30, 2013 INTRODUCED BY AssemblyMemberLogueMembers Logue and Morrell ( Principal coauthor: Senator Anderson ) DECEMBER 21, 2012 An act to add Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 66650) to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 51, as amended, Logue. Public postsecondary education: Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program. (1) Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools operated by local educational agencies throughout the state. Existing law also establishes a system of public postsecondary education in this state that includes 3 segments: the California Community Colleges, the California State University, and the University of California. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to establish a pilot program with the goal of creating a model of articulation and coordination among K-12 schools, community colleges, and campuses of the California State University that will allow students to earn a baccalaureate degree for a total cost not exceeding $10,000, including textbooks. The bill would establish a Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program that would include campuses of the California State University, community college districts, and county offices of education in up to 7 areas of the state, but would only include institutions that explicitly request inclusion in the program. The bill would require the public postsecondary educational institutions and local educational agencies participating in the pilot program to coordinate their efforts to expedite the progress of participating students from high school to community college to California State University. Because the bill would impose new duties on community college districts and county offices of education, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. The bill would authorize participating high school students to earn an unlimited number of Advanced Placement course credits, and provide these students with priority enrollment at participating community colleges. The bill would impose grade point average and time requirements on participating students at the community college stage of the pilot program. The bill would require a participating California State University campus to accept a minimum of 60 semester units earned by a participating student at a high school or community college. The bill would require a participating student to receive priority enrollment status at a participating California State University and would require the participating student to be required to enroll at that California State University either in the summer term or the fall semester immediately succeeding the pupil's completion of the required community college coursework. This bill would limit bachelor's degrees awarded at the participating California State University to a participating student to baccalaureate degrees in one or more of specified fields of study. The bill would prohibit the mandatory systemwide fees and tuition and mandatory campus-based fees charged to a participating student from being increased during the first 2 academic years of his or her attendance at a California State University campus under the pilot program. The bill would authorize the institutions participating in the pilot program, in consultation with the appropriate private entities, to develop summer internships for participating students relating to their fields of study for academic credit. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Chapter 8.5 (commencing with Section 66650) is added to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read: CHAPTER 8.5. BACCALAUREATE DEGREE PILOT PROGRAM 66650. It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a pilot program with the goal of creating a model of articulation and coordination among K-12 schools, community colleges, and campuses of the California State University that will allow students to earn a baccalaureate degree for a total cost not exceeding ten thousand dollars ($10,000), including textbooks. 66651. (a) The Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program is hereby established. The pilot program shall include only institutions that explicitly request inclusion in the program within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code. (b) The program shall include participating public postsecondary educational institutions and local educational agencies, subject to a request for inclusion in the program pursuant to subdivision (a), in up to seven areas of the state that desire to participate. (c) The public postsecondary educational institutions and local educational agencies participating in the pilot program shall coordinate their efforts to expedite the progress of participating students from high school to community college to California State University to earn their baccalaureate degrees. 66652. Notwithstanding any other law: (a) In each of the areas designated in subdivision (a) of Section 66651, the number of Advanced Placement (AP) course credits that a participating high school pupil may earn is unlimited. (b) A participating student may attend and earn college course credit at either his or her high school or at a participating community college. (c) In order to earn college course credit under the pilot program for college-level coursework undertaken at a high school before graduation from high school, a participating student shall earn a score of three or better on the AP examination for each college-level course. (d) A participating student shall receive priority enrollment status at a participating community college, and be required to enroll at that community college either in the summer term or the fall semester immediately succeeding that pupil's graduation from high school. (e) In order to remain in the pilot program, a participating student shall maintain a grade point average of at least2.02.5 on a 4-point scale at the community college he or she attends pursuant to the pilot program. (f) A participating student shall attend community college full time, shall take no less than 12 semester units each semester, and shall complete his or her associate of arts transfer degree in not more than two years from the date he or she enrolled at the community college. (g) A participating California State University campus shall accept a minimum of 60 semester units earned by a participating student at either a high school or a community college pursuant to the pilot program. (h) A participating student shall receive priority enrollment status at a participating California State University and shall be required to enroll at that California State University either in the summer term or the fall semester immediately succeeding that pupil's completion of the required community college coursework. (i) The bachelor's degrees awarded at the participating California State University to a participating student shall be limited to baccalaureate degrees in one or more of the following fields of study: (1) Science. (2) Technology. (3) Engineering. (4) Mathematics. (j) The institutions participating in the pilot program, in consultation with the appropriate private entities, may develop summer internships for participating students relating to their fields of study, for which academic credit shall be awarded for successful completion. (k) The mandatory systemwide fees and tuition and mandatory campus-based fees charged to a participating student shall not be increased during the first two academic years of his or her attendance at a California State University campus pursuant to the pilot program. SEC. 2. No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district are the result of a program for which legislative authority was requested by that local agency or school district, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code and Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.