BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1146
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 23, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Das Williams, Chair
AB 1146 (Morrell) - As Amended: April 8, 2013
SUBJECT : Pupils: Concurrent enrollment in secondary school and
community college.
SUMMARY : Extends to January 1, 2019 the sunset date for
exemptions to the cap on the percentage of pupils that K-12
school principals may recommend for enrollment at the California
Community Colleges (CCC) during summer sessions.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes the 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. Additionally, current law prohibits a
principal from recommending, for community college summer
session attendance, more than five percent of the total number
of students in the same grade level and exempts from the five
percent cap a student recommended by his or her principal for
enrollment in a college-level summer session course if the
course in which the pupil is enrolled meets specified
criteria, and repeals these exemptions on January 1, 2014
(Education Code � 48800, et seq.).
2)Requires the CCC Chancellor's Office to report to the
Department of Finance and Legislature annually on the amount
of full-time equivalent students (FTES) claimed by each CCC
district for high school pupils enrolled in non-credit,
non-degree applicable, degree applicable (excluding physical
education), and degree applicable physical education courses;
and provides that, for purposes of receiving state
apportionments, CCC districts may only include high school
students within the CCC district's report on FTES if the
students are enrolled in courses that are open to the general
public, as specified. Additionally, current law requires the
governing board of a CCC district to assign a low enrollment
priority to special part-time or full-time students in order
to ensure that these students do not displace regularly
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admitted community college students (EC � 76001 and � 76002).
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : This bill was approved by the Assembly Education
Committee on April 17, 2013.
Concurrent enrollment background . Concurrent enrollment
provides pupils the opportunity to enroll in college courses and
earn college credit while still enrolled in high school.
Currently, a pupil is allowed to concurrently enroll in a CCC as
a "special admit" while still attending high school, if the
pupil's school district determines that the pupil would benefit
from "advanced scholastic or vocational work." Special-admit
students have typically been advanced pupils wanting to take
more challenging coursework or pupils who come from high schools
where Advanced Placement or honors courses are not widely
available. Additionally, programs such as middle college high
schools and early college high schools use concurrent enrollment
to offer instructional programs for at-risk pupils that focus on
college preparatory curricula. These programs are developed
through partnerships between a school district and a CCC.
During summer session at a CCC, principals are limited to
recommending no more than 5% of their pupils in each grade level
to enroll at a CCC during a summer session. Existing law
provides certain exemptions to this process (as aforementioned
in current law above). These exemptions are set to expire
January 1, 2014.
This bill extends the sunset date for the exemptions to January
1, 2019.
Reduced summer session offerings . Budget cuts resulted in
reductions in a higher proportion of summer course sections than
in either Fall or Spring terms, suggesting that many colleges
tackled budget cuts by prioritizing course offerings in the
primary Fall and Spring academic terms. PPIC notes that
reductions in summer offerings may slow the completion rates for
some students, as well as reduce the earnings for some faculty
and staff who previously relied on summer income.
Impact of budget cuts on CCC . General Fund reductions combined
with increased student demand has left the CCC unable to provide
course offerings to fully meet student needs. Funding for the
CCC has been cut $809 million, or 12%, over the past three
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years. According to a March 2013 report by the Public Policy
Institute of California (PPIC), course offerings have declined
from 420,000 to 334,000 since 2008-86,000 or 21% of course
offerings-and most were credit courses necessary to transfer or
obtain a degree or certificate. PPIC estimates that since 2008,
600,000 students have not been able to enroll in classes, and
another 500,000 students were on waiting lists for Fall 2012
courses.
When there is greater demand than there are course offerings,
course registration priorities play an important role in
managing enrollment by determining which groups of students are
enrolled in needed courses and which students get turned away.
Need for the bill . According to the author's office, funding
flexibility has severely diminished career technical education
in California's secondary schools. Extending opportunities for
students through CCC summer sessions will help to mitigate the
loss of options at the high school level. The author contends
that serving the needs of students should be the primary focus
of all of the state's educational institutions, and therefore
the state should seek to reduce limits on concurrent enrollment
opportunities.
The author states, "Understanding that most CCCs are at or near
enrollment capacity, this bill, by extending the exemption
sunset, only allows a minor increase in concurrent enrollment
during the summer session for specific students."
Related legislation . There have been many bills introduced in
the last several years that attempt to address concurrent
enrollment and the 5% cap, including, but not limited to the
following bills: AB 160 (Portantino, 2011), which was held on
the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense file, removed
certain restrictions on concurrent enrollment and authorized
school districts to enter into partnerships with CCC districts
to provide high school pupils opportunities for advanced
scholastic work, career technical or other coursework at CCC
campuses. AB 230 (Carter), Chapter 50, Statutes of 2011,
exempted a pupil attending a middle college high school from the
requirement that CCC governing boards assign a low enrollment
priority to concurrent enrollment students if that pupil is
seeking to enroll in a CCC course that is required for the
pupil's middle college high school program. AB 78 (Portantino,
2009), which was held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee
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Suspense file, proposed to expand the use of concurrent
enrollment between high schools and CCCs by raising and
ultimately lifting the cap on the percentage of high school
pupils that principals could recommend for CCC summer sessions
and proposed to ease restrictions on the types of CCC courses
that may be offered to high school pupils. SB 1437 (Padilla),
Chapter 718, Statutes of 2008, extended the sunset date from
January 1, 2009 until January 1, 2014 for which this bill seeks
to further extend the sunset. AB 1409 (Portantino, 2007), which
was held on the Senate Appropriations Committee Suspense file,
was virtually identical to AB 78 (as described above). SB 1303
(Runner), Chapter 648, Statutes of 2006, exempted from the
specified 5% cap on CCC summer session enrollment, a pupil
recommended by his or her principal if the pupil met specified
criteria. AB 967 (Canciamilla), Chapter 399, Statutes of 2005,
exempted from an enrollment cap on concurrent enrollment at the
CCC a student recommended by his/her principal for enrollment in
a college level advanced scholastic summer session course, or in
a vocational CCC summer session course. SB 338 (Scott), Chapter
786, Statutes of 2003, changed the statutes governing concurrent
enrollment in the CCC, including the specification of eligible
courses, the determination of academic credit for courses
completed, appropriate claiming of per student funding for
courses offered, and the disclosure of course availability.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
None on file.
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960