AB 2160, as amended, Ting. Cal Grant Program: grade point average.
The Cal Grant Program establishes the Cal Grant A and B Entitlement Awards, the California Community College Transfer Cal Grant Entitlement Awards, the Competitive Cal Grant A and B Awards, the Cal Grant C Awards, and the Cal Grant T Awards under the administration of the Student Aid Commission, and establishes eligibility requirements for awards under these programs for participating students attending qualifying institutions.
A provision of the program specifies that the commission shall require that a grade point average be submitted, as specified, to the commission for Cal Grant A and B applicants, except for those applicants permitted to provide test scores in lieu of a grade point average.
This bill would require that this grade point average be submitted electronically for all high school
seniors at public schools, including charter schools, each academic year,begin delete all high school graduates at public schools, including charter schools, from the prior academic year,end delete and all other Cal Grant A and B applicants, except those permitted to provide test scores in lieu of a grade point average, and provide that grade point averages submitted shall be subject to review by the commission or its designee. The bill would condition these requirements upon the school district or charter school obtaining written permission of the parent or guardian in compliance with a specified federal law. To the extent that this provision would impose new duties on local educational agencies and community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program.
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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 69432.9 of the Education Code is
2amended to read:
(a) A Cal Grant applicant shall submit a complete
4official financial aid application pursuant to Section 69433 and
5applicable regulations adopted by the commission.
6(b) Financial need shall be determined to establish an applicant’s
7initial eligibility for a Cal Grant award and a renewing recipient’s
8continued eligibility using the federal financial need methodology
9pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69506 and applicable
10regulations adopted by the commission, and as established by Title
11IV of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (20
12U.S.C. Secs. 1070 et seq.).
P3 1(1) “Expected family contribution,” with respect to
an applicant
2or renewing recipient shall be determined using the federal
3methodology pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 69506 (as
4established by Title IV of the federal Higher Education Act of
51965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Secs. 1070 et seq.)) and applicable
6rules and regulations adopted by the commission.
7(2) “Financial need” means the difference between the student’s
8cost of attendance as determined by the commission and the
9expected family contribution. The calculation of financial need
10shall be consistent with Title IV of the federal Higher Education
11Act of 1965, as amended (20 U.S.C. Secs. 1070 et seq.).
12(3) (A) The minimum financial need required for receipt of an
13initial and renewal Cal Grant A or C award shall be no less than
14the maximum annual
award value for the applicable institution,
15plus an additional one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) of
16financial need.
17(B) The minimum financial need required for receipt of an initial
18and renewal Cal Grant B award shall be no less than seven hundred
19dollars ($700).
20(c) Except as provided in subdivision (d), the commission shall
21require that a grade point average be submitted for all high school
22seniors at public schools, including charter schools, each academic
23year,begin delete all high school graduates at public schools,
including charter
24schools, from the prior academic year,end delete
25and B applicants, except those permitted to provide test scores in
26lieu of a grade point average. The commission shall require that
27each report of a grade point average be submitted electronically
28by a school or school district official, with a certification, under
29penalty of perjury, that the grade point average reported is
30accurately reported. A submitted grade point average shall be
31subject to review by the commission or its designee. The
32commission shall adopt regulations that establish a grace period
33for receipt of the grade point average and any appropriate
34corrections, and that set forth the circumstances under which a
35student may submit a specified test score designated by the
36commission, by regulation, in lieu of submitting a qualifying grade
37point average. It is the intent of the Legislature that high
schools
38and institutions of higher education electronically submit the grade
39point averages of their students in time to meet the application
40deadlines imposed by this chapter.
P4 1(d) Prior to submitting the grade point average of a pupil who
2has not applied for a Cal Grant award, the school district or charter
3school shall obtain written permission of the parent or guardian in
4compliance with the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy
5Act of 2001 (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g).
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
7this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
8local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
9pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
104 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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