Senate Bill No. 440

Introduced by Senator Padilla

February 21, 2013

An act to amend Sections 66746 and 66747 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 440, as introduced, Padilla. Public postsecondary education: Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act.

(1) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges and the California State University as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (act), encourages community colleges to facilitate the acceptance of credits earned at other community colleges toward the associate degree for transfer. The act also requires the California State University to guarantee admission with junior status to a community college student who meets the requirements for the associate degree for transfer. A student admitted to the California State University pursuant to the act is entitled to receive priority over all other community college transfer students, excluding community college students who have entered into a transfer agreement between a community college and the California State University prior to the fall term of the 2012-13 academic year.

This bill would express the finding and declaration of the Legislature that intersegmental faculty of the California Community Colleges and the California State University have developed transfer model curricula in many of the most commonly transferred majors between the 2 segments. The bill would express the intent of the Legislature to endorse and encourage the use of transfer model curricula as the preferred basis for associate degrees for transfer and the development of community college areas of emphasis that articulate with the 25 most popular majors for transfer students. The bill would require community college districts to create an associate degree for transfer in every major offered by that district that has an approved transfer model curriculum before the commencement of the 2014-15 academic year, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

The bill would require California State University campuses to accept transfer model curriculum-aligned associate degrees for transfer in each of the California State University degree options, as defined, within a major field.

(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, 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 1.  

(a) The Legislature finds and declares that
intersegmental faculty of the California Community Colleges and
the California State University have developed transfer model
curricula in many of the most commonly transferred majors to
facilitate the transfer of students from community colleges to the
California State University.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to do both of the following:

(1) Endorse and encourage both of the following:

(A) The use of transfer model curricula as the preferred basis
for associate degrees for transfer.

(B) The development of community college areas of emphasis
that articulate with the 25 most popular major courses of study for
students transferring from a community college to a campus of the
California State University.

(2) Establish appropriate steps to be taken by campuses of the
California Community Colleges or the California State University
that fail to meet, in a timely manner, the requirements of Sections
66746 and 66747 of the Education Code, as those sections are
amended in this act.

SEC. 2.  

Section 66746 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

66746.  

(a) Commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12
academic year, a student who earns an associate degree for transfer
granted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be deemed eligible for
transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program
when the student meets both of the following requirements:

(1) Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are
eligible for transfer to the California State University, including
both of the following:

(A) The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum
(IGETC) or the California State University General
Education-Breadth Requirements.

(B) A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a
major or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college
district.

(2) Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

(b) (1) As a condition of receipt of state apportionment funds,
a community college district shall develop and grant associate
degrees for transfer that meet the requirements of subdivision (a).
A community college district shall not impose any requirements
in addition to the requirements of this section, including any local
college or district requirements, for a student to be eligible for the
associate degree for transfer and subsequent admission to the
California State University pursuant to Section 66747. begin insert A community
college district shall,before the commencement of the 2014- end insert begin insert 15
academic year, create an associate degree for transfer in every
major offered by that district that has an approved transfer model
curriculum. end insert

(2) The condition of receipt of state apportionment funding
contained in paragraph (1) shall become inoperative if, by
December 31, 2010, each of the state’s 72 community college
districts has submitted to the Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges, for transmission to the Director of Finance,
signed certification waiving, as a local agency request within the
meaning of paragraph (1) of subdivision (a) of Section 6 of Article
XIII B of the California Constitution, any claim of reimbursement
related to the implementation of this article.

(c) A community college district is encouraged to consider the
local articulation agreements and other work between the respective
faculties from the affected community college and California State
University campuses in implementing the requirements of this
section.

(d) Community colleges are encouraged to facilitate the
acceptance of credits earned at other community colleges toward
the associate degree for transfer pursuant to this section.

(e) This section shall not preclude students who are assessed
below collegiate level from acquiring remedial noncollegiate level
coursework in preparation for obtaining the associate degree.
Remedial noncollegiate level coursework shall not be counted as
part of the transferable units required pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (a).

SEC. 3.  

Section 66747 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

66747.  

begin insert (a) end insert begin insert   end insert Notwithstanding Chapter 4 (commencing with
Section 66201), the California State University shall guarantee
admission with junior status to any community college student
who meets all of the requirements of Section 66746. Admission
to the California State University, as provided under this article,
does not guarantee admission for specific majors or campuses.
Notwithstanding Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 66201),
the California State University shall grant a student priority
admission to his or her local California State University campus
and to a program or major that is similar to his or her community
college major or area of emphasis, as determined by the California
State University campus to which the student is admitted. begin delete A student end delete
begin insert A California State University campus shall accept transfer model
curriculum-aligned associate degrees for transfer in each of the
California State University degree options within a major field.
As used in this section, a “degree option” is an area of
specialization within a degree program. end insert

begin insert (b) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert A student end insert admitted under this article shall receive priority
over all other community college transfer students, in accordance
with subdivision (b) of Section 66202, excluding community
college students who have entered into a transfer agreement
between a community college and the California State University
prior to the fall term of the 2012-13 academic year. A student
admitted pursuant to this article shall have met the requirements
of an approved transfer agreement consistent with subdivision (a)
of Section 66202.

SEC. 4.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.