BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 440|
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 440
Author: Padilla (D), et al.
Amended: 9/3/13
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 9-0, 5/1/13
AYES: Liu, Wyland, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Huff,
Jackson, Monning
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 5/23/13
AYES: De León, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
SENATE FLOOR : 39-0, 5/28/13
AYES: Anderson, Beall, Berryhill, Block, Calderon, Cannella,
Corbett, Correa, De León, DeSaulnier, Emmerson, Evans, Fuller,
Gaines, Galgiani, Hancock, Hernandez, Hill, Hueso, Huff,
Jackson, Knight, Lara, Leno, Lieu, Liu, Monning, Nielsen,
Padilla, Pavley, Price, Roth, Steinberg, Torres, Walters,
Wolk, Wright, Wyland, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 9/9/13 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill expands the provisions of the Student
Transfer Achievement Reform Act (STAR) to require that the
California Community Colleges (CCC) create associate transfer
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degrees in every major, and in areas of emphasis, and require
that the California State University (CSU) accept these degrees,
and develop an admissions redirection process for students who
complete these degrees but are denied admission to the CSU
campus to which they have applied. This bill also requires the
CCC and the CSU to establish a student-centered communication
and marketing strategy to increase the visibility of the
associate degree for transfer pathway, as specified.
Assembly Amendments expand on the transfer model curriculum
(TMC) guarantee of admission for community college students;
require the development of at least two TMC in areas of emphasis
before 2015-16 academic year and at least an additional two in
the following academic year; and make clarifying changes.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires a CCC district to develop and
grant a transfer associate degree that deems the student
eligible for transfer into the CSU, when the student meets
specified course requirements.
Existing law also requires the CSU to guarantee admission with
junior status to any CCC student who meets these requirements,
but provides that the student is not guaranteed admission for
specific majors or campuses. However, the CSU is required to
grant a student priority admission to his/her local CSU campus
and to a program or major that is similar to his/her CCC major
or area of emphasis, as determined by the CSU campus to which
the student is admitted. Students that utilize the associate
transfer degree process are required to receive priority over
all other CCC transfer students, except for CCC students who
have entered into a transfer agreement between a CCC and the CSU
prior to the fall term of the 2012-13 academic year.
This bill:
1.Specifies that associate degrees for transfer must meet the
requirements of an approved TMC.
2.Requires CCC to create a TMC-aligned associate degree for
transfer in every major and area of emphasis offered by the
college for which an approved TMC has been finalized, within
18 months of the approval of the TMC. Provides until
commencement of the 2015-16 academic year, for creation of
TMC-aligned associate degrees for any TMC finalized prior to
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commencement of the 2013-2014 academic year.
3.Requires, before the commencement of the 2015-16 academic
year, the development of at least two TMC in areas of
emphasis, and at least an additional two TMC in areas of
emphasis by the commencement of the 2016-17 academic year.
4.Specifies that CCC may require college success courses in
preparation of obtaining an associate degree and that these
nontransferable courses shall not be counted as part of the
transferable unit limitation.
5.Requires CSU:
A. In guaranteeing admission with junior status to any CCC
student who meets the associate degree for transfer
requirements, to provide admission to a program or major
concentration that is, either:
Deemed similar to his/her CCC TMC-aligned associate
degree for transfer, as determined by the CSU campus to
which the student is admitted; or
That can be completed within 60 semester units of
study beyond the CCC TMC-aligned associate degree for
transfer, with completion ability determined by the CSU
campus to which the student is admitted.
A. To accept TMC-aligned associate degrees for transfer in
every major and concentration offered by that CSU campus
that meets the aforementioned requirements. Requires CSU
campuses to make every effort to accept TMC-aligned
associate degrees for transfer in each of the CSU
concentrations. Defines "concentration" as an area of
specialization within a major degree program.
B. To develop an admissions redirection process for STAR
Act transfer students who apply for admission but are not
accepted into the CSU campuses specifically applied to.
1.Requires CCC and CSU, in consultation with stakeholders, to
develop a communication and marketing strategy to increase the
visibility of the associate degree for transfer pathway that
includes, but is not limited to, all of the following:
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A. Outreach to high schools.
B. Information on the pathway prominently displayed in all
CCC counseling and transfer centers.
C. Information on the pathway provided to all first-year
CCC students developing an educational plan.
D. Targeted outreach to first-year students through campus
orientations and existing student support services programs
that may include, but not be limited to, First-Generation
Experience, Mesa, and Puente.
E. Information on the pathway prominently displayed in CCC
course catalogs.
F. Information on the pathway prominently displayed on the
websites of each CCC and each CSU, and on the
CaliforniaColleges.edu website.
1.Provides that if the Commission on State Mandates determines
that the act contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those
costs shall be made pursuant to existing law.
Comments
In an effort to address long standing issues and concerns about
the need to ensure a clearer, transparent and more navigable
transfer process between the CCC and the CSU, the Legislature
and Governor enacted SB 1440 (Padilla, Chapter 428, Statutes of
2010). The legislation required CCC to create two-year 60 unit
associate degrees for transfers that are fully transferable to
CSU. These degrees require completion of (1) a minimum of 18
units in a major or area of emphasis, as determined by each CCC,
and (2) an approved set of general education requirements.
Students who earn such a degree are automatically eligible to
transfer to the CSU system as an upper-division student in a
bachelor's degree program. Though these students are not
guaranteed admission to a particular CSU campus or into a
particular degree program, SB 1440 gives them priority admission
to a CSU program that is "similar" to the student's CCC major or
area of emphasis, as determined by the CSU campus to which the
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student is admitted. Once admitted, SB 1440 students need only
complete two additional years (an additional 60 units) of
coursework to earn a bachelor's degree.
SB 1440 also required that the Legislative Analyst's Office
(LAO) provide a status report to the Legislature by Spring 2012
on the segments' progress in implementing the bill's provisions.
In May 2012, the LAO issued "Reforming the State's Transfer
Process: A Progress Report on Senate Bill SB 1440." According
to the LAO, although the CCC and CSU made notable progress on
multiple fronts, both segments have much room for improvement.
Further, an average of just four associate degrees for transfer
had been developed per CCC. In addition, a number of CCCs have
expressed reluctance to create more than a handful of such
degrees despite the CCC Chancellor's Office goal that, by 2014,
each CCC has a TMC aligned associate degree for transfer in
every major it offers. The LAO also reports that CSU campuses
and academic programs vary significantly in terms of accepting
the associate transfer degrees for their bachelor's degree
programs. Although the CSU Chancellor's Office had set a goal
for each CSU campus to offer at least one similar degree for
each TMC-aligned associate degree for transfer, only six CSU
campuses had achieved this goal.
Based on the progress to date in matching TMC to CSU majors, the
LAO opines that a significant number of CCC students with an
associate degree for transfer could be denied many of the
benefits of SB 1440.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Associate degree for transfer: one-time costs of $700,000 -
$1 million to develop associate degrees for transfer for
every major that has a TMC and, subsequently, for every major
and area of emphasis.
Communication efforts: Minor ongoing workload for CCC
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campuses.
CSU redirection process: No new costs; the CSU has recently
developed a redirection process.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/1/13) (per Senate Education Committee
analysis) (Unable to reverify at the time of writing)
Alliance for College Ready Public Schools
Campaign for College Opportunity
California Communities United Institute
Hispanas Organized for Political Equality
Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Partnership Scholars Program
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office, nearly
three years after the passage of legislation to establish STAR
(SB 1440, Padilla), there are still foundational elements that
are lacking in the access, flexibility, and communication of
this new degree and transfer pathway. Without robust
implementation of SB 1440 and a recommitment to the state's
transfer mission, students, and ultimately the State of
California, will suffer.
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 09/09/13
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Chávez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox, Frazier,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal,
Maienschein, Mansoor, Melendez, Mitchell, Morrell, Mullin,
Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea,
V. Manuel Pérez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon, Salas, Skinner,
Stone, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk,
Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Medina, Vacancy, Vacancy
PQ:AB:d:nl 9/9/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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