BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 524|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 524
Author: Lara (D) and Steinberg (D)
Amended: 5/24/13
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-0, 4/24/13
AYES: Liu, Block, Correa, Hancock, Hueso, Jackson, Monning
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland, Huff
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 5/23/13
AYES: De Le�n, Walters, Gaines, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
SUBJECT : Pathways Curriculum Task Force
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) to appoint and staff a 12-member Pathways
Curriculum Task Force (task force) to develop voluntary K-12
curriculum regarding postsecondary opportunities and financial
aid, as specified
ANALYSIS : Existing law establishes the Early Commitment to
College programs, a voluntary program with the purpose of
motivating students to prepare for college, increasing high
school graduation rates, help families understand that college
is attainable, providing a clear path and direct assistance for
students beginning in middle school, and preparing a highly
skilled workforce. The SPI is required to designate College
Opportunity Zones based on percentage of low-income students and
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develop the "Save Me a Spot in College" pledge, which assures
students who sign it that the student can continue his/her
education at a California Community College (CCC) and receive
financial aid as long as that student continues to meet
eligibility requirements. The Early Commitment to College
program sunsets on January 1, 2019.
Most segments and individual campuses of California's public and
private institutions of higher education separately administer
various outreach programs, many directly to K-12 students. Many
private proprietary institutions also conduct outreach
activities directed at the general population. Some examples
include the California State University's (CSU) Early Assessment
Program, Summer Bridge/Transition programs, Troops to College,
and the Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement.
The California Student Opportunity and Access Program (Cal-SOAP)
is administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).
It was statutorily established in 1978 and is directed to
improve the flow of information about postsecondary education
and financial aid while raising the achievement levels of
low-income, elementary and secondary school student or
geographic regions with documented low eligibility or college
participation rates, and who are first in their families to
attend college. The Cal-SOAP currently funds projects operating
in 17 locations through the state by consortia made up of
secondary and postsecondary schools and community agencies.
Projects annually apply to CSAC for funds and, by law, must
provide equal or greater matching funds. Some common services
provided by the consortia include advising, tutoring, parent
outreach and college awareness workshops.
The Cash for College program, administered by CSAC, is designed
to target outreach and assistance for low-income and
first-generation college-bound students with financial aid
applications by conducting financial aid workshops and forming
regional partnerships between outreach communities, business and
student groups.
Various programs exist across the United States aimed at
preparing disadvantaged and underrepresented students for
college, including Advancement via Individual Determination,
TRIO, Upward Bound, and GEAR UP.
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This bill requires the SPI to appoint and staff a 12-member task
force to develop voluntary K-12 curriculum regarding
postsecondary opportunities and financial aid.
Task force
This bill:
1. Requires the SPI to appoint and staff the task force to
develop a voluntary
K-12 curriculum that provides students and their families
with a basic understanding of postsecondary educational
institutions, options, programs, and opportunities in
California.
2. Requires the task force to address, at a minimum, all of the
following topics:
A. The variety of college, university, and technical
education in California.
B. The importance of postsecondary education and
training.
C. Ways to finance postsecondary education and training,
and attention to cost-benefit analysis.
D. The A-G course sequence required for admission to the
University of California (UC), postsecondary education
admission requirements, and the community college
transfer process.
3. Requires the task force to establish learning goals for
students at elementary, middle, and high school levels and
develop curriculum to help students achieve those goals.
4. Requires the task force to solicit and consider input from a
broad range of interested people, agencies, and organization,
including CSAC, the Bureau of Private Postsecondary
Education, specialists in elementary and secondary
curriculum, school counselors, experts in federal and state
financial aid and college admissions, and civil rights and
non-profit organizations whose missions are related to career
preparation and college access, business, labor, parents, and
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students.
5. Requires the task force to appoint a subgroup to consult with
specialists in high school economics curriculum to develop a
unit on postsecondary education.
6. Requires the task force to consist of 12 members, as follows:
A. Four people representing postsecondary education.
B. Four people representing elementary and secondary
education.
C. Two public members.
D. One person representing non-profit organizations
whose missions are focused on increased participation in
postsecondary education.
E. The person with expertise in career preparation or
apprenticeship.
6. Encourages the SPI to include people with specific knowledge
and background in college admissions, financial aid,
postsecondary educational opportunities, and development of
K-12 curriculum.
Pathways curriculum
This bill:
1. Requires the pathways curriculum to accomplish all of the
following:
A. Be as concise and clear as possible so as to easily
integrate with other curriculum objectives, while still
helping students gain a comprehensive understanding of
postsecondary educational opportunities.
B. Include complementary materials for families to learn
what steps in elementary, middle and high school they
may take to assist their students reach college and
career goals, as well as suggested questions to ask of
school officials.
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C. Provide a cumulative resource for students and their
families who come to California from other states and
other countries and enter the California school system
at various grade levels.
D. Provide pathway curriculum materials as well as
suggestions for college and work site field trips, guest
speakers, and other innovative means of inspiring and
informing students and their families about college and
career pathways.
E. Provide information on the availability of, and
access to, the most current information on postsecondary
educational opportunities, including federal and state
Web sites devoted to postsecondary educational
opportunity and how best to navigate those sites.
2. Requires the task force to complete the pathways curriculum
within one year of its first convening, and do the following:
A. Send copies of the curriculum to the Senate
Appropriations Committee, the Senate Education
Committee, the Senate Assembly Appropriations Committee,
the Assembly Education Committee, the Assembly Higher
Education Committee, the Chancellor of the CCC, the
State Board of Education, the Regents of the UC, the
Trustees of the CSU, the Board of Governors of the CCC,
the CSAC, and the Instructional Quality Commission for a
three-month review and comment period.
B. Consider comments and make changes deemed
appropriate.
C. Send the curriculum to the CDE, where it is to be
available for use by schools and where it is to be
maintained. This bill requires the SPI to assume
leadership responsibilities for dissemination of the
curriculum to school districts, professional educational
organizations, and civic organizations throughout the
state.
3. Requires the task force to recommend, and requires the CDE to
determine and implement, an annual process for the pathways
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curriculum to remain current. This bill requires the
Chancellor of the CCC and Chancellor of the CSU, and requests
the President of the UC, to provide cooperation and support
to the CDE in this effort.
4. Authorizes schools and school districts to use and deliver
pathways curriculum in a manner that best suits local needs
and resources.
Comments
According to the author, "The path to college and career is
increasingly complex. Students and families struggle to obtain
accurate information about options and often changing
requirements. High school seniors often graduate with little
understanding of their options, poor knowledge of financial aid
programs, and few tools for making wise postsecondary choices.
The least informed pupils are often from disadvantaged
backgrounds, the first in their families to go to college, and
with poor academic records. The lack of information about
postsecondary opportunity erodes the effectiveness of
California's investment in higher education, and exacerbates
attempts to educate skilled workers."
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Task force: Significant costs to the CDE to staff a
12-member task force with extensive duties. The actual costs
will be determined by the complexity of the curriculum
developed, the efficiency of the task force, and the staffing
level decided by the SPI; the CDE estimates that it will
require approximately $300,000 to implement the task force.
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Curriculum integration: This bill's requirement that the
CDE work with the Instructional Quality Commission and
appropriate framework committees to integrate the pathways
curriculum into each subject matter curriculum framework may
drive significant additional workload for the CDE, over time,
as frameworks are updated.
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/24/13)
California State PTA
Campaign for College Opportunity
Californians for Shared Prosperity
California Association of School Counselors
PQ:d 5/24/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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