[Approved by Governor September 20, 2014. Filed with Secretary of State September 20, 2014.]
SB 1200, Padilla. Public postsecondary education: academic standards.
The Donahoe Higher Education Act sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California’s public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective institutions of higher education. Existing law establishes the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California, and the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as 2 of the public segments of postsecondary education in this state. A provision of the act requires the California State University and requests the University of California to establish a uniform set of model academic standards for high school courses for pupils who wish to attend those institutions.
Existing law establishes the Academic Content Standards Commission and requires the commission to develop internationally benchmarked academic content standards in language arts and mathematics, at least 85% of which are required to be the common core academic standards developed by the Common Core State Standards Initiative consortium or another specified interstate collaboration.
This bill would express the Legislature’s intent that the University of California and the California State University align their respective model academic standards for high school courses in language arts and mathematics to these academic content standards developed by the commission. The bill would require the trustees and would request the regents to develop guidelines for high school computer science courses to be approved for purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University and the University of California, respectively, and would encourage the University of California to ensure that computer science courses that satisfy the mathematics subject area requirements for admission build upon fundamental mathematics content provided in courses that align with the academic content standards developed by the commission.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 66205.5 of the Education Code is amended to read:
The California State University shall, and the University of California is requested to, do all of the following:
(a) Establish a model uniform set of academic standards for high school courses, including career technical courses pursuant to subdivision (i) of Section 51220, for the purposes of recognition for admission to the California State University and to the University of California, respectively. In developing the model academic standards, the faculty of the postsecondary segments may work in consultation with administrators and faculty from schools maintaining any of grades kindergarten through 12, inclusive. Participating schools that maintain any of grades kindergarten through 12 shall consult with an advisory group that shall include, but need not be limited to, representatives from all of the following:
(1) The University of California and the California State University.
(2) Business and industry, related to career technical programs in any of grades kindergarten through 12, inclusive.
(3) Classroom teachers in career technical education.
(4) School administrators.
(5) Parents.
(b) Develop and implement a speedy process whereby high schools may obtain approval of their courses to satisfy specified admissions requirements of the California State University and the University of California, respectively, by January 1, 2006. The approval process shall, by August 1 of each school year, notify applying schools whether the application for approval has been approved or denied.
(c) Develop a simple procedure to evaluate a career technical education course submitted by a high school that identifies it as a duplicate of a course offered by another high school that is approved by and satisfies the admissions criteria of the California State University or the University of California. The procedure shall ensure that a duplicated course shall be approved as satisfying the admissions criteria of the California State University or the University of California, respectively, to the same extent as the original course if the review determines that the course successfully duplicates the content and requirements of the original course. If a course is not approved as a duplicate, the California State University or the University of California shall inform the applicant high school of the reasons why the course was not approved and shall provide the applicant with a specific list of requirements that the course must meet in order to be approved as a duplicate. In the event an applicant high school, whose course was not approved as a duplicate, revises the course and resubmits its application, the California State University or the University of California shall respond as expeditiously as possible so that if the course meets the necessary requirements for approval it may be offered in the next fall term.
(d) Take into consideration any previous work completed or policies adopted regarding matters related to subdivisions (a) to (c), inclusive, by the California State University or the University of California, respectively.
(e) Develop guidelines for high school computer science courses that may be approved for the purposes of recognition for admission, as provided in subdivision (a). For computer science courses determined to satisfy mathematics subject area requirements, the University of California is encouraged to ensure that these courses build upon fundamental mathematics content provided in courses that satisfy the requirements of subdivision (f).
(f) It is the intent of the Legislature that the academic standards for a high school course, adopted pursuant to and for purposes outlined in subdivision (a), are aligned with the standards developed pursuant to Section 60605.8 of the Education Code.
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