BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Session AB 288 (Holden) - Public schools: College and Career Access Pathways partnerships. ----------------------------------------------------------------- | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Version: July 13, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 7 - 0 | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Urgency: No |Mandate: No | | | | |--------------------------------+--------------------------------| | | | |Hearing Date: August 17, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File. Bill Summary: This bill authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district in its immediate service area to offer or expand dual enrollment opportunities for students who may not be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education and outlines the conditions that must be met prior to the adoption of such an agreement. Fiscal Impact: Unknown cost pressures to fund increased California Community Colleges apportionments. A one percent increase in special full-time equivalent students (FTES), or 172 FTES, would create a cost pressure of about $806,000 using a rate of $4,684 per-FTES. (Proposition 98) AB 288 (Holden) Page 1 of ? Background: Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district, upon recommendation of the principal of a student's school of attendance, and with parental consent, to authorize a student who would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work to attend a community college as a special part-time or full-time student. Existing law authorizes a community college district governing board to admit as a special part-time or full-time student any student eligible pursuant to EC 48800 and requires the governing board of a California Community College (CCC) district to assign these students a low enrollment priority in order to ensure that they these students do not displace regularly admitted community college students. An exemption to this requirement is extended to Middle College High School (MCHS) students. (EC § 76001) Existing law also requires the California Community College Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) to annually report to the Department of Finance and the Legislature the number of full-time equivalent students (FTES) claimed by each CCD for high school pupils enrolled in non-credit, non-degree applicable, degree applicable (excluding physical education), and degree applicable physical education courses. Existing law further provides that, for purposes of receiving state apportionments, CCDs may only include high school students within the CCD's report on FTES if the students are enrolled in courses that are open to the general public, as specified. (EC §76002) Existing law restricts the proportion of a community college physical education class that may be comprised of special part-time or full-time students to 10% and caps the amount of state apportionment that may be claimed for these students at no more than 5% of the district's total reported full-time equivalent enrollment of special part-time and full-time students. (EC § 76002) Proposed Law: This bill authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a CCAP partnership ith the governing board of a school district in its immediate service area to offer or expand dual enrollment opportunities for students who may not be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education. AB 288 (Holden) Page 2 of ? This bill: 1)Authorizes a participating CCD to: a) Assign priority enrollment and registration to high school students enrolling in community college courses required for the partnership program equivalent to that which exists for Middle College High School participants under current law. b) Limit enrollment in a course solely to eligible high school students if the course is offered at a high school campus during the regular school day pursuant to a CCAP agreement. c) Allow a participating special part-time student to enroll in up to a maximum of 15 units per term under specified circumstances. 2)Establishes the following regarding the agreement: a) Requires an outline of the terms of the partnership including the total number of high school students to be served and the total number of full-time equivalent students projected to be claimed by the CCD; the details of the courses that will be offered; the criteria by which students are assessed of their ability to benefit from the courses; and parental consent for high school students to participate. The partnership agreements must be filed with the Chancellor's Office of the California Community Colleges and with the California Department of Education. b) Authorizes the chancellor to void any partnership agreement it determines has not complied with the intent of the requirements of this bill. AB 288 (Holden) Page 3 of ? 3)Establishes the following prohibitions: a) Providing physical education courses to high school students or any other course that does not assist in the attainment of specified goals. b) The agreement must exempt any high school student from being assessed any course-related fees, as specified, for a community college course offered through the partnership, and requires a CCD to exempt students enrolled in partnership courses from student representation non-resident, transcript, apprentice course per unit, and child care fees. c) The statewide number of full-time equivalent students claimed as special admits exceed 10 percent of the total number of full-time equivalent students claimed statewide. 4)The agreement must certify: a) Any community college instructor teaching a course at the partnering high school campus has not displaced or resulted in the termination of an existing high school teacher teaching the same course and that a high school teacher has not displaced or resulted in the termination of an existing faculty member teaching the same course at the partnering community college campus. b) A course offered for college credit at the high school campus does not reduce access to the same course offered at the community college campus and that students participating in the partnership will not lead to enrollment displacement of otherwise eligible adults in the community college. c) Any remedial course taught by a community college faculty at a partnering high school be offered to only AB 288 (Holden) Page 4 of ? those eligible, as specified, and must involve a collaborative effort to deliver an innovative remediation course. 1)Establishes the following funding provisions: a) For purposes of allowance and apportionments, a CCD conducting a closed course on a high school campus must be credited with the units of full-time equivalent students attributable to the attendance of eligible high school students. b) Attendance of a participating high school student at a community college as a special part-time or full-time student is authorized attendance for which the community college is credited or reimbursed under existing statutory authority, provided that no school district has received reimbursement for the same instructional activity. 2)Establishes the following reporting requirements: a) The participating CCD and school district must report annually to the CCCCO specified information regarding the enrollment and courses of the partnership. b) The CCCCO is required to prepare a summary report by January 1, 2021 that includes an evaluation of the partnerships, an assessment of trends of the growth in special admits, and recommendations for program improvements, as specified. c) The CCC Chancellor is required to ensure that the number of full-time equivalent students generated by partnerships is included. 3)Provides that if a CCD violates these provisions, including AB 288 (Holden) Page 5 of ? any restriction imposed by the board of governors, it is subject to the imposition of restrictions on interdistrict attendance and a penalty of retention of up to five percent of its appropriation under community college apportionment provisions. Related Legislation: AB 542 (Wilk) lessens the restrictions on community college enrollment of special part-time and full-time students enrolled in middle college and early college high schools. AB 542 is substantially similar to AB 2352 (Chesbro, 2014) which failed passage in this Committee. AB 1451 (Holden, 2014) authorized the governing board of a school district to enter into a formal concurrent enrollment partnership agreement with a CCD located within its immediate service area. This bill failed passage in this Committee. Staff Comments: According to the author's office, the goal of this bill is to increase the accessibility of concurrent enrollment programs to a broader range of students, to integrate them in a college environment, reduce the need for remediation, increase the likelihood a degree program will be completed, decrease the length of time to complete the degree program, and stimulate interest in higher education. The cost of this bill is unknown as it depends on the effects it would have on community college enrollment. Currently, concurrent enrollment programs are provided funding for a full day of instruction as long as the high school students meet the minimum day requirement of 180 minutes and are concurrently enrolled in a community college. This results in the state paying for a full day of attendance at a high school as well as state apportionments for community college enrollment. Therefore, any additional FTES that community colleges claim as a result of CCAP agreements would result in additional cost pressures to provide funding. This would likely come at the expense of another community college program. The CCC Chancellor's Office estimates that a one percent increase special full-time equivalent students (FTES), or 172 FTES, would AB 288 (Holden) Page 6 of ? create a cost pressure of about $806,000 using a rate of $4,684 per-FTES. To the extent that this bill results in more students earning college credits, students may move through a public postsecondary institution more quickly in the future, which may contribute to future cost savings from reduced time in college (which may also lead to less time receiving state-funded financial aid). However, this assumes the college credits earned through a CCAP agreement will be recognized by the postsecondary institution to which the credits are transferred and students do not take excess courses at the institution. -- END --