BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 542
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
542 (Wilk)
As Amended March 23, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Higher |13-0 |Medina, Baker, | |
|Education | |Bloom, Chávez, | |
| | |Harper, Irwin, | |
| | |Jones-Sawyer, | |
| | |Levine, Linder, | |
| | |Low, Santiago, | |
| | |Weber, Williams | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, | |
| | |Eggman, Gallagher, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
AB 542
Page 2
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Allows a student attending an early or middle college
high school (E/MCHS), who is enrolled in a community college
physical education (P. E.) course that is required for the
student's E/MCHS program, to not be considered as a special
part-time or full-time student for purposes of existing percentage
caps for special part-time and full-time students. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Expresses that the Legislature intends for this measure to
eliminate statutory barriers to the operation of existing and
the establishment of new E/MCHSs.
2)Specifies if a student is attending an ECHS and is seeking
enrollment in a community college course that is required for
the student's ECHS program, he/she will not be assigned a low
enrollment priority.
3)Specifies a student attending a(n) E/MCHS, as specified, who is
enrolled in a community college P. E. course that is required
for the student's E/MCHS program, shall not be considered a
special part-time or full-time student for purposes of
percentage caps for special part-time and full-time students (as
described below in "existing law" section of this analysis).
4)Makes clarifying and technical changes to existing law.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes MCHS as broad-based comprehensive instructional
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programs focusing on college preparatory and school-to-work
curricula, career education, work experience, community service,
and support and motivational activities; and declares ECHS to be
autonomous schools that blend high school and college into a
coherent educational program - specifying that ECHS pupils
should begin taking college courses as soon as they demonstrate
readiness and the college credit earned may be applied toward
completing an associate or bachelor's degree, transfer to a
four-year university, or obtaining a skills certificate
(Education Code (EC) Sections 11300 and 11302).
2)Provides opportunities for minor students to enroll in
college-level, degree-applicable courses for advanced scholastic
or advanced vocational purposes while they are in high school
and authorizes the governing board of a school district, upon
recommendation of the principal of a pupil's school and with
parental consent, to authorize a student to concurrently enroll
in a community college during any session or term to undertake
one or more courses of instruction (EC Section 48800, et. seq.).
3)Requires the California Community Colleges (CCC) Chancellor's
Office to report to the Department of Finance and Legislature
annually on the amount of full-time equivalent students (FTES)
claimed by each CCC district for high school pupils enrolled in
non-credit, non-degree applicable, and degree applicable
courses; and provides that, for purposes of receiving state
apportionments, CCC districts may only include high school
students within the CCC district's report on FTES if the
students are enrolled in courses that are open to the general
public, as specified. Additionally, current law requires the
governing board of a CCC district to assign a low enrollment
priority to special part-time or full-time students in order to
ensure that these students do not displace regularly admitted
community college students; and, specifies that if the class is
a P. E. class, no more than 10% of its enrollment may be
comprised of special part-time or full-time students and that a
AB 542
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community college district shall not receive state apportionment
for special part-time and full-time students enrolled in P. E.
courses in excess of 5% of the district's total reported full
time equivalent enrollment of special part-time and full-time
students. To note, current law exempts MCHS students from being
assigned low enrollment priority if they are seeking to enroll
in a CCC course that is required for their MCHS program (EC
Sections 76001 and 76002).
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, to the extent districts can claim additional
apportionment funding for E/MCHS students, there will be increased
General Fund (Prop 98) costs. The equivalent of only 33
additional FTES statewide, at the current funding rate of $4,676
per FTES would exceed $150,000. (Total E/MCHS credit enrollment
at the CCC is unknown, but estimated at 2,000 to 4,000 FTES.) To
the extent, however, that community colleges as a whole are
already using all state funds apportioned for enrollment, the bill
will result in additional unknown Prop 98 cost pressures.
COMMENTS: Purpose of this measure. According to the author, "AB
542 will allow community colleges to receive funding for providing
P. E. courses for Early College and Middle College High School
students since they are responsible for completing the Physical
Education requirement to meet state standards. The bill will only
apply to community colleges that have an Early College High School
or a Middle College High School and only exempts those students
from the cap on both enrollment and apportionment funding. The
caps will remain in place for other concurrently enrolled
students."
Early and middle college high schools. E/MCHS operate in a
similar manner to provide high school pupils opportunities to take
college courses while still in high school as part of an
integrated program. According to 2013 to 2014 data from ECHS
programs, the ECHS programs are reaching their target populations;
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nationally, roughly three-fourths of high school pupils attending
ECHS are students of color, while nearly 60% report eligibility
for free or reduced-priced lunch. Most students attending ECHS
will be the first in their families to go to college. Currently,
there are 40 ECHS in California. The demographic make-up of the
ECHS students in the 40 schools in California is as follows:
59.52% are Latino; 17.41% are White; 8.57% are Black; and, 6.47%
are Asian. To note, 92% of the 40 schools are currently partnered
with a CCC.
Challenges for E/MCHS students. High school pupils participating
in E/MCHS programs are considered special part-time or full-time
students for purposes of attending a community college to fulfill
the college aspect of the program. According to the author, most
students who attend a(n) E/MCHS program attend their courses on a
community college campus, but because current law caps how many
high school pupils can enroll in community college P. E. courses,
and how many students the community college can receive
apportionment funding for, E/MCHS students are experiencing great
difficulties in gaining access to needed P. E. courses.
Additionally, by providing ECHS students an exemption from the low
enrollment priority requirement, this bill will give ECHS students
an opportunity to complete their programs in a timely manner. AB
230 (Carter), Chapter 50, Statues of 2011, allowed MCHS students
this exemption, but not ECHS students; this bill will bring parity
to ECHS students.
Concurrent enrollment abuse? As drafted, this measure will lift
the existing caps on P. E. courses offered to special part-time
and full-time students and the apportionment dollars community
colleges can claim, if the students are taking the course as
needed for their E/MCHS program. Will passage of this measure
create course abuse as was experienced in the early turn of this
century whereby legislation was enacted to curb concurrent
enrollment abuses?
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To address the potential reoccurrence of P. E. course abuse, the
Legislature may wish to have specific reporting requirements added
to this measure in order to monitor and track the P. E. courses
offered and taken by E/MCHS students and the apportionment dollars
claimed by community colleges.
Analysis Prepared by:
Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960 FN:
0000755