BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 752
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Date of Hearing: April 21, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 752
(Salas) - As Amended March 26, 2015
SUBJECT: Private postsecondary education: California Private
Postsecondary Education Act of 2009
SUMMARY: Requires, if the Bureau for Private Postsecondary
Education (BPPE) publishes a list of relevant occupational
ability-to-benefit (ATB) examinations and passing scores, the
list shall include the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment
System (CASAS) examination.
EXISTING LAW: Provides for, until January 1, 2017, student
protections and regulatory oversight of institutions in the
state pursuant to the Private Postsecondary Education Act (Act).
The Act is enforced by BPPE within the Department of Consumer
Affairs. The Act defines an ATB student as a student without a
high school diploma or equivalency and provides that before an
ATB student may execute an enrollment agreement with a private
postsecondary educational institution (institution), the
institution must have the student take and pass an independently
administered examination from the list of examinations approved
by the United States Department of Education (USDE). (Education
Code Section 94800 et seq.)
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
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COMMENTS: Background. Under Federal law, students without a
high school diploma or equivalency can qualify for federal Title
IV loans, grants, and campus-based aid if they pass an
independently administered test of their basic math and English
skills, called an ATB test and are enrolled in college-level
career pathways programs. The intent of the ATB test is to
measure whether students have the basic skills needed to benefit
from higher education and succeed in the institution. Tests are
approved by the USDE and administered by an independent party.
Under Title IV, students must pass an ATB before receiving any
federal funds.
The Private Postsecondary Education Act (Act) of 2009, which
provides the BPPE with authority to regulate institutions
operating in California, requires all ATB students enrolling in
private postsecondary educational institutions to take and pass
an ATB examination. In 2012, out of concerns that existing
USDE-approved ATB examinations were not appropriate for ESL
students, the Act was amended to authorize the BPPE to publish a
list of eligible examinations if the USDE does not have a
relevant examination. To date, the BPPE has not published a
list of alternative ATB examinations.
Purpose of this bill. According to the author, many immigrants
and working adults that do not have high school diplomas are
seeking to enroll in job and skills training programs, but are
having difficulty passing the USDE-approved ATB examinations.
This problem is disproportionality affecting those with limited
English proficiency and low income communities. According to
the author, the CASAS is a widely used competency-based
assessment system designed to assess the relevant real-world
basic skills of adult learners. CASAS measures the basic skills
and the English language and literacy skills needed to function
effectively at work and in life. The author argues that this
assessment has been successfully used in the past to test ATB
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students and it should be included on the BPPE's list of
approved ATB examinations.
Recommended amendments. As previously noted the BPPE currently
has the authority to approve alternative ATB examinations, but
has not taken such action. This bill also does not require BPPE
to take action to approve CASAS. The author may wish to
consider the following amendment to ensure the BPPE takes
appropriate action:
94904. (b) If the United States Department of Education does
not have a list of relevant examinations that pertain to the
intended occupational training, the bureau may publish its own
list of acceptable examinations and required passing scores.
If the bureau publishes its own list, the list shall include
the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System examination.
(c) The bureau shall, by July 1, 2016, review the list of
United States Department of Education approved examinations.
If the bureau determines there is no examination appropriate
to persons with limited English proficiency the bureau shall
approve an alternative examination. In approving an
alternative examination, the bureau may consider the
Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System examination .
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on File
AB 752
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Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by:Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960