BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 752 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair AB 752 (Salas) - As Amended April 23, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Higher Education |Vote:|13 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill requires the Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE), by July 1, 2016, to review the list of examinations prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education (USDE), and if the bureau determines there is no examination AB 752 Page 2 appropriate for ability-to-benefit (ATB) students with limited English proficiency, to approve an alternative examination for these students. FISCAL EFFECT: As the review is already mandated in current law, any cost for the BPPE to complete the review by July 1, 2016, will be minor and absorbable. COMMENTS: 1)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, an ATB test, and are enrolled in college-level career pathways programs. The test is intended 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. The Private Postsecondary Education Act of 2009 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. 2)Purpose. According to the author, many immigrants and working adults that do not have high school diplomas are seeking to AB 752 Page 3 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. This bill establishes a deadline for the BPPE to implement the duty imposed on it in 2012. Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081