Amended in Assembly March 19, 2015

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 770

Introduced by Assembly Member Irwin

February 25, 2015

An act begin insert to add Part 54 (commencing with Section 88800) to Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, end insert relating to community colleges.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 770, as amended, Irwin. Community colleges: basic skills and innovation strategies.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law authorizes the establishment of community college districts under the administration of community college governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at community college campuses throughout the state.

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This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to provide more opportunities for campuses of the California Community Colleges to participate in basic skills innovation strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in improving student success and in increasing the number of underprepared students who complete college-level English and mathematics courses.

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This bill would establish a financial grant and professional development funding program, which would authorize the governing board of a community college district to apply to the chancellor for funds for purposes of community colleges within the district adopting or expanding the use of evidence-based models of academic assessment and placement, remediation, and student support that accelerate the progress of underprepared students toward achieving postsecondary educational and career goals.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee:  begin delete no end delete begin insert yes end insert . State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:

(a) Over 70 percent of students enrolling, for the first time, in
courses offered by campuses of the California Community Colleges
are classified as underprepared for college-level work and in need
of remediation.

(b) National research has found that, regardless of incoming
preparation levels, the more semesters of remediation students are
required to take, the less likely those students are to complete
college-level English and mathematics courses, which are gateway
courses to most postsecondary degree and credential programs,
and for transfer to four-year postsecondary institutions.

(c) Research in California has demonstrated that relatively few
students who enter remediation ultimately attain a postsecondary
degree, credential, or transfer to a four-year institution, and that
students of color are disproportionately affected.

(d) Drawing on national initiatives aimed at increasing student
completion of college-level English and mathematics courses,
efforts in California have demonstrated the success of innovative
ways to deliver English and mathematics remediation.

(e) In those pilot efforts, students’ odds of completing
college-level English courses more than double, and their odds of
completing college-level mathematics courses are more than four
times higher in comparison to students in traditional remediation.
However, at most community college campuses, these new
approaches are offered on a small scale and are not available to
most students.

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begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

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begin insert Part 54 (commencing with Section 88800) is added to
Division 7 of Title 3 of the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert , to read: end insert

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PART  begin insert 54. end insert   Community Colleges Basic Skills
Innovation Program

 

Chapter   begin insert 1. end insert General Provisions

 

begin insert 88800. end insert   

A financial grant and professional development funding
program, administered by the chancellor, is hereby established.
The chancellor shall distribute multiyear financial grants and
professional development funding, upon appropriation by the
Legislature for this purpose, to the governing board of a community
college district that applies and satisfies the requirements of this
part. Moneys allocated pursuant to this program shall be expended
for community colleges within the district to adopt or expand the
use of evidence-based models of academic assessment and
placement, remediation, and student support that accelerate the
progress of underprepared students towards achieving
postsecondary educational and career goals.

begin insert 88805. end insert   

(a) The governing board of a community college district
may apply for funds pursuant to this part for the purpose of making
more effective, evidence-based practices available to significantly
more underprepared students who enroll at campuses of the
California Community Colleges. A community college within the
district may receive funds for purposes of implementing these
evidence-based practices for the first time or expanding
evidence-based practices that are in effect as of the date of the
district’s application for funds.

(b) The evidence-based strategies implemented or expanded
pursuant to subdivision (a) shall include innovative basic skills
improvement strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in
accelerating the progress of underprepared students toward, and
increasing the number of underprepared students who successfully
achieve, one or more of the following goals:

(1) Completing a college-level English or mathematics course,
or both, within three semesters after initial enrollment at a
participating community college.

(2) Earning eight units applicable to a college certificate or
degree.

(3) Earning a college certificate or degree approved by the
California Community Colleges.

begin insert 88810. end insert   

(a) In order to receive a grant, the governing board
of a community college district shall demonstrate in its application
for funding that the community colleges that are to participate in
the grant program will redesign their curriculum, career pathways,
assessment and placement procedures, or any combination thereof,
to implement, or expand the use or application of, one or more of
the following practices and principles:

(1) Adopting placement tests and related policies that include
multiple measures of student performance, including grades in
high school courses and input from counselors.

(2) Increasing the placement of students directly in gateway
English and mathematics courses and career pathways
supplemented by remediation.

(3) Aligning content in remedial courses with the students’
programs of academic study to target students’ actual needs.

(4) To the extent possible, ensuring that underprepared students
complete college-level English or mathematics courses, or both,
within a two-course sequence. Students pursuing
mathematics-intensive courses of study may require a longer
sequence of mathematics coursework.

(5) Contextualizing remedial instruction in foundational skills
for the industry cluster, pathways, or both, in which the student
seeks to advance.

(6) Providing proactive student support services that are
integrated with the instruction provided.

(b) Each participating community college shall be responsible
for all of the following:

(1) Developing a plan based on one or more of the
evidence-based principles and practices described in subdivision
(a) that demonstrates a clear strategy for ensuring that all of the
following occur within a 5-year period:

(A) A significant share of the underprepared students who enroll
at participating community colleges’ within the community college
district achieve one or more of the three goals listed in subdivision
(b) of Section 88805.

(B) Underprepared students who are enrolled at the community
college achieve the goals listed in subdivision (b) of Section 88805
within a shorter time period than before the implementation of
this part at the community college.

(2) Ensuring that its faculty participate in professional
development regarding academic programs or new curriculum
developed or expanded pursuant to this part, using grant funds to
support that faculty participation.

(3) Annually reporting to the chancellor’s office on program
outcomes, disaggregated by demographic characteristics of its
students, for purposes of measuring progress compared to the
community college’s performance before its implementation of
this part. These reports should include all of the following:

(A) The number and percentage of underprepared students
served by the grant program.

(B) The number and percentages of these underprepared
students achieving each of the three goals listed in subdivision (b)
of Section 88805.

(C) The number of faculty involved and faculty needs regarding
the innovation and operation of courses pursuant to this part.

(c) The chancellor’s office shall be responsible for all of the
following:

(1) Administering the grant program, and distributing and
monitoring awards to recipient community college districts.

(2) Developing application criteria, administrative guidelines,
and other requirements for purposes of administering the grant
program.

(3) (A) Aggregating, analyzing, and reporting annually the
information submitted pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision
(b) to the Legislature on the progress of the grant program in
achieving its prescribed purpose.

(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to this paragraph shall
be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

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SEC. 2.  

It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation
to provide more opportunities for campuses of the California
Community Colleges to participate in basic skills innovation
strategies that have demonstrated effectiveness in improving
student success and increasing the number of underprepared
students who complete college-level English and mathematics
courses.

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