Amended in Senate July 1, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 27, 2015

Amended in Assembly April 6, 2015

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 to begin delete add Part 54 (commencing with Section 88800) to Division 7 of Title 3 of end delete begin insert amend Section 88810 of, and to add Section 88807 to, end insert the Education Code, relating to community colleges.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

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

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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Existing law establishes a financial and professional development grant funding program, which authorizes the governing board of a community college district to apply to the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges for, and requires the chancellor to distribute, multiyear financial and professional development grant funding to community colleges within the district. Existing law requires colleges receiving these funds 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 toward achieving postsecondary educational and career goals, as specified. Existing law requires recipient community colleges to report specified information to the chancellor’s office on program outcomes. Existing law requires the chancellor’s office to be responsible for administering the grant program and distributing and monitoring awards to recipient community college districts, developing application criteria, administrative guidelines, and other requirements for purposes of administering the grant program, and providing the information submitted by community college districts to the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Existing law requires the Legislative Analyst’s Office to report to the Legislature on the progress of the grant program in achieving its prescribed purpose, as specified.

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This bill would require a community college district, in order to receive grant funding, to submit a plan to the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges that details the strategy of a college or colleges within the district for achieving the goals of the program. The bill would establish levels of funding to be awarded to grant recipients and would set aside $3,000,000 of the funds appropriated for the program to be used to provide technical assistance to recipient colleges in implementing these evidence-based models of academic assessment and placement, remediation, and student support, as specified.

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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, and would require the chancellor to distribute, multiyear financial grants and professional development funding upon appropriation of funds for that purpose, not later than 180 days after the chancellor’s receipt of the appropriation, 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 toward achieving postsecondary educational and career goals.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

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

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begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

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begin insert Section 88807 is added to the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert ,
to read: end insert

begin insert

begin insert 88807. end insert   

In order to receive a grant pursuant to this part, a
community college district shall submit a plan to the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges that details the
strategy of a college or colleges within the district for achieving
the goals of the grant program.

end insert

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 88810 of the Education Code is amended to
read: end insert

88810.  

(a) In order to receive a grant, the governing board of
a community college district shall demonstrate in its application
for funding, consistent with subdivision (b) of Section 88805, 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 significantly expand the use or application of, two or more of
the following evidence-based practices and principles:

(1) Adopting placement tests or other student assessment
indicators and related policies that may include multiple measures
of student performance, including grades in high school courses,
especially overall grade point average, results from the common
assessment system, and input from counselors.

(2) Increasing the placement of students directly in gateway
English and mathematics courses that are transferable to the
University of California or the California State University and
career pathways, with remedial instruction integrated as appropriate
for underprepared students.

(3) Aligning content in remedial courses with the students’
programs of academic or vocational study to target students’ actual
needs and increase relevance. This paragraph is intended to
encourage the development of remedial instruction focused on a
student’s identified academic need informed by the student’s
intended course of study.

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

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

(6) Developing two- and three-course sequences, as appropriate,
for completion of a college-level English or mathematics course,
or both, for underprepared students, by either utilizing technology,
where appropriate, to enhance the adoption of the high impact
practices specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, or
implementing other effective basic skills course strategies and
practices not specified in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, subject
to the college providing evidence that substantiates the practice is
effective.

(b) Community colleges are encouraged to collaborate with
local school districts serving kindergarten and grades 1 to 12,
inclusive, to better articulate English and math instruction between
the high schools and the community colleges.

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

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

(A) A progressively increasing share of the students who enroll
at participating community colleges within the community college
district achieve the goals listed in subdivision (b) of Section 88805.

(B) A significantly greater share of entering 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 the plan at the community college.

(2) Ensuring that the plan developed pursuant to paragraph (1)
does all the following:

(A) Describes the community college’s current practices with
regard to the selected high impact practices and its readiness to
implement the new interventions.

(B) Articulates targets for the share of entering students
projected to be served by these interventions over the three-year
implementation period.

(C) Sets goals for the share of entering students who complete
a college-level English or mathematics course within three
semesters or less after enrollment.

(D) Identifies key strategies and implementation benchmarks
for evaluating the progress of campus efforts to implement the
selected interventions.

(E) Details the number of campus faculty likely to be involved
in all selected high impact interventions and the plan for addressing
their professional and technical assistance needs.

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

(4) Commencing in the year that a community college receives
a grant and for the following three fiscal years, annually reporting
to the chancellor’s office on program outcomes, disaggregated by
the demographic characteristics, high school grade point average,
and initial placement level of its students, for purposes of
measuring progress compared to the community college’s
performance before its implementation of the plan. These reports
should include all of the following:

(A) The total number and percentage of entering students
identified as underprepared before receipt of the grant.

(B) The number and percentage of entering students served by
the grant program, disaggregated by type of practice implemented.

(C) The number and percentage of entering students achieving
the goals listed in subdivision (b) of Section 88805.

(D) The number of faculty involved and faculty needs regarding
the adoption and operation of courses under the plan.

(E) If applicable, a narrative describing any subsequent
adjustments to the design of the college’s basic skills course
practices or strategies adopted pursuant to paragraph (6) of
subdivision (a).

(F) A description of any additional or expanded student supports
offered.

(G) A narrative describing the community college’s efforts to
collaborate with local school districts serving kindergarten and
grades 1 to 12, inclusive, to better articulate English and math
instruction between the high schools and the community colleges.

(5)  begin delete These plans should be developed end delete begin insert Developing the plan end insert in
consultation with campus faculty.

(d) The office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges shall be responsible for all of the following:

(1) Developing application criteria, administrative guidelines,
and other requirements for purposes of administering the grant
program. Applications that would do one or both of the following
shall be given priority consideration within the application criteria:

(A) Scale up existing practices.

(B) Provide services to greater proportions of students.

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

(3) Providing the information submitted pursuant to paragraph
(4) of subdivision (c) to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

(e) (1) The Legislative Analyst’s Office shall aggregate,
analyze, and report the information submitted pursuant to paragraph
(3) of subdivision (d) to the Legislature on the progress of the grant
program in achieving its prescribed purpose. The Legislative
Analyst’s Office shall issue an interim report by December 1, 2019,
and a final report by December 1, 2021.

(2) (A) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
this subdivision is inoperative on July 1, 2026, pursuant to Section
10231.5 of the Government Code.

(B) A report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be
submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government
Code.

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(f) (1) Two levels of funding shall be awarded to grant
recipients as follows:

end insert begin insert

(A) A recipient college that has no evidence-based practices as
specified in subdivision (a) in place, as of the date of its initial
award, that plans to implement two or more evidence-based
practices for the first time shall receive five hundred thousand
dollars ($500,000).

end insert begin insert

(B) A recipient college that has at least one evidence-based
practice as specified in subdivision (a) in place, as of the date of
its initial award, that plans to scale up one or more of these
evidence-based practices, or implement at least one additional
evidence-based practice for the first time, or both, provided that
at least two evidence-based practices shall be implemented or
scaled up with these funds, shall receive seven hundred fifty
thousand dollars ($750,000).

end insert begin insert

(2) Recipient colleges are strongly encouraged to implement
additional evidence-based practices specified in subdivision (a).

end insert begin insert

(3) Depending on the availability of funding, a college that
receives a grant may submit plans to scale up one or more of its
implemented evidence-based practices to receive funds for years
two or three, or both, following the implementation of the plan
described in subdivision (c). Grant priority shall be given to
colleges that have yet to receive funding.

end insert begin insert

(g) (1) Three million dollars ($3,000,000) of the funds
appropriated pursuant to this part shall be set aside statewide for
technical assistance to be provided by content experts who are
selected through a proposal process, as developed by the
chancellor’s office, that ensures the identification of appropriate
experts who shall provide technical assistance to recipient colleges
in the following areas:

end insert begin insert

(A) Improving student placement using multiple measures in
accordance with paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).

end insert begin insert

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

end insert begin insert

(C) Developing and offering effective and shortened English
and mathematics remedial course sequences as described in
paragraph (6) of subdivision (a).

end insert begin insert

(2) Technical assistance under paragraph (1) shall help colleges
achieve the following goals:

end insert begin insert

(A) Improving the accuracy of student placement.

end insert begin insert

(B) Placing as many students as appropriate directly in gateway
English and mathematics courses that are transferable to the
University of California or the California State University and
career pathways, with remedial instruction integrated as
appropriate for underprepared students.

end insert begin insert

(C) Helping students complete college-level English or
mathematics within a two or three course sequence.

end insert begin insert

(D) Providing proactive student supports.

end insert begin insert

(3) Technical assistance as described in this subdivision shall
be provided during the first three years that a grant recipient
college implements the plan specified in subdivision (c), with
emphasis placed on the first year of implementation. A recipient
college or college district may use grant funds to purchase
additional technical assistance, as appropriate.

end insert

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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.

SEC. 2.  

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

 

PART 54.  Community Colleges Basic Skills
Innovation Program

 

Chapter  1. General Provisions

 

88800.  

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, not later than 180 days after receiving
the appropriation, 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 toward achieving postsecondary educational
and career goals.

88805.  

(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 a three-course sequence or less.

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

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

88810.  

(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, especially overall grade point average, 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 or vocational study to target students’ actual
needs.

(4) Completing a college-level English or mathematics course,
or both, within a three-course sequence or less. 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 five-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 until 2024 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 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. The report shall be issued every other year,
commencing with the first year the Legislature appropriates funding
for this purpose, until July 1, 2024. The initial report shall be due
to the Legislature on or before the end of the fiscal year in which
the Legislature initially appropriates the funds for this purpose. In
subsequent years, the report shall be due to the Legislature on or
before July 1.

(B) (i) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under
this paragraph is inoperative on July 1, 2028, pursuant to Section
10231.5 of the Government Code.

(ii) 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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