BILL NUMBER: AB 770 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 1, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 27, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 6, 2015
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 19, 2015
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Irwin
FEBRUARY 25, 2015
An act to add Part 54 (commencing with Section 88800) to
Division 7 of Title 3 of amend Section 88810 of, and
to add Section 88807 to, 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.
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.
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.
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.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 88807 is added to the
Education Code , to read:
88807. 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.
SEC. 2. Section 88810 of the Education Code is
amended to read:
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) These plans should be developed
Developing the plan 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.
(f) (1) Two levels of funding shall be awarded to grant recipients
as follows:
(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).
(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).
(2) Recipient colleges are strongly encouraged to implement
additional evidence-based practices specified in subdivision (a).
(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.
(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:
(A) Improving student placement using multiple measures in
accordance with paragraph (1) of subdivision (a).
(B) Contextualizing remedial instruction in foundational skills
for the industry cluster, pathways, or both, in which the student
seeks to advance.
(C) Developing and offering effective and shortened English and
mathematics remedial course sequences as described in paragraph (6)
of subdivision (a).
(2) Technical assistance under paragraph (1) shall help colleges
achieve the following goals:
(A) Improving the accuracy of student placement.
(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.
(C) Helping students complete college-level English or mathematics
within a two or three course sequence.
(D) Providing proactive student supports.
(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.
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.