BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1741
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 12, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 1741
(Rodriguez) - As Amended March 15, 2016
SUBJECT: California College Promise Innovation Grant Program
SUMMARY: Establishes the California College Promise Innovation
Grant Program (Promise Grant) to provide funds to California
Community College (CCC) districts for the purpose of
establishing regional California College Promise (Promise)
programs. Specifically, this bill:
1)Establishes the Promise Grant program, administered by the CCC
Chancellor's Office (CCCCO). Requires the CCCCO to distribute
multiyear grants, upon appropriation from the Legislature, to
CCC Districts (CCD).
2)Establishes the goals of the Promise Grant program as
supporting CCD in establishing Promise programs in partnership
with K-12 school districts, California State University (CSU)
campuses, and University of California (UC) campuses, to
accomplish:
a) Increase the number and percentage of high school
students within the region who are prepared for and attend
college directly from high school;
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b) Increase the percentage of high school graduates within
the region who are placed in college level math and English
at a CCC, CSU, or UC campus;
c) Increase the percentage of students from the region who
earn degrees or career technical education certificates;
d) Increase the percentage of students who successfully
transfer from a CCC to CSU, UC, or an independent
institution of higher education;
e) Increase the percentage of students who graduate with a
bachelor's degree; and,
f) Reduce and eliminate achievement gaps.
3)Provides that, in order to receive a Promise Grant, the
governing board of a CCD must demonstrate in its application
that the CCC will partner with one or more school districts
and one or more CSU or UC campus to establish a Promise
program to do all of the following:
a) Partner with one or more school districts to establish
an Early Commitment to College Program (ECCP) to provide
students and families assistance that includes, but is not
limited to, learning about college opportunities, visiting
campuses, taking and completing college preparatory
courses, and applying for college and financial aid;
b) Partner with one or more school districts to support and
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improve high school student preparation for college through
practices that may include, but are not limited to, small
learning communities, concurrent enrollment, and other
evidence-based practices;
c) Utilize placement and student assessment indicators that
include multiple measures of student performance, including
grades in high school courses, overall grade point
averages, results from common assessments, and input from
counselors;
d) Provide each student, who participates in an ECCP
pledge, the first semester at the community college tuition
free;
e) Provide students with access to full-time course
schedules that include math, reading, and English courses;
f) Provide outreach to students regarding the Associate
Degrees for Transfer and the California Community College
Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant program; and,
g) Partner with regional CSU campuses to ensure guaranteed
admission and seamless transfer for students who have
successfully completed transfer requirements.
4)Encourages school districts, UC, CSU, the Student Aid
Commission, independent colleges and universities, local and
regional government agencies, and nonprofit, business, or
other community organizations to provide support services as
needed in coordination with CCD Promise programs.
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5)Requires the CCCCO to annually submit to the Legislature a
report on the status of the program, including, but not
limited to, the number of CCD participants and relevant
outcome data reported by CCD to the chancellor.
6)Provides $25,000,000 (Prop. 98) from the General Fund to the
CCCCO for allocation to CCD upon the submission and approval
of district applications detailing the strategy for
establishing a Promise program.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the ECCP, with voluntary participation by pupils
and school districts, for the purposes increasing college
attendance and success rates among low-income students.
Requires participating school districts to provide specified
information on college attendance and to participate in the
"Save Me a Spot in College" pledge. Requires the
Superintended of Public Instruction to administer the
voluntary program and report on participation rates. Sunsets
the ECCP on January 1, 2019. (Education Code Section 54710 et.
seq.).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill contains an appropriation of
$25 million to fund the Promise Grant program.
COMMENTS: Purpose of this bill. According to the author, AB
1741 models on the success of the Long Beach College Promise and
creates the California College Promise Innovation Grant Program,
to be administered by the CCCCO, with an initial appropriation
of $25 million. The Chancellor will distribute multi-year grants
to incentivize community college districts to establish Regional
College Partnership Programs that integrate the local K-12
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sector, California State University and University of California
with the goals of increasing the number of students who graduate
high school prepared to attend college; increase the number of
local high school graduates placed directly in college level
math and English; increase the percentage of students who earn
degrees or career technical education certificates; increase the
percentage of students who successfully transfer from a CCC to a
4-year institution; increase the percentage of students who
graduate with a bachelor's degree; and reduce and eliminate
achievement gaps.
Background on ECCP. SB 890 (Scott), Chapter 472, Statutes of
2008, established the ECCP with the goal of renewing the 1960
Master Plan (that any California student with interest in
attending college, could pursue a college education in
California), and for the first time, making college directly
accessible to students and their families beginning in middle
school. The ECCP was launched in 2009 by the California
Department of Education (CDE); lack of financial resources
provided to support the program may have resulted in low
participation rates among school districts.
Existing College Promise Programs. A number of CCC and CCD have
implemented regional "promise" programs. These programs vary in
size, scope, and student qualifications, and include:
Adelante Promise. Provides guaranteed admission to UC Irvine
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and CSU Fullerton for all graduates of the Santa Ana Unified
School District as long as they enroll at Santa Ana College
within one year of graduating and successfully meet all
academic and application requirements for transfer.
Cuesta Promise. Cuesta College will pay for tuition and fees
for all graduates of a San Luis Obispo County high school
district for the first year of their programs. Students must
attend Cuesta College the fall semester immediately following
completion of high school to qualify.
Long Beach College Promise. All incoming Long Beach Unified
School District students receive a tuition-free first year at
Long Beach City College. Those who complete college
preparatory and transfer requirements set by the Promise are
guaranteed admission to CSU Long Beach. The joint outreach
effort by all three institutions begins in 4th grade to
encourage post-secondary education, while offering students a
multitude of options to achieve success.
Richmond Promise. In August 2014, city leaders announced a
$35 million 10 year program that guarantees every Richmond
public school student who graduates from high school will
receive $1,500 to attend college. Contra Costa College is a
partner in this program.
San Francisco Promise. The Robert and Joyce Corrigan SF
Promise Endowed Scholarship makes higher education an
attainable goal for every eligible student in the San
Francisco Unified School District. San Francisco Promise is a
partnership among San Francisco State University, San
Francisco Unified School District, and the Mayor's Office of
the City of San Francisco. The San Francisco Promise
Scholarship is available to 20 graduates from SFUSD high
schools. If selected, the recipient will receive $1,000 per
year, renewable for 4 years as long as a GPA of 2.5 is
maintained and the applicant completes at least 24 units
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(approximately 8 classes) each year.
San Marcos Promise/PACE Promise. Guarantees CSU San Marcos
admission to San Marcos Unified School District graduates who
are continuously enrolled in the district from 9th-12th grade
and meet entrance requirements. Students must get a C or
higher in each class and complete college prep coursework.
PACE Promise provides scholarships of $1,000 for up to 4
years, as well as college prep resources beginning in 7th
grade.
Ventura College Promise. Covers tuition and fees at Ventura
College for all Ventura County high school graduates,
regardless of family income, so long as they commit to setting
an educational goal, apply for college within 12 months of
high school graduation, complete the FAFSA, and stay
continuously enrolled in college for two consecutive
semesters.
Issues to Consider. The author and committee may wish to
consider the following issues and suggested amendments.
1)Requiring a free semester at CCC for ECCP students. This bill
would require eligible Promise Programs to provide students
who participate in an ECCP pledge the first semester at CCC
tuition free. The costs to attend a CCC extend well beyond
the $46/unit fee, and include books, transportation, food, and
living expenses. By focusing solely on fee waivers, does this
bill inadvertently discourage CCC to improve student access to
other sources of financial aid that cover access costs? The
author may wish to consider amending this provision to require
that, in order to receive a Promise Grant, an institution
provide needy students with financial aid support and
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assistance, which may include fee waivers and other financial
aid support.
2)Local CSU Admission Guarantees. This bill requires eligible
Promise Programs to partner with regional CSU campuses to
ensure guaranteed transfer admission. While this is an
important provision in some successful local programs, it may
not be possible for CCD in a CSU service area where the CSU
has declared campus or program impaction. The author may wish
to consider establishing an exception to this requirement, as
necessary.
Related legislation. This bill is a part of a package of bills
introduced by Assembly Members to establish a CCC Promise
Program to ensure affordability and success for CCC students.
Other bills in the package include: AB 1583 (Santiago), pending
in this Committee, which would expand the CCC Board of Governors
Fee Waiver Program to include specified categories of students,
and establish a need-based aid program to cover access costs for
CCC students; and, AB 1721 (Medina), pending in this Committee,
which would expand the Cal Grant Program to increase aid to CCC
students.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Primary Care Association
AB 1741
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Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by:Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960