BILL NUMBER: AB 1985	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 22, 2016
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 21, 2016

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Williams
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Dodd,   Gallagher,   Lackey,   and
Steinorth   ) 

                        FEBRUARY 16, 2016

   An act to add Article 9 (commencing with Section 79500) to Chapter
9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
relating to Advanced Placement credit.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1985, as amended, Williams.  Postsecondary education.
  Advanced Placement credit. 
   Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, the Regents of the University of California, and
the Trustees of the California State University, with appropriate
consultation with the Academic Senates of the respective segments, to
jointly develop, maintain, and disseminate a shared core curriculum
in general education courses for the purposes of transfer.
   This bill would require the office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges to develop, and each community college
district to adopt, a uniform policy to award a pupil who passes an
Advanced Placement  exam with a minimum score of 3 
 examination  course credit for certain requirements in a
 course,   course  with subject matter
similar to that of the Advanced Placement  exam. 
 examination. The bill would require each community college
campus to post the most recent policy on its Internet Web site. If a
policy is not implemented for the entering class in the fall 2017
academic term, the bill would require the California Community
Colleges to adopt and implement, commencing with the 2017-18 academic
year, the Advanced Placement policy adopted by the California State
University. 
   To the extent that this bill would impose new duties on community
college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local
program.
   The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local
agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
   This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares  each
  all  of the following:
   (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a uniform
Advanced Placement (AP) credit policy for general education within
the California Community Colleges.  It is the intent of the
Legislature that the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges,
in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California
Community Colleges,   consider,   when adopting the
uniform policy, granting course credit to a pupil who passes an
Advanced Placement examination with a minimum score of three. 
   (b) Studies consistently find that pupils who earn AP exam scores
of three and higher are likely to demonstrate multiple measures of
college success.
   (c) The lack of a uniform AP credit policy often serves as an
academic and financial barrier for students enrolling in California
Community Colleges and is a transfer obstacle for many pupils.
  SEC. 2.  Article 9 (commencing with Section 79500) is added to
Chapter 9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
to read:

      Article 9.  Advanced Placement Credit


   79500.   (a)    The office of the Chancellor of
the California Community Colleges shall, in collaboration with the
Academic Senate for California Community Colleges,  develop,
  do both of the following: 
    (1)     Develop,  and each community
college district shall  adopt,   adopt and imp
  lement, commencing with the entering class in the fall
2016 academic term,  a uniform policy to award a pupil who
passes an Advanced Placement  exam with a minimum score of
three   examination  course credit for California
Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, California
State University General Education Breadth, or local community
college general education requirements, as appropriate for the pupil'
s needs, in a course with subject matter similar to that of the
Advanced Placement  exam.   examination. 

   (2) Periodically review and adjust the policy adopted pursuant to
subdivision (a) to align it with policies of other public
postsecondary educational institutions.  
   (b) If the policy to be adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) is not
implemented for the entering class in the fall 2017 academic term,
the California Community Colleges shall adopt and implement,
commencing with the 2017-18 academic year, the Advanced Placement
policy adopted by the California State University.  
   (c) Each community college campus shall post on it Internet Web
site the most recent policy adopted pursuant to this section. 
  SEC. 3.  If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this
act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local
agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant
to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of
the Government Code.