BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2056
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Date of Hearing: April 19, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 2056
(Eduardo Garcia) - As Amended March 28, 2016
SUBJECT: Cal Grant Program: graduation verification
SUMMARY: Requires, for the purposes of the Cal Grant Awards
Program, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) to allow a
school district to electronically submit high school graduation
verification for former grade 12 students as many times as
necessary to ensure information is transmitted and received, and
requires high schools to verify graduation by October 1 of the
academic year immediately following the students graduation.
EXISTING LAW: Authorizes CSAC to require verification of high
school graduation or equivalent to be submitted electronically
for all grade 12 pupils who graduated from public schools in the
prior academic year, except for pupils that have opted out.
Establishes legislative intent that high schools verify
graduation of their pupils in time to meet the applicable
deadline (December 31 of the academic year immediately following
the date of application).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS: To apply for a Cal Grant award, students (or parents
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of dependent students) are required to: (1) complete and submit
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA); and, (2)
file a verified GPA with CSAC. In 2013, the Education
Trust-West (ETW) issued a report finding that only 54% of
California's 12th graders completed a FAFSA in 2012, and only
50% completed both steps of the requirements to apply for a Cal
Grant by the March 2nd deadline. ETW found that one high-impact
practice to encourage financial aid applications employed by
districts is to submit GPAs electronically for all students.
ETW research indicates that districts that piloted using
electronic GPA verification and other data-driven practices
found a 15% increase in Cal Grant completion. In 2014, AB 2160
(Ting), Chapter 679, required all high schools to submit a GPA
for all high school seniors to CSAC electronically (electronic
submission occurs through the CSAC WebGrants system).
Building upon the foundation of AB 2160, last year AB 1091
(Garcia), Chapter 637, Statutes of 2015, authorized CSAC to
require electronic submission of graduation verification data
(an eligibility condition of Cal Grant) for students and
established legislative intent that high schools verify
graduation of their pupils in time to meet the applicable
deadline. The bill further established legislative intent that
CSAC provide to high schools and school districts a list of all
high school pupils who have not completed a FAFSA or Dream Act
application.
According to the author, it is not currently a statutory
requirement for school districts to verify high school
graduation on behalf of their students. This bill is intended
to ensure that school districts understand their responsibility
to verify high school graduation. This bill is intended to
provide another step forward to removing barriers for students
and helping students qualify and access financial aid.
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According to CSAC, current practice allows a high school to
resubmit graduation verification information as many times as
necessary to ensure CSAC is in receipt of this data. This
portion is consistent with current CSAC operations. The change
to require high schools to submit graduation verification data
by October 1 of the academic year is intended to provide
guidance to school districts; the current due date is December
31 of the year following high school graduation.
Suggested amendments. Consistent with the author's intent,
committee staff recommends the following amendments:
(b) If the commission requires verification of high school
graduation or its equivalent pursuant to paragraph (1), then
both of the following shall occur:
(1) The commission shall allow a school district to submit
the verification as many times as necessary to ensure that
each pupil's graduation information is transmitted and
received.
(2) the commission should provide guidance to H h igh schools
or high school districts shall to ensure that high schools
and high school districts verify the graduation of their
pupils as soon as possible upon a pupils graduation,
including for pupils' whom graduate during the summer
following the grade 12 academic year, and no later than
October 1 August 31 of the academic year immediately
following the pupils' graduation.
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REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on File
Opposition
None on File
Analysis Prepared by:Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960
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