BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2069
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Date of Hearing: April 12, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 2069
(Medina) - As Introduced February 17, 2016
SUBJECT: Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012
SUMMARY: Requires the metrics for the collection of data to
measure the effectiveness of the Student Success and Support
Program (SSSP) to include the percentage of part-time (P/T)
faculty that are required to hold office hours per full-time
equivalent students.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires that all community college districts (CCD), with the
assistance of the California Community Colleges (CCC)
Chancellor, establish and maintain institutional research to
evaluate the effectiveness of the SSSP, as specified, and of
any other programs or services designed to facilitate
students' completion of their educational goals and course of
study. Specifies the metrics for said research shall include,
but be not limited to the following:
a) Prior educational experience, including transcripts when
appropriate, as determined by the chancellor;
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b) Educational goals and courses of study;
c) Criteria for exemption from orientation, assessment, or
required counseling or advisement, if applicable;
d) Need for financial assistance;
e) Disaggregated data by ethnicity, gender, disability,
age, and socioeconomic status, to the extent this
information is available;
f) Academic performance, such as the completion of
specified unit thresholds, success in basic skills courses,
grade point average, course completion outcomes, transfer
readiness, and degree and certificate completion; and,
g) Any additional information that the chancellor finds
appropriate (Education Code (EC) Section 78214).
2)Requires the CCC Board of Governors (BOG) to develop a formula
for allocating funding for the SSSP in order to implement
services, as specified (EC 78216).
3)Defines "faculty" as those employees of a CCD who are employed
in academic positions that are not designated as supervisory
or management, as specified. Faculty include, but are not
limited to, instructors, librarians, counselors, community
college health services professionals, handicapped student
programs and services professionals, and extended opportunity
programs and services professionals (EC Section 87003).
4)Defines any person who is employed to teach for not more than
67 percent of the hours per week considered a full-time
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assignment to be a temporary (P/T) employee (EC Sections
87482.5 and 87882).
5)Requires the CCC BOG to adopt regulations regarding the
percent of credit instruction taught by full-time (F/T)
faculty and authorizes CCDs with less than 75 percent F/T
instructors to apply a portion of their "program improvement"
funds toward reaching the 75 percent goal (commonly referred
as "75/25") (EC Section 87482.6).
The state has stopped providing program improvement funds and
the BOG has since required CCDs to provide a portion of their
growth funds to hiring more F/T faculty.
6)Expresses that the Legislature finds and declares that
community college P/T faculty are required to fulfill the same
teaching responsibilities as F/T faculty although students
have little or no access to P/T faculty outside of the
classroom; that the Legislature intends that students have the
same opportunity for academic assistance and guidance without
regard to whether a course at a CCC is taught by a F/T or P/T
faculty member; and, that the Legislature intends that CCC P/T
faculty teaching a minimum number of courses be compensated
for providing academic counseling and assistance to students
outside of the classroom (EC Section 87880).
7)Creates the Community College Part-Time Faculty Office Hours
Program for the purpose of providing community college
students equal access to academic advice and assistance; and,
authorizes the governing board of a CCD to provide
compensation for office hours to P/T faculty (EC Sections
87881 and 87883).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
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COMMENTS: Background. Part-time faculty have been expected to
provide the same high quality instruction as their F/T
colleagues, but they often times are not able to provide regular
student office hours and are not necessarily compensated for
professional responsibilities linked to student success.
Student success and support. Senate Bill 1456 (Lowenthal),
Chapter 624, Statutes of 2013, was enacted to implement some of
the Student Success Task Force recommendations. Among other
things, SB 1456 revised and recast the Seymour-Campbell
Matriculation Act of 1986 as the Seymour-Campbell Success Act of
2012 in order to target funding to services such as orientation,
assessment, and counseling and advising to assist students with
the development of education plans. It also required that
students define goals, required that students declare a course
of study and mandated student participation in assessment,
orientation and education planning.
At a regulatory level, the BOG has approved regulations that
provide enrollment priority to students who have participated in
assessment, orientation and who have developed an education
plan. A revision of Title 5 regulations is in progress to
implement provisions of SB 1456 to require students to complete
core services as well as to declare a course of study.
Additionally, in 2012 the Board of Governors adopted enrollment
priorities and, in Spring 2013, districts are required to notify
students that accumulating 100 degree applicable units or being
on academic or progress probation for two consecutive terms will
result in the loss of enrollment priority. Finally, as of Fall
2014, students who complete orientation, assessment, and have a
student education plan, will receive a higher enrollment
priority.
The Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012 also specifies
that hiring of F/T faculty, including counselors, and providing
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for P/T faculty support, are "essential educational priorities
that contribute to student success."
Importance of faculty office hours. Various studies have shown
that office hours play a vital component of higher education;
providing invaluable means for students to interact with faculty
outside of the classroom and/or lecture hall. Office hours have
been shown to provide students with confidence and motivation.
Many students describe office hour visits just as important as
attending a class. Additionally, office hours have been linked
to student retention.
Need for the measure. According to the author, "the Legislature
has previously acknowledged the importance of this [office hours
for P/T faculty] issue." Funds for the program were cut during
the recession and have not been restored. The author contends
that, P/T faculty have office hours as negotiated by their
contracts, but if contracts do not include office hours, which
many do not, then office hours are not offered. While the
Student Success Scorecard collects and reports various metrics
that affect student success, it does not collect information on
office hours offered by P/T faculty.
The author states, "One item not collected by community colleges
is provision of office hours by part-time faculty. Given the
importance of office hours on student performance, and the
significant proportion of classes taught by part-time faculty,
this metric should be included in the Student Success Scorecard.
The measure will further support the goals of the
Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act by including the collection
of metrics essential for student success."
This measure will include P/T faculty offered office hours as a
reporting requirement for the Student Success Scorecard.
Policy concern. The CCC Chancellor's Office (CCCCO) has
expressed a concern that as drafted, it is likely the CCDs may
not be able to fully implement this measure. The CCCCO contends
that because the majority of CCDs do not provide their P/T
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faculty with office hours, this measure may not be feasible.
Lastly, the CCCCO believes that of the few CCDs that do provide
limited office hours to their P/T faculty, this measure is
unclear as to how the office hours would be reported and
presented in the Scorecard.
Moving forward, the author may wish to continue to work with the
CCCCO in an attempt to address their concerns.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Federation of Teachers
Faculty Association of California Community Colleges
(co-sponsor)
Student Senate for California Community Colleges (co-sponsor)
13 Individuals
Opposition
None on file.
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Analysis Prepared by:Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960