BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2419
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Date of Hearing: April 19, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 2419
(Jones) - As Introduced February 19, 2016
SUBJECT: Public postsecondary education: The New University of
California
SUMMARY: Establishes the New University of California (New UC)
as a segment of public higher education to provide college
credit and baccalaureate and associate degrees to any person
capable of passing appropriate examinations. Specifically, this
bill:
1)Establishes the New UC under the administration of the New UC
Board of Trustees (BOT) to provide no instruction, and with
the limited mission of issuing college credit and
baccalaureate and associate degrees to any person capable of
passing the examinations administered by the New UC.
2)Provides that the goal of the New UC is for its students to
obtain the requisite knowledge and skills to pass the
examinations administered by the university from any source,
such as massive open online courses, the student deems
appropriate.
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3)Provides that when the student feels that he or she is ready
to take an examination, the student shall pay the examination
fee, present acceptable identification at the examination,
and, upon passage of the examination, receive academic credit.
Requires the New UC to issue the appropriate degree when a
student receives sufficient academic credit.
4)Provides that New UC may contract with qualified entities for
the formulation of peer-reviewed course examinations the
passage of which would demonstrate that the student has the
knowledge and skill necessary to receive college credit for
that course.
5)Provides that New UC may charge students a fee for the taking
of examinations and those fees charged may not exceed the
amount necessary to recover the costs of administering the
examination.
6)Provides the New UC may apply for accreditation to the Western
Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), or a successor
body, or any other appropriate accrediting entity.
7)Provides that the New UC BOT shall authorize a Chancellor to
grant baccalaureate and associate degrees in fields of study
they deem appropriate. In selecting the fields in which
degrees are to be awarded by the university, the board of
trustees shall consult the labor needs forecasts issued by the
Employment Development Department.
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8)Provides that the New UC BOT shall include 11 voting members,
as follows:
a) Five ex officio members: the Governor, the Lieutenant
Governor, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the
Speaker of the Assembly, or their designees; and the person
named by the BOT to serve as the Chancellor; and,
b) Six members of the public appointed by the Governor and
subject to confirmation by a majority of the membership of
the Senate. Provides that the terms of two of the members
of the public appointed shall commence on July 1, 2017, and
terminate on July 1, 2019. The terms of two of the members
of the public appointed shall commence on July 1, 2017, and
terminate on July 1, 2021. The terms of two of the members
appointed shall commence on July 1, 2017, and terminate on
July 1, 2023. Thereafter, the terms of all of the members
of the public appointed under this paragraph shall be six
years.
9)Provides that members of the BOT shall receive no salary for
their service, but shall be reimbursed for the expenses they
incur while carrying out their duties.
10)Provides that all meetings of the board of trustees shall be
subject to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.
11)Provides that the Chancellor of the New UC shall be the chief
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executive officer of the university. The chancellor shall be
appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the BOT. The
chancellor shall be authorized to employ and fix the salaries
of, employees to assist him or her in carrying out the
functions of the university.
EXISTING LAW: Establishes California's public higher education
segments as the California Community Colleges (CCC), the
California State University (CSU) and the University of
California (UC) with the goals of providing access to education
for all qualified Californians, quality teaching and programs to
provide students the opportunity to address issues central to
their full development as responsible citizens and educational
equity through diverse and representative student body and
faculty. Each of the segments has distinct missions and
responsibilities, but also is required to collaborate and
coordinate toward California's common educational goals.
(Education Code Section 66000 et seq.)
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown.
COMMENTS: Purpose of this bill. According to the author, "for
centuries and even for millennia, special knowledge has resided
and was created in the minds and libraries of institutions of
higher learning throughout the world. Students had to travel to
those institutions in order to obtain that knowledge. When the
institution determined that the student had obtained the
requisite knowledge and skills a certificate in the form of a
college degree was awarded to the student.
The advent of the Internet has changed the whole concept of
learning. Nearly all of the special knowledge of the world is
now or is quickly becoming available to anyone with access to
the internet. What is sorely lacking is an institution that
specializes in certifying competencies - certifying that a
student is sufficiently knowledgeable to be deserving of a
college degree. This new type of institution also needs to be
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of sufficient statue to provide legitimacy to the degree awarded
and so it needs to be created and operated by the state as
another segment of public higher education.
There is no such institution under current law although most,
if not all, public institutions have a hint of it in the form of
credit by exam, such as Advanced Placement. This new
institution would essentially be credit by exam on steroids."
Is existing credit by examination and distance learning efforts
insufficient? All three segments currently have policies
providing for awarding alternative credit and making distance
education available to students for degree credit. According to
a 2010 Legislative Analyst Office report, Using Distance
Education to Increase College Access and Efficiency, distance
education courses are offered at virtually all CCCs. CSU
reports that it offers 84 undergraduate and master's programs
online, over 13,000 full online and hybrid courses, and 150
professional development certificate programs online. In
addition, individual faculty and institutions throughout the
public postsecondary education system have voluntarily partnered
with private online providers to develop courses, some of which
are available for credit. If the author believes existing
efforts are insufficient, rather than establish a New UC to
provide degrees solely through credit by examination it might be
more appropriate to expand opportunities for alternative credit
and distance education at the existing public segments.
Is credit by examination a substitute for faculty and classroom
learning? Credit by examination is just one of many strategies
possible for successfully meeting the increasing demand for
higher education opportunity in California. This bill, however,
would allow a college associate and baccalaureate degree to be
granted through credit by examination; these degrees would be
issued with no requirements for specific coursework and
faculty/student engagement. In recent years California has
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moved away from measuring student preparedness through a single
examination score. While the author points out that a variety
of online sources for information exists, in general online
courses have shown mixed results as a tool for student learning
and success.
Quality of credit by examination degrees. This bill would
authorize, but not require, the New UC to be accredited by WASC.
However, based on the requirements for WASC accreditation
(faculty, libraries, student learning outcomes, etc.) it is
unlikely that the New UC could obtain WASC accreditation. In
the absence of accreditation, how would these degrees be valued
in the marketplace? Would other institutions recognize these
degrees for purposes of transfer? Would the State of California
recognize these degrees for purposes of licensure?
Funding is not provided. According to information provided by
the author, the New UC would be self-sustaining through
examination fees. However, costs associated with administration
of the examinations and, should the New UC apply, accreditation
by WASC could be significant. It is unclear if the author
intends for fees to be sufficient to cover these additional
costs. If that is the case, this would impact the affordability
of this option for students.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
None on File
AB 2419
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Opposition
California Federation of Teachers
Analysis Prepared by:Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916) 319-3960