Amended in Assembly August 1, 2016

Amended in Assembly June 23, 2016

Amended in Assembly June 8, 2016

Senate BillNo. 412


Introduced by Senators Glazer and De León

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Baker and Levine)

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February 25, 2015


An act to addbegin insert and repealend insert Part 40.2 (commencing with Section 67430)begin delete toend deletebegin insert ofend insert Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 412, as amended, Glazer. The California Promise.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state.

This bill would establish the California Promise, which would requirebegin delete the trustees to establish a program that authorizes a campusend deletebegin insert specified minimum numbers of campusesend insert of the California State University tobegin insert establish a California Promise program toend insert enter into a pledge with a student who satisfies specified criteria to support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years, or if the student is a community college transferbegin delete student,end deletebegin insert student who earned an associate degree for transfer,end insert withinbegin delete twoend deletebegin insert 2end insert academic years, of the academic year of the student’sbegin delete freshmanend delete admission, as defined. The bill would require the trustees to submit a report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature that includes demographic information about students who participate in the program and a summary description of significant differences in implementation of the program by campus. The bill would require the trustees to submit recommendations to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature regarding potential financial incentives that can benefit students who participate in the program.begin insert The bill’s provisions would be repealed as of January 1, 2024.end insert

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Part 40.2 (commencing with Section 67430) is
2added to Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:

3 

4PART 40.2.  THE CALIFORNIA PROMISE

5

 

6

67430.  

This part shall be known, and may be cited, as the
7California Promise.

8

67431.  

For purposes of this part, the following terms have the
9following meanings:

10(a) “Academic year of the student’sbegin delete freshmanend delete admission” means
11the first full academic year in which a person is a student atbegin delete a
12campus ofend delete
the California State University.

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13
(b) “Campus” means a campus within the California State
14University system as set forth in Section 89001.

end insert
begin insert

15
(c) “Transfer student” is a community college student who
16earned an associate degree for transfer.

end insert
begin delete

17(b)

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18begin insert(d)end insert “Trustees” means the Trustees of the California State
19University.

20

67432.  

The California Promise is hereby established to support
21students who enroll in the campuses of the California State
22University in obtaining baccalaureate degrees within four academic
23begin delete years, or within two academic years for community college transfer
24students,end delete
begin insert yearsend insert of the academic year of the student’sbegin delete freshman
25admission.end delete
begin insert admission or within two academic years of the student’s
26admission to the campus for transfer students.end insert

27

67433.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

P3    1(a) This part is needed to facilitate the availability and
2completion of coursework for degree programs offered by
3campuses of the California State University and to ensure that
4students enrolled at these campuses are able to complete
5baccalaureate degree programs within four academicbegin delete years, or
6within two academic years for community college transfer students,end delete

7begin insert yearsend insert of the academic year of the student’sbegin delete freshman admission.end delete
8
begin insert admission or within two academic years of the student’s admission
9to the campus for transfer students.end insert

10(b) A more concerted, statewide effort to create pathways to
11four-year graduation is needed at the California State University.
12For the 2010 cohort of full-time, first-time students at the California
13State University, 19 percent graduated within four academic years.
14According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the most recent
15nationally comparable data shows that the California State
16University’s overall four-year graduation rate was 16 percent in
172011, below the national rate of 26 percent among similar public
18institutions.

19(c) Impediments to graduating within four academic years
20include the failure of students to complete sufficient units per
21academic year and the lack of available high-demand courses.

22(d) New approaches are critical for the future of higher education
23in California. Efforts have been ongoing, though sporadic, to
24improve postsecondary educational institution enrollment and
25graduation. These efforts will need to be intensified and made
26more broadly systemic.

27(e) Students who graduate within four academic years save tens
28of thousands of dollars. In addition to the direct costs of extended
29college and university enrollment, students miss out on earnings
30in the workforce while they remain in school.

31(f) When California experiences a decline in college and
32university graduates, the state’s economy shrinks and employers
33seek qualified candidates outside the state. Furthermore, a larger
34share of the state’s workforce is downgraded to lower-paying jobs
35and consumer behavior and home ownership declines, which leads
36to plummeting revenues for local and state government and to
37more people relying on increasingly decimated government
38services.

39(g) According to the Public Policy Institute of California, if bold
40measures are not taken, California will fall short of the state’s
P4    1economic demand by 1.1 million college and university graduates
2by 2030. An increased demand for highly educated workers will
3outweigh the number of qualified applicants for available jobs,
4which will be exacerbated when scores of highly educated baby
5boomers retire. The share of workers with a baccalaureate degree
6will be 33 percent in 2030, below the 38 percent that will be
7needed.

8(h) The impact of graduation rates from California State
9University campuses is felt not only throughout the state, but also
10the nation. One out of every 10 California employees is a California
11State University graduate, while one out of every 20 United States
12citizens with a college or university degree graduates from a
13campus of the California State University. These statistics
14emphasize the national importance of graduation rates at California
15State University campuses.

16(i) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California Promise
17will enable the California State University system to meet and
18exceed the national average of similar public postsecondary
19educational institutions as quickly as possible.

20(j) The California Promise programs established at the California
21State University in accordance with this part should aim to reflect
22the demographics of their respective campuses and target a diverse
23set of students.

24

67434.  

(a) The trustees shall develop and implement a
25California Promise program that complies with thisbegin delete part at 10 or
26more of their respective campuses.end delete
begin insert part.end insert

27(b) Commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year,begin delete the trusteesend deletebegin insert a
28minimum of 10 campusesend insert
shallbegin delete authorize each campus withend delete
29begin insert establishend insert a California Promise program pursuant to subdivision
30(a) to enter into a pledge with a qualifying studentbegin delete of the campus,
31including a community college transfer student,end delete
begin insert who is enrolled
32at the campus and who is not a transfer studentend insert
to support the
33student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree within four academic
34begin delete years, or if the student is a community college transfer student,
35within two academic years,end delete
begin insert yearsend insert of the academic year of the
36student’sbegin delete freshmanend delete admission.

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37
(c) Commencing with the 2017-18 fiscal year, a minimum of
3815 campuses shall establish a California Promise program
39pursuant to subdivision (a) to enter into a pledge with a qualifying
40transfer student to support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate
P5    1degree program within two academic years of the student’s
2admission to the campus, as applicable.

end insert
begin insert

3
(d) Commencing with the 2018-19 fiscal year, a minimum of
4five additional campuses for a total minimum of 20 campuses shall
5establish a California Promise program pursuant to subdivision
6(a) to enter into a pledge with a qualifying transfer student to
7support the student in obtaining a baccalaureate degree program
8within two academic years of the student’s admission to the
9campus, as applicable.

end insert
begin delete

10(c)

end delete

11begin insert(e)end insert Except as provided in paragraph (2) of subdivisionbegin delete (d),end deletebegin insert (f),end insert
12 to be a qualifying studentbegin insert or transfer studentend insert at the California State
13University, the student must comply with both of the following:

14(1) Be a California resident for purposes of in-state tuition
15eligibility.

16(2) Complete at least 30 semester units or the quarter equivalent
17per academic year. Units completed by the student during a summer
18term may count towards the previous or following academic year
19as determined by the trustees.

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20(d)

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21begin insert(f)end insert (1) Each program established by the trustees at a California
22State University campus shall be reviewed bybegin delete each campus'end deletebegin insert a end insert
23graduation initiative advisory committeebegin insert of that campusend insert or a
24committee designated with similar functions. The committee shall
25ensure the goals of the program and implementation steps lead to
26increasing the campus’ four-year graduation rates for students who
27enrolled as first-time freshman and two-year graduation rates for
28begin delete community collegeend delete transferbegin delete students.end deletebegin insert students, as applicable.end insert

29(2) The committee at each campusbegin delete mayend deletebegin insert shallend insert develop additional
30eligibility requirements to prioritize specific student populations
31that have lower four-year graduation rates at the campus for those
32who enroll as first-time freshman and lower two-year graduation
33rates for those who enroll asbegin delete community collegeend delete transfer students,
34including, but not limited to, all of the following student
35populations:

36(A) Students who receive financial aid under the Federal Pell
37Grant Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070a) or the Cal Grant Program
38established in Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of
39Part 42.

40(B) Underrepresented students.

P6    1(C) First generation college students.

2(3) It is the intent of the Legislature that the California Promise
3program at each campus gradually scale up in order to
4accommodate as many students into the program asbegin delete feasible.end delete
5
begin insert feasible and in consideration of available funding.end insert

begin delete

6(e)

end delete

7begin insert(g)end insert Support provided by a California State University campus
8to a student who participates in the campus’ California Promise
9program shall include, but not be limited to, both of the following:

10(1) begin insert(A)end insertbegin insertend insert Priority registration in coursework.begin insert For purposes of
11this paragraph, both of the following end insert
begin insertshall apply:end insert

begin insert

12
(B) A student shall not receive priority registration in
13coursework under the program if he or she qualifies for priority
14registration under another policy or program, as determined by
15the campus or the Office of the Chancellor of the California State
16University.

end insert
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17
(C) A student shall only receive priority registration in
18coursework over other students within his or her cohort of students,
19as determined by the campus or the Office of the Chancellor of
20the California State University.

end insert

21(2) Academic advisement that includes monitoring the student’s
22academic progress.

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23(f)

end delete

24begin insert(h)end insert (1) The trustees shall develop application criteria,
25administrative guidelines, and additional requirements, including
26how campuses will measure student success, for purposes of
27implementing and administering the California Promise program.

28(2) Requirements developed in accordance with paragraph (1)
29may include a requirement that a student who participates in a
30California Promise program maintain a minimum grade point
31average determined by the student’s campus.

32(3) In developing requirements for the California Promise
33program, the trustees shall take into consideration the report on
34graduation rates required pursuant to Item 6610-001-0001 of
35Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2016.

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36(g)

end delete

37begin insert(i)end insert (1) The trustees shall submit a report to the appropriate
38policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature bybegin delete Januaryend deletebegin insert Julyend insert 1,
392021, that includes all of the following:

P7    1(A) The total number of students participating in the program
2disaggregated by individual campus and all of the following:

3(i) begin deleteCommunity college transfer end deletebegin insertTransfer end insertstudents and students
4who enroll as first-time freshman.

5(ii) First generation college students.

6(iii) Recipients of financial aid under the Federal Pell Grant
7Program (20 U.S.C. Sec. 1070a) or the Cal Grant Program
8established in Chapter 1.7 (commencing with Section 69430) of
9Part 42.

10(iv) Student ethnicity.

11(B) The total number of students who graduated in four
12academic years for students who enrolled as first-time freshman
13and two academic years forbegin delete community collegeend delete transfer students,
14disaggregated by individual campus and the characteristics
15identified in clauses (i) to (iv), inclusive, or subparagraph (A).

16(2) The trustees shall submit a report to the appropriate policy
17and fiscal committees of the Legislature bybegin delete Januaryend deletebegin insert Julyend insert 1, 2019,
18that includes the total number of the first cohort ofbegin delete community
19collegeend delete
transfer students participating in the program, disaggregated
20by individual campus and the characteristics listed in clauses (ii)
21to (iv), inclusive, of subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1).

22(3) The reports required in paragraphs (1) and (2) shall include
23a summary description of significant differences regarding
24implementation of the California Promise program by campus,
25including, but not limited to, the prioritization of student
26populations pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivisionbegin delete (d)end deletebegin insert (f)end insert if
27applicable, the role of academic advising, and the implementation
28of priority registration.

begin delete

29(h)

end delete

30begin insert(j)end insert The trustees shall submit recommendations to the appropriate
31policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by March 15, 2017,
32regarding potential financial incentives that can benefit students
33who participate in the California Promise program, including, but
34not limited to, incentives for qualifying students who are unable
35to graduate within four or two academic years, as applicable, due
36to a lack of course offerings.

begin delete

37(i)

end delete

38begin insert(k)end insert A student who successfully completes his or her associate
39degree for transfer at a community college shall be guaranteed
P8    1participation in the California Promise program at the California
2State University transfer campus, if established.

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3(j)

end delete

4begin insert(l)end insert The trustees shall make every effort to close the achievement
5gap and encourage broad participation in a California Promise
6program that reflects a participating campus’ demographics.

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7

begin insert67435.end insert  

This part shall remain in effect only until January 1,
82024, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
9that is enacted before January 1, 2024, deletes or extends that
10date.

end insert


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