BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1050|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1050
Author: De León (D), Hernandez (D) and Pan (D), et al.
Amended: 5/10/16
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 8-0, 4/20/16
AYES: Liu, Block, Hancock, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning, Pan, Vidak
NO VOTE RECORDED: Huff
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 5/27/16
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza
NOES: Bates, Nielsen
SUBJECT: Postsecondary education: college readiness
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill, in order to increase the number of
California students that meet college eligibility requirements
to earn a bachelor's degree 1) establishes the K-12 College
Readiness Block Grant, contingent upon funding via statute or
the annual budget act, to provide one-time funding to K-12
districts to prepare high school pupils, particularly those
traditionally underrepresented at the University of California
(UC) and the California State University (CSU), for admission
into a postsecondary education institution; 2) requires, as a
condition of annual budget act funding, as specified, that the
UC develop and implement a plan and timeline for increasing the
enrollment of students from high schools with a 75 percent or
greater "unduplicated pupil count", pursuant to Local Control
Funding Formula (LCFF) calculations; and 3) requests that the UC
establish a California subject matter project (CSMP) to provide
administrators, counselors and teachers with strategies for
improving college readiness, as specified.
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ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Implements the LCFF which, among other things, provides for a
calculation of the amount of funding to be provided for an
"unduplicated pupil." An "unduplicated pupil" is defined for
this purpose as a student enrolled in a school district or a
charter school who is either classified as an English learner,
eligible for a free or reduced-price meal, or is a foster
youth. A pupil is only counted once for purposes of this
calculation even if a single pupil is classified as an English
learner, is eligible for a free or reduced-price meal and is a
foster youth. A school district or charter school is required
to annually report records for enrolled students in these
categories to the Superintendent of Public Instruction using
the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.
(Education Code § 42238.02)
2)Authorizes the UC to establish and maintain Subject Matter
Projects for the purpose of developing and enhancing teachers'
subject matter knowledge in the following six specified areas:
writing, reading and literature, mathematics, science,
history-social science, and world history and international
studies. The Regents of the UC with the approval of an
intersegmental Concurrence Committee to establish and maintain
the projects with funds appropriated in the Budget Act.
Existing law authorizes the UC to establish other subject
matter projects (CSMP) and prohibits funds allocated in the
Budget Act from being used for subject matter projects not
specified in law. Current law makes the CSMP inoperative on
June 30, 2107 and repeals the CSMP on January 1, 2018.
Existing law requires a report on the CSMP to the Governor,
Legislature, and appropriate policy and fiscal committees by
January 1, 2016. (Education Code § 99200 - 99206)
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This bill:
1)Establishes the K-12 Readiness Block Grant, contingent upon
funding via statute or the annual Budget Act, for purposes of
preparing California's high school pupils to be eligible for
admission into a postsecondary institution and increase their
four-year-college-going rates. It:
a) Provides that the particular focus of the program is on
unduplicated pupils as defined under specified LCFF
provisions.
b) Requires that a school district or charter school expend
funds for any of the following:
i) Providing teachers, administrators, and counselors
with professional development opportunities to improve
A-G completion rates, pupil college-going rates, and
college readiness of pupils, including the provision of
honors and Advanced Placement courses.
ii) Provision of counseling services to students and
their families regarding college admission requirements
and financial aid programs.
iii) Developing or purchasing materials that support
college readiness, including those that support high
performance on admissions assessments.
iv) Developing comprehensive advising plants to
support student completion of A-G requirements.
v) Implementing and strengthening collaborative
partnerships between high schools and postsecondary
institutions, including, but not limited to, existing
early academic outreach partnerships with the UC and the
CSU.
vi) Providing subsidies to pay fees for advanced
placement exams for unduplicated pupils, as defined
under specified LCFF provisions.
vii) Expand access to opportunities to satisfy A-G
requirements to all pupils (including LCFF Plus
Students) including but not limited to coursework, and
new or expanded partnerships with secondary or
postsecondary institutions.
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c) Requires, as a condition for receiving funds, that a
school district or charter school develop a plan describing
how funds will be spent to supplement and not supplant
funding for existing college readiness programs and
services. Further it requires that the plan:
i) Include Information about its alignment with the
school district's or charter school's Local Control and
Accountability Plan (LCAP).
ii) Include a description of the extent to which all
pupils, particularly unduplicated pupils, will have
access to UC approved A-G courses.
iii) Be discussed at a regularly scheduled governing
board meeting and adopted at a subsequent regularly
scheduled meeting.
d) Requires, as a condition of receiving funds, that school
districts and charter schools report to the California
Department of Education (CDE) the number of students served
under the grant and the number of students admitted to the
UC and the CSU.
e) Requires the CDE to compile the information received
from districts and charter schools and submit a report to
the appropriate Legislative policy and fiscal committees,
by April 30, 2017.
f) Declares the Legislature's intent that this funding be
allocated to school districts and charter schools with
students who are traditionally underrepresented at four
year universities and students who are unduplicated pupils,
as defined under specified LCFF provisions.
2)Requires the CDE to annually develop and post on its website a
list of high schools with 75 percent or greater enrollment of
unduplicated pupils, as defined under specified LCFF
provisions (LCFF Plus Students).
3)Requires, as a condition of receiving funding for enrolling
more California resident students in the annual Budget Act
than that required under the 2015 Budget Act, that the UC
develop an implementation plan and timeline to significantly
increase the number of LCFF Plus students admitted.
Specifically, it:
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a) Requires that each UC campus ensure that it increases
the admission of California resident undergraduate students
above those admitted in the 2015-16 academic year.
b) Requires that each UC campus also ensure that it
significantly increases the number of LCFF Plus students
admitted.
c) Requires that the UC identify a Local Control Funding
Formula Plus Student's status as such in the student's
application file and that this information be provided to
admissions personnel.
d) Requires that the UC identify as a high priority group
within the "Entitled to Review" pool of applicants LCFF
Plus student applicants who have fulfilled minimum
admission requirements but do not meet the criteria for
guaranteed admission through Statewide Admission or through
Eligibility in the Local Context.
e) Requires that the UC examine the costs/benefits of:
i) Extending an application fee waiver to graduates
of LCFF Plus high schools.
ii) Increasing the total number of campuses covered
under the fee waiver policy for this group of
applicants.
f) Requires that the UC expand targeted support and
retention services for unduplicated pupils, including LCFF
Plus students, and requires that these services include but
not be limited to:
i) Counseling on course planning and scheduling.
ii) Tutoring.
iii) Financial assistance that supplements but does not
supplant existing institutional, federal or state
financial aid programs.
iv) Any other services that facilitate these students'
successful completion of an undergraduate degree within
four years.
g) Requires, as a condition of budget funding, as
specified, that the UC report, by September 1, 2018 and
annually thereafter to the appropriate Legislative Policy
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and Fiscal Committees and the Department of Finance:
i) The number and percentage of LCFF Plus students,
as specified.
ii) The percentage of LCFF Plus students disaggregated
as specified.
iii) The percentage of LCFF Plus students enrolled
systemwide and at each campus earning enough credits in
their first year to indicate they are on track to
complete a degree in four years.
h) Defines various terms for the purpose of these
provisions.
4)Requests that the UC establish the California College
Readiness Project within the existing California Subject
Matter Projects (CSMPs). It also:
a) Makes conforming changes to the objectives and goals of
the CSMPs to include:
i) Provision of strategies for improving A-G course
completion rates, college going rates, and college
readiness of students who attend schools in local
educational agencies eligible for supplemental and
concentration grant funding under LCFF, as specified.
ii) Provision of support in the implementation of
these strategies to appropriate school personnel to
ensure that all students are afforded an opportunity to
successfully meet the requirements for admission to the
UC and the CSU.
b) Requires that school personnel employed by local
educational agencies eligible for supplemental or
concentration grant funding under LCFF receive priority for
admission to programs offered by the California College
Readiness Project.
c) Require a report on the CSMPs, by January 1, 2020, and
requires that it specifically include information on the
College Readiness project.
d) Deletes the sunset and repeal of the CSMPs.
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5)Makes a number of related declarations and findings.
Comments
Need for the bill. According to the author, strategies to
increase the number of college graduates requires strengthening
of the relationship between the K-12 system and the state's
public universities. This bill attempts to incentivize the two
systems to work together to create a pipeline from high school
to our four-year university system and ensure that all
California high school students, regardless of family income,
have access to rigorous coursework, quality counseling services,
and exposure to college through partnerships between high
schools and higher education institutions.
This bill does three things in an effort to achieve the author's
goals. It creates a one-time block grant to provide college
readiness funding to K-12 districts, it requires the UC to
establish a College Readiness project to provide strategies for
college readiness to K-12 staff and it requires that the UC
increase admission of underrepresented students, particularly
students from high schools with high proportions of unduplicated
pupils.
Why is it important? According to a 2015 report by the Public
Policy Institute of California (Will California Run Out of
College Graduates?) if current trends continue, by 2030, the
state will experience a shortage of 1.1 million workers for jobs
that require a bachelor's degree. While the state is expected
to experience declines in the share of high school dropouts and
increases in the share of college graduates, these improvements
will not make up for the large numbers of highly educated baby
boomers retiring from the labor force and even the number of
highly educated workers from elsewhere is unlikely to be large
enough to bridge this workforce skills gap.
The Public Policy Institute of California report finds that the
most promising approach to closing the workforce skills gap is
to concentrate on improving the educational attainment of
California residents. It outlines four key strategies for the
state and its colleges and universities to pursue, including
increased access, improved college completion rates, expanded
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transfer pathways from community colleges, and being smart about
financial aid programs. The report also indicates that research
shows students are much more likely to earn a bachelor's degree
if they first enroll in a four-year college, rather than
community college-even when accounting for differences in
academic preparation. Increasing the share of high school
graduates eligible for the UC and the CSU would be an important
step toward increasing the number of college graduates. It would
also improve access for students from low-income families and
other underrepresented groups. The report concludes that a state
plan for higher education should ensure that enough high school
graduates are ready for college and enough slots are available
for new college students.
Consistent with the recommendations of the report, this bill
provides resources and tools to K-12 districts to ensure
students are prepared for college and conditions budget funding
for the UC on the increased admission of California resident
undergraduate students, including those from school districts
with large populations of low income, English learner, and
foster youth students.
Related budget activity. The 2015 Budget Act provided $25
million to the UC contingent on increasing California resident
enrollment by 5,000 students, holding resident tuition flat in
2015-16 and 2016-17, and redirecting non-resident institutional
aid to support resident students. It also provided for an
increase in the enrollment of 10,400 additional California
residents at the CSU.
This bill requires the UC, as a condition of receiving any
enrollment funding in the annual Budget Act, to increase the
admission of California resident undergraduate students and to
significantly increase admission of students from LCFF Plus high
schools (as defined) and to provide targeted support and
retention services to disadvantaged or underprepared students,
including students who graduated from LCFF Plus high schools.
K-12 College Readiness Block Grant
Need for clarification of eligibility and use of funds? This
bill provides that a particular focus of the College Readiness
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Block Grant is on students traditionally underrepresented in
higher education, particularly unduplicated pupils as defined
under LCFF, and declares the Legislature's intent that funding
be allocated to districts and charter schools that enroll these
pupils. However, as currently drafted, the bill sets no
threshold for determining eligibility or priority for funding,
potentially making this funding available to any district or
charter school that enrolls any number of unduplicated pupils.
Should the bill be amended to prioritize funding for districts
with the highest proportions of unduplicated pupils?
Could/should the bill be amended to require that funds received
by districts that have smaller populations of unduplicated
students must ensure that funds are targeted to serve the
unduplicated students?
UC Admissions
LCFF Plus schools. This bill creates a category of high
schools, LCFF Plus schools, defined as having 75 percent or
greater enrollment of unduplicated pupils, and requires the CDE
to annually post a list of these high schools on its website.
The bill requires that as a condition of budget funding, the UC
significantly increase the admission of students from these high
schools. In addition to considering application fee waivers for
this group of applicants, the bill requires that UC expand
targeted support and retention services for these students.
According to the CDE, in 2013-14, about 500 schools throughout
California met this definition. These schools had a total
enrollment of about 590,000 students, with 85 percent of these
students representing unduplicated pupil categories.
Eligibility for UC admission. According to the UC, its
Comprehensive Review Policy governs the admission and selection
of undergraduates at its nine campuses. Freshmen applications
are assessed using multiple measures of achievement (high school
course completion, GPA, and standardized test scores) and
promise while considering applicants' educational context.
Comprehensive review involves consideration of 14 factors,
utilized by all campuses, but the specific evaluation process
and weight given to each factor differ from campus to campus,
and year to year, based on campus-specific goals and needs.
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UC's admission guarantee policy, applicable to all California
resident high school graduates, includes Statewide Eligibility
(SE), Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC), and Entitled to
Review (ETR). The UC guarantees admission to the system
(though not necessarily to the first-choice campus) to all
California applicants who are in the top 9 percent of California
high school graduates (SE), or in the top 9 percent of their
respective high school class (ELC). The top 9 percent is
determined by a formula based on grade point average (GPA) and
standardized test scores.
In 2012, the UC implemented a new freshman admissions policy,
Entitled to Review (ETR). Under this policy students are not
guaranteed admission, but are guaranteed a comprehensive review
of their application if they have completed 11 of 15 required
a-g courses with a weighted GPA of at least 3.0 by the end of
their junior year. The intent was to confer the right to a full
application review to a broader pool of college-going California
students while ending the practice of excluding many
high-achieving students solely on the basis of UC's extensive
standardized testing requirements.
Net effect? This bill, as a condition of budget act funding,
requires each UC campus to increase the admission of California
resident undergraduates and to significantly increase the number
of admitted students from LCFF Plus high schools. It makes no
changes to the UC's admissions policy or to the eligibility
requirements for admission. Rather, it requires that
supplemental consideration be given to LCFF Plus students,
consistent with UC admissions policy, and that these student
applicants be identified as a high-priority group within the
Entitled to Review pool.
This bill also requires reporting on the number and percentage
of LCFF Plus students admitted systemwide and by campus,
disaggregated by admission policy, as well as reporting on the
support and retention services offered and progress toward
4-year degree completion for admitted LCFF Plus students.
College Readiness Project
Participation requirements. This bill establishes a College
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Readiness Project within the CSMPs and requires that school
personnel employed by local educational agencies (LEAs) that are
eligible for supplemental or concentration grant funding under
LCFF receive priority for admission to these programs.
Presumably the intent of these provisions is to ensure that less
well-resourced schools with large populations of low-income and
underrepresented students have the opportunity to secure staff
professional development opportunities currently unavailable to
them. However, as currently drafted, the bill sets no threshold
for determining eligibility or priority for participation,
potentially making this professional development available to
any LEA that applies. Should the bill be amended to prioritize
admission for school personnel from LEA's with the highest
proportions of unduplicated pupils?
CSMPs report. The CSMPs deliver intensive, discipline-based
professional development in six content areas authorized by law
to teachers and administrators. Current law required a report
on the CSMPs, by January 2016. In its December 2015 report, the
UC notes that from 2011-15, the CSMP serviced 102,412
participants (teachers) from 8,215 K-12 schools with service
extending as far north as Del Norte County and as far south as
Imperial County, and serving teachers in all 58 California
counties. The top ten cities with the most schools served were
Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento, San Jose, San Francisco,
Oakland, Fresno, Bakersfield, Stockton, and Santa Ana. About 48
percent of the schools served by CSMP were designated as
"low-performing," as defined by the State's Academic Performance
Index (API of 1-5).
This bill creates a new effort, the College Readiness Project,
within the CSMPs. This bill requires a similar report, due
January 2020, with a particular emphasis on the new College
Readiness Project.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
The Senate Appropriations Committee identifies the following
costs:
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Block Grant: Anticipated costs in the low hundreds of millions
spent over three years. (Proposition 98)
UC: The requirement for each campus to increase enrollment,
and significantly increase LCFF Plus students, over 2015-16
levels could cost $50 million according to the UC, assuming an
additional 5,000 students over two years at a rate of $10,000.
In addition, UC cites costs of about $1 million for new
counselors related to the bill's required expansion of
targeted support and retention services for unduplicated
students. Costs related to carry out the subject matter
project requirements are estimated to be $7 million.
CDE: Anticipated costs of up to $157,000 over two years for
staff to implement the requirements of this bill and apportion
block grant funds.
Sunset removal: $8.4 million cost pressure to continue funding
existing California Subject Matter Projects ($5 million
General Fund; $3.4 million Federal funds as of the 2015-16
Budget Act)
SUPPORT: (Verified 5/27/16)
Advancement Project
Asian Americans Advancing Justice - California
Asian Law Alliance
California Association of Latino Superintendents and
Administrators
California Charter School s Association Advocates
California Federation of Teachers
Campaign for College Opportunity
Central American Resource Center
Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice
Community Coalition
Council of Mexican Federations
Courage Campaign
Education Trust-West
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities
Garvey School District
InnerCity Struggle
Khmer Girls in Action
Los Angeles Unified School District
Los Angeles Urban League
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Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance
PICO California
Policy Link
Riverside County Superintendent of Schools and the 23 school
district
superintendents of Riverside County, San Bernardino City
Unified School
District
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center
The Latino and Latina Roundtable of the San Gabriel Valley and
Pomona Valley
OPPOSITION: (Verified 5/27/16)
None received
Prepared by:Kathleen Chavira / ED. / (916) 651-4105
5/30/16 18:51:05
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