BILL NUMBER: SB 946 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 21, 2007
INTRODUCED BY Senator Scott
FEBRUARY 23, 2007
An act to amend Section 60641 of, and to add Sections 78213.5 and
78213.8 to, the Education Code, relating to community colleges.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 946, as amended, Scott. Community College Early Assessment
Pilot Program.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under
the administration of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, as one of the segments of postsecondary education
in this state. Existing law establishes community college districts
throughout the state, and authorizes those districts to provide
instruction to students at community college campuses.
This bill would express legislative findings and declarations
relating to, among other things, the rates at which students who
enroll in community colleges as freshmen return for a 2nd year of
college. The bill would express legislative intent to enact
legislation to establish a that the Community
College Early Assessment Pilot Program for the purpose of
providing , enacted by the bill, provide
high school pupils with an indicator of their readiness for
transfer-level English and mathematics at the end of grade 11 and
allowing allow high schools to work
with pupils in grade 12 to elevate the skills of these pupils to a
level commensurate with transfer-level English and mathematics.
The bill would establish the Community College Early Assessment
Pilot Program for 5 years, for the purpose of providing high school
pupils with an indicator of their readiness for transfer-level
English and mathematics at the end of grade 11 and allowing high
schools to work with pupils in grade 12 to elevate their skills to a
level expected of first-time community college freshman students. The
bill would require the program to be administered by the Board of
Governors of the California Community Colleges.
The bill would provide that community colleges, along with their
feeder high schools, shall be eligible to participate in the
Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program. The bill would
require the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to select
the participating community colleges from districts applying to the
program and agreeing to meet the requirements established for
participation in the program. The bill would require the chancellor,
in making these selections, to give priority to colleges from
districts that are currently working with, or utilizing, Cal-PASS
data. The bill would specify requirements to be met by participating
community colleges.
The bill would require the board of governors, to the extent that
funding is provided specifically for this purpose in the annual
Budget Act or another statute, to provide a stipend to each
participating community college. The bill would express the intent of
the Legislature that this stipend, in conjunction with base funding
received by the participating institutions, shall be adequate to
cover all costs incurred by up to 25 community colleges and their
respective feeder high schools under the program.
The bill would require the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges, from funds provided in the annual Budget Act for this
purpose, to contract with an entity deemed by the chancellor to be
reputable, independent, and competent to evaluate the effectiveness
of the program. The bill would require this entity to submit a final
evaluation report, including answers to specified questions, to the
Legislature, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the
Governor on or before December 1, 2013. The bill would require the
Office of the Legislative Analyst to review the final report, and, on
or before February 1, 2014, to make recommendations regarding
whether the Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program should
be continued, modified, expanded, or discontinued.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) In California and throughout the nation, an increasing number
of jobs require some education beyond high school to meet the
challenges of a growing, knowledge-based global economy. Of the
students who seek a postsecondary education in California, 62 percent
attend a community college. Current data show that many of these
students do not complete a degree, certificate, or transfer program.
(2) More than 50 percent of incoming students of the California
Community Colleges require remediation or basic skills development in
order to complete college-level work. This is a critical factor
determining student success in achieving educational objectives.
(3) There is a need for greater coordination and course
articulation between community colleges and high schools to create
smooth pathways into, and the successful completion of, community
college programs.
(4) Early assessment is a diagnostic tool and a fundamental means
for improving student preparation for, and success in, community
college. Early assessment must be part of a larger set of aligned
activities, so students may fully benefit from every step in their
educational career.
(b) Therefore, it is the intent of the Legislature to
enact legislation to establish a that the
Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program for the
purpose of providing , enacted by this act, provide
high school pupils with an indicator of their readiness for
transfer-level English and mathematics at the end of grade 11 and
allowing allow high schools to work
with pupils in grade 12 to elevate the skills of these pupils to a
level commensurate with transfer-level English and mathematics.
(c) It is also the intent of the Legislature that this program
help pupils become better prepared for college.
(d) It is also the intent of the Legislature that this program
work in coordination with, and utilize to the fullest extent
possible, the existing California State University Early Assessment
Program and the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program of
the State Department of Education.
(e) It is also the intent of the Legislature that the Community
College Early Assessment Pilot Program not affect the statutory
reporting requirements of the STAR Program or increase the costs of
either the STAR program or the State Department of Education.
SEC. 2. Section 60641 of the Education Code is amended to read:
60641. (a) The department shall ensure that school districts
comply with each of the following requirements:
(1) The achievement test designated pursuant to Section 60642 and
the standards-based achievement test provided for in Section 60642.5
are scheduled to be administered to all pupils during the period
prescribed in subdivision (b) of Section 60640.
(2) The individual results of each pupil test administered
pursuant to Section 60640 shall be reported, in writing, to the pupil'
s parent or guardian. The written report shall include a clear
explanation of the purpose of the test, the pupil's score, and its
intended use by the school district. This subdivision does not
require teachers or other school district personnel to prepare
individualized explanations of each pupil's test score.
(3) (A) The individual results of each pupil test administered
pursuant to Section 60640 shall also be reported to the pupil's
school and teachers. The school district shall include the pupil's
test results in his or her pupil records. However, except as provided
in this section, individual pupil test results may only be released
with the permission of either the pupil's parent or guardian if the
pupil is a minor, or the pupil if the pupil has reached the age of
majority or is emancipated.
(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), a pupil or his or her parent
or guardian may authorize the release of individual pupil results to
a postsecondary educational institution for the purpose of credit,
placement, assessment, or admission.
(4) The districtwide, school-level, and grade-level results of the
STAR Program in each of the grades designated pursuant to Section
60640, but not the score or relative position of any individually
ascertainable pupil, shall be reported to the governing board of the
school district at a regularly scheduled meeting, and the countywide,
school-level, and grade-level results for classes and programs under
the jurisdiction of the county office of education shall be
similarly reported to the county board of education at a regularly
scheduled meeting.
(b) The publisher designated pursuant to Section 60642 and the
publisher of the standards-based achievement tests provided for in
Section 60642.5 shall make the individual pupil, grade, school,
school district, and state results available to the department
pursuant to paragraph (9) of subdivision (a) of Section 60643 by
August 8 of each year in which the achievement test is administered
for those schools for which the last day of test administration,
including makeup days, is on or before June 25. The department shall
make the grade, school, school district, and state results available
on the Internet by August 15 of each year in which the achievement
test is administered for those schools for which the last day of test
administration, including makeup days, is on or before June 25.
(c) The department shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that
the results of the test for all pupils who take the test by June 25
are made available on the Internet by August 15, as set forth in
subdivision (b).
(d) The department shall ensure that a California Standards Test
that is augmented for the purpose of determining credit, placement,
assessment, or admission of a pupil in a postsecondary educational
institution inform a pupil in grade 11 that he or she may request
that the results from that assessment be released to a postsecondary
educational institution.
SEC. 3. Section 78213.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:
78213.5. (a) (1) Commencing with the 2008-09 academic year, the
Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program is established, for
five years, for the purpose of providing high school pupils with an
indicator of their readiness for transfer-level English and
mathematics at the end of grade 11 and allowing high schools to work
with pupils in grade 12 to elevate their skills to that level. The
program shall be administered by the board of governors.
(2) In order to provide high school pupils with this indicator, a
community college participating in the program shall use, but not
necessarily be limited to, test results released to that college
pursuant to subdivision (d) of Section 60641.
(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (a) of Section 78213, the
individual results of the California Standards Test (CST) and the
California Standards Test as augmented pursuant to Section 60641 may
be used to provide diagnostic advice to prospective community college
students participating in the Community College Early Assessment
Pilot Program.
(b) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall
work in coordination with the department in implementing the
Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program as it relates to the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. Activities
impacting the STAR Program as it relates to the implementation of the
pilot program may be reviewed and, where necessary, approved by the
state board and the department pursuant to paragraph (2) of
subdivision (e) of Section 60643. The pilot program shall be
responsible for the costs incurred in implementing the pilot program
as it relates to the STAR Program.
(c) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall
select, from community college districts applying to participate in
the program, institutions that agree to meet the requirements
established for participation in the program. Community colleges,
along with their feeder high schools, may participate in the
Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program. In selecting
community colleges for participation in the program, the chancellor
shall give priority to colleges from districts that are currently
working with, or utilizing, data from the California Partnership for
Achieving Student Success (Cal-PASS).
(d) The standards utilized by the California State University to
assess readiness for transfer-level English and mathematics courses,
as expressed in the CST as augmented by the California State
University, shall also be used for the purposes of this pilot
program. The pilot program shall utilize the identical version of the
CST as augmented by the California State University.
(e) (1) The pilot program may additionally assess readiness for
degree-applicable English and mathematics courses that are consistent
with associate degree standards as adopted by the board of governors
in consultation with the Academic Senate for the California
Community Colleges. The identical version of the CST as augmented by
the California State University shall be used to make any additional
assessment of readiness for degree applicable English and mathematics
courses, but the scoring of the assessment may be modified.
(2) If the board of governors determines that the assessment
described in paragraph (1) should be included in the pilot program,
then, in furtherance of this purpose, CST items may be reviewed by
any person charged by the board of governors with the implementation
of the program, if that person agrees in writing, prior to the review
of the CST, to maintain the confidentiality of the CST and its items
and that the evaluation of these items shall be done in coordination
with the department and the California State University to ensure
the security and the integrity of the CST and the test items
augmented by the California State University.
(f) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall rely
on the California Partnership for Achieving Student Success, as
identified in subdivision (d) of Provision (21) of Item 6870-101-0001
of Section 2.00 of the Budget Act of 2006 (Chapter 47 and 48 of the
Statutes of 2006) for the collection and analysis of the results of
the augmented CST for the purpose of informing the development of
curriculum to be implemented during grade 12 to improve student
success in postsecondary education.
(g) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall work
in coordination with the California State University, and rely upon
the academic senates for the California Community Colleges and the
California State University to develop appropriate grade 12
enrichment curriculum designed to address basic skill development in
English and mathematics to promote success in postsecondary
education. The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall
coordinate efforts with the California State University to provide
professional development opportunities to train high school teachers
in implementing this grade 12 enrichment curriculum.
(h)
(f) At a minimum, the following requirements shall be
met by participating community colleges and high schools:
(1) Participating community colleges shall consult with the
Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges to sequence
their precollegiate level courses and transfer-level courses in
English and mathematics to the elementary and secondary academic
content standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.
(2) Participating high schools and community colleges shall work
together in implementing appropriate grade 12 enrichment curriculum
that is designed to address basic skill development in English and
mathematics to promote success in postsecondary education.
(3)
(2) Participating community colleges shall make college
outreach advisors available to participating feeder high schools to
assist students in making decisions that increase their college
readiness skills and increase the likelihood of their pursuing a
postsecondary education.
(i) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall work
with the department and the California State University to develop a
community college student notification system that utilizes, to the
extent possible, the current early assessment system of the
California State University for notifying pupils of their grade 11
test results and apprising them of grade 12 academic enrichment
opportunities. This system shall ensure that all of the following
occur:
(1) Prospective community college students receive notification
regarding their readiness for transfer-level English and mathematics
at a community college and grade 12 academic enrichment opportunities
available to pupils for strengthening English and mathematics skills
that will help them succeed in college.
(2) Prospective community college pupils are informed that this
information is only an indicator of their readiness to take
transfer-level English and mathematics courses and has no bearing on
their eligibility to attend community college.
(3) Pupils are reassured that they are eligible to attend
community college.
(4) The department is not responsible for funding any additional
costs associated with implementing this section.
(j) To the extent that funding is provided specifically for this
purpose in the annual Budget Act or in another statute, the board of
governors shall provide a stipend to each participating community
college. It is the intent of the Legislature that this stipend, in
conjunction with base funding received by the participating
institutions, shall be adequate to cover all costs incurred by up to
25 community colleges and their respective feeder high schools under
the Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program.
SEC. 4. Section 78213.8 is added to the Education Code, to read:
78213.8. (a) From funds provided in the annual Budget Act for
this purpose, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges
shall contract with an entity deemed by the chancellor to be
reputable, independent, and competent to evaluate the effectiveness
of the Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program.
(b) (1) No more than six months after the second administration of
the assessment to grade 11 pupils under Section 78213.5, the entity
contracted with pursuant to subdivision (a) shall submit an interim
evaluation report to the Legislature, the Superintendent of Public
Instruction, and the Governor. By December 1, 2013, the entity shall
submit a final evaluation report to the Legislature, the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Governor.
(2) The final evaluation of the Community College Early Assessment
Pilot Program shall, at a minimum and to the fullest extent
possible, call upon the expertise of community college faculty and
explore, but not necessarily be limited to, answers to all of the
following questions:
(A) Do students who participate in the pilot program and who
require additional skill development in English or mathematics, or
both, adjust their grade 12 course schedule to include English or
mathematics, or both, to better prepare for postsecondary education?
(B) Is there a decrease in the total number of basic skills
courses that pilot program participants must complete before entering
degree applicable courses and transfer-level courses at community
colleges?
(C) Are the indicators of readiness for transfer-level courses
utilized in the pilot program appropriate and accurate indicators of
readiness for degree applicable and transfer-level courses?
(c) The Office of the Legislative Analyst shall review the final
report submitted under subdivision (b), and, on or before February 1,
2014, shall make recommendations regarding whether the Community
College Early Assessment Pilot Program should be continued, modified,
expanded, or discontinued.