BILL ANALYSIS
SB 946
Page 1
Date of Hearing: June 27, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gene Mullin, Chair
SB 946 (Scott) - As Amended: June 21, 2007
[Note: This bill has been double referred to the Assembly Higher
Education Committee and will be heard as it relates to issues
under its jurisdiction.]
SENATE VOTE : 30-8
SUBJECT : Community College Early Assessment Pilot Program
SUMMARY : Establishes, for five years beginning with the
2008-09 academic year, the Community College Early Assessment
Pilot Program (CCEAP), for the purpose of providing high school
pupils with an indicator of their readiness for college-level
English and Math. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes declarations and findings regarding the more than 50% of
incoming students of the California Community Colleges (CCC)
who require remediation or basic skills development, the need
for greater coordination and course articulation between
community colleges and high schools, the value of early
assessment, and the intent of the Legislature to establish the
CCEAP to help pupils become better prepared for college.
2)Modifies the provisions of law governing the release and uses
of the California Standards Test (CST) as follows:
a) Adds assessment of college readiness to the purposes for
which a pupil (or his or her parents or guardians) may
release results of the CST to colleges and universities;
and
b) Authorizes the use of the CST exam for diagnostic advice
for prospective CCC students.
3)Requires the use of the CSU augmented CST in the CCEAP and
authorizes modification of scoring to measure
"degree-applicable" standards of the CCC.
4)Requires the Chancellor of the CCC to:
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a) Work, in coordination with the California Department of
Education (CDE) to implement the CCEAP as it relates to the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program;
b) Select applicant colleges to participate, as specified;
c) Give priority for the pilot program to colleges from
districts currently working with or utilizing data from the
California Partnership for Achieving Students (Cal-PASS);
and
d) Contract with an independent entity to evaluate the
effectiveness of CCEAPP and to answer specific questions,
with interim reporting requirements and a final report due
by December 1, 2013, utilizing funds provided in the Budget
Act.
5)Requires participating community colleges to do the following:
a) Consult with the Academic Senate for the CCC to sequence
their precollegiate level courses and transfer-level
courses in English and Math to the elementary and secondary
academic content standards; and
b) 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 pursing
postsecondary education.
6)Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office to review the final
evaluation report prepared by the Chancellor contracted entity
and make recommendations by February 1, 2014, regarding the
future of the CCEAPP.
7)Requires the CCC to work with CDE and CSU to develop a CCC
student-notification system, which shall ensure that pupils
receive notification regarding their readiness for
transfer-level work, the availability of enrichment
opportunities, and assurance of eligibility to attend a CCC.
8)Declares legislative intent to provide sufficient funds for up
to 25 colleges and their respective feeder high schools to
participate.
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the STAR Program that requires school districts,
charter schools, and county offices of education to administer
two standardized tests. The first is a nationally
norm-referenced test of basic skills, selected by the State
Board of Education (SBE), for administration to pupils in
grades 3 and 7. The second test is the CST which is aligned
to California's adopted academic content standards and is
administered to all pupils in grades 2 to 11, until July 1,
2007; after that date it will be administered to all pupils in
grades 3 through 11.
2)Provides that 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.
3)Authorizes a pupil or his or her parent or guardian to
authorize the release of individual pupil results to a
postsecondary educational institution for the purpose of
credit, placement, or admission.
4)Requires the CDE to ensure that a CST that is augmented for
the purpose of determining credit, placement, 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
form that assessment be released to a postsecondary
educational institution.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, $2.1 million annually through 2012-13 for outreach;
$250,000 annually through 2012-13 for CCC administration; and
$150,000 in 2011-12 for evaluation of the CCEAPP.
COMMENTS :
The CCEAPP established by this bill is modeled after the Early
Assessment Program (EAP), initiated by the CSU, in coordination
with the CDE and the SBE, in 2004. Under the EAP, 11th graders
taking the California Standards Test are encouraged to take an
"augmented version" of the test, comprised of 15 additional
English language arts questions and an essay and 15 additional
Math questions. The results of the augmented tests, once
scored, indicate a student's "readiness" for college-level
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English and Math. Those considered proficient on the CST
augmented tests will not be required to take the English and/or
Math placement tests upon admission to the CSU. Those whose
scores indicate they are not ready are encouraged to take
classes during their senior year to improve and strengthen their
skills and/or work independently on the CSU's English and math
success Web sites. In coordination with the CDE and SBE, the
CSU developed new courses that seniors can take in high school
during their senior year and provides professional development
to Kindergarten through grade 12 teachers.
According to the CSU, in 2006, 72% of all eligible high school
juniors took the CST augmented Math test, with slightly more
than 55% considered proficient or ready for college level Math.
Approximately 38% of eligible high school juniors took the CST
augmented English test, with 25% considered ready for college
level English.
The goal of the EAP is to have high school graduates enter the
CSU fully-prepared to do college-level work and reduce the more
than 60% of the nearly 40,000 first-time freshmen admitted to
the CSU who require remedial education in English, Math or both.
This bill establishes a similar early assessment program for
students intending to enroll at a CCC and requires the Pilot
Program to maximize the use of the CSU EAP program structure and
system already in place by utilizing the test results of the CST
augmented test and the existing CSU student notification system.
Is there a need to better prepare high school students for the
CCC? A recent survey by the CCC Research and Planning Group
indicated that over 70% of students who took a CCC placement
test require remedial Math while 42% require remedial English.
A recently released report by the National Center for Public
Policy and Higher Education titled "Investigating the Alignment
of High School and Community College Assessment in California,"
concludes that many students entering the community college
campuses are not prepared for college-level coursework. A study
by the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy states
that "since only one in four community college students actually
earns a certificate or degree, transfers to a four-year
university, or achieves some combination of those outcomes
within six years of enrolling in a community college, policies
should be changed to encourage better educational outcomes
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rather than simply focusing on allowing students to enroll."
Is the CST augmented test applicable to CCC-bound students? The
bill requires the use of the CST augmented test, comprised of
additional Math and English questions which were developed by
the CSU and CDE. A student can be exempted from having to take
the English and/or Math placement exams upon admission to the
CSU if they are determined proficient in either or both subject
areas. However, the CCC does not have standard placement tests
across the 109 community college campuses. Each community
college campus determines for itself the type of placement tests
to use. Are the test results of the CST augmented test then
applicable for CCC-bound students? The National Center for
Public Policy and Higher Education report found that the CST
augmented test in English language arts shows "sufficient
alignment with the objectives measured by the most prevalent
placement exams in use on California community college
campuses." However, the "math tests showed adequate alignment
values only with respect to depth of knowledge consistency and
balance of representation, falling short in many content areas
in terms of categorical concurrence and range of knowledge
alignment." The report suggests that aligning high school tests
and community college placement exams may be necessary but
should not be the only strategy to better prepare students for
postsecondary education.
Assistance for high school seniors. In the CSU EAP program, the
CSU worked with the CDE to develop courses students can take
during their senior year and professional development to assist
high school teachers in the delivery of these courses. The CSU
also offers Internet Web site programs that students can take on
their own. In response to the Governor's veto of a nearly
identical bill last year, this bill was recently amended to
delete the establishment of a grade 12 enrichment curriculum.
In the current version of the bill, other than directing the CCC
to make college outreach advisors available to feeder high
schools, it is unclear what type of supplemental assistance
future CCC students will receive during their senior year in
high school. The author may wish to consider clarifying the
type of assistance students should receive during their senior
year or directing the CCC to develop strategies.
Prior Legislation . This bill is nearly identical to SB 1563
(Escutia), which was vetoed by the Governor in 2006 with the
following veto message:
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"I am concerned about the large number of high school graduates
who enter our colleges and universities unprepared to do
college-level work. However, it would be redundant to create a
new pilot program to assess college readiness specifically for
prospective community college students when the California State
University (CSU) already has a system that can be used for that
purpose.
Moreover, there is no need for the California Community
Colleges, in coordination with the CSU, to develop a special
12th grade curriculum when the state has taken years to develop
curriculum frameworks that align with our academic content
standards. A special basic skills curriculum is not what is
needed, instead, the state should focus on developing better
strategies for teaching students the existing curriculum; this
is what students will need to have mastered in order to succeed
in college."
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
California State University
California Community College Trustees boards of the Community
College League of California
Chief Executive Officers of the California Community Colleges
EdVoice
Los Angeles Community College District
Los Rios Community College District
Kern Community College District
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087