BILL ANALYSIS
SB 946
Page 1
Date of Hearing: August 19, 2008
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
SB 946 (Scott) - As Amended: August 14, 2008
SENATE VOTE : 30-8
SUBJECT : Community college early assessment pilot program.
SUMMARY : Authorizes the individual results of the California
Standards Test (CST) and the CST augmented test to be provided
to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges (CCC) and CCC districts so that the Early Assessment
Program (EAP), established by the California State University
(CSU) in coordination with the State Board of Education (SBE)
and the California Department of Education (CDE), may be
expanded to include participation by prospective CCC students.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Expresses the intent of the Legislature that the CCC
Chancellor's office, CSU Chancellor's office, the SBE, and CDE
work together to modify the existing EAP to expand it to
include CCC so that beginning in the 2009-10 school year, high
school juniors who are considering attending either system can
take the EAP and receive information in the summer before
their senior year concerning their preparation for
college-level work at both CSU and CCC.
2)Requires the CCC Chancellor's office to coordinate with CCC
districts that choose to voluntarily participate in the EAP;
accomplishes specified goals, to the extent possible; provides
a report to the Legislature and the Governor by February 15,
2015, on the implementation and results of the EAP for CCC
students; and releases the individual results of the CST and
the augmented CST to participating CCC districts upon their
request for this information, which may be used to provide
diagnostic advice to prospective CCC students participating in
the EAP.; accomplishes all of the following activities using
existing resources:
3)Requires CCC districts that choose to work directly with high
school pupils within their respective district boundaries who
took the augmented CST, do the following:
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a) Use same standards utilized by CSU to assess readiness;
b) Use the augmented CST, currently utilized by CSU for
purposes of early assessment, to assess the college
readiness of pupils in the EAP;
c) Consider consulting with the CCC Academic Senate to work
toward sequencing their precollegiate level courses and
transfer-level courses in English and mathematics to the
elementary and secondary education content standards;
d) Identify an EAP coordinator and coordinate with CSU
campuses and schools offering instruction in kindergarten
through grade 12 in their respective district boundaries on
EAP-related activities that assist pupils in making
decisions that increase their college readiness skills and
likelihood of pursuing a postsecondary education;
e) Use individual CST and augmented CST test results
provided to that college to provide diagnostic advice to
prospective CCC students participating in the EAP; and,
f) Utilize the existing infrastructure of academic
opportunities, as developed by CSU, to provide additional
preparation in grade 12 for prospective CCC students
participating in the EAP.
4)Provides that the individual results of the CST and the
augmented CST shall be released to and may be used by CSU to
provide diagnostic advice to prospective CSU students
participating in the EAP and that the individual results of
the augmented CST shall not be used by CSU as a criterion for
admission.
5)Prohibits CCC from using the individual results of the
augmented CST as a criterion for admission.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Establishes the Standardized Testing And Reporting 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 SBE, for administration to pupils in
grades 3 and 7. The second test is the CST, which is aligned
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to California's adopted academic content standards and is
administered to all pupils in grades 2 to 11 until July 1,
2007, when 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. 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.
3)Requires 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
from that assessment be released to a postsecondary
educational institution.
FISCAL EFFECT : Potential redirection of existing resources for
districts who volunteer to participate in the EAP. Ongoing
General Fund costs of around $50,000 to the CCC Chancellor's
Office for one-half position to administer the EAP.
COMMENTS : This policy contained in this bill was heard in the
Assembly Higher Education Committee on July 3, 2007; however,
the August 14, 2008, amendments recast the bill's provisions.
Background : Recent studies indicate a significant number of
incoming CCC students are unprepared to undertake basic math and
English coursework-in fact, one out of three CCC students
enrolls in a basic skills class. 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. These statistics have serious
repercussions on a student's educational path: those who lack
basic skills are less likely to receive a degree or transfer to
a university.
Unlike CSU and the University of California, CCC does not have a
single English or math proficiency exam upon enrollment at a
CCC. Each of the 109 campuses determines for itself the type of
placement tests to use. However, the CCC Board of Governors
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recently directed the Chancellor to begin a consultation process
to evaluate implementation of systemwide student assessment
measures.
Modeled on successful CSU program : Under the EAP, initiated by
CSU in coordination with CDE and SBE in 2004, 11th graders
taking the CST are encouraged to take an "augmented version" of
the test, comprised of 15 additional English language arts
questions, an essay, and 15 additional math questions. The
results of the augmented tests, once scored, indicate a
student's "readiness" for college-level English and math. Those
considered proficient on the augmented CST tests are not
required to take the English and/or math placement tests upon
admission to 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
CSU's English and math success Internet Web sites. In
coordination with CDE and SBE, CSU developed new courses that
seniors can take in high school during their senior year and
provides professional development to K-12 teachers.
The goal of the EAP is to have high school graduates enter CSU
fully-prepared to do college-level work and reduce the more than
60% of the nearly 40,000 first-time freshmen admitted to CSU who
require remedial education in English, math or both.
Prior versions : Previously, this bill established a five-year
pilot project to enable 25 CCC districts to establish a program
similar to CSU's EAP. The current version of this bill deletes
the pilot program and instead expresses the intent of the
Legislature to expand the EAP as established by CSU to include
participation by prospective CCC students and amends current law
to provide the office of the CCC Chancellor and CCC districts
access to individual CST and the CST augmented test results,
which is a key component of the EAP. The bill also requires
participating CCC districts to use the program structure and
system already used by CSU for this purpose, including utilizing
the test results of the CST augmented test and the existing
student notification system. However, this bill prohibits CCC
and CSU from using the individual results of the CST augmented
test as a criterion for admission to CSU or CCC.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
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California State University
Community College League of California
EdVoice
Kern Community College District
Los Angeles Community College District
Los Rios Community College District
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960