BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 2203
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          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 2203 (Solorio)
          As Amended  August 9, 2010
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |74-0 |(April 29,      |SENATE: |33-0 |(August 11,    |
          |           |     |2010)           |        |     |2010)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:    HIGHER ED.  

           SUMMARY  :  Requires the Trustees of the California State  
          University (CSU), and requests the Regents of the University of  
          California (UC) to review and revise their student transfer  
          policies to ensure that faculty may choose textbooks regardless  
          of the publication date for as long as the textbook is available  
          and the information provided is current and reflects  
          contemporary thinking.

           The Senate amendments  require the CSU to review and revise  
          student transfer policies, as specified.

           EXISTING LAW  specifies that the transfer function be a central  
          institutional priority of all segments of higher education in  
          California and requires the segments to develop policies and  
          practices to support this priority.  Requires the segments of  
          higher education to develop transfer agreements that specify the  
          requirements a CCC student must meet to transfer to the public  
          four-year segments of higher education.

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill encouraged CCC, CSU, and UC  
          to review and revise student transfer policies, as specified.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee, minor absorbable costs for the segments to review  
          current textbook policies and to consider, and potentially  
          implement, any changes in policy.

           COMMENTS  :  To have a CCC course approved for transfer to UC or  
          CSU, CCC articulation officers submit course information to UC  
          and CSU system offices.  UC and CSU faculty, staff and  
          administrators evaluate the information, and the system offices  
          forward decisions to CCC articulation officers.  UC and CSU  
          issued the Guiding Notes for General Education Course Reviewers  








                                                                  AB 2203
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          in January 2010, requiring, among other provisions, that CCC  
          transferable course textbooks are current and reflect  
          contemporary thinking of the discipline and that primary texts  
          were published within the last five years.  This policy allows  
          for exceptions when there are specific reasons why texts are not  
          dated within five years.  This bill is designed to ensure that  
          transfer agreements between CCC, CSU and UC do not prevent  
          faculty from using relevant textbooks that are published past a  
          five year period.  The author believes this will allow increased  
          opportunities for students to sell or trade in their textbooks  
          and ensure the reuse of books that contain information that is  
          still relevant. 


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Laura Metune / HIGHER ED. / (916)  
          319-3960 


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