BILL NUMBER: AB 2302 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE AUGUST 17, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 1, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 28, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 8, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Fong
( Coauthors: Assembly Members
Bradford, Carter, Chesbro,
Davis, De Leon, Furutani, Huber,
Ma, Portantino, Ruskin,
Torlakson, V. Manuel Perez, and Yamada
)
( Coauthors: Senators
Alquist, Correa, and Padilla )
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Sections 66721.3 and 66721.4 to, to repeal
Sections 66740, 66741, and 66742 of, and to amend, repeal, and add
Sections 66721.7 and 66739.5 of amend, repeal, and add
Section 66739.5 of, and to add Sections 66721.4 and 66721.8 to
, the Education Code, relating to postsecondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2302, as amended, Fong. Postsecondary education: student
transfer.
(1) Existing law, the Donahoe Higher Education Act, establishes
the 3 segments of public postsecondary education in this state. These
segments include the California State University, administered by
the Trustees of the California State University, the University of
California, administered by the Regents of the University of
California, and the California Community Colleges, administered by
the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. A
provision of the act applies to the University of California only to
the extent that the regents, by resolution, make that provision
applicable.
Existing provisions of the act require the governing bodies of the
3 public postsecondary segments, with appropriate consultation with
the academic senates of the respective segments, to develop,
maintain, and disseminate a common core curriculum in general
education courses for the purposes of transfer. This provision
requires that a person who has successfully completed the transfer
core curriculum is to be deemed to have completed all lower division
general education requirements for the University of California and
the California State University.
This bill would require the California State University, and
request the University of California, to guarantee admission with
junior status to a campus of their respective segments to each
student who earns a transfer degree, subject to prescribed
requirements.
By imposing new requirements on community college districts with
respect to granting transfer degrees, the bill would impose a
state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing
Existing law requires the governing board of each
community college district to direct the appropriate officials at
their respective campuses to provide students with a copy of the
current transfer core curriculum and to distribute and publish copies
of the transfer core curriculum in a specified manner and in
specified locations.
This bill would require the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges to ensure that all California community college
students are informed of transfer pathways and transfer degrees.
This bill would require the California State University and the
Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to work
together to establish the most effective methods to inform students,
college advisors, and the general public about specified transfer
pathways. The bill would require the final methods to be completed
prior to the beginning of the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year
and included as part of a specified report.
(3)
(2) Existing law requests the University of California,
among other things, to address deficiencies in the articulation of
major preparation courses between the community colleges and
University of California campuses, to identify commonalities and
differences in similar majors across University of California
campuses, to articulate courses and course sequences at each campus
of the California Community Colleges for specified major degree
programs for purposes of student transfer, and to conduct a specified
review of transcripts of transfer students. Existing
This bill would request the University of California to continue
those efforts with a goal of working in collaboration with the
California Community Colleges to design community college transfer
degrees that provide students adequate preparation for entry into a
major. The bill would also request the University of California to
consider and implement other specified actions to increase transfer
between the university and the California Community Colleges. The
bill would require the University of California to provide an interim
report on the university's review, and a final report on the
university's implementation, of specified transfer pathways to the
relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by specified
dates.
(3) Existing law requires the
Chancellor of the California State University to establish transfer
student admissions requirements to give highest priority to certain
transfer students, to specify lower division transfer curriculum for
specified major degree programs, and to articulate courses at each
campus of the California Community Colleges for specified major
degree programs for purposes of student transfer. Existing law
requires each campus of the California State University to identify
nonelective course requirements beyond systemwide lower division
transfer curriculum requirements for each major for purposes of
student transfer, in accordance with prescribed requirements.
This bill would make these provisions inoperative on
August July 1, 2011, and would repeal these
provisions on January 1, 2012. The bill also would repeal
other provisions of existing law requiring the University of
California and the California State University to develop
discipline-specific articulation agreements and transfer program
agreements.
The bill would require that, in the development of an associate
degree for transfer, a community college consider local articulation
agreements and other work between the respective faculties from the
affected community college and California State University campuses
to clarify pathways for students. To the extent this provision would
impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute
a state-mandated local program.
This bill would require the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges to establish a process to facilitate
the identification of courses that satisfy lower division preparation
requirements throughout the California Community College system,
which would be required to be included as part of a specified report.
(4) This bill would provide that it would not become operative
unless SB 1440 of the 2010-11 Regular Session is chaptered.
(5) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse
local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the
state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that
reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates
determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these
statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: yes no .
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 66721.3 is added to the
Education Code, to read:
66721.3. Notwithstanding Chapter 4 (commencing with Section
66201), the California State University shall guarantee admission
with junior status to any community college student who meets all of
the requirements of Section 66746. Notwithstanding Chapter 4
(commencing with Section 66201), the California State University
shall grant a student priority consideration for admission to the
California State University campus that serves the local service area
in which the student resides.
SEC. 2. SECTION 1. Section 66721.4
is added to the Education Code, to read:
66721.4. (a) Each campus of the California State University shall
make available on its Internet Web site a list of majors considered
to be similar to community college majors or areas of emphasis
required to obtain an associate degree for purposes of transfer
pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745).
(b) The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges
shall ensure that all California community college students are
informed of the transfer pathways and transfer degrees pursuant to
Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745).
66721.4. (a) The California State University and the
Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall
work together to establish the most effective methods to inform
students, college advisors, and the general public about the
associate degree for transfer and specific details that help students
navigate this transfer pathway, as successfully as possible,
pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745). The methods
established by the California State University and the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall include, but
not be limited to, Internet notification. The final methods
determined by the two segments shall be completed prior to the
beginning of the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year and included
as part of the report required by subdivision (a) of Section 66749.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that community college
students are informed of the California State University majors that
are considered to be similar to community college majors or areas of
emphasis required to obtain an associate degree for transfer pursuant
to Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745).
SEC. 3. Section 66721.7 of the Education Code
is amended to read:
66721.7. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature to ensure that
community college students who wish to earn the baccalaureate degree
at the University of California (UC) are provided with clear and
effective directions that specify curricular paths to this degree.
(b) This section shall not be construed to limit in any way the
ability of students to gain admission through alternative paths to
transfer, such as the Intersegmental General Education Transfer
Curriculum (IGETC) or any other means.
(c) The University of California is requested to address
deficiencies in the articulation of major preparation courses between
the California Community Colleges and the various UC campuses to
make it easier for prospective transfer students to identify which
community college courses meet major preparation requirements across
the various campuses of the university.
(d) The University of California is requested to identify
commonalities and differences in similar majors across all UC
campuses in order to accomplish all of the following:
(1) To provide students with general descriptions of each major.
(2) To identify lower division degree requirements that are common
across UC campuses.
(3) To identify additional academic requirements at each UC
campus.
(4) To describe additional criteria that students must achieve to
be admitted at the various UC campuses.
(e) (1) When four or more UC campuses that award undergraduate
degrees have articulated specific courses and course sequences of the
California Community Colleges for common requirements in similar
majors, the remaining UC campuses that offer undergraduate degrees
are requested to also articulate these specific community college
courses and course sequences. The Legislature recognizes that UC may
adopt provisions allowing individual UC campuses to opt out of this
articulation process on a case-by-case basis; however, these
provisions should be infrequently used. The Academic Senate of the
University of California is requested to notify the California
Community Colleges when an articulation request is denied, and to
provide information that will enable the California Community
Colleges to achieve course comparability with UC.
(2) For at least the 20 most high-demand undergraduate majors, and
with the ultimate goal of including all majors for which it is
feasible, UC is requested to specify lower division transfer paths
clearly identifying commonalities, as well as differences, on a
comparative basis across UC campuses offering specific major
programs. The Academic Senate of the University of California is
requested to review the existing differences in lower division major
preparation in each major across UC campuses, recognizing that one
goal of these requirements should be to achieve similarity to the
greatest degree that is academically appropriate.
(3) The University of California is requested to include all of
the following in the systemwide lower division transfer paths for the
high-demand baccalaureate major degree programs:
(A) Lower division general education requirements for the
university.
(B) Lower division major preparation requirements that are common
across undergraduate campuses.
(C) Additional lower division degree requirements that are unique
to an individual campus.
(D) Elective units, as appropriate.
(E) Additional criteria, such as grade point averages and minimum
grades, to ensure that students are competitive in selective majors.
(4) The systemwide lower division transfer paths shall be
specified in sufficient manner and detail so that existing and future
community college lower division courses may be articulated,
according to the usual procedures, to the corresponding UC courses or
course descriptions.
(f) (1) The University of California is requested to, and the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall, in
consultation with the Academic Senate of the California Community
Colleges, on or before January 1, 2008, facilitate the articulation
of those lower division, baccalaureate-level courses at each campus
of the California Community Colleges that meet the lower division
transfer path requirements for each major specified by UC in
paragraph (1) of subdivision (e).
(2) The University of California is requested to annually review,
and update as appropriate, the lower division transfer paths and
articulation to ensure that they reflect current UC campus degree
requirements and community college curricula, and share the results
of that review with the Chancellor of the California Community
Colleges.
(g) As allowed by enrollment demand and available space, UC is
requested to develop transfer admission agreement programs for
students at each campus of the California Community Colleges who
demonstrate the intent to meet the requirements of this section,
including the declaration of a major and identification of a choice
of a destination campus. The transfer admission agreement shall
guarantee admission to the campus and major identified in the
agreement and transfer of all units specified in the agreement,
subject to the student's successful completion of the requirements of
the agreement. It is the intent of the Legislature that the transfer
admission agreements entered into under this section be made
available to students early in their academic coursework. However,
nothing in this section shall be construed to preclude or limit the
development or issuance of transfer admission agreements for students
at any appropriate time up to the point of application.
(h) A path to transfer, as specified in this section, shall be
available to any community college student who desires to transfer to
UC, and shall not be limited to students who secure a transfer
admission agreement as specified in subdivision (g). A student who
successfully completes a path to transfer, but who does not secure a
transfer admission agreement, shall be guaranteed the transferability
and degree applicability for all units that the student has earned
pursuant to the path to transfer. However, nothing in this section
shall be construed to guarantee admission to UC, or to a specific UC
campus, for a student who has not secured a transfer admission
agreement.
(i) The University of California is requested to, and the
California Community Colleges shall, on a three-year periodic cycle,
jointly conduct a review of a random representative sample of
transcripts of students who have transferred to UC, and of students
preparing for transfer, to determine the effectiveness of the
transfer preparation pathways referenced in this section.
(j) This section shall become inoperative on August 1, 2011, and,
as of January 1, 2012, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2012, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 4. Section 66721.7 is added to the
Education Code, to read:
66721.7. (a) Commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12
academic year, the University of California is requested to guarantee
admission with junior status to any community college student who
meets all of the requirements of Section 66746. Notwithstanding
Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 66201), the University of
California is requested to grant a student priority admission to a
program or major that is comparable to his or her community college
major or area of emphasis.
(b) This section shall become operative on August 1, 2011.
SEC. 2. Section 66721.8 is added to the
Education Code , to read:
66721.8. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that a
transparent process for transfer that is designed to assist students
in identifying and taking the community college courses that will
prepare them for success in specific University of California majors
is a state priority.
(b) The Legislature recognizes that, pursuant to Section 66721.7,
the University of California has been working with the California
Community Colleges to examine and seek improvements to the transfer
process. It is the intent of the Legislature that, as part of this
ongoing effort, the creation of various viable pathways to transfer,
including the development of an associate degree for transfer granted
by community college districts, be considered by the University of
California as it endeavors to enhance the transfer process.
(c) The University of California is requested to continue its
examination of articulation of lower division major prerequisites in
high demand transfer majors with a goal of working in collaboration
with the California Community Colleges to design community college
transfer degrees that provide students adequate preparation for entry
into a major. The University of California is also requested to
consider offering guaranteed eligibility for admission into a
University of California campus that accepts a designated community
college transfer degree for admission into a designated University of
California major. Further, the University of California is requested
to implement pathways to qualify community college transfer courses
for a designated University of California major by designating a
series of community college courses that provide sufficient lower
division preparation for a designated University of California major
and that will be accepted by the University of California.
(d) The University of California is requested to provide an
interim progress report on its review of the various transfer
pathways discussed in this section to the relevant policy and fiscal
committees of the Legislature on or before June 30, 2011, and a final
report to those committees, with specific findings regarding the
University of California's implementation of those transfer pathways,
by no later than December 31, 2011.
SEC. 5. SEC. 3. Section 66739.5 of
the Education Code is amended to read:
66739.5. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) The California Master Plan and supporting statutes place
utmost importance on the effective transfer of community college
students to the University of California (UC) and the California
State University (CSU) as a means of providing access to the
baccalaureate degree.
(2) In 2002, CSU enrolled 55,000 transfer students from community
colleges.
(3) Two out of three students who earn CSU baccalaureate degrees
begin in a community college.
(4) Effective use of state and student time and resources would be
maximized by students accruing fewer unrequired units in earning
their degrees.
(5) Additional access to community colleges and CSU will be
created by higher graduation rates and fewer nonessential units
taken.
(6) The state budget situation makes it urgent to streamline the
path of the transfer student to the baccalaureate degree.
(b) It is, therefore, the intent of the Legislature to ensure that
community college students who wish to earn the baccalaureate degree
at CSU are provided with a clear and effective path to this degree.
(c) This section shall not be construed to limit in any way the
ability of students to gain admission through alternative paths to
transfer, such as the Intersegmental General Education Transfer
Curriculum (IGETC) or the California State University General
Education-Breadth Requirements.
(d) On or before February 1, 2005, the Chancellor of CSU shall
establish transfer student admissions requirements that give highest
priority to transfer students who are qualified in accordance with
subdivision (f) and paragraph (3) of subdivision (g).
(e) (1) CSU campuses admitting students qualified in accordance
with subdivision (f) and paragraph (3) of subdivision (g) will make
it possible for these students to complete their baccalaureate degree
in the minimum number of remaining units required for that degree
major.
(2) For purposes of this subdivision, the "minimum number of
remaining units" is the minimum number of units required for a degree
major after subtracting the number of fully degree-transferable
units earned at the community college.
(f) The Chancellor of CSU, in consultation with the Academic
Senate of CSU, shall establish the following components necessary for
a clear degree path for transfer students:
(1) On or before June 1, 2005, the Chancellor of CSU, in
consultation with the Academic Senate of CSU and with the faculty
responsible for each high-demand baccalaureate degree major program,
shall specify for each high-demand baccalaureate program major a
systemwide lower division transfer curriculum composed of at least 45
semester course units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, that will be
common across all CSU campuses offering specific major programs.
(2) (A) The systemwide lower division transfer curriculum for each
high-demand baccalaureate degree major program shall be composed of
at least 45 semester units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, and shall
include all of the following:
(i) General education courses.
(ii) Any other lower division courses required for graduation.
(iii) Lower division components of the student's declared major.
(iv) Elective units, as appropriate.
(B) The coursework described in subparagraph (A) shall be
designated by the CSU faculty responsible for the student's major
degree program.
(3) The systemwide lower division transfer curriculum shall be
specified in sufficient manner and detail so that existing and future
community college lower division courses may be articulated,
according to the usual procedures, to the corresponding CSU courses
or course descriptions.
(g) (1) On or before June 1, 2006, the Chancellor of CSU and the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in consultation with
the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges, shall
articulate those lower division, baccalaureate-level courses at each
campus of the California Community Colleges that meet for each degree
major the systemwide lower division transfer curriculum requirements
specified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (f).
(2) To the extent that the goals of efficiency and urgency are
advanced, existing articulation procedures such as the California
Articulation Number (CAN) program shall be employed.
(3) On or before June 1, 2006, each CSU campus shall have
identified any additional specific, nonelective course requirements
beyond the systemwide lower division transfer curriculum requirements
for each major, up to a maximum of 60 semester units or the
quarter-unit equivalent, for the systemwide and campus-specific
requirements combined. To the extent these additional course
requirements are identified, each CSU campus shall provide that
information to all community colleges.
(4) The Chancellor of CSU shall amend CSU's transfer admissions
procedures to encourage prospective community college transfer
students to identify and, to the extent possible, commit to, a
specific CSU transfer destination campus before earning more than 45
semester units, or the quarter-unit equivalent, of lower division,
baccalaureate-level courses, as described in subdivision (f).
(h) As allowed by enrollment demand and available space, each CSU
campus shall develop a transfer admission agreement with each student
who intends to meet the requirements of this section, including the
declaration of a major and identification of a choice of a
destination campus, before earning more than 45 systemwide semester
units, or the quarter-unit equivalent. The transfer admission
agreement shall guarantee admission to the campus and major
identified in that agreement and transfer of all 60 semester units,
or the quarter-unit equivalent, as creditable to the baccalaureate
degree, subject to the student's meeting the following conditions:
(1) Completion of the 60 semester units of college-level
coursework, or the quarter-unit equivalent, specified for the student'
s major degree program.
(2) Declaration of a major.
(3) Satisfactory completion of the systemwide lower division
transfer curriculum requirements for the student's declared major.
(4) Satisfactory completion of any requirements beyond the
systemwide lower division transfer curriculum that are specified by
the CSU destination campus.
(5) Any impaction criteria for that campus or major.
(i) A CSU campus shall guarantee that the transfer students
admitted under this section will be able to complete the
baccalaureate degree in the minimum number of course units required
for that degree.
(j) This section shall become inoperative on August
July 1, 2011, and, as of January 1, 2012, is
repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on
or before January 1, 2012, deletes or extends the dates on which it
becomes inoperative and is repealed.
SEC. 6. SEC. 4. Section 66739.5 is
added to the Education Code, to read:
66739.5. (a) In the development of an associate degree for
transfer, a community college district shall consider the local
articulation agreements and other work between the respective
faculties from the affected community college and California State
University campuses to clarify pathways for students.
(b) The Chancellor's office of the California Community Colleges
shall establish a process to facilitate the acceptance of credits at
other community colleges toward the associate degree for transfer.
66739.5. (a) The Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges shall establish a process to facilitate
the identification of courses that satisfy lower division
preparation requirements throughout the California Community College
system.
(b) A description of the process established by the Office of the
Chancellor to comply with subdivision (a) shall be included as part
of the report required by subdivision (a) of Section 66749.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature that community college
districts accept credits from other community college districts
toward an associate degree for transfer.
(c)
(d) This section shall become operative on
August July 1, 2011.
SEC. 7. Section 66740 of the Education Code is
repealed.
SEC. 8. Section 66741 of the Education Code is
repealed.
SEC. 9. Section 66742 of the Education Code is
repealed.
SEC. 10. SEC. 5. This act shall
become operative only if Senate Bill 1440 of the 2010-11 Regular
Session is chaptered.
SEC. 11. If the Commission on State Mandates
determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state,
reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs
shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of
Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.