BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2752
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2752 (Blakeslee)
As Amended April 8, 2010
Majority vote
HIGHER EDUCATION 9-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Block, Norby, Adams, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Conway, Ammiano, |
| |Chesbro, Fong, Fuller, | |Bradford, Charles |
| |Galgiani, Portantino, | |Calderon, Coto, Davis, |
| |Ruskin | |Monning, Ruskin, Harkey, |
| | | |Miller, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Skinner, Solorio, |
| | | |Torlakson, Torrico |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the California State University (CSU) to
develop a lower division common core curriculum comprised of 60
units instead of 45 units per current law. Specifically, this
bill :
1)Requires the CSU Chancellor, in consultation with the CSU
Academic Senate and faculty responsible for each high-demand
baccalaureate degree program, to develop a systemwide lower
division common core curriculum comprised of 60 units instead
of 45 units that will be common across all CSU campuses.
2)Prohibits a CSU campus from imposing any additional
non-elective lower division course requirements for transfer
students in high-demand baccalaureate degree major programs.
3)Deletes the requirement that each CSU campus identify
campus-specific requirements beyond the systemwide lower
division transfer curriculum requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)One-time General Fund costs of about $300,000 for CSU to
develop the additional requirements for a 60-unit core
curriculum in 20 disciplines and minor ongoing costs. The
California Community Colleges (CCC) would incur somewhat
lesser costs to coordinate with CSU.
AB 2752
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2)Potential significant long-term savings to the extent the new
transfer mechanism results in students graduating with fewer
total credits.
COMMENTS : While the rate of student transfer has generally
increased over the past 15 years, the transfer process is widely
regarded as complex, confusing, and inefficient. According to
the Institute for Higher Education Leadership & Policy in its
report entitled, "Crafting a Student-Center Transfer Process:
Lessons from Other States" (August 2009), a CSU study found that
transfer students graduated with an average of 141 semester
units (120 units is usually needed to graduate). The excess
units resulted from course-taking actions at both CSU and the
CCC. A separate study found that CCC transfer student earn an
average of 75 CCC units. In a University of California (UC)
study, students reported that excess units taken at CCC before
transfer were related to exploring various fields, changing
majors, poor advising, and preparing for multiple universities
with different admissions requirements.
SB 1785 (Scott), Chapter 734, Statutes of 2004, establishes the
CSU Lower Division Transfer Patter (LDTP), which requires CSU to
specify a systemwide lower division transfer pattern for each
high-demand baccalaureate program, comprised of at least 45
semester units to be common across all CSU campuses offering
specific major programs. The LDTP also requires each CSU campus
to identify any additional specific, non-elective course
requirements beyond the lower division transfer curriculum for
each major, up to a maximum of 60 semester units for the
systemwide and campus-specific requirements combined. This
approach allowed CSU to develop a lower division common core
curriculum, while providing faculty the opportunity to require
additional classes to enhance the student's preparation for his
or her chosen major. However, in a June 2006 report, the
Legislative Analyst's Office argued that allowing additional
pre-major requirements that differ by campus does not ensure a
truly "common" curriculum and unnecessarily complicates the
process.
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960
AB 2752
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FN: 0004549