BILL ANALYSIS
SB 147
Page 1
Date of Hearing: July 7, 2009
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Anthony Portantino, Chair
SB 147 (DeSaulnier) - As Amended: June 29, 2009
SENATE VOTE : 39-0
SUBJECT : California State University: career technical
education courses.
SUMMARY : Requires the California State University (CSU) to
implement a process whereby high school career technical
education (CTE) courses that meet the criteria established by
the State Board of Education (SBE) would satisfy a general
elective course requirement for purposes of admission to CSU.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the CSU Board of Trustees (Trustees) to develop and
implement a process whereby high school CTE courses would
satisfy a general elective course requirement for purposes of
admission to CSU that meet either of the following criteria:
a) Adopt standards, in consultation with SBE, that satisfy
the completion of general elective course requirements for
CSU admission.
b) Base standards on the model curriculum standards
established by SBE and any additional criteria that CSU
faculty identify as necessary to prepare students for
success in coursework unique to a specific major or
educational program.
2)Requires the criteria to be developed by CSU faculty and
subject to the approval of the CSU Academic Senate, who upon
approval shall recommend the criteria to the CSU Trustees.
3)Requires the CSU Trustees to adopt regulations based on the
recommendations of the CSU Academic Senate, that identify
majors and educational programs for which completion of a CTE
course satisfies a general elective course requirement.
4)Requires the CSU Academic Senate to ensure that the criteria
adopted by the CSU Trustees is implemented consistently among
CSU campuses.
SB 147
Page 2
5)Requires the CSU Trustees to recognize courses that meet the
SBE CTE model curriculum standards as satisfying the
completion of a general elective course for the purposes of
admission if, by January 1, 2014, CSU has not complied with
the provisions of this bill.
6)States that, to the extent possible, costs associated with
these activities be covered by the Carl D. Perkins Career and
Technical Education Improvement Act or by other nonstate funds
available for the purposes of this section.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee analysis, this bill generates new costs for CSU for
the development of new CTE standards. CSU estimates these costs
to be over $450,000 for initial development and approximately
$230,000 thereafter to review and approve courses. While this
bill specified that the costs should be covered by the Carl D.
Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act funds, it
is unlikely that CSU would have access to these funds, which
generally are used for K-14 institutions.
COMMENTS : Background : Much attention has been focused on CTE
in recent years as CTE opportunities in K-12 have declined as a
result of shifting educational priorities. SB 1543 (Alarcon),
Chapter 669, Statutes of 2006, requires CSU and requests the
University of California (UC) to adopt model uniform academic
standards for CTE that satisfy the completion of general
elective ("g") course requirements for the purposes of
admission. SB 1543 specified that if the model academic
standards were not implemented by July 1, 2008, the CSU Trustees
would be required and the UC Board of Regents (Regents) would be
requested to recognize the completion of all high school courses
that meet the CTE standards adopted by SBE as satisfying the
completion of the "g" course requirement. CSU and UC satisfied
the requirements of SB 1543 in spring 2008. In the meantime,
SBE adopted model curriculum frameworks, organized in 15
industry sectors of interrelated occupations and that identify
58 different career pathways and the academic and technical
courses required for each pathway. During the development of
this CTE model curriculum, CSU and UC expressed concerns that
the curriculum did not include the academic content necessary to
adequately prepare students for academic work at their
institutions.
SB 147
Page 3
Purpose of "a-g" : The CSU Trustees and UC Regents have
established common high school coursework requirements for
undergraduate admissions. The purpose of the subject
requirements is to ensure that students are prepared to
participate in a wide variety of fields of study typical of the
first and second year of college. Students who take courses
that meet these minimum requirements and who meet other
specified criteria are eligible to apply and be considered for
admission. The following list is commonly referred to as the
"a-g" requirements:
a. 2 years of history/social science
b. 4 years of college preparatory English or language
instruction
c. 3 years of college preparatory mathematics
d. 2 years of laboratory science
e. 2 years of the same language other than English
f. 1 year of visual and performing arts
g. 1 year college preparatory electives
How are "a-g" courses determined and satisfied ? The UC Board of
Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS), which is
comprised of UC faculty, reviews and determines which high
school courses meet the "a-g" approval criteria. The CSU
accepts courses certified by BOARS as meeting the "a-g"
requirements, thus, enabling students to complete the same
course-taking sequence whether they choose to apply for
admission to UC or CSU.
Students may satisfy the "g" requirement one of two ways:
completion of an additional UC-approved "a-f" course or
completion of a course that has been specifically approved for
the "g" elective. In reviewing courses submitted for "a-g"
approval, BOARS looks for courses that 1) are academically
challenging; 2) involve substantial reading and writing; 3)
include problems and laboratory work as appropriate; 4) show
serious attention to analytical thinking and factual content;
and 5) develop students' oral and listening skills.
Actions to recognize CTE coursework for admissions : According
to CDE, UC approved nearly 900 CTE courses in 2008, with
approximately 25% of all CTE courses statewide satisfying one of
the "a-g" requirements. Of the 6,509 UC-approved CTE courses
offered statewide in 2008-09, most met either the visual and
performing arts ("f") requirement (50.6%) or the "g" requirement
SB 147
Page 4
(32.4%). Approximately 17% of UC-approved CTE courses satisfy
one of the "a-e" requirements, thus, allowing students to
substitute a CTE course for a core academic subject such as a
laboratory science course. Although the number of UC-approved
CTE courses has increased by 62% since 2005-06, the author's
office maintains that this bill is necessary because too few
industrial arts programs are approved to satisfy the "a-g"
requirements.
Issues to consider :
1)Which standards are appropriate? Proponents of this bill
maintain that courses that meet the SBE CTE standards should
be recognized by CSU for purposes of admission. Will those
courses provide the academic knowledge and skills necessary
for students to succeed at CSU?
2)Unified v. bifurcated "a-g" requirements: This bill would
result in two different sets of standards for general elective
courses: 1) the BOARS criteria for non CTE courses and 2) the
SBE standards for CTE courses. Could this inadvertently
relieve pressure for schools to develop academically rigorous
CTE courses that could meet one of the core "a-e"
requirements? Could the different "g" requirement create
confusion for students and set a precedent for further
divurgence from a unified "a-g" standard?
3)Authority over CSU admissions: Historically, CSU and UC have
had jurisdiction over their admission policies and procedures,
including the establishment of coursework required for entry
to a campus or major program, required tests, and minimum
grade point average standards. This bill would indirectly
grant this authority to an outside K-12 entity-SBE-instead of
university faculty for setting CSU admission requirements and
the academic preparation needed to succeed at CSU.
Previous legislation : AB 1586 (DeSaulnier) of 2008, which was
held in the Senate Education Committee, would have required CSU
to adopt SBE model CTE curriculum standards. AB 876 (Davis),
Chapter 650, Statutes of 2008, required CSU and requested UC to
take specific actions with respect to assisting in the
development of CTE courses and recognizing CTE courses in
admission criteria and procedures.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
SB 147
Page 5
Support
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
California Association of Regional Occupational Centers and
Programs
California Association of Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
Contractors' Association
California Automotive Business Coalition
California Chapter of the American Fence Contractors'
Association
California Correctional Peace Officers Association
California Federation of Teachers
California Fence Contractors' Association
California Industrial and Technology Education Association
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California School Employees Association
California Space Authority
California Teachers Association
Engineer Contractors' Association
Flasher/Barricade Association
Los Angeles Unified School District
Marin Builders' Association
Metropolitan Education District
Small School Districts' Association
State Building and Construction Trades Council
Opposition
California Postsecondary Education Commission
California State University
Analysis Prepared by : Sandra Fried / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960