BILL NUMBER: SB 1440 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY AUGUST 2, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 29, 2010
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY JUNE 14, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 28, 2010
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 15, 2010
INTRODUCED BY Senator Padilla
(Principal coauthor: Senator Romero)
(Principal coauthors: Assembly Members Beall , Blakeslee,
and Fong)
(Coauthors: Senators Ashburn, Cedillo, Correa, Cox, Emmerson,
Hancock, Huff, Liu, Lowenthal, Negrete McLeod, Pavley, Price,
Strickland, and Wyland)
(Coauthors: Assembly Members Arambula, Block, Bradford, Brownley,
Carter, Chesbro, Conway, Davis, Evans, Furutani, Gaines, Hall, Huber,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Monning, Nielsen, V. Manuel Perez,
Portantino, Ruskin, Silva, Smyth, Swanson, and Torlakson)
FEBRUARY 19, 2010
An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) to Chapter
9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code,
relating to public postsecondary education.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1440, as amended, Padilla. California Community Colleges:
student transfer.
Existing law establishes the 3 segments of public postsecondary
education in this state. These segments include the California State
University, the campuses of which are administered by the Trustees of
the California State University, the University of California, which
is administered by the Regents of the University of California, and
the California Community Colleges, which are administered by the
Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.
Existing law establishes community college districts throughout
the state, and authorizes them to provide instruction to students at
community college campuses.
Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act,
authorizes the community colleges to grant associate in arts and
associate in science degrees. The act also requires the regents, the
trustees, and the board of governors to have as a fundamental policy
the maintenance of a healthy and expanded program to increase the
number of transfer students from community colleges.
This bill would enact the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act,
which would require a community college district,
commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic year, to grant
an associate degree for transfer to a student in his or her field of
study that would deem the student , commencing with
the 2011-12 academic year, would require a student that receives an
associate degree for transfer to be deemed eligible for
transfer into a California State University baccalaureate program
when the student meets prescribed requirements. The bill would
condition a community college district's receipt of state
apportionment funds on its development and granting of associate
degrees for transfer. This bill would prohibit a community
college district from imposing any requirements, in addition to these
requirements, for a student to be eligible for the associate degree
for transfer, and would prohibit remedial noncollegiate level
coursework from being counted towards the units required for the
associate degree for transfer.
This bill would require the California State University to
guarantee admission with junior status to any community college
student who meets the requirements for the associate degree for
transfer. This bill would not guarantee a student admission for
specified majors or campuses, but would require the California State
University to grant a student priority admission to a program or
major that is similar to his or her community college major or area
of emphasis, as determined by the California State University campus
to which the student is admitted. This bill would authorize the
California State University to require a transferring student to take
additional coursework at the California State University in
specified circumstances, and would prohibit the California State
University from requiring a transferring student to repeat courses
that are similar to those taken at the community college that counted
towards the units required for the associate degree for transfer.
This bill would also require the Legislative Analyst's Office to
review and report to specified legislative committees and
subcommittees, within a prescribed time period, on specified outcomes
and recommendations related to this act.
By requiring a community college district to grant the associate
degree for transfer in exchange for receipt of state
apportionment funds , this bill would impose a state-mandated
local program.
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.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(a) Since the enactment of the Master Plan for Higher Education in
1960, preparing students to transfer to a four-year university has
been a core function of the California Community Colleges.
(b) Successful progression from lower division coursework to
degree completion is a basic principle of California higher education
and is critical to the future of the state's economy.
(c) Currently, the coursework necessary to transfer to a campus of
the California State University or the University of California
differs from the coursework needed to earn an associate degree. As a
result, many transfer students leave the community college system
having completed transfer requirements, but are unable to participate
in community college graduation ceremonies, do not have a degree to
show for their work, and are ineligible for some awards and
scholarships because they did not fulfill current requirements for an
associate degree.
(d) Today, one in every four jobs requires an associate degree or
higher. In the near future, one in every three jobs will require an
associate degree or higher.
(e) The Public Policy Institute of California projects that
California will have one million fewer graduates than it needs in
2025, and that increasing transfer rates from community colleges to
four-year institutions would dramatically reduce the education skills
gap.
(f) The community college system allows the state to address the
serious projected shortage of educated workers.
(g) To meet workforce demands in a cost-effective way,
incentivizing students to earn an associate degree while preparing
for transfer to a four-year college or university, and recognizing
that they have completed a transfer preparation course pattern,
provides students encouragement and support to complete their overall
educational pursuits.
SEC. 2. Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) is added to
Chapter 9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education
Code, to read:
Article 3. Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act
66745. This article shall be known, and may be cited as the
Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act.
66746. (a) Commencing with the fall term of the 2011-12 academic
year, a community college district shall grant an associate
degree for transfer to a student in fields of study that shall deem
the student student that earns an associate degree for
transfer granted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be deemed
eligible for transfer into a California State University
baccalaureate program when the student meets both of the following
requirements:
(1) Completion of 60 semester units or 90 quarter units that are
eligible for transfer to the California State University, including
both of the following:
(A) The Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum
(IGETC) or the California State University General Education-Breadth
Requirements.
(B) A minimum of 18 semester units or 27 quarter units in a major
or area of emphasis, as determined by the community college district.
(2) Obtainment of a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
(b) As a condition of receipt of state apportionment funds, a
community college district shall develop and grant associate degrees
for transfer that meet the requirements of subdivision (a). A
community college district shall not impose any requirements in
addition to the requirements of this section, including any local
college or district requirements, for a student to be eligible for
the associate degree for transfer and subsequent admission to the
California State University pursuant to Section 66747.
(c) In the development of an associate degree for
transfer, a A community college district is
encouraged to 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 in implementing the
requirements of this section .
(d) Community colleges are encouraged to facilitate the acceptance
of credits earned at other community colleges toward the
associate degree for transfer pursuant to this section.
(e) This section shall not preclude students who are assessed
below collegiate level from acquiring remedial noncollegiate level
coursework in preparation for obtaining the associate degree.
Remedial noncollegiate level coursework shall not be counted as part
of the transferable units required pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (a).
66747. 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. Admission to the California State
University, as provided under this article, does not guarantee
admission for specific majors or campuses. Notwithstanding Chapter 4
(commencing with Section 66201), the California State University
shall grant a student priority admission to a program or major that
is similar to his or her community college major or area of emphasis,
as determined by the California State University campus to which the
student is admitted. A student admitted under this article shall
receive priority over all other community college transfer students,
excluding community college students who have entered into a transfer
agreement between a community college and the California State
University prior to the fall term of the 2011-12
2012-13 academic year.
66748. (a) The California State University may require a student
transferring pursuant to this article to take additional courses at
the California State University so long as the student is not
required to take any more than 60 additional semester units or 90
quarter units at the California State University for majors requiring
120 semester units or 180 quarter units. Specified high unit majors
shall be exempt from this subdivision upon agreement by the
Chancellors of the California State University and the California
Community Colleges and their respective academic senates.
(b) Community college transfer units shall not be applicable to
upper division requirements at the California State University ,
unless agreed upon by the local Academic Senates of the
California State University and the California Community Colleges and
the transferred units do not exceed the required 60 semester units
or 90 quarter units required pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision
(a) of Section 66746 .
(c) The California State University shall not require students
transferring pursuant to this article to repeat courses that are
similar to those taken at the community college that counted toward
the associate degree for transfer granted pursuant to Section 66746.
66749. (a) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall review and
report to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the Senate
Committee on Education, and the respective education finance budget
subcommittees of the Assembly and the Senate in the spring of 2012,
an update on the implementation of this article.
(b) The Legislative Analyst's Office shall also review and report
to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the Senate Committee
on Education, and the respective education finance budget
subcommittees of the Assembly and the Senate, within four years of
implementation of this article, on both of the following:
(1) The outcomes of implementation of this article, including, but
not limited to, all of the following:
(A) Transfer rates of students granted associate degrees for
transfer, as compared to all other community college transfer
students.
(B) The average amount of time and units it takes a student to
earn an associate degree for transfer pursuant to this article and a
subsequent baccalaureate degree, as compared to the average amount of
time and units to degree prior to enactment of this article and
compared to students using other transfer processes available.
(C) Student progression and completion rates.
(D) Other relevant indicators of student success.
(E) The degree to which the requirements for an associate degree
for transfer take into account existing articulation agreements and
the degree to which community colleges facilitate the acceptance of
credits between community college districts, as outlined in
subdivisions (c) and (d) of Section 66746.
(F) It is the intent of the Legislature that student outcome data
provided under this subdivision include the degree to which the
California State University was able to accommodate students admitted
under this article to the campus and major of their first choice.
(2) Recommendations for statutory changes necessary to facilitate
the goal of a clear and transparent transfer process, including
whether this article should be made applicable to students
transferring from community colleges to the University of California.
SEC. 3. It is the intent of the Legislature that
the requirements placed on community college districts pursuant to
this act shall be carried out in the normal course of program
development and approval, course scheduling, and degree issuance and
shall not represent any new activities or a higher level of service
on the part of community college districts.
SEC. 3. SEC. 4. 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.