BILL ANALYSIS �
ACR 159
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
ACR 159 (Gorell and Ma)
As Amended August 6, 2012
Majority vote
HIGHER EDUCATION 8-0
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|Ayes:|Block, Olsen, Brownley, | | |
| |Fong, Galgiani, Lara, | | |
| |Miller, Portantino | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Encourages the California Community Colleges (CCC),
the California State University (CSU), and the University of
California (UC) to consider and adopt the American Council on
Education (ACE) credit recommendations to give veterans credit
for their military experience. Specifically, this bill :
1)Makes numerous declarations and findings, including the
following:
a) Veterans represent a broad spectrum of our society that
include older students with work and family
responsibilities, students whose college entry has been
delayed, first-generation students, and students with lower
and middle socioeconomic statuses;
b) Veterans have gained valuable skills through their
military training and combat experience; and that some of
this experience is firsthand experience in much needed
professions such as emergency medicine, engineering, and
law enforcement;
c) More than 2,300 colleges and universities recognize the
American Council on Education (ACE) endorsed transcripts,
and that ACE credit recommendations are strong indicators
of military experience and knowledge acquired that should
be counted toward college credit; and,
d) The adoption of ACE credit recommendations will result
in more veterans graduating from a public postsecondary
educational institution, and will help ensure the success
of our veterans at our public postsecondary educational
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institutions.
2)Recognizes that the California State Assembly and Senate value
military service.
3)Encourages CCC, CSU, and UC to consider and adopt ACE credit
recommendations.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This resolution is keyed non-fiscal by
the Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : In California, an approximate 30,000 troops annually
are leaving military service, and many are pursuing
postsecondary education. Student veteran enrollment has
increased at UC, CSU, and CCC in recent years: CCC enrolls
44,000 students who utilize some form of veteran tuition/fee
benefit, while CSU enrolls 6,540 and UC enrolls 949 students who
are using GI benefits. Approximately 90% of UC and CSU student
veterans transferred from a CCC campus.
ACE works with branches of the Armed Forces to develop
guidelines for campuses to use when evaluating military
transcripts for academic credit. Courses are evaluated by teams
of at least three subject matter specialists (college and
university professors, deans, and other academics). Through
discussion and the application of evaluation procedures and
guidelines, team members reach a consensus on the credit to be
recommended, including the category of credit, the number of
semester hours recommended, and the appropriate subject area.
ACE began working with the military in 1945; currently more than
2,300 colleges and universities recognize ACE-endorsed
transcripts as official documentation of military experiences
and accurate records of applicable ACE credit recommendations.
UC and CSU have recently adopted the ACE recommendations for
evaluating prior military academic credit, though this credit is
typically granted toward elective requirements. In spring 2011,
the CCC statewide Academic Senate passed a resolution urging
local senates to apply credit for educational experiences during
military service toward the associate degree in accordance with
the recommendations listed in the ACE Guide.
Analysis Prepared by : Kevin J. Powers / HIGHER ED. / (916)
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319-3960
FN: 0004436