BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Alan Lowenthal, Chair
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 372
AUTHOR: Hernandez
AMENDED: June 1, 2011
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 29, 2011
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Daniel Alvarez
SUBJECT : California community colleges: matriculation
services.
SUMMARY
Requires California Community Colleges (CCC), as part of
the matriculation process, to assess prior college-level
learning gained by military service personnel and veterans
through non-college credit means, as specified.
BACKGROUND
Current law:
1) Establishes a matriculation process at CCCs with the
purpose of realizing a student's educational
objectives. Matriculation services to be made
available by the colleges include, but are not limited
to (a) processing of admission applications, (b)
orientation and pre-orientation services concerning
academic expectations and financial assistance, and
(c) assessment and counseling upon enrollment, as
specified. (Education Code § 78212)
2) Requires the California State University (CSU) and CCC
to grant priority registration for enrollment to
former members of the Armed Forces of the United
States within two years of leaving active military
duty. (EC § 66025.8)
ANALYSIS
This bill requires California Community Colleges (CCC), as
part of the matriculation process, to assess prior
college-level learning gained by military service personnel
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and veterans through non-college credit means, as
specified. Specifically, this bill:
1) Requires that the prior learning assessment be
determined by relevant faculty and the related
equivalent educational credit will be awarded that
meets the standards of the American Council on
Education, the Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning, or other equivalent standard for awarding
academic credits.
2) Requires CCC districts to implement these provisions
only to the extent that reimbursement for the prior
learning experience assessment is provided by the
federal Department of Veterans Affairs pursuant to
provisions of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational
Assistance Act of 2008 or any other federal act
establishing veterans education benefits.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author, veterans
who return from service and use higher education as a
means to receive a degree and gain employment are not
able to use their service training and technical
certification towards their college course work.
Legislation is necessary to establish consistent
credit transfer guidelines and transparency. Veterans
spend many hours and even years to receive proper
training and certification in various fields. It
follows that veterans should receive academic credit
for this in our community colleges, avoid duplication
and free up critical class space for other students.
2) CCC academic senate . In spring 2011, the CCC Academic
Senate recently passed a resolution urging local
senates to apply credit for educational experiences
during military service toward the associate
degree-including the fulfillment of general education,
major coursework, and other degree requirements-in
accordance with the recommendations listed in the
American Council on Education (ACE) Guide.
3) CCC recognition of prior learning . It is difficult to
ascertain to what extent prior learning experiences
receive academic credit at CCC, since the
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determinations are made at each campus, but it appears
that the application of prior learning credit is
uneven. At present, 50 community colleges are members
of the Service members Opportunity Colleges (SOC)
Consortium, which provide educational opportunities to
service members to facilitate degree attainment such
as:
Reasonable transfer of credit to avoid
excessive loss of previously earned credit and
course work duplication; and
Credit for military training and experience,
including use of the ACE Guide in evaluating and
awarding academic credit for military training
and experience.
1) American Council on Education (ACE) Guide. The
military issues academic transcripts for active-duty
service members and veterans. The transcripts issued
by the various service branches are endorsed and
periodically evaluated by ACE and bear its seal. ACE
also publishes the Guide to the Evaluation of
Educational Experiences in the Armed Services, which
provides recommendations to colleges for evaluating
these transcripts. The Guide's credit transfer
recommendations are based on reviews of military
coursework by a panel of university faculty members
convened by ACE. These faculty members review military
coursework and occupational training descriptions
pertaining to their own academic disciplines,
evaluating them according to disciplinary standards
and expectations.
2) Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is
a national non-profit organization that creates and
manages learning strategies for working adults through
partnerships with employers, higher education, the
public sector, and labor. CAEL offers services to
facilitate successful matriculation of adult learners
in higher education, including assessment tools to
assist in evaluating current policies and practices
for serving adult learners, best practices utilized by
successful institutions, and research and evaluations
of prior learning assessments and student academic
outcomes.
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3) CCC budget cuts . The CCC matriculation program is
currently in a state of transition due to significant
funding cuts (52%) during 2009-10 and legislative
budget language allowing districts flexibility in
implementing program mandates. According to the
Manpower Demonstration Research Corporation (MDRC)
(2010), counselor-to-student ratios of 1 to 1,000 or
more are not uncommon at CCC campuses. Further, the
budget discussions for 2011-12 anticipate reducing
CCC's budget by $400 million, and it is unclear what
impact these budget cuts will have on the CCC's
ability to provide comprehensive matriculation
services.
4) Transferability of credit for prior learning
experiences . While faculty at a CCC may grant
academic credit for prior learning experiences, this
does not ensure that these courses will transfer to a
four-year institution. Faculty at the receiving
institution determines whether prior learning credits
are accepted by that institution. This issue could be
considered by the CCC and CSU faculty who are
implementing SB 1440 (Padilla), Chapter 428, Statutes
of 2010, which statutorily prescribes the content of a
community college degree that meets transfer
eligibility requirements.
SUPPORT
American Legion-Department of California
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
California State Commanders Veterans Council
California State University Employees Union
Vietnam Veterans of America, California State Council
OPPOSITION
None on file.