BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2462
Author: Block (D), et al.
Amended: 8/21/12 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 6/27/12
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Blakeslee, Huff, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Hancock, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 7-0, 8/16/12
AYES: Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Dutton, Lieu, Price,
Steinberg
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 5/25/12 (Consent) - See last page
for vote
SUBJECT : Academic credit for prior military experience
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges (CCCs) to determine for which
courses credit should be awarded for prior military
experience, as specified, by July 1, 2015.
ANALYSIS : Existing law 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
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(1) processing of admission applications, (2) orientation
and pre-orientation services concerning academic
expectations and financial assistance, and (3) assessment
and counseling upon enrollment, as specified. (Education
Code (ED) Section 78212)
Existing law also 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. (ED
Section 66025.8)
This bill requires the Chancellor of the CCCs to determine
for which courses credit should be awarded for prior
military experience, as specified, by
July 1, 2015.
Comments
According to the author's office, 90% of the veteran
student population at the UC and CSU come from CCC transfer
students. Currently, some veterans are unable to obtain
academic, subject-specific course credit for their military
service because of the lack of a uniform standard for
evaluating prior military service for academic credit at
the CCC. According to the author's office, this bill will
ensure uniformity among campuses throughout the CCC and set
a unified standard for awarding credit for prior military
academic experience.
Veterans in CCCs . California has an estimated 2.2 million
veterans residing in the state. According to the CCCs, in
2010-11, more than 44,000 veterans utilized education
benefits at a CCC. In addition, there are an estimated
8,000 to 10,000 active duty personnel enrolled annually at
community colleges across the state, not including
dependents.
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
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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. Both the UC and CSU have
adopted the American Council on Education standards for
evaluating the academic credit or prior service of
veterans, and in 2011 the CCC Academic Senate passed a
resolution urging local academic senates to award credit in
accordance with ACE standards.
CCC recognition of prior learning . It is difficult to
ascertain to what extent prior military learning
experiences receive academic credit at CCC, since the
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:
1. Reasonable transfer of credit to avoid excessive loss of
previously earned credit and course work duplication;
and
2. Credit for military training and experience, including
use of the ACE Guide in evaluating and awarding academic
credit for military training and experience.
One more optional list . This bill encourages, but does not
require, the CCC to consider awarding credit by applying
the Chancellor's Office determinations made as a result of
this bill's provisions. The awarding of credit is
generally the purview of a colleges' faculty. As noted,
credit for military training and experience is already
encouraged though use of the ACE Guide for evaluating and
awarding academic credit for military training and
experience through the SOC Consortium and by the CCC
Academic Senate resolution. It is unclear what yet another
optional list of recommended course credit for veterans
will accomplish.
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Credit towards transfer . According to the Senate Education
Committee, the underlying concern that the author appears
to be trying to address is the ability of veterans to
obtain academic, subject-specific course credit through a
consistent, streamlined process across all three public
higher education segments. 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.
Prior legislation . AB 372 (Hernandez, 2011) required CCCs,
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
determined by relevant faculty, and that the related credit
awarded meet the standards of ACE, the Council for Adult
and Experiential Learning, or other equivalent standard for
awarding academic credits. The bill passed the Senate
Education Committee in June 2011, but was subsequently held
under submission in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/21/12)
AMVETS - Department of California
California Association of County Veterans Service Officers
California State Commanders Veterans Council
Department of Defense
Vietnam Veterans of America - California State Council
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 70-0, 05/25/12
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Beall, Block,
Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, Brownley, Buchanan,
Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, Carter, Cedillo,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eng,
Feuer, Fong, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gatto, Gordon, Gorell, Hagman, Halderman, Harkey,
Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman,
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Jeffries, Jones, Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Mansoor,
Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande,
Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino,
Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao,
Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Atkins, Bill Berryhill, Fletcher,
Fuentes, Grove, Hall, Knight, Ma, Perea, Silva
PQ:m 8/21/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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