BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 2497|
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                                    CONSENT


          Bill No:  AB 2497
          Author:   Solorio (D)
          Amended:  7/6/12 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  :  Senate Rule 28.8
           
          ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  74-0, 5/30/12 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    California State University Early Start Program

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill, beginning January 1, 2014, and every 
          two years thereafter, requires the Legislative Analysts 
          Office, in consultation with the California State 
          University (CSU), to submit a report detailing the impact 
          of the CSU Early Start Program (Program) on student 
          mathematics and English proficiency.  This bill sunsets on 
          January 1, 2018.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law establishes CSU, under the 
          administration of the CSU Board of Trustees and expresses 
          legislative intent with respect to the determination of 
          standards and criteria for admission to CSU.  
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                                                               AB 2497
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          (Education Code Sections 66600, 66205)

          This bill beginning January 1, 2014, and every two years 
          thereafter:

          1. Requires the Legislative Analyst's Office, in 
             consultation with the CSU to submit a report to the 
             Legislature detailing the impact of the Program on 
             student mathematics and English proficiency.

          2. Requires the report to include, but not be limited to:

             A.    Information on the Program's impact on remediation 
                rates.

             B.    Information on the Program's impact on the length 
                of time students spend in remediation.

             C.    Demographic information on participants, including 
                race, ethnicity, household income levels, geographic 
                origins and other pertinent data.

             D.    The number of enrollees statewide and by campus 
                and the number who earned credit from the Program.

             E.    The number of enrollees that became proficient, 
                did not remediate successfully, and that were 
                disenrolled, statewide and by campus, one year after 
                participating in the Program.

          3. Sunsets these provisions on January 1, 2018.

           Comments
           
           Need for this bill  .  According to the author's office, 
          there is concern from CSU remedial instructors that the 
          Program, established under Executive Order 1048 in 2010, 
          creates another hurdle for the most economically 
          disadvantaged students.  The author's office indicates that 
          there is not enough evidence available demonstrating that a 
          mandatory summer program will solve the issue of high 
          remediation rates.  This bill provides greater oversight by 
          the Legislature of the progress of the new requirement on 
          CSU students who need remediation. 

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          3


           Remediation  .  According to the CSU, more than 60% of the 
          nearly 40,000 first-time freshmen admitted to the CSU 
          require remedial education in English, mathematics or both. 
           These 25,000 freshmen all have taken the required college 
          preparatory curriculum and earned at least a B grade point 
          average in high school.  The cost in time and money to 
          these students and to the state is substantial.  Moreover, 
          these students are confused by seemingly having done the 
          right things in high school only to find out after 
          admission to the CSU that they need further preparation. 

           CSU Early Start Program  .  Executive Order 1048, issued in 
          2010, created the Program, a program for CSU admitted 
          freshmen who have not demonstrated college ready 
          proficiency in Mathematics and/or English.  Based upon the 
          Executive Order, beginning in Fall 2012, entering freshmen 
          who are not proficient in math or "at risk" in English will 
          need to start the remediation process before their first 
          term.  

          CSU campuses are required to implement the Program no later 
          than summer 2012, with full implementation taking place no 
          later than summer 2014.  By fall of 2014, students will 
          need to have started their work on becoming ready for 
          college-level English.  

          Students will be given a menu of options to determine the 
          best approach for them to start their remedial instruction, 
          including such things as senior year high school courses, 
          courses offered in the summer at any one of their local 
          California Community College or CSU campuses and online 
          courses.  Financial aid will be offered to eligible 
          students (those with a family contribution of less than 
          $5,000 per year) in order to cover the cost of their 
          enrollment in the Program. 

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes   
          Local:  No



           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  74-0, 5/30/12
          AYES:  Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, 

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                                                               AB 2497
                                                                Page 
          4

            Bill Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, 
            Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, 
            Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Dickinson, 
            Donnelly, Eng, Fong, Furutani, Beth Gaines, Galgiani, 
            Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, Hagman, Halderman, Hall, 
            Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hern�ndez, Hill, Huber, Hueso, 
            Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lara, Logue, Bonnie 
            Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, Miller, Mitchell, 
            Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, Norby, Olsen, Pan, 
            Perea, V. Manuel P�rez, Portantino, Silva, Skinner, 
            Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Wagner, Wieckowski, 
            Williams, Yamada, John A. P�rez
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Davis, Feuer, Fletcher, Fuentes, Gorell, 
            Valadao


          PQ:k  8/7/12   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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