BILL NUMBER: AB 2534 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE JULY 5, 2012
AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 20, 2012
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MARCH 29, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Block
FEBRUARY 24, 2012
An act to add and repeal Section 78016.7 of the Education Code,
relating to the California Community Colleges.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2534, as amended, Block. The California Community Colleges:
veterans career technical education pilot program.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, under
the administration of the Board of Governors of the California
Community Colleges, as one of the segments of public postsecondary
education in this state. Existing law establishes community college
districts, administered by a governing board, throughout the state,
and authorizes these districts to provide instruction to students at
the community college campuses maintained by the districts.
This bill would require the Office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges to establish a voluntary pilot program,
until January 1, 2021, for purposes of authorizing a
community college district to establish and maintain a career
technical education program that factors experiential learning for
veterans 2018, to identify, explore, and develop best
practices for statewide policy on credit for experiential learning
for veterans for career technical education course credit,
certificates, and associate degrees. The bill would require the
chancellor to consider specified information to select no more than 3
to 5 applicant campuses to participate in the pilot program.
The bill would require participating community college districts to
report specified information to the Office of the Chancellor, which
would be required to provide that information to the Legislative
Analyst's Office by July 1, 2017. The bill would require the
Legislative Analyst's Office to use this information to
provide a report to the Legislature that evaluates the pilot
program assesses the pilot program's effect on student
veterans' success in reaching their educational goals , as
specified, by June 30, 2020 December 1, 2017
.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares
all of the following:
(a) The California Community Colleges, with their mission to serve
all Californians, have opened their doors to military veterans
returning from a decade of combat service across the world.
(b) The California Community Colleges, in serving this veteran
population, should identify, explore, and develop best practices for
statewide policy on credit for experiential learning for military
veterans through a pilot program.
(c) Where possible, community colleges participating in this pilot
program should recognize the federal training and education received
by veterans and identify course options to expedite the attainment
of degree and certificate goals by military veterans.
SEC. 2. SECTION 1. Section 78016.7
is added to the Education Code, to read:
78016.7. (a) The Office of the Chancellor of the California
Community Colleges shall establish a voluntary pilot program
for purposes of authorizing a community college district to
establish and maintain a career technical education program that
factors experiential learning for veterans to identify,
explore, and develop best practices for a statewide policy on
awarding credit for experiential learning for veterans for
career technical education course credit, certificates, and associate
degrees.
(b) The governing board of a community college district may apply
for a campus within its district to be selected to participate in the
pilot program, and the chancellor shall select no more than three to
five of those campuses to participate in the pilot program. In
selecting campuses for the pilot program, the chancellor shall
consider all of the following:
(1) The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity of
students attending the campus.
(2) The percentage of veterans on a campus and a campus' existing
veteran services and programs.
(3) The community college district's program and planning
capacity.
(4) The potential for support from funding partners in industry,
the military, labor, or other private funding sources to reduce the
cost of attendance for students participating in the pilot program.
(5) The community college district's plan to recognize federal
training and education and to identify innovative options for
expediting the attainment of degree and certificate goals by
veterans.
(c) The pilot program shall use existing
resources , including, but and strategies,
which include, but are not limited to, the American Council on
Education Education's guidelines and
recommendations, partnerships between the community college
district and branches of the Armed Forces of the United States that
faci litate the transition of veterans into workforce
partnership jobs, course offerings that maximize the awarding of
credit to complete academic requirements, and stackable credential
programs, to determine the value of a veteran's prior
professional military training, education, and experience.
(d) Career technical education course credit and certificates for
the pilot program may include credit earned as a result of prior
military service.
(e) The For purposes of the pilot program,
the governing board of a community college district may
approve credit courses that are not part of an approved educational
program for a campus that participates in the pilot program, in
accordance with Section 70901, for the duration of the pilot program.
(f) Community college districts participating in the pilot program
shall report all of the following information to the Office of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, which shall provide
this information to the Legislative Analyst's Office on or before
July 1, 2017:
(1) The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic diversity of
students participating in the pilot program.
(2) Summary statistics on enrollment, financing sources,
completion rates, and credit granted for prior learning experience
for the pilot program.
(f)
(g) On or before June 30, 2020
December 1, 2017 , the Legislative Analyst's Office shall
provide a report to the Legislature that evaluates the pilot
program established by this section, drawing assesses
the pilot program's effect on student veterans' success in reaching
their educational goals using information provided pursuant to
subdivision (f). In preparing this report, the Legislative Analyst's
Office may draw upon campus reports; campus visits; interviews
with faculty, students, and administrators; and other sources the
Legislative Analyst's Office deems relevant. The report shall include
all of the following:
(1) An identification of best practices that emerge from the pilot
program that the Legislature may want to consider for statewide
policy regarding credit for experiential learning for veterans.
(1)
(2) The geographic, socioeconomic, and demographic
diversity of students participating in the pilot program.
(2)
(3) Summary statistics on enrollment, financing
sources, completion rates, and credit granted for prior learning
experience for the pilot program.
(3)
(4) An assessment of the pilot program's effect on
student veterans' success in reaching their educational goals.
(4)
(5) Recommendations regarding the extension, expansion,
or modification of the pilot program.
(g)
(h) This section shall remain in effect only until
January 1, 2021 2018 , and as
of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is
enacted before January 1, 2021 2018 ,
deletes or extends that date.