BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1451
Page 1
Date of Hearing: May 14, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 1451 (Holden) - As Amended: May 7, 2014
Policy Committee: Higher
EducationVote:13-0
Education 7-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable:
SUMMARY
This bill makes numerous changes to expand opportunities for
high school students to concurrently enroll in community college
courses. Specifically, this bill:
1) Specifies that a concurrently enrolled pupil may receive
community college and high school credit for completed
community college courses as determined to be appropriate
by the governing boards of the school district and the
community college district, in accordance with state and
federal law.
2) Reinstates until January 1, 2017 the following
provisions that become inoperative on January 1, 2014:
a) Specified exemptions from the 5% cap on concurrent
enrollment; and
b) An annual reporting requirement required of the
Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
3) Adds an exemption from the 5% cap on summer session
concurrent enrollment for courses necessary in addressing
deficiencies in English language arts or mathematics for
pupils who have not demonstrated college-readiness on an
Early Assessment Program assessment or a successor common
core aligned assessment.
4) Repeals the prohibition against the Board of Governors
of the California Community Colleges from including in its
annual budget request the concurrent enrollment of pupils
AB 1451
Page 2
who are exempt from the 5% enrollment cap.
5) Authorizes high school districts and community college
districts to enter into concurrent enrollment partnership
agreements, as specified.
6) Requires the partnership agreement to certify that any
community college instructor teaching a course on a high
school campus has undergone an appropriate background
check.
7) Stipulates that the following types of high school
courses shall not be supplanted by equivalent community
college courses offered through a partnership: (a) a course
meeting A-G course requirements, and (b) a course listed on
the school's master schedule.
8) Stipulates that a community college district shall not
provide physical education course opportunities to
secondary school pupils as part of a partnership agreement.
9) Prohibits a pupil from being assessed any course-related
fees for a community college course offered through a
partnership.
10) Specifies that a school district participating in a
partnership shall not receive a state allowance or
apportionment for an instructional activity for which a
community college district has been, or shall be, paid an
allowance or apportionment.
11) Requires participating school districts and community
college districts to annually report specified enrollment
and outcome measures to the Chancellor's Office of the
California Community Colleges (CCC), and to the
Legislature, the Department of Finance, and the
Superintendent of Public Instruction.
12) Exempts pupils attending an early college high school
and participants of the concurrent enrollment partnership
program from the requirement that concurrently enrolled
pupils be assigned lower priority to ensure they do not
displace regularly admitted students. (This provision
already applies to middle college high school students.)
AB 1451
Page 3
13) Specifies that a community college district may limit
enrollment in a community college course solely to high
school pupils if the course is offered at a high school
campus, is not otherwise offered at the high school, and
the course is offered by a middle college and/or early
college high school and/or is offered pursuant to a
partnership agreement.
14) Specifies that for purposes of allowance and
apportionments of the State School Fund, a community
college district conducting a closed course on a high
school campus per (13) shall be credited with additional
units of full-time equivalent students (FTES) attributable
to the attendance of eligible high school pupils, unless
the high school district has been or will be paid an
apportionment for that instructional activity.
15) Allows a community college district to allow a pupil
attending a middle or early college high school or a pupil
participating in a partnership agreement to enroll in up to
a maximum of 15 units if those units are required for the
pupil's partnership program, and are part of an academic
program offered at the middle or early college high school
that is designed to allow students to earn enough credit to
graduate with an associate's degree or CTE certificate, or
are part of a partnership agreement.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)To the extent districts can claim apportionment funding for
additional concurrently enrolled students, there will be
increased General Fund (Prop 98) costs. The equivalent of only
33 additional full-time equivalent students (FTES) statewide,
at the current funding rate of $4,636 per FTES would exceed
$150,000. To the extent, however, that community colleges as a
whole are already using all state funds apportioned for
enrollment, the bill will result in additional unknown Prop 98
cost pressure.
2)To the extent the bill results in more students accelerating
their postsecondary education-by reducing their need for
post-high school remediation and/or by reducing their time to
degree-the state and students will benefit from these
efficiencies. To the extent more students obtain needed
remediation through community college courses, rather than
AB 1451
Page 4
upon entering the California State University, the state will
realize savings equal to the difference in state support per
student between the two segments.
COMMENTS
1) Background . Concurrent enrollment provides pupils the
opportunity to enroll in college courses and earn college
credit while still enrolled in high school. A pupil is
allowed to concurrently enroll in a CCC as a "special
admit" while still attending high school, if the pupil's
school district determines that the pupil would benefit
from "advanced scholastic or vocational work."
Special-admit students have typically been advanced pupils
wanting to take more challenging coursework or pupils who
come from high schools where Advanced Placement or honors
courses are not widely available. Additionally, programs
such as middle college high schools and early college high
schools use concurrent enrollment to offer instructional
programs for at-risk pupils that focus on college
preparatory curricula.
2) Purpose . The author states, "AB 1451 will [help] prepare
secondary pupils integrate into collegial environments,
provide gifted students more rigorous academic
opportunities, provide assistance to students studying for
the California High School Exit Exam, provide exposure to
college as a drop-out prevention tool for high school
administrators, generate interest in higher education for
students without college aspirations, and expand
opportunities for the development of job training programs
that prepare students for vocational careers."
3) Prior Legislation . In 2011, AB 160 (Portantino), which
also authorized concurrent enrollment partnerships, was
held on Suspense in Senate Appropriations.
4) Related Legislation . AB 1540 (Hagman), pending in this
committee, provides for concurrent enrollment partnerships
specifically involving computer science courses.
AB 2352 (Chesbro), also pending in this committee, has similar
provisions to AB 1451 regarding middle and early college high
school programs.
AB 1451
Page 5
Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081