BILL ANALYSIS �
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2160
Author: Ting (D), et al.
Amended: 8/18/14 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 6-0, 6/25/14
AYES: Liu, Wyland, Correa, Hancock, Huff, Monning
NO VOTE RECORDED: Block
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14
AYES: De Le�n, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 5/28/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Cal Grant: grade point average
SOURCE : Education Trust West
DIGEST : This bill requires the California Student Aid
Commission (CSAC) to require electronic submission of the grade
point average (GPA) of all 12th grade students at public schools
and charter schools, with specified exceptions; deems all 12th
grade students in a California public school to be Cal Grant
applicants for this purpose; and requires that parents be
notified of such and that pupils be provided an opportunity to
opt out of such designation by a school district or charter
school.
ANALYSIS : Existing law requires GPAs for Cal Grant A and B
CONTINUED
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applicants to be submitted to CSAC; requires GPAs to include a
certification by a school official that the GPA is accurately
reported; authorizes CSAC to establish grace periods for the
receipt of GPAs and corrections; and establishes legislative
intent that high schools and institutions of higher education
certify GPAs of students in time to meet Cal Grant application
deadlines.
A school district is prohibited from permitting access to pupil
records without written parental consent but makes some
exceptions, as specified. Existing law authorizes school
districts to release information from pupil records to agencies
or organizations in connection with the application of a pupil
for, or receipt of, financial aid. However, information
permitting the personal identification of a pupil or his/her
parents may be disclosed only as may be necessary for purposes
as to determine the eligibility of the pupil for financial aid,
to determine the amount of the financial aid, to determine the
conditions that will be imposed regarding the financial aid, or
to enforce the terms or conditions of the financial aid.
The federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
regulations authorize an educational agency or institution to
disclose personally identifiable information from an education
record of a student without consent if the disclosure meets one
of several specified conditions. These include an instance in
which the disclosure is in connection with financial aid for
which the student has applied or which the student has received,
if the information is necessary to:
Determine eligibility for the aid;
Determine the amount of the aid;
Determine the conditions for the aid; or
Enforce the terms and conditions of the aid.
This bill:
1.Deems each student enrolled in 12th grade in a California
public school to be a Cal Grant applicant, and requires every
school district, or charter school, by October 15 annually,
to:
A. Notify the parent/guardian of each 12th grade student
that the student will be deemed a Cal Grant applicant.
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B. Provide an opportunity for the student to opt out of
being automatically deemed a Cal Grant applicant.
1.Requires that the CSAC require all public high schools,
including charter schools, to provide an electronic submission
of a GPA for each 12th grade student, each academic year, with
specified exceptions.
2.Specifies how social security numbers should be treated by the
CSAC.
3.Requires CSAC to require that each report of a GPA include a
certification, executed under penalty of perjury, by a school
official, that the GPA reported is accurately reported, as
specified.
4.Requires CSAC to adopt regulations that establish a grace
period for receipt of the GPA and any appropriate corrections,
and that set forth the circumstances under which a student may
submit a specified test score designated by CSAC, as
specified.
5.States the intent of the Legislature that high schools and
institutions of higher education certify the GPAs of their
students in time to meet the application deadlines, as
specified.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Mandate: Potentially significant reimbursable mandate on school
districts to electronically submit the GPAs of every 12th grade
student, with specified exceptions, and to administer an opt-out
system for families.
CSAC administration: Potentially significant workload to
receive and process additional GPAs, and to provide technical
assistance to schools and school districts. This workload will
be off-set, to some degree, by a reduction in the number of hard
copy GPAs that CSAC processes.
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Cal Grant awards: Potentially significant Cal Grant costs
(General Fund), to the extent that this bill results in more Cal
Grant awards.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/18/14)
Education Trust West (source)
Alliance for a Better California
Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities
California Association of School Business Officials
California School Boards Association
California State Student Association
California State University
Independent California Colleges and Universities
San Francisco Unified School District
University of California
University of California Student Association
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 78-0, 5/28/14
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta, Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian
Calderon, Campos, Chau, Ch�vez, Chesbro, Conway, Cooley,
Dababneh, Dahle, Daly, Dickinson, Donnelly, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Beth Gaines, Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gorell,
Gray, Grove, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Roger Hern�ndez, Holden,
Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Linder, Logue, Lowenthal,
Maienschein, Mansoor, Medina, Melendez, Mullin, Muratsuchi,
Nazarian, Nestande, Olsen, Pan, Patterson, Perea, John A.
P�rez, V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Wagner,
Waldron, Weber, Wieckowski, Wilk, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Frazier, Vacancy
PQ:ek 8/18/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****
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