BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 2548
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 14, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 2548 (Ting) - As Amended:  March 28, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                              EducationVote:7-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the California Department of Education (CDE)  
          to periodically conduct studies of the percentages of California  
          public high school graduates estimated to be eligible for  
          admission into the University of California (UC) and the  
          California State University (CSU).  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Unknown General Fund costs to CDE in the range of $500,000 to  
          $1.1 million to conduct a study of the percentages of California  
          public high school graduates estimated to be eligible for  
          admission into the University of California and the California  
          State University.  

          The bill does not specify the scope of the study.  Estimates are  
          based on conducting an eligibility study similar to a study  
          formerly done by CPEC.  The higher cost range assumes CDE would  
          need to contract with an outside research organization as well  
          as a data management group to process transcripts and collect  
          other data. For example, CDE does not keep student-level test  
          scores on file.  Therefore, CDE would need to work with the  
          College Board and the ACT to calculate eligibility,  
          student-level course grades, GPA, and test scores. 

           COMMENTS

            Purpose  .  The former California Postsecondary Education  
          Commission (CPEC) was responsible for the planning and  
          coordination of postsecondary education. CPEC was charged with  
          providing analysis, advice, and recommendations to the  
          Legislature and the Governor on statewide policy and funding  








                                                                  AB 2548
                                                                  Page  2

          priorities.  The Governor's 2011-12 budget proposed eliminating  
          CPEC.  Both houses rejected this proposal, but the Governor  
          vetoed all General Fund support for CPEC, thereby eliminating  
          the commission.   

          One of the former obligations of the CPEC was to periodically  
          conduct a freshman eligibility study in order to determine if  
          UCs and CSUs were drawing from their eligibility pools set by  
          the state's Master Plan for Higher Education.  In 2014, the LAO  
          recommended that the Legislature authorize an updated freshman  
          eligibility study.  According to the author, an updated freshman  
          eligibility study, would be a valuable tool that will measure  
          whether the state's public university systems are accessible to  
          the students they are supposed to serve, and will help determine  
          whether UC and CSU are properly budgeted to guarantee student  
          success.  


           Analysis Prepared by  :    Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081