BILL NUMBER: AB 288	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Holden and Olsen
   (Coauthors: Assembly Members Alejo and Weber)

                        FEBRUARY 11, 2015

   An act to add Section 76004 to the Education Code, relating to
public schools.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 288, as introduced, Holden. Public schools: College and Career
Access Pathways partnerships.
   Existing law authorizes the governing board of a school district
to allow pupils whom the district has determined would benefit from
advanced scholastic or vocational work to attend community college as
special part-time or full-time students, subject to parental
permission. Existing law requires credit to be awarded to these
pupils, as specified, authorizes a school principal to recommend a
pupil for community college summer session if the pupil meets
specified criteria, and prohibits the principal from recommending
more than 5% of the total number of pupils from any particular grade
level who completed that grade immediately before the time of
recommendation for summer session attendance.
   This bill would authorize the governing board of a community
college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways
partnership with the governing board of a school district located
within its service area with the goal of developing seamless pathways
from high school to community college for career technical education
or preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates,
or helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness.
The bill would require the partnership agreement to outline the terms
of the partnership, as specified, and to establish protocols for
information sharing, joint facilities use, and parental consent for
high school pupils to enroll in community college courses.
   The bill would authorize specified high school pupils to enroll in
up to 15 units if those units are required for these pupils'
partnership programs and specified conditions are satisfied, and
would authorize a community college district to exempt special
part-time and full-time students taking up to a maximum of 15 units
per term from specified fee requirements. The bill would prohibit a
community college district from receiving a state allowance or
apportionment for an instructional activity for which a school
district has been, or will be, paid an allowance or apportionment
under a concurrent enrollment partnership agreement. The bill would
require, for each partnership agreement entered into under the bill,
the affected community college district and school district to
provide an annual report, containing specified data, to the office of
the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges.
   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) Research has shown that dual enrollment can be an effective
means of improving the educational outcomes for a broad range of
students.
   (b) Dual enrollment has historically targeted high-achieving
students; however, increasingly, educators and policymakers are
looking toward dual enrollment as a strategy to help students who
struggle academically or who are at risk of dropping out.
   (c) Allowing a greater and more varied segment of high school
pupils to take community college courses could provide numerous
benefits to both the pupils and the state, such as reducing the
number of high school dropouts, increasing the number of community
college students who transfer and complete a degree, shortening the
time to completion of educational goals, and improving the level of
preparation of students to successfully complete for-credit,
college-level, courses.
   (d) California should rethink its policies governing dual
enrollment, and establish a policy framework under which school
districts and community college districts could create dual
enrollment partnerships as one strategy to provide critical support
for underachieving students, those from groups underrepresented in
postsecondary education, those who are seeking advanced studies while
in high school, and those seeking a career technical education
credential or certificate.
   (e) Through dual enrollment partnerships, school districts and
community college districts could create clear pathways of aligned,
sequenced coursework that would allow students to more easily and
successfully transition to for-credit, college-level, coursework
leading to an associate degree, transfer to the University of
California or the California State University, or to a program
leading to a career technical education credential or certificate.
   (f) To facilitate the establishment of dual enrollment
partnerships, the state should remove fiscal penalties and policy
barriers that discourage dual enrollment opportunities. By reducing
some of these restrictions, it will be possible to expand dual
enrollment opportunities, thereby saving both students and the state
valuable time, money, and scarce educational resources.
  SEC. 2.  Section 76004 is added to the Education Code, to read:
   76004.  Notwithstanding Section 76001 or any other law:
   (a) The governing board of a community college district may enter
into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the
governing board of a school district located within its service area
for the purpose of offering or expanding dual enrollment
opportunities with the goal of developing seamless pathways from high
school to community college for career technical education or
preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates, or
helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness.
   (b) A participating community college district may enter into a
CCAP partnership with a school district partner that is governed by a
CCAP partnership agreement approved by the governing boards of both
districts. As a condition of, and before adopting, a CCAP partnership
agreement, a community college district and a school district, at
regularly scheduled open public meeting of their respective governing
boards, shall take comments from the public and approve or
disapprove the proposed agreement.
   (c) (1) The CCAP partnership agreement shall outline the terms of
the CCAP partnership and shall include, but not necessarily be
limited to, the scope, nature, and listing of community college
courses to be offered, and criteria to assess the ability of pupils
to benefit from those courses. The CCAP partnership agreement shall
also establish protocols for information sharing, joint facilities
use, and parental consent for high school pupils to enroll in
community college courses.
   (2) The CCAP partnership agreement shall identify a point of
contact for the participating community college district and school
district partner.
   (3) A copy of the CCAP partnership agreement shall be filed with
the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and
with the department before the start of the CCAP partnership.
   (d) A community college district participating in a CCAP
partnership shall not provide physical education course opportunities
to high school pupils pursuant to this section or any other course
opportunities that do not assist in the attainment of at least one of
the goals listed in subdivision (a).
   (e) A high school pupil enrolled in a course offered through a
CCAP partnership shall not be assessed any fee that is prohibited by
Section 49011.
   (f) A community college district participating in a CCAP
partnership may assign priority for enrollment and course
registration to a pupil seeking to enroll in a community college
course that is required for the pupil's CCAP partnership program that
is equivalent to the priority assigned to a pupil attending a middle
college high school as described in Section 11300 and consistent
with middle college high school provisions in Section 76001.
   (g) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that any
community college instructor teaching a course on a high school
campus has not been convicted of any sex offense as defined in
Section 87010, or any controlled substance offense as defined in
Section 87011.
   (h) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that any
community college instructor teaching a course on a high school
campus has not displaced or resulted in the termination of an
existing high school teacher teaching the same course on that high
school campus.
   (i) (1) A community college district may limit enrollment in a
community college course solely to eligible high school students if
the course is offered at a high school campus during the regular
school day and the community college course is offered pursuant to a
CCAP partnership agreement.
   (2) For purposes of allowances and apportionments from Section B
of the State School Fund, a community college district conducting a
closed course on a high school campus pursuant to paragraph (1) of
subdivision (j) shall be credited with additional units of full-time
equivalent students attributable to the attendance of eligible high
school pupils.
   (j) A community college district may allow a special part-time
student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement established
pursuant to this article to enroll in up to a maximum of 15 units if
both of the following circumstances are satisfied:
   (1) The units constitute no more than four community college
courses per term.
   (2) The units are part of an academic program that is part of a
CCAP partnership agreement established pursuant to this article.
   (k) The governing board of a community college district
participating in a CCAP partnership agreement established pursuant to
this article may, in whole or in part, exempt special part-time
students described in subdivision (j) from the fee requirements in
Sections 76060.5, 76140, 76223, 76300, 76350, and 79121.
   (l) A community college district shall not receive a state
allowance or apportionment for an instructional activity for which a
school district has been, or shall be, paid an allowance or
apportionment.
   (m) The attendance of a high school pupil at a community college
as a special part-time or full-time student pursuant to this section
is authorized attendance for which the community college shall be
credited or reimbursed pursuant to Section 48802 or 76002, provided
that no school district has received reimbursement for the same
instructional activity.
   (n) For each CCAP partnership agreement entered into pursuant to
this section, the affected community college district and school
district shall report annually to the office of the Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges all of the following information:
   (1) The total number of high school pupils by schoolsite enrolled
in each CCAP partnership.
   (2) The total number of community college courses by course
category and type and by school site enrolled in by CCAP partnership
participants.
   (3) The total number and percentage of successful course
completions, by course category and type and by schoolsite, of CCAP
partnership participants.
   (4) The total number of full-time equivalent students generated by
CCAP partnership community college district participants.
   (o) Notwithstanding Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, the
annual report required by this subdivision shall also be transmitted
to all of the following:
   (1) The Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the
Government Code.
   (2) The Director of Finance.
   (3) The Superintendent.