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SACRAMENTO – As community college students prepare to head back to school for the fall semester, the California State Assembly Committee on Appropriations today in a unanimous vote approved the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, Senate Bill 1440.
If the initiative passes the Legislature and is signed into law, community college students seeking to transfer to a California State University will have a streamlined process by fall 2011 that will save them time and money while generating resources for the two systems of higher education to serve more students.
The bill, authored by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima), is strongly supported by the California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott and California State University Chancellor Charles Reed.
“Students attending our colleges often express concerns about the complex and confusing transfer process,” said Chancellor Scott. “This transfer initiative will put an end to the confusion and serve as a student passport to the California State University system.”
Currently, each of the 112 locally governed community colleges sets its own requirements for graduation and each CSU campus determines its own prerequisites for accepting community college transfer students.
The requirements and prerequisites vary by campus and can also change each year. Senate Bill 1440 charges the two systems with establishing a set process that guarantees community college transfer students with a 2.0 GPA admission to a CSU campus at junior status while also granting them an associate degree.
California students and taxpayers will benefit from transfer reform. Many transfer students take up to a full year of classes beyond the semester units required for a bachelor’s degree.
These extra units cost the public millions of dollars. By standardizing the transfer process, students can take fewer classes at the community colleges and CSU thus increasing efficiency in both systems.
During the hearing the California Department of Finance estimated the transfer efficiencies will generate approximately $75 million annually in cost savings for the California Community Colleges and $85 million for the CSU.
The funds would be used to provide access to roughly 40,000 additional community college students and nearly 14,000 CSU students each year.
To date the bill has not seen opposition in the Legislature.
It was approved by the California State Senate on June 1 in a 35-0 vote and by the Assembly Higher Education Committee on June 22 in a 9-0 vote.
Next the bill will head to the Assembly and Senate floors where it will be heard before Aug. 31 and is expected to go to the governor’s desk to sign into law in September.
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KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Kelseyville Unified School District will host a special meeting to discuss configuration plans for the 2011-12 school year.
The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10, in the Kelseyville High School Student Center, 5480 Main St.
Parents and community members are invited to the meeting to discuss site configurations as a possible cost-saving measure.
The Kelseyville Unified School District Board of Trustees wants to hear the community's input on this topic.
This will be the first of several open discussion board meetings that are planned throughout the year.
For more information call the Kelseyville Unified School District Office at 707-279-1511 or contact Tami Barker at
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U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius announced on Tuesday the formation of the Early Learning Interagency Policy Board.
The board's goals are to improve the quality of early learning programs and outcomes for young children; increase the coordination of research, technical assistance and data systems; and advance the effectiveness of the early learning workforce among the major federally funded early learning programs across the two departments.
“This marks an important step in our effort to help eliminate silos at the federal level,” said Secretary Duncan. “We want to ensure that collaboration at the federal level mirrors the integration you're striving to achieve at the state and local levels.”
“Providing strong support for this country's children during their earliest years is one of the most important investments we can make,” said Secretary Sebelius. “This effort will rely on strong federal partnerships, integrated policy development, and continued innovation from our partners in the Early Learning field.”
They made the announcement at the Early Childhood 2010: Innovation for the Next Generation meeting at the Hilton Washington in Washington, D.C.
The Early Childhood 2010 meeting brought together state and local partners from a range of early childhood programs across ED and HHS, key stakeholders and federal staff to improve collaboration and partnerships at the federal, state and community levels in support of integrated early childhood systems.
Through plenary sessions, workshops, state team meetings, and networking opportunities, participants discussed innovative, evidence-based practices and their vision for creating a high-quality coordinated early learning and development system.
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SACRAMENTO – the California State Board of Education has voted unanimously to adopt the Common Core State Standards.
The Common Core State Standards Initiative is a state-led effort to establish a single set of high and clear educational standards for English-language arts and mathematics that states can share and voluntarily adopt.
Designed by a diverse group of teachers, experts, parents and school administrators, the Common Core reflect the best available evidence and the highest state standards from across the country.
As part of the adoption process, states have the option to add additional standards as a way to encourage high-standards states like California to maintain and even extend the rigor of their existing standards.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday applauded the State Board of Education’s decision.
“Since coming into office, I have made it a top priority to uphold California’s leading academic standards to ensure a high level of education for every student,” Schwarzenegger said. “I applaud the unanimous vote by the State Board of Education to adopt the enhanced Common Core Standards that maintain California’s high expectations and our belief that every student is capable of success in the classroom.”
Gov. Schwarzenegger created the Academic Content Standards Commission to consider the Common Core and make recommendations for policy changes necessary to ensure California’s academic rigor was maintained.
In its recommendation to the State Board of Education, the Standards Commission was able to use this rule to ensure that California maintains its high expectations for all students.
These additions, for example, will better prepare all students for success in eighth-grade algebra, which education experts agree is a critical factor in college and career readiness.
California Community Colleges Chancellor Jack Scott said the standards will improve education.
“The California Community Colleges has collaborated with the State Board of Education, the California Secretary of Education’s Office and the California Department of Education on Common Core State Standards,” he said. “I applaud the State Board’s bold initiative to adopt academic standards in language arts and math that build on our state’s already rigorous model. This effort will help ensure students are prepared for college and the workforce.
Scott added, “As envisioned by the State Board, these uniform standards will help to create a level playing field where teachers, students and parents know what is needed for students to succeed.”
For more information on the Common Core State Standards Initiative visit www.corestandards.org.