Handout for Training Faculty at
Mission & West Valley Colleges
Jane Patton, Mission College, ASCCC Area B Rep.
In order to teach in California
Community Colleges, an individual must meet the
Minimum Qualifications for his/her discipline.
In some fields it is a Master's degree while in
some areas it is other degrees and /or certification
or licenses. The State Academic Senate and Chancellor's
office approve the list of Minimum Qualifications
for each discipline. In the case that individuals
do not meet those qualifications, there is a possibility
that they could teach/work if a local committee
(comprised of representatives from the local Academic
Senate and administration) grants "equivalency
to the minimum qualifications". In our district,
we call it the "Equivalency Committee."
It is comprised of the 2 senate presidents, 2
other senate appointees, and the 2 VP's of Instruction.
By law, we must provide the opportunity for Equivalency.
Why would you be interested
in this information?
1. If your department wants
to hire a full time OR associate faculty member,
the person would have to possess the Minimum Qualifications
for your discipline or be granted Equivalency.
You should keep yourself up-to-date about the
minimum qualifications for your discipline, as
they may have changed. The latest state- adopted
minimum qualifications document was printed on
March 2003.
To view this document, go to http://www.ccco.edu/divisions/hr/f_sdev/min_qual/min_quals.pdf
2. If you want a secondary FSA*,
you must first possess the "minimum quals"
or be granted Equivalency. (Note: there are additional
FSA requirements). For more information, see the
footnote * at the end of this paper and the separate
FSA document available from the senate office).
After reading below, if you
still have questions about Equivalency, please
direct them to your Academic Senate president.
Equivalency
FAQ's
Below are some frequently asked questions that
are answered with excerpts from the ASCCC paper,
Equivalence to the Minimum Qualifications, 1999)
and relevant citations in the law. These may help
you understand the work of the Equivalency committee.
Q. How is Equivalency determined?
A. "Equivalency may come in three distinct
ways: by course work, by work experience, or by
eminence in the field. Equivalency may never mean
fewer qualifications than the published minimum
qualifications. ASCCC p.2
Q. If the faculty in the department
are willing to hire someone with less than the
minimum qualifications, can't we do it?
A. No. ". . . .the authority to determine
equivalent qualifications does not give a district
the authority to waive or lower standards and
accept less qualified individuals. The fact that
a particular candidate is the best a college can
find does not change the requirement that he or
she possess qualifications at least equal to the
published minimum qualifications." ASCCC
p.3
Q. If the department only wants
the person to teach one class, does she need equivalency
for the whole discipline?
A. YES! Title 5, Section 53430 states, "No
one may be hired to serve as a community college
faculty unless the governing board determines
that he or she possesses qualifications that are
at least equivalent to the minimum qualifications
specified." Further, the ASCCC paper explains:
"In addition, minimum qualifications are
determined for disciplines, not for courses or
subject areas within disciplines." Therefore,
there is no such thing as a "single course
equivalency." ASCCC p. 6
Q. Do associate faculty members
need to have the same minimum qualifications?
A. YES! "Title 5 regulations does not allow
for a different standard of equivalency for part-time
faculty. An applicant is either qualified to teach
the full range of courses in a discipline or not,
regardless of whether applying for a full-time
position or a part-time position." ASCCC
p. 6. "To require less from faculty hired
to teach only one course or in one limited subject
area would be to develop a second class of less
qualified faculty." ASCCC p 7
Q. If an associate faculty member
was granted equivalency in another district, does
he have to go through it again for us?
A. Equivalency is not transferable from district
to district. "An applicant who is granted
equivalency and subsequently hired maintains that
status for his entire career in the district which
granted that equivalence. However, when a faculty
member applies for a position in another district,
she or he may need to go through equivalency processes
in those other districts.. . ."ASCCC p. 3
Q. When is the equivalency process
initiated?
A. "The (equivalency) committee should review
for equivalency before beginning the paper screening
process. If faculty in the discipline participate
at the heart of the equivalency process, and if
care is given when establishing the criteria and
when drafting an application page to elicit relevant
information, then determining equivalence can
be done fairly and expeditiously while still maintaining
the standards set in Title 5 regulations."
ASCCC p. 6. In short, our advertising should list
the correct minimum qualifications, and applicants
who do not possess them can be screened by the
Equivalency committee to determine if they have
equivalent qualifications.
Q. What is the role of division
and department chairs in the equivalency process?
A. When considering an applicant for associate
or full time positions, whether on an emergency
basis or not, the department and division chair
must ensure that department hiring committees
do not send a name forward without the minimum
qualifications. (Do not confuse the concept of
"emergency hire" with a waiver of standards).
If a candidate needs to go through the equivalency
process, the application and supporting documents
must be sent to the equivalency committee--ideally
before interviews begin and absolutely before
job offers are given.
Refer to the most recent state-adopted minimum
qualifications list. http://www.ccco.edu/divisions/hr/f_sdev/min_qual/min_quals.pdf
Q. What if we have a course
that could also fit in another discipline and
the person we want to hire is qualified in that
area?
A. A "solution, (to finding the best instructors
for certain courses) involves the process of assignment
of courses to disciplines. (which is done in the
official course outlines). . . It is perfectly
appropriate, for example, to assign a course associated
with coaching soccer to the discipline of coaching
as well as to the discipline of physical education.
In that way, an applicant pool might become larger.
Such a cross-listing will also address the claim
that if a college grants someone a physical education
equivalency to coach soccer, it must let that
individual teach any course in physical education.
If the individual were granted equivalency only
in coaching, that claim would become groundless.".
(see also ASCCC paper, "Placement of Courses
in Disciplines").
Q. Who is responsible for determining
equivalency?
A. In our district it is the Equivalency committee
, with Senate-appointed faculty and 2 administrators.
According to Title 5, Section 53430 (b): the Board
of Trustees relies primarily on the advice and
judgment of the Academic Senate on matters of
Equivalency.
Q. We are in a two-college district.
Can't each college have its own equivalency procedures?
A. "It is important to understand that when
a faculty member is hired, he or she is hired
by a district, not a college." ASCCC p. 7.
That is why our local committee is a district
committee.
Q. Why does a department member
need to attend the equivalency meeting?
A. The regular members of the equivalency committee
probably are not subject area specialists in your
discipline; therefore, the committee needs a department
representative to determine whether an individual's
qualifications are equivalent to the state-adopted
minimum qualifications.
For more info: see Calif. Academic
Senate paper Equivalence to the Minimum Qualifications,
1999, available from your senate office or from
www.asccc.org
*FSA
defined briefly
When you were hired, you were assigned to an FSA
(a faculty service area). For example, someone
hired to teach history is assigned to that FSA.
Some faculty are also qualified and competent
to teach/work in another area; in other words,
could be granted a secondary FSA. Typically, the
only time you want to get a secondary FSA is to
secure a second spot to go in the event of lay
offs. FSA's are only used in the event of lay
offs. We try not to confuse the terms FSA
and Equivalency, as they are different concepts.
In normal times, anyone who has the minimum qualifications
is eligible to teach/work in another area without
having an FSA and could be assigned there for
all or part of his load (see ACE contract).
