Consultation with the Chancellor's Office

Whereas, The most recent amendment to California Code of Regulations Title 5 §55050 [1] Credit for Prior Learning became effective on March 21, 2020 and includes allowances for multiple methods of awarding credit for prior learning, including “credit by examination, evaluation of Joint Services Transcripts, evaluation of student-created portfolios, evaluation of industry-recognized credential documentation, and standardized exams” and further required that each district certify to the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office by December 31, 20

Whereas, Despite over a decade of policies by the state of California that have implemented strategies and employed metrics applicable to encouraging the success of full-time students, most students continue to attend part-time—over 65% of California community college students in fall 2022 were part-time students, i.e., students who attempted less than 12 units— [1] and, undoubtedly, many do so for a diversity of life choices, including, but not limited to, the following:

Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Call to Action states, “Campuses must audit classroom climate and create an action plan to create inclusive classrooms and anti-racism curriculum,” [1] and current Student Equity and Achievement Plans are required to include action plans around race consciousness in their development and implementations;

Whereas, Current California Code of Regulations Title 5 §55031 Standards for Probation [1] requires colleges to place students on academic or progress probation if they fall below grade point average or successful course completion standards;

Whereas, The current system of attendance accounting is exceedingly complex and rooted in outdated concepts of seat time inherited from procedures established when the California community colleges were part of the K-14 system;

Whereas, The complexities and intricacies of the current attendance accounting system have the effect of suppressing creative course scheduling in response to the needs of California’s diverse student population, especially as colleges emerge from the COVID-19 global pandemic;

Whereas, The California community colleges are open-access institutions dedicated to serving all in their communities who desire access to higher education opportunities;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges resolved to support the right of any student to choose to take pre-transfer level English or mathematic[s] courses for the purpose of academic preparation, meeting non-transfer degree/certificate requirements, reskilling, or life-long education [1];

Whereas, California community college district catalog rights are governed by contract law, as stated in Chancellor’s Office Legal Opinion 09-04, which states that “(c)atalog rights are based in contract law and students can enforce the catalog rights only against the original college. .

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Colleges advocated to establish a course section data element that, at a minimum, differentiates between sections requiring the purchase of a textbook or other instructional materials including those requiring purchase of an access code and all instances when a printed resource is required and not provided, those sections that are zero textbook cost (ZTC) due to the use of no-cost open educational resources, those that are ZTC but the resources have a cost that is not passed on to students, those that use no textbook, and those that are low-cost a

Whereas, Provisions of the Higher Education Opportunity Act require each institution of higher education receiving federal financial assistance to “disclose, on the institution’s Internet course schedule and in a manner of the institution’s choosing, the International Standard Book Number and retail price information of required and recommended college textbooks and supplemental materials for each course listed in the institution’s course schedule” [1] ;