Intersegmental Issues

Whereas, SB 1440 (Padilla, 2010) restricts the California State University (CSU) from requiring students to repeat courses at CSU that are “similar” to courses taken as part of a degree developed in response to SB 1440;

Whereas, Similar courses were not defined in the law resulting from SB 1440, and any determination of curricular similarity must be made by faculty; and

Whereas, The Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID) provides descriptors for California community college courses that commonly transfer;

Whereas, The California Community Colleges Task Force on Student Success (established in response to Senate Bill 1143, Liu, 2010) recommends (as of September 30, 2011) that the California Community College System collaborate with the K-12 system to align high school exit standards with community college standards of college readiness;

Whereas, Many students enter California community colleges with limited knowledge and preparation not only in academic areas but also in terms of time management, study skills, and other areas that impact academic performance, and these students would therefore benefit from student success courses that would help them to develop such skills;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has taken several positions (4.01 S08, 4.01 and 4.02 Fall 07) in support of the expansion of opportunities for high school students to enroll in college classes, known as "concurrent enrollment," and advises that safeguards be in place as summarized in the adopted paper Minors on Campus: Underage Students at Community Colleges (2006);

Whereas, There has been discussion suggesting that all high school seniors across the state should be permitted or encouraged to take all coursework required for their entire senior year at a community college so that their senior year of high school would also be their freshman year at college, a practice that has occurred in some states;

Whereas, California is currently ranked 46th among the states in per-pupil spending on elementary and secondary education, and even the State Superintendent of Public Instruction has stated publicly that "California schools are not doing what they should to prepare the state's more than 6 million students for a society in which technological advances are occurring at lightening speed and business can be conducted around the clock anywhere in the world." (Education Week, Vol. 25, February 15, 2006, p.18);

Whereas, The California Community College System and the Academic Senate are committed to our colleges being open access institutions;

Whereas, An unintended consequence of our colleges being fully open access institutions without academic admissions requirements is that prospective students and others may presume that there is no need for secondary students to prepare academically to attend community colleges, and, as a result, students may not take advantage of the college preparation opportunities in high school;

Whereas, California is one of 45 states that have adopted the K-12 Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which establish knowledge, skills, and practices that are essential for college and career readiness;

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges endorsed the Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (ICAS) competency statements for both mathematics and English Language Arts, which set expectations for entering freshmen in these two critical content areas, and CCSS match nearly all expectations outlined by ICAS in both subject areas;

Whereas, The 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California embodies the principle that open access to higher education is fundamental to the interests of the state by providing for an educated populace and a strong, developing workforce;

Whereas, The 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California differentiates the roles of the California Community College, State University and the University of California Systems in implementing that plan; and

Whereas, The Intersegmental Committee of Academic Senates (ICAS) Statement on Competencies in Mathematics has publicly stated the expectations of California's higher education faculty since the first edition in 1982 and has recently been updated by a committee that included appointees of the California Community Colleges, California State University, and University of California academic senates and representatives of K-12 faculty and the Department of Education;