Consultation with the Chancellor's Office

Whereas, AB 1705 (Irwin, 2022) [1] goes beyond ensuring that students who have successfully completed prerequisite coursework not be required to repeat that work and requires that all students be allowed to bypass transfer-level prerequisite courses for calculus beginning July 1, 2024 for business calculus and July 1, 2025 for STEM calculus unless colleges are able to validate these pre-requisites using a metric that has not yet been determined as of April, 2023;

Whereas, The California Community Colleges Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirement, codified in California Code of Regulations Title 5 section §55063 Minimum Requirements for the Associate Degree, [1] was adopted upon action of the California Community Colleges Board of Governors (BOG) in 2021, and BOG President Pamela Haynes commented that ethnic studies serves as a means to help “break down barriers to equity” by placing “diversity, equity, and inclusion…and anti-racism at the heart of our work,” [2] and doing so

Whereas, SB 850 (Block, 2014) initiated the California Community College Baccalaureate Degree Pilot Program, and AB 927 (Medina, 2021)  made pilot programs permanent and expanded opportunities for colleges to implement baccalaureate degree programs;

Whereas, California Education Code §66010.4 [1] notes that “The California Community Colleges shall, as a primary mission, offer academic and vocational instruction at the lower division level for both younger and older students” and “A primary mission of the California Community Colleges is to advance California’s economic growth and global competitiveness through education, training, and services that contribute to continuous workforce improvement;”

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;