2018

Lowering CCC Costs: No-Cost Designation Mandates and Low-Cost Designation Options

One of the longest standing positions of the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is to lower costs for community college students, particularly around textbooks.  As a result, the ASCCC was delighted when, in 2016, the governor signed Senate Bill 1359 (SB 1359; Block, 2016), which requires all segments of public higher education in California to “clearly highlight, by means that may include a symbol or logo in a conspicuous place on the online campus course schedule, the courses that exclusively use digital course materials that are free of charge to students and may have a lo

The California Online Community College and its Need for an Academic Senate

In April 2018, delegates to the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges’ Spring Plenary Session acted together to voice their opposition to a fully online, one hundred and fifteenth community college through Resolution 6.02 S18, which was adopted by acclamation.[1] Nonetheless, the 2018-2019 California state budget created the California Online Community College (COCC), with the budget trailer bill language amending and creating sections of the California Education Code.

Looking at Equivalency Differently: Rethinking Equivalency to General Education

Whether one thinks that colleges use equivalency effectively or not, the reality is that Education Code requires colleges to have a process that allows for applicants to demonstrate equivalency to the minimum qualifications: “The process, as well as criteria, and standards by which the governing board reaches its determination regarding faculty members shall be developed and agreed upon jointly by representatives of the governing board and the academic senate, and approved by the governing board” (Education Code §87359 (b)).

Noncredit Distance Education: Demystifying the Myth

Noncredit education is gaining recognition in the California Community College System as more colleges understand laws and regulations around the development and use of noncredit curriculum. Equalized funding for career development and college preparation (CDCP) noncredit courses means more colleges can choose to offer noncredit curriculum in situations where it is best for students or for a program without sacrificing apportionment funding.

A Year Later: Where We Are with AB 705 for Mathematics and English

In October 2017, Governor Brown signed AB 705 (Irwin) into law and fundamentally changed how assessment, placement, and basic skills instruction would happen in the California community colleges. At the time of the law’s signing, no one really knew how it would be implemented and what the impacts would be on colleges. While many unanswered questions still remain, we now have a much better sense of what colleges are required to do and the different options that they have available as they implement the law locally.

Placement in Mathematics and English

Legislation and the ASCCC

Anyone who grew up watching Schoolhouse Rock has a pretty straightforward idea of how bills become laws – an idea is proposed, a legislator brings it forward, and it is either voted up or down.  While the truth is much messier and contains far more steps, this basic sequence reflects how legislation travels through the cycle to end up on the governor’s desk to either be approved or vetoed.  Over the past few years, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has been much more involved in tracking and supporting or opposing legislation, and with the end of the two-year le

Student Centered Funding and Curriculum: Keeping It Student Centered

The Student Centered Funding Formula was enacted through the Governor’s 2018-19 Budget Trailer Bill on June 27, 2018.[1] The formula retains 60% of the total allocation to a district based on full-time equivalent students, or FTES.  It then has 20% of the allocation based on Pell Grant eligibility, nonresident tuition exemptions, or eligibility for a fee waiver.  The new funding formula uses the remaining 20% to reward college districts for progress on student success measures.

A Re-examination of Faculty Hiring Processes and Procedures

The hiring of faculty is at the heart of developing and maintaining programs, as well as the success and achievement of students, in all educational systems, and the California Community College System is no exception. While hiring practices may vary in terms of specifics in the 72 community college districts in California, basic principles and tenets of faculty hiring are consistent across the state.

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