Equivalence to the Minimum Qualifications

Fall
2006
Topic
Professional Standards
Committee
Standards and Practices Committee

In 1988 the Community College Reform Act (AB 1725) began a phase out of credentials in favor of a process for establishing minimum qualifications and the determination of equivalencies that are at least equal to the state-adopted minimum qualifications for a particular discipline. The recommendations of this paper provides a proposed equivalency model as well as the results of an equivalency survey and a legal opinion stating that local districts are not authorized to establish a single course equivalency.

Recommendations

  1. Equivalency must be determined primarily by discipline faculty.
  2. Equivalency processes for part-time faculty and "emergency hire" should be no different from equivalency for full-time faculty.
  3. Local senates must ensure that their district and college policies and processes do not allow for single-course equivalencies.
  4. Academic senates should assure consistency of the equivalency process.
  5. Equivalency decisions should be based on direct evidence of claims (e.g., transcripts, publications, and work products).
  6. Claims of equivalence must include how both general education and specialization are met.
  7. Human resources offices should NOT screen for equivalency.
  8. Local senates must never allow equivalency to be delegated to administration or classified staff.
  9. Equivalency policies should be reviewed every few years.
  10. Criteria for the acceptance of eminence as a means to establish equivalency must be clearly defined in hiring policy.
  11. Once the local equivalency process has reached a recommendation regarding an individual applicant, Education Code 87359(a) requires that the governing board include action on the equivalency as part of its subsequent hiring action.
  12. Additional training materials may be obtained from the Academic Senate Office and/or at its website.