Rostrum article, "Gift-Giving Discourse" Fall 2023; https://asccc.org/content/gift-giving-discourse-decriminalizing-academi…
Webinar: Destigmatizing Academic Probation, Dec 8, 2023, https://www.asccc.org/events/destigmatizing-academic-probation
Spring 2024 Plenary session, Friday April 19, 2024: Practical Ways Faculty and Academic Senates can work to Destigmatize Academic Probation
Webinar: Affirming Academic Progress: Changing the way we talk about Academic Probation, May 9, 2024, https://www.asccc.org/events/affirming-academic-progress-changing-way-w…
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 term “probation” is a deficit-minded principle that is associated with criminal activity, and this term and current practices are perpetuating trauma for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color as well as justice-impacted students; [2]
Whereas, Studies such as the Research and Planning Group's The African American Transfer Tipping Point: Identifying the Factors that Impact Transfer Among African American/Black Community College Students (2022) show that being put on academic probation “presents a significant barrier to making it near the transfer gate for students of all races/ethnicities” [3]; and
Whereas, The Research and Planning Group study also showed that practices like putting students on academic or progress probation disproportionally impacted Black students, as it found that 41% of Black students were placed on probation versus 24% of White students in California community colleges from 2011 and 2016; [4]
Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges work with the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to overhaul the Title 5 language on probation, including a name change and updating the language and processes to be asset-minded, not punitive; and Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support local academic senates with professional development and resources to encourage reviewing local policies and practices with an aim of mitigating local processes that may negatively impact students who are on academic or progress probation while Title 5 changes are in progress.
ACCLAMATION
1. California Code of Regulations, title 5 §55031 Standards for Probation: https://casetext.com/regulation/california-code-of-regulations/title-5-education/division-6-california-community-colleges/chapter-6-curriculum-and-instruction/subchapter-1-programs-courses-and-classes/article-3-probation-and-dismissal/section-55031-standards-for-probation#:~:text=A%20student%20who%20has%20attempted,system%20described%20in%20section%2055023.
2. ”The African American Tipping Point: Identifying the Factors that Impact Transfer Among African American/Black Community College Students.“ Brief 1 of 3. (October 2022).
https://rpgroup.org/Portals/0/Documents/Projects/African_American_Transfer_Tipping_Point-(AATTP)-Study/AATTP_Brief1_Fall2022.pdf.
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid.