California Senate Bill SB1126 Latest Draft

 BILL NUMBER: SB 1126AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 6, 2010 AMENDED IN SENATE MARCH 22, 2010 INTRODUCED BY Senator Liu FEBRUARY 18, 2010 An act to add Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) to Chapter 9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 1126, as amended, Liu. Public postsecondary education: student transfer: early childhood education: transfer courses. Existing law establishes the segments of the public postsecondary education system in the state, including the University of California administered by the Regents of the University of California, the California State University administered by the Trustees of the California State University, and the California Community Colleges administered by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law requires the board of governors, the regents, and the trustees to jointly develop, maintain, and disseminate a common core curriculum in general education courses for the purposes of student transfer and prescribes related requirements. These provisions are applicable to the University of California only to the extent that the regents, by appropriate resolution, make them applicable. This bill would require the Academic Senates of the California Community Colleges and the California State University, and request the Academic Senate of the University of California, to review the lower division 8 common core courses in child development or early education  identified by the Early Childhood Curriculum Alignment Project  in conjunction with early childhood faculty to improve early childhood educator program articulation, and in doing so, to consider and make findings on specified topics, which the chairs of the Academic Senates of the California Community Colleges and the California State University would be required, and the chair of the Academic Senate of the University of California would be requested, to report to the Legislature and the Legislative Analyst's Office, on or before December 1, 2011, along with other specified recommendations and suggestions. The bill would require the California State University, and request the University of California, to deem specified transferring community college students as having fulfilled lower division coursework requirements, and not require these students to take more total units in child development or early education to satisfy graduation requirements for the related majors than other enrolled students.  The bill would remove this requirement and request upon the Academic Senates' completion of specified tasks.  The bill would make the reporting requirement inoperative on January 1, 2015, and require the report to be submitted in compliance with specified law. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) is added to Chapter 9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read: Article 3. Early Childhood Education Transfer Requirements 66745. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) A study conducted by First 5 California estimates that more than 50 percent of children under the age of five require the care of someone other than their parents. The same study found that children who participate in high-quality child care and education do better in reading and math and are more likely to graduate from high school, go to college, and develop better emotional and social skills. (b) The Child Care Law Center has determined that early care and education is a critical area for societal investment to ensure equity and opportunity for all children, to support low-income families, and to fight poverty. (c) The demand for high quality child care and early education far surpasses the number of providers and facilities currently available. Licensed care in California is available for only 27 percent of children with parents in the labor force. (d) Students in California face barriers as they move from community colleges to four year institutions due to a lack of consistency in colleges and confusing educational requirements that slow the growth of a well-educated workforce.  (e) The state should continue to build upon the work of the Early Childhood Curriculum Alignment Project, which has identified eight lower division common core courses in child development or early education.   (e)   (f)  In order for California to meet the demand for high-quality early education programs and to address the critical shortage of highly qualified early childhood educators in our state, the state needs to implement research-based criteria for early childhood educators, improve articulation and transfer pathways for early childhood educators, and ensure that policies reflect the best practices identified by research. 66746. (a) The Academic Senates of the California State University and the California Community Colleges shall, and the Academic Senate of the University of California is requested to, review the lower division 8 common core courses in child development or early education  identified by the Early Childhood Curriculum Alignment Project  in conjunction with early childhood faculty to improve early childhood educator program articulation. In conducting this work, the academic senates shall consider and make findings  , at a minimum,  on all of the following: (1) A plan to ensure that California State University and University of California courses reflect the advanced level of early educator competencies that will build upon the lower division 8 common core courses and other competency based coursework. (2) The transferability of coursework from the California Community Colleges to the California State University and the University of California. (3)  An implementation plan for   The appropriateness of, and how to achieve,  the attainment of a baccalaureate degree in child development, early education, or a related major at the California Community Colleges in collaboration with the California State University or the University of California. (b) The chairs of the Academic Senates of the California Community Colleges and the California State University shall, and the chair of the Academic Senate of the University of California is requested to, report to the Legislature and the Legislative Analyst's Office, on or before December 1, 2011, on the findings made pursuant to subdivision (a), recommend the next steps for implementing changes to facilitate  success for students   student completion of transferable lower division coursework  in early childhood education programs, and suggest any statutory changes necessary to implement their findings. (c)  (1)    The California State University shall, and the University of California is requested to, deem transferring community college students who have completed all lower division 8 common core courses and general education requirements as having fulfilled lower division coursework requirements and not require these students to take more total units in child development or early education to satisfy graduation requirements for the related majors than other enrolled students.  (2) This subdivision shall become inoperative upon the Academic Senates' creation of, agreement to, and implementation of the chairs' recommendations made pursuant to subdivision (b). (d) (1) The requirement for submitting a report imposed under subdivision (b) is inoperative on January 1, 2015, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code. (2) A report to be submitted pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.