California Assembly Bill AB2092 Amended / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 2092AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 1, 2014 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 1, 2014 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Chvez (Coauthor: Assembly Member Olsen) FEBRUARY 20, 2014 An act to add Section 66011.3 to the Education Code, relating to public postsecondary education. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2092, as amended, Chvez. Postsecondary education: Donahoe Higher Education Act: 4-year baccalaureate degree. Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California's public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective  institutions of higher education   campuses  . The public segments of higher education include the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, and the University of California, under the administration of the Regents of the University of California. This bill would require the Trustees of the California State University, and request the Regents of the University of California, to offer eligible students of their respective segments an agreement guaranteeing that a student who meets certain conditions may complete a baccalaureate degree within 4 academic years, with the exception of certain programs that may require up to 5 academic years to complete. The bill would specify that a student who scores in an unspecified percentile, or above, on a standardized college readiness assessment would be presumed to be eligible to enter into an agreement under the bill. The bill would require the agreement to outline a general pathway for the coursework that the student must complete in order to continue to be qualified for the guarantee and receive his or her baccalaureate within the agreed-upon time. 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. Section 66011.3 is added to the Education Code, to read: 66011.3. (a) The Trustees of the California State University shall, and the Regents of the University of California are requested to, offer eligible students of their respective segments an agreement guaranteeing that a student who meets certain conditions may complete a baccalaureate degree within four academic years. An institution may   A campus may, in accordance with policies adopted by the trustees or the regents, as applicable   ,  provide for a longer period for programs such as engineering or teacher training that may require more than four academic years to complete, but under no circumstances may the time to baccalaureate degree agreed to under this section be extended beyond five academic years. (b) An agreement entered into under this section shall comply with all of the following: (1) A student who scores in the ____ percentile or above on any standardized college readiness assessment test, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test, ACT, or any other widely administered college readiness examination, shall be presumed to be eligible to enter into the agreement. A student who scores below the top ____ percentile, but above the ____ percentile may take another test of the  institution's   campus's  choice, and the  institution   campus  shall establish a cut-off score for eligibility for the program pursuant to that test. (2) The agreement shall be executed by a student and an authorized representative of the  institution   campus  before the end of the student's first semester or quarter of enrollment at the  institution   campus  . (3) The agreement shall outline a general pathway for the coursework that the student must complete in order to continue to be qualified for the guarantee and receive his or her baccalaureate within the agreed-upon time.  (4) The student shall not be required to declare a major field until the spring semester or quarter of the student's sophomore year.   (4)     Each campus shall, in accordance with policies adopted by the trustees or the regents, as applicable, determine the latest possible time for a participating student enrolled in a four-academic-year degree   program, or a degree program that may require up to five academic years to complete pursuant to subdivision (a), to declare a major, but the campus shall require a participating student to declare his or her major no later than the fall semester or quarter, as applicable, of his or her sophomore yea   r.  (5) The student shall be required to be a full-time student and maintain academic standards equivalent to those required pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 69430) of Chapter 1.7 of Part 42 for receipt of Cal Grant awards. (6) A student may also be required to attend orientation sessions and student success workshops in order to remain eligible for the guarantee. (7) A student who executes an agreement under this section shall be granted priority for enrollment for each course that is part of the general pathway outlined as part of the agreement pursuant to paragraph (3). (8) A student who meets all of the requirements of the agreement and, through no fault of his or her own, is unable to complete his or her baccalaureate degree within the guaranteed period shall pay no tuition to take the additional coursework required to complete that degree.  (c) For purposes of this section, "campus" means a campus of the California State University or the University of California, as applicable.