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AB-1985 Advanced Placement credit.(2015-2016)

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AB1985:v94#DOCUMENT

Assembly Bill No. 1985
CHAPTER 513

An act to add Article 9 (commencing with Section 79500) to Chapter 9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to Advanced Placement credit.

[ Approved by Governor  September 23, 2016. Filed with Secretary of State  September 23, 2016. ]

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


AB 1985, Williams. Advanced Placement credit.
Existing law requires the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the Regents of the University of California, and the Trustees of the California State University, with appropriate consultation with the Academic Senates of the respective segments, to jointly develop, maintain, and disseminate a shared core curriculum in general education courses for the purposes of transfer.
This bill would, commencing January 1, 2017, require the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to begin development of, and would subsequently require each community college district to begin adoption and implementation of, a uniform policy to award a pupil who passes an Advanced Placement examination course credit for certain requirements in a course with subject matter similar to that of the Advanced Placement examination. The bill would require each community college campus to post the most recent policy on its Internet Web site. If a policy is not implemented for the entering class in the fall 2017 academic term, the bill would require the California Community Colleges to adopt and implement, commencing with the 2017–18 academic year, the Advanced Placement policy adopted by the California State University.
To the extent that this bill would impose new duties on community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: YES  

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:


SECTION 1.

 The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a uniform Advanced Placement (AP) credit policy for general education within the California Community Colleges. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for the California Community Colleges, consider, when adopting the uniform policy, granting course credit to a pupil who passes an Advanced Placement examination with a minimum score of three.
(b) Studies consistently find that pupils who earn AP exam scores of three and higher are likely to demonstrate multiple measures of college success.
(c) The lack of a uniform AP credit policy often serves as an academic and financial barrier for students enrolling in California Community Colleges and is a transfer obstacle for many pupils.

SEC. 2.

 Article 9 (commencing with Section 79500) is added to Chapter 9 of Part 48 of Division 7 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
Article  9. Advanced Placement Credit

79500.
 (a) The office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall, in collaboration with the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges, do both of the following:
(1) Commencing January 1, 2017, begin development of, and each community college district subsequently shall begin adoption and implementation of, a uniform policy to award a pupil who passes an Advanced Placement examination course credit for California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum, California State University General Education Breadth, or local community college general education requirements, as appropriate for the pupil’s needs, in a course with subject matter similar to that of the Advanced Placement examination.
(2) Periodically review and adjust the policy adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) to align it with policies of other public postsecondary educational institutions.
(b) If the policy to be adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) is not implemented for the entering class in the fall 2017 academic term, the California Community Colleges shall adopt and implement, commencing with the 2017–18 academic year, the Advanced Placement policy adopted by the California State University.
(c) Each community college campus shall post on its Internet Web site the most recent policy adopted pursuant to this section.

SEC. 3.

 If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.