BILL NUMBER: SB 325	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Scott

                        FEBRUARY 16, 2007

   An act to add Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 67050) to Part
40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, relating to
postsecondary education.



	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 325, as introduced, Scott. Postsecondary education: California
Postsecondary Education Accountability Act of 2007.
   Existing law establishes the University of California, under the
administration of the Regents of the University of California, the
California State University, under the administration of the Trustees
of the California State University, and the California Community
Colleges, under the administration of the Board of Governors of the
California Community Colleges, and private, independent institutions
of higher education as the 4 segments of postsecondary education in
this state.
   This bill would enact the California Postsecondary Education
Accountability Act of 2007. A provision of the act would express the
intent of the Legislature that a postsecondary education
accountability reporting structure contain several prescribed
elements. The bill would require the establishment of a statewide
California Postsecondary Education Accountability (CPSEA) structure
to provide the basis for an annual assessment of the progress made by
the state's postsecondary education system in meeting the
educational needs of Californians, and would specify certain data to
be collected as part of the assessment.
   The bill would require the board of governors and trustees, and
urge the regents and the Association of Independent California
Colleges and Universities, to provide annual reports to the
Legislature, the California Postsecondary Education Commission
(CPEC), and the Governor, by October 1 of each year, beginning
October 1, 2008, to become part of the state accountability record.
The bill would require that, in implementing the act, CPEC and other
affected state agencies shall ensure that no additional mandates are
imposed on local agencies.
   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.  Chapter 12.5 (commencing with Section 67050) is added
to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education Code, to read:
      CHAPTER 12.5.  CALIFORNIA POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION
ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2007


   67050.  (a) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the
California Postsecondary Education Accountability Act of 2007.
   (b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (1) Since the enactment of the Master Plan for Higher Education in
1960, California's system of postsecondary education has provided
access and high-quality educational opportunities that have fueled
California's economic growth.
   (2) A combination of factors now pose challenges for postsecondary
education and for state policymakers in meeting the postsecondary
education needs of Californians. Enrollment is growing, the
demographics of the student body are changing, costs are rising,
state support for postsecondary education is declining, student fees
are increasing, access is being restricted, employers are expressing
concerns about graduates' skills, and there is growing public demand
to ensure that the state is making proper investments in
postsecondary education.
   (3) Although the public segments of postsecondary education have
each developed their own institution-specific accountability efforts,
they do not combine to reflect statewide policy goals that cut
across all postsecondary education segments.
   (4) In the absence of a statewide focus, the state has limited
access to meaningful data that could serve as the basis for analysis
on how the state is performing in key areas, and must make important
fiscal and policy decisions without that knowledge.
   67051.  It is the intent of the Legislature that a postsecondary
education accountability reporting structure contain all of the
following elements:
   (a) Be focused and strategic in its purpose.
   (b) Be used wisely to serve as a tool to improve educational
outcomes for Californians.
   (c) Be used to support effective, data-driven policy and fiscal
decisions.
   (d) Acknowledge that not everything about the whole person can be
measured, including the intangible learning capacities that students
gain from college attendance.
   (e) Recognize that students enter the system with different levels
of preparation.
   (f) Be used to identify and eliminate unnecessary and redundant
reports submitted to the state by the various educational agencies
and institutions to save resources, improve efficiency, and allow
institutions to focus on their efforts on meeting state policy goals
and their own related institutional goals.
   67052.  The State of California shall establish a statewide
California Postsecondary Education Accountability (CPSEA) structure
that provides the basis for an annual assessment of the progress made
by the state's system of postsecondary education in meeting the
educational needs of Californians.
   (a) This CPSEA structure shall identify a select number of key
indicators that measure progress toward four statewide public policy
goals for postsecondary education in the following areas:
   (1) Educational Opportunity:
   (A) This goal envisions that all Californians have reasonable and
equal opportunities to attend college.
   (B) To measure progress in achieving this goal, the California
Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) shall collect and analyze
data on all of the following:
   (i) College readiness among high school graduates.
   (ii) College readiness among adults, including adult basic skills
proficiency levels.
   (iii) College affordability.
   (2) Participation:
   (A) This goal envisions that California higher education will
serve a large and diverse population.
   (B) To measure progress in achieving this goal, CPEC shall collect
and analyze data on all of the following:
   (i) Postsecondary enrollment.
   (ii) Capacity to serve eligible students.
   (iii) Diversity of the college environment.
   (3) Student Success:
   (A) This goal envisions that California higher education will
prepare students well for life and work.
   (B) To measure progress in achieving this goal, CPEC shall collect
and analyze data on all of the following:
   (i) Student success in completion of their educational goals,
including the use of available transition data.
   (ii) Student learning, as measured by indirect and direct
measures, with the segments having the primary responsibility for
collecting and analyzing direct measures of learning, including
student success in acquiring core competencies.
   (iii) Student and employer satisfaction.
   (4) Public Benefits:
   (A) This goal envisions that California higher education will
benefit the state and its people by providing meaningful
participation in civic life and support of the state's economy.
   (B) To measure progress in achieving this goal, CPEC shall collect
and analyze data on all of the following:
   (i) Personal income.
   (ii) State economic development.
   (iii) Social and civic life.
   (b) The CPSEA structure shall establish a statewide reporting
system that identifies a select number of key indicators to measure
progress toward these state goals. The information provided by this
system shall include all of the following:
   (1) Statewide aggregate data, as described in this section.
   (2) Regional data, reported by regions to be determined pursuant
to advice from the CPSEA.
   (3) Segmental data, provided by the public and independent
nonprofit sectors pursuant to the process described in subdivision
(a).
   (4) A system-specific annual report to the Governor and the
Legislature.
   (c) The data for the indicators shall be collected statewide from
a variety of sources, including information provided by the segments
and the institutions within these segments. Each indicator shall
provide information by race and ethnicity, gender, Cal Grant
recipient status, and socioeconomic status, to the extent to which
data is available. The indicators shall be adopted by OPEC, which
shall consult with representatives from the higher education
segments, state policymakers, the business community, and higher
education students and faculty in the development, adoption, and
revision of the indicators.
   (d) The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges
and the Trustees of the California State University are required to,
and the Regents of the University of California and the Association
of Independent California Colleges and Universities are urged to,
provide annual reports to the Legislature, the California
Postsecondary Education Commission, and the Governor, by October 1 of
each year, beginning October 1, 2008, to become part of the state
accountability record. These annual reports shall provide a key link
between the state postsecondary education accountability reporting
structure and segmental accountability efforts.
   67053.  For the purposes of this chapter, the segments of
postsecondary education are defined as the California Community
Colleges, the California State University, the University of
California, and the Association of Independent California Colleges
and Universities.
   67054.  In implementing the requirements of this chapter, the
California Postsecondary Education Commission and any other affected
state agency shall ensure that no additional mandates are imposed on
local agencies. Any new activities required to implement this chapter
shall be offset by a commensurate reduction in other existing
redundant or unnecessary information requirements.