BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Jack Scott, Chair
2007-2008 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 325
AUTHOR: Scott
AMENDED: April 9, 2007
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 11, 2007
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Kathleen Chavira
SUBJECT : Higher Education Accountability
SUMMARY
This bill requires that the state establish an
accountability framework to biennially assess and report on
the collective progress of the state's system of
postsecondary education in meeting specified educational
and economic goals, and declares legislative intent that
the University of California (UC), the California State
University (CSU), the California Community Colleges (CCC)
and the private and independent colleges and universities
in California provide informational reporting for students
and parents, as specified.
BACKGROUND
AB 1417 (Pacheco, Statutes of 2004) required the Board of
Governors (BOG) of the CCC to provide recommendations
regarding the design of a structure for the annual
evaluation of district-level performance in meeting
statewide educational outcomes. The resulting
Accountability Reporting for the Community Colleges (ARCC)
is in the process of being implemented. The ARCC currently
contains data for a variety of indicators. According to
the Chancellor's Office because the ARCC indicators have
unique definitions, they cannot be compared to indicators
generated for other states or by other studies of the CCC.
Both the CSU and the UC have entered into system-specific
"compacts" and then "partnerships" with the Governor to
ensure stable multi-year funding in exchange for a
commitment to deliver on specific performance measures.
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ANALYSIS
This bill:
1) Requires that the state establish an accountability
framework for the purpose of biennially assessing the
collective progress of the state's system of
postsecondary education in meeting specified
educational and economic goals. Specifically it:
a) Establishes principles to guide
the development of the framework.
b) Requires the framework be used to
measure progress towards specified goals by
collecting and reporting information that answers
the following six statewide policy questions:
i) Are enough
Californians prepared for postsecondary
education?
ii) Are enough Californians going to
college?
iii) Is the state's postsecondary
education system affordable to all
Californians?
iv) Are enough Californians
successfully completing certificates and
degrees?
v) Are college graduates
prepared for life and work in California?
vi) Are California's people,
communities, and economy benefiting?
c) Requires that the questions
delineated in (b) be answered by collecting a
select number of indicators of progress, not to
exceed 30, and authorizes the collection of
information to respond to the 25 indicators
delineated in the bill.
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d) Establishes the California
Postsecondary Education Commission (CPEC) as the
central repository for collecting and maintaining
all data for the framework and make data
available in a statewide aggregate format,
segmentally, and regionally. Additionally it:
i) Requires the segments
of higher education in California to provide
CPEC data, as specified.
ii) Requires the segments, to the extent
possible, to rely upon existing data,
information systems, reports and processes
in providing the required data.
e) Requires the collection of the
indicators of progress by race, ethnicity,
gender, Cal Grant recipient status, and
socioeconomic status to the extent available and
to be collected and maintained longitudinally
where appropriate.
f) Requires the Legislative Analyst's
Office (LAO) to convene and chair a Technical
Advisory Committee (TAC) to coordinate the
technical specifications of the indicator data
needed to comply with the bill's provisions.
Specifically it:
i) Specifies the
representation on the TAC to include
representatives from each segment, CPEC, the
LAO, the Department of Finance (DOF), up to
three individuals with expertise in similar
state accountability efforts, and
representatives from any state agency that
maintains data helpful in responding to the
statewide policy questions delineated in the
bill.
ii) Requires the TAC to report its
written findings and recommendations to the
Governor, Legislature and Director of
Finance by May 1, 2008.
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2) Establishes a reporting process for the information
collected under the framework. Specifically it:
a) Requires CPEC, beginning September
1, 2008, and biennially thereafter, to provide
the Legislature and the DOF with a summary report
of information collected under the framework and
requires a copy of the report be made available
to the segments of higher education.
b) Requires the LAO to provide an
analysis of the data in the report assessing
progress on the six questions, identifying
factors explaining the level of progress, and
identifying policy and funding issues for
legislative consideration.
c) Authorizes the LAO to make related
recommendations to budget and policy as well as
for modifying the indicators and goals.
d) Requires the governing boards of
the public segments of higher education and the
Association of Independent California Colleges
and Universities to provide biennial reports
beginning October 1, 2008, as part of the
accountability record and requires the reports to
include:
i) Each segment's priorities for the
state's goal areas.
ii) Major activity underway to address
each priority.
iii) Performance indicators used to
track progress.
iv) Major highlights or issues from
the data.
v) Each segment's
institutional goals for student learning
outcomes and their assessment and use of
assessments to improve learning.
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vi) A summary of activities undertaken
to address; special state needs, programs to
assist elementary and secondary students to
meet placement and admission standards at
each segment; remediation efforts and
outcomes; efforts to expand capacity to
effectively and efficiently serve students.
e) Requires the governing boards of
the public segments of higher education and the
Association of Independent California Colleges
and Universities to present the findings of their
reports at a joint hearing of the appropriate
legislative education policy and budget
subcommittees, to be convened by January 30,
2009, and biennially thereafter.
3) Declares legislative intent that the UC, the CSU, the
CCC, and the private and independent colleges and
universities provide informational reporting for
students and parents that improve their understanding
and comparison of postsecondary educational
institutions.
4) Declares the following educational and economic goals
for California by 2020:
a) That educational pipeline numbers
improve sufficiently so that it is among the top
10 states in the nation in this regard.
b) That per capita income be at the
average of the top 10 new economy states, as
defined.
c) That it be in the top 10 states
nationally for the percentages of its age groups
with degrees and certificates conferred.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Informational hearing . On January 31, 2007, the
Senate Education Committee held an informational
hearing on Higher Education Accountability. National
experts testified on trends in higher education
accountability as well as California's specific
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challenges in meeting the educational and economic
needs of its citizenry. It was noted that while each
public segment of higher education in California
participates in system-specific accountability
efforts, there is a lack of meaningful data and
analysis to guide fiscal and policy decisions and to
assess the collective progress of the state's system
of postsecondary education in meeting the state's
educational and economic needs.
In 2002, the Senate commissioned a study of national
trends in higher education accountability. The
resulting report: " An Accountability Framework for
California Higher Education: Informing Public Policy
and Improving Outcome," provided the initial framework
for developing an integrated system of accountability
for higher education in California and is the basis
for this bill.
2) Prior legislation . SB 1331 (Alpert) passed by the
Legislature and vetoed by the Governor in 2004, would
have established a California Postsecondary Education
Accountability (CPSEA) structure to provide an annual
assessment of how the state is meeting identified
statewide public policy goals in higher education.
The Governor's veto message read in pertinent part:
While I favor accountability for all levels of
education, this bill mainly establishes only a
reporting structure for four broad policy goals rather
than providing for outcomes, such as performance based
measures, historically associated with accountability
systems.
This bill responds to the Governor's concerns by
authorizing specific outcome indicators, and convening
a technical advisory committee to coordinate the
technical specifications of the necessary data.
SUPPORT
California Postsecondary Education Commission
California State University
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
University of California
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OPPOSITION
None received on this version.