Bill Text: CA SB721 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: California postsecondary education: state goals.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Vetoed) 2012-09-13 - In Senate. Consideration of Governor's veto pending. [SB721 Detail]

Download: California-2011-SB721-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: SB 721	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  JANUARY 4, 2012
	AMENDED IN SENATE  MARCH 23, 2011

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Lowenthal

                        FEBRUARY 18, 2011

   An act to add Chapter 13 (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 721, as amended, Lowenthal.  California  higher
  postsecondary  education:  educational
and economic   state  goals.
   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, as the 3 segments of  public 
postsecondary education in this state.
   Existing law establishes a higher education accountability program
under which the University of California, the California State
University, and the California Community Colleges are required to
prepare a list of reports on a regular basis and present those
reports to the Legislature and to state agencies.  Under the
program, the California Postsecondary Education Commission is
required to submit annually a higher education report to the
Legislature and the Governor that provides information on significant
indicators of the performance of public colleges and universities.
 
   This bill would require an undesignated state entity to establish
an additional accountability framework for achieving prescribed
educational and economic goals. The bill would require that the
framework so established follow stated principles. The bill would
require this framework to measure the collective performance of the
state's system of higher education in successfully serving students
by answering 6 statewide policy questions.  
   The bill would make various legislative findings and declarations.
 
   This bill would state the intent of the Legislature that budget
and policy decisions regarding postsecondary education generally
adhere to 3 specified goals. The bill would also state the intent of
the Legislature to identify and define appropriate metrics in order
to monitor progress toward the achievement of those 3 goals and
establish interim targets for those metrics to be achieved by 2025.
The bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to convene a
working group to develop those metrics, as specified. The bill would
require the Legislative Analyst's Office, in consultation with the
Department of Finance, to submit recommended metrics to specified
persons and entities on or before January 1, 2013. The bill would
state the intent of the Legislature to formally adopt statewide
metrics based on those recommended metrics. Commencing September 30,
2013, the bill would require the Legislative Analyst's Office to
annually release a statewide performance report, as specified, using
each of the statewide metrics adopted by the Legislature. Commencing
January 1, 2014, the bill would require the Legislative Analyst's
Office to annually provide its own assessment of progress toward the
achievement of those 3 goals, as specified, with recommendations for
legislative action, as appropriate. The bill would also state
additional legislative intent and make specified findings and
declarations regarding state goals for postsecondary education. 

   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 13 (commencing with Section
67050) is added to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the  
Education Code   , to read:  
      CHAPTER 13.  STATE GOALS FOR CALIFORNIA'S POSTSECONDARY
EDUCATION SYSTEM


   67050.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) 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 and promoted social mobility.
   (b) In today's global information economy, California's national
and international success as an educational and economic leader will
require strategic investments in, and improved management of, state
educational resources.
   (c) Several factors, including changing demographics, rising
costs, increased competition for scarce state funding, and employer
concerns about graduates' skills, present new challenges to higher
education and state policymakers in effectively meeting the
postsecondary education needs of Californians.
   (d) Although the public segments of higher education have each
undertaken efforts to improve reporting and transparency, these
efforts do not combine to indicate whether the postsecondary system
as a whole is on track to meet the state's needs.
   (e) The absence of a common vision and goals for California's
postsecondary education system hinders the state's ability to
effectively make critical fiscal and policy decisions.
   (f) Policy and educational leaders should collectively hold
themselves accountable for meeting the state's civic and workforce
needs, for ensuring the efficient and responsible management of
public resources, and for ensuring that California residents have the
opportunity to successfully pursue and achieve their postsecondary
educational goals.
   67051.  In order to promote the state's competitive economic
position and quality of civic life, it is necessary to increase the
level of educational attainment of California's adult population to
meet the state's civic and workforce needs. To achieve that
objective, it is the intent of the Legislature that budget and policy
decisions regarding postsecondary education generally adhere to all
of the following goals:
   (a) Improve student success, which shall include, but not be
limited to, greater participation by demographic groups that have
historically participated at lower rates, greater completion rates by
all students, and improved outcomes for graduates.
   (b) Better align the types of degrees and credentials awarded with
the state's workforce and civic needs.
   (c) Increase efficiency so that desired postsecondary education
outcomes can be achieved with a given level of resources while
maintaining high quality.
   67052.  (a) The Legislature intends to identify and define
appropriate metrics in order to monitor progress toward the
achievement of the goals specified in Section 67051. The Legislature
further intends to establish interim targets for those metrics to be
achieved by 2025.
   (b) (1) The metrics referenced in subdivision (a) shall be
developed with the assistance of a working group that shall be
convened by the Legislative Analyst's Office. The Legislative Analyst'
s Office shall assemble the working group by selecting participants
as follows:
   (A) One representative from each of the postsecondary education
segments, as defined in Section 67055.
   (B) One representative of the Department of Finance.
   (C) At least one member, but no more than three members, with
expertise in similar state accountability efforts, who is not a
regular employee of a postsecondary education segment.
   (D) A representative of the Legislative Analyst's Office, who
shall serve as the chairperson of the working group.
   (2) The Legislative Analyst's Office may request technical input
from any agency that maintains data that would be helpful in
developing the metrics and assessing progress toward achieving the
goals specified in Section 67051.
   (3) The working group established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall
develop a set of at least six, and no more than 12, metrics that can
be derived from publicly available data sources for purposes of
periodically assessing the state's progress toward meeting each of
the goals specified in Section 67051. The metrics shall be
disaggregated and reported by gender, race or ethnicity, income, age
group, and full-time or part-time enrollment status, where
appropriate and applicable.
   (4) The Legislative Analyst's Office, in consultation with the
Department of Finance, shall submit recommended metrics developed
pursuant to paragraph (1) to the appropriate policy committees of the
Legislature, the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, and the
Governor on or before January 31, 2013.
   (5) It is the intent of the Legislature to formally adopt
statewide metrics based on the recommendations submitted by the
Legislative Analyst's Office pursuant to paragraph (4) and to use
these metrics to monitor progress toward achieving the goals
specified in Section 67051.
   67053.  It is the intent of the Legislature to promote progress on
the statewide educational and economic policy goals specified in
Section 67051 through budget and policy decisions regarding higher
education. Rather than envisioning a particular level of
postsecondary education funding necessary to achieve these goals, it
is the intent of the Legislature that the state level reporting
system established pursuant to Section 67054 ensure the effective and
efficient use of whatever funding is available to postsecondary
education.
   67054.  (a) Commencing September 30, 2013, the Legislative Analyst'
s Office shall annually release a statewide performance report using
each of the metrics adopted by the Legislature pursuant to paragraph
(5) of subdivision (b) of Section 67052. The report shall benchmark
each of the metrics against the interim target established pursuant
to subdivision (a) of Section 67052 and against an appropriate
contextual range of other states' performance. This report shall be
available publicly for use by the segments of postsecondary
education, the Governor, the Department of Finance, the Legislature,
and other stakeholder groups to make their own assessments about the
performance of the postsecondary education system.
   (b) Commencing January 1, 2014, the Legislative Analyst's Office
shall annually provide its own assessment of progress toward the
achievement of the goals specified in Section 67051, with
recommendations for legislative action, as appropriate. The
Legislative Analyst's Office's assessment and recommendations shall
be provided as part of the budget hearing process. Specifically, the
Legislative Analyst's Office's assessment shall do all of the
following:
   (1) Assess the level of progress toward achieving the goals
specified in Section 67051 and outcomes achieved.
   (2) Identify significant factors that may explain the level of
progress and outcomes specified in paragraph (1).
   (3) Identify postsecondary education policy and funding options
suggested by the metrics developed pursuant to subdivision (b) of
Section 67052 for consideration by the Governor and the Legislature.
   67055.  For the purposes of this chapter, "segments of
postsecondary education" means the California Community Colleges, the
California State University, the University of California,
independent colleges and universities, and private postsecondary
educational institutions, as defined in Section 94858.  

  SECTION 1.   Chapter 13 (commencing with Section
67050) is added to Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the Education
Code, to read:
      CHAPTER 13.  EDUCATIONAL AND ECONOMIC GOALS FOR CALIFORNIA
HIGHER EDUCATION


   67050.  The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) 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.
   (b) In today's global information economy, California's national
and international success as an educational and economic leader will
require strategic investments and improved management of state
resources.
   (c) Several factors, including changing demographics, rising
costs, increased competition for scarce state funding, and employer
concerns about graduates' skills, present new challenges to higher
education and state policymakers in effectively meeting the
postsecondary education needs of Californians.
   (d) Although the public segments of higher education have each
developed their own institution-specific accountability efforts,
these efforts do not combine to tell us whether the state as a whole
is on track to produce enough college educated individuals to meet
workforce needs and to effectively compete in the global information
economy, nor do they reflect statewide policy goals that cut across
all higher education segments.
   (e) Without the articulation of a shared common vision and goals,
and in the absence of a statewide focus and context, the state has
limited access to meaningful data and analyses to assess the state's
performance in key areas in order to make critical fiscal and policy
decisions.
   (f) As public demand to ensure the state is making proper
investments in postsecondary education grows, policy and educational
leaders must collectively hold themselves accountable for connecting
the postsecondary academic and research enterprise to the state's
economic and workforce development needs, increasing the state's
productivity, and expanding postsecondary access for all citizens and
regions of the state to produce the economic and educational
outcomes that best serve the state's interest.
   67050.5  In order to achieve the educational and economic outcomes
necessary to ensure the state's success, data-driven budget and
policy decisions within higher education shall be guided by each of
the following goals:
   (a) Increased educational attainment and successful transition
across all education levels. In the best performing state in the
nation, for every 100 pupils in grade 9, 91 graduate from high
school, 57 directly enter college, and 27 graduate within 150 percent
of program time. However, in California, for every 100 pupils in
grade 9, 71 graduate from high school, 31 directly enter college, and
17 graduate within 150 percent of program time, placing California
27th in the nation. Goal: by 2020, California will have improved its
educational pipeline numbers sufficiently so that it is among the top
10 states in the nation for the successful movement of students
through this pipeline.
   (b) Meeting the state's economic development, workforce
development, and civic capacity needs. Current projections by the
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education indicate that
California residents will have the largest drop in projected per
capita income in the nation over the next two decades, and will fall
below the national average by 2012. Goal: by 2020, California will be
at the average per capita income of the top 10 new economy states as
determined using the State New Economy Index developed by the
Progressive Policy Institute.
   (c) Closure of the achievement gap and increased learning at all
levels. In 2005, California ranked 33rd among states in the
percentage of persons between 18 and 24 years of age, inclusive, with
a high school diploma, 31st in the percentage of persons between 25
and 64 years of age, inclusive, with an associate degree, and 14th in
the percentage of persons between 25 and 64 years of age, inclusive,
with a bachelor's or higher degree. Goal: by 2020, California will
be in the top 10 states nationally for the percentages of its age
groups with degrees and certificates conferred.
   67051.  The State of California shall establish an accountability
framework that provides the basis for a biennial assessment of the
collective contribution of the state's system of postsecondary
education toward meeting the clear and measurable educational and
economic goals established pursuant to Section 67050. The
accountability framework developed to monitor progress toward these
goals shall be guided by all of the following principles:
   (a) A state-level accountability framework is designed to help
policymakers develop, maintain, and fund a postsecondary education
system that meets the state's goals, recognizes the differentiated
missions of each segment of postsecondary education, and guides the
segments toward maintaining effective institutions consistent with
state goals and institutional missions.
   (b) Policymakers and governing boards are collectively accountable
for meeting public goals for higher education, in accordance with
all of the following:
   (1) Monitoring progress toward meeting state goals is largely the
responsibility of state policymakers.
   (2) Monitoring the performance of individual colleges and
universities is primarily the responsibility of institutional
governing boards.
   (3) Institutional governing boards have ongoing responsibility for
monitoring the progress toward meeting statewide policy goals of
individual colleges and universities, for meeting segmental and
institutional missions and goals, for ensuring the quality of the
students' education, and for providing information to students and
parents regarding enrollment, retention, and student success.
   (c) The state-level reporting system shall be designed to contain
only data that helps policymakers to assess progress toward meeting
state goals and to make appropriate policy and funding decisions.
Specific indicators may change as better data are identified for
assessing progress toward meeting state goals.
   (d) In establishing an accountability framework for higher
education, it is the intent of the Legislature to build upon existing
higher education data, information systems, reports, and processes,
including, but not limited to, the reporting process established in
Section 84754.5, and improve upon these efforts to measure collective
progress toward common vision and goals.
   (e) Rather than envisioning a particular level of higher education
funding to move toward the statewide educational and economic policy
goals established pursuant to Section 67050, it is the intent of the
Legislature that the framework established pursuant to this chapter
help ensure the effective and efficient use of whatever funding is
provided to higher education.
   67051.5  The information gathered under the framework established
pursuant to this chapter shall be utilized by the Governor and the
Legislature to do all of the following through appropriate actions:
   (a) Establish clear and measurable goals in various areas,
including, but not limited to, enrollment, completion,
time-to-degree, efficiency in facilities utilization, transfer, and
access.
   (b) Establish a timeline for phasing in the Legislature's and the
Governor's expectations for the achievement of these goals.
   (c) Develop policy and budget proposals that include appropriate
funding mechanisms, where appropriate, for achieving these goals,
including, but not limited to, incentive funding, differential
funding, or the reallocation of existing resources, or all of these.
   67052.  The state shall utilize the accountability framework
established pursuant to this chapter to measure progress toward its
articulated educational and economic goals by collecting and
reporting information that answers all of the following six statewide
policy questions:
   (a) Are enough Californians prepared for postsecondary education?
   (b) Are enough Californians going to college?
   (c) Is the state's postsecondary education system affordable to
all Californians?
   (d) Are enough Californians successfully completing certificates
and degrees?
   (e) Are college graduates prepared for life and work in
California?
   (f) Are California's people, communities, and economy benefiting?