Credit: Alan Hancock College / FlickrAssembly Bill 928, legislation from the 2021 legislative year, was one of several recent bills developed by corporate-funded advocacy organizations that mandated oversimplified solutions to complex issues. The results often have unintended consequences that manifest themselves in the months and years after the law is implemented.
In the case of AB 928, the consequences are shrinking colleges.
The overarching aims of this particular bill were to reduce the time of transferring and obtaining a degree, as well as to improve course transferability and efficiency. In theory, this intention seemed sensible. In practice, however, it created new barriers and amplified existing challenges.
The bill had three objectives:
- Rebooting the California Postsecondary Education Commission with a new oversight committee to streamline and improve coordination in California’s higher education systems.
- Calling for a single general education transfer pattern from the community colleges to both the Cal State and University of California systems.
- Mandating the automatic placement of students in the Associate Degree for Transfer programs, which provide students with guaranteed admission to a CSU (but not necessarily their CSU of choice).
While students, faculty, administrators and the community college chancellor’s office expressed concerns about AB 928 at various points in the legislative process, the bill moved forward without substantive amendments, and the governor ultimately signed it.
After a year of implementing this legislation, community college stakeholders already see the unintended consequences of a single general education transfer pattern known as Cal-GETC. The legislation limits this pattern to requiring a maximum of 34 units, reducing the number of units currently needed to transfer to the CSU by five.
This change is initiated by the University of California system, which holds all the power to create the Cal-GETC, has constitutional autonomy and is not subject to legislative mandates. The rigid reduction in units will create a double whammy of enrollment decline and a loss of educational offerings for community colleges already wrestling with a 16-20% statewide drop in enrollment. At a time when community colleges need to be expanding their appeal, new laws are forcing them to narrow their reach.
Cal-GETC is not the only unintended consequence of this legislation. The automatic placement of students into the Associate Degree for Transfer, or ADT, pathway might be even worse. The sponsors of the ADT pathway sold community college students a degree with a transfer guarantee to their preferred CSU.
Unfortunately, after years of investing in ADTs, the guarantee has never been truly honored.
Students are granted admission into the California State University system but not necessarily the college or program of their choice. In 2019-20 the most efficient and frequent path students took from the community colleges to the CSUs did not include a degree; students simply completed the transfer requirements. In addition, students who complete a local degree aligned with a specific CSU are more likely to be admitted to that campus than one who completes an ADT. To simplify this point: The ADT pathway is the least effective way for a student to transfer from community college into the CSU of their choice, yet AB 928 mandates all students be placed on this pathway.
All of these concerns were raised during the legislative process, but they did not resonate with well-intended policymakers seeking immediate solutions to difficult and complex challenges in our transfer system.
In reality, foundational and systemic shifts are required to fundamentally improve transfer rates. Even if we could drastically improve our transfer numbers overnight, there needs to be more space at CSUs and UCs to admit more community college transfer students and expanded bachelor’s degree programs at the community colleges for place-bound students that must stay in their local area.
If we are serious about improving our transfer rates, community college students should be at the top of the applications for our CSUs and UCs. Community colleges offer a world-class education in our students’ communities; why should we force them to go far from home to continue their educational journey?
To help our students reach their educational dreams, we must move away from overly simplified and politically expedient legislation and toward comprehensive, sustainable and equitable solutions.
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Wendy Brill-Wynkoop is president of the Faculty Association of California Community Colleges.
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David Parent 2 months ago2 months ago
I am a faculty at the CSU system, and I work with transfer students, GE, and teach in a STEM major. I like what this bill has done. Years ago the CSU voted for 54 units in GE and stem majors went to over 130 units to graduate. The CSU lost units as well in the required GE. GE is for the student, not for CSU or CC budgets. What I … Read More
I am a faculty at the CSU system, and I work with transfer students, GE, and teach in a STEM major. I like what this bill has done. Years ago the CSU voted for 54 units in GE and stem majors went to over 130 units to graduate. The CSU lost units as well in the required GE. GE is for the student, not for CSU or CC budgets. What I would like us to see programs that encouraged CC students to take as many required units that are degree applicable before transfer. Did these “missing units” help students help them get a good job?
Student At A CC 2 months ago2 months ago
I do think legislation tries this blanket approach which does not serve all the nuances of the different needs of community college students. Reducing the units at CC, meaning they have to pay for those at a four year? We should extend the bachelor program at CCCs. They have been doing so well! Reducing units means general ed classes are going to be removed and then we wonder why students don't have an understanding of … Read More
I do think legislation tries this blanket approach which does not serve all the nuances of the different needs of community college students. Reducing the units at CC, meaning they have to pay for those at a four year?
We should extend the bachelor program at CCCs. They have been doing so well!
Reducing units means general ed classes are going to be removed and then we wonder why students don’t have an understanding of the world.
Ironic that we have 2 years of free CC for students and now we want people to shuffle thru community college like they do to kids at high school. High school is at best like a 7th grade education if you come from an underserved, low income community. I know, I graduated from one at 16 because I was never challenged. Community college fills in the gaps before you get to upper division courses, if your goal is to transfer.
David Young 2 months ago2 months ago
In addition, the lack of major pre-requisites places low unit transfer students in two disadvantaged positions. Firstly, it places them at the end of the registration queue to get major prerequisite classes. Secondly, it puts them in a higher cost structure system that places a greater financial burden on them and their families for a longer period of time.
Leave it to the CSUs to come up with a self-serving benefits program for themselves.
Shawn L. 2 months ago2 months ago
"The rigid reduction in units will create a double whammy of enrollment decline and a loss of educational offerings for community colleges already wrestling with a 16-20% statewide drop in enrollment. At a time when community colleges need to be expanding their appeal, new laws are forcing them to narrow their reach". I'm kinda confused at how less units equals less students. The link is never made by the author. In ESL, less units has equaled never … Read More
“The rigid reduction in units will create a double whammy of enrollment decline and a loss of educational offerings for community colleges already wrestling with a 16-20% statewide drop in enrollment. At a time when community colleges need to be expanding their appeal, new laws are forcing them to narrow their reach”.
I’m kinda confused at how less units equals less students. The link is never made by the author.
In ESL, less units has equaled never before seen success. It turns out that making student go to school for 4 years before hitting transferable courses and making them have to appeal for future financial aid caused massive failure rates in some of the most driven students in my opinion and 24 year experience at California Community Colleges.
Deborah Meyer-Morris 2 months ago2 months ago
Forcing community college students into distant schools for the expedience of the system will only serve to disenfranchise the legions of commuter students attending their local CSU campuses out of personal necessity, ranging from a lack of financial resources for housing/etc, non-traditional students with children/childcare obligations, and working students with full-time jobs, as well as students with disabilities. It would make the transfer system even less student-centered, accessible and transparent for community college students.
Jim 2 months ago2 months ago
I have been a student at a community college, it’s where I learned Mandarin. I was not seeking a degree, just an education and I found the class very useful and not expensive. I do not agree with the statement ” Community colleges offer a world-class education” and wonder what support she has for this claim. The author does not address any of the issues that prompted the legislation in the first place.
Donna Post 2 months ago2 months ago
The cost is prohibitive for many would be students. Professors are not helping your cause. Way too many students received failing grades during distance learning (online classes) when in person was not allowed. Unless the student flat out didn’t attend, that should never have happened. Would be students are food and housing insecure right now as well. My child left the system for these reasons and many more.