AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 5, 2025

AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 10, 2025

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

97

Introduced by Assembly Member Fong

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez)

February 20, 2025

An act to add and repeal Section 76005.5 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law authorizes a community college district to enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district, a county office of education, or the governing body of a charter school with the goal of developing seamless pathways from high school to community college for career technical education or preparation for transfer, improving high school graduation rates, or helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness.

This bill would require the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in collaboration with the dual enrollment advisory board, which the bill would establish, to develop a statewide dual enrollment framework to provide guidance for how dual enrollment programs should operate in the state to reach specified goals. The bill would require the dual enrollment advisory board membership to be composed of specified individuals, as provided. The bill would require the Superintendent and the advisory board, in developing the framework, to do certain things, including, among others, reviewing existing laws, policies, and efforts in California and other states on dual enrollment, course choice, pupil remediation, articulation and transfer, and transition courses, and providing a guide of best practices to accomplish specified dual enrollment-related policies. The bill would require the Superintendent to, by January 1, 2027, submit the framework to certain legislative committees, as provided.

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

SECTION 1.

Section 76005.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:

76005.5.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature to increase participation in dual enrollment programs for all high school pupils with the goal of all pupils graduating with at least 12 units of college credit coursework by the 2029–30 academic year. It is the intent of the Legislature that for purposes of this section, dual enrollment is defined as a college course taken by a high school pupil for which the pupil is provided college credit upon completion of that coursework.

(b) The Superintendent shall, in collaboration with the dual enrollment advisory board established pursuant to subdivision (c), develop a statewide dual enrollment framework to provide guidance for how dual enrollment programs should operate in the state to reach all of the following goals:

(1) Developing seamless pathways from high school to public postsecondary educational institutions.

(2) Helping high school pupils achieve college and career readiness.

(3) Providing universal access to dual enrollment courses to all public high school pupils.

(c) There is hereby established the dual enrollment advisory board to provide input and feedback to the Superintendent. The advisory board membership shall be composed of all the following:

(1) Three K–12 credentialed teachers, selected through an application process by the Superintendent, who have taught dual enrollment courses through any of the following:

(A) A College and Career Access Pathways partnership, as described in Section 76004.

(B) An early college high school, as described in Section 11302.

(C) A middle college high school, as described in Section 11300.

(2) One K–12 administrator.

(3) One high school counselor.

(4) One representative from, and selected by, the California College Guidance Initiative.

(5) One community college faculty member, selected by the association representing community college faculty in California, who has taught dual enrollment courses through a College and Career Access Pathways partnership.

(6) One representative from, and selected by, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges.

(7) One representative from, and selected by, the Academic Senate of the California State University.

(8) One community college administrator selected by the association representing community college districts.

(9) The Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, or the chancellor’s designee.

(10) The Chancellor of the California State University, or the chancellor’s designee.

(11) The President of the University of California, or the president’s designee.

(12) Four members of the public appointed by the Legislature as follows:

(A) Two public members who have expertise in dual enrollment in California appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

(B) Two public members who have expertise in dual enrollment in California appointed by the President Pro pro Tempore of the Senate.

(d) In developing the statewide dual enrollment framework pursuant to subdivision (b), the Superintendent and the dual enrollment advisory board shall do all of the following:

(1) Review existing laws, policies, and efforts in California and other states on dual enrollment, course choice, pupil remediation, articulation and transfer, and transition courses.

(2) Consider any dual enrollment recommendations from recent research reports on dual enrollment in California.

(3) Consult with K–12 regional consortia, school districts, county offices of education, charter schools, community colleges, and postsecondary educational institutions that have successful dual enrollment programs.

(4) Seek to simplify the dual enrollment programs that school districts, county offices of education, and charter schools offer by providing a guide of best practices that College and Career Access Pathways partnerships, as described in Section 76004, early college high schools, as described in Section 11302, and middle college high schools, as described in Section 11300, should follow in California. The guide of best practices shall address all of the following:

(A) Funding needs, including addressing the issue of funding the local educational agency and the partnering public postsecondary educational institution.

(B) Funding sources.

(C) Course content requirements.

(D) The number and type of courses and course sequences that should be offered to high school pupils.

(E) Instructor qualifications to provide quality dual enrollment courses.

(F) A method for evaluating the effectiveness of dual enrollment programs, including how to define effectiveness.

(G) A determination of how dual enrollment instructors are hired and paid by the participating local educational agency or public postsecondary educational institution.

(H) A method for diversifying, expanding, and supporting the qualified instructor pool.

(I) A process to accomplish all of the following for dual enrollment courses:

(i) Courses are certified as meeting the A-G A–G admissions requirements of the University of California and the California State University.

(ii) Courses and course grades are recorded on a student’s permanent high school and postsecondary academic transcripts.

(iii) (I) Dual credit is offered for all successfully completed courses.

(II) For purposes of subclause (I), “dual credit” means high school credit earned toward graduation and transferable college credit.

(e) The department and the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall provide staff support to the advisory board.

(f) (1) By January 1, 2027, the Superintendent shall submit the dual enrollment framework to the Assembly Committee on Higher Education, the Assembly Committee on Education, and the Senate Committee on Education.

(2) The implementation of the framework submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) is contingent upon the enactment of another statute for those purposes.

(g) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:

(1) “Local educational agency” means a school district, county office of education, or charter school.

(2) “Public postsecondary educational institutions” means the University of California, the California State University, and the California Community Colleges.

(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed.