Public postsecondary education: Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act.

(1) Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges and the California State University as 2 of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, encourages community colleges to facilitate the acceptance of credits earned at other community colleges toward the associate degree for transfer. The act also requires the California State University to guarantee admission with junior status to a community college student who meets the requirements for the associate degree for transfer, and provides that admission to the California State University under these provisions does not guarantee admission for specific majors or campuses. A student admitted to the California State University pursuant to the act is entitled to receive priority over all other community college transfer students, excluding community college students who have entered into a transfer agreement between a community college and the California State University prior to the fall term of the 2012–13 academic year. This bill would express findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to timely progression from lower division coursework to degree completion. The bill would require community colleges to create an associate degree for transfer in every major and area of emphasis offered by that college for any approved transfer model curriculum, as prescribed, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would require California State University campuses to accept transfer model curriculum-aligned associate degrees for transfer in every major and concentration offered by that California State University, as specified. This bill would provide that the guarantee of admission for those community college students described above includes admission to a program or major and concentration that is either similar to the student's community college transfer model curriculum-aligned associate degree for transfer or may be completed with 60 semester units of study beyond that degree for transfer, the determinations to be made by the campus to which the student is admitted. The bill would require the California State University to develop an admissions redirection process for students admitted pursuant to the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act who apply for admission to the California State University, but are not accepted into the campuses specifically applied to. The bill would require the California Community Colleges and the California State University, in consultation with specified parties, to develop a student-centered communication and marketing strategy in order to increase the visibility of the associate degree for transfer pathway for all students in California. To the extent that this provision would create new duties for community college districts, it would constitute a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.