Community colleges: allied health programs.

Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges under the administration of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. Existing law establishes community college districts throughout the state, under the administration of community college district governing boards, and authorizes these districts to provide instruction at the community college campuses they operate. This bill would authorize a community college allied health program, as defined, if, after using an approved diagnostic assessment tool, it determines that the number of applicants to the program exceeds its capacity, to use additional multicriteria screening measures. The bill would authorize a community college allied health program to use any diagnostic assessment tool that is commonly used in allied health programs and is approved by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges. The bill would prohibit a community college district from excluding an applicant to an allied health program on the basis that the applicant is not a resident of that district or has not completed prerequisite courses in that district, and from implementing policies, procedures, and systems that have the effect of excluding an applicant or student who is not a resident of that district from the district's allied health program. This bill would authorize a community college allied health program that determines the number of applicants exceeds its capacity to admit students in accordance with the administration of a multicriteria screening process, a random selection process, or a blended combination of random selection and a multicriteria screening process. The bill would require a community college allied health program that elects to use a multicriteria screening process, including a blended combination of random selection and a multicriteria screening process, to evaluate applicants for admission using specified criteria relating to the applicant's academic performance, work or volunteer experience, foreign language skills, life experiences, and special circumstances, among other criteria. The bill would authorize a community college allied health program using a multicriteria screening process to use an approved diagnostic assessment tool before, during, or after the multicriteria screening process. The bill would require a community college allied health program that uses a multicriteria screening process to report its allied health program admissions policies to the chancellor annually, in writing. The bill would require the chancellor to submit a report, on or before March 1, 2026, and each March 1 thereafter, to the Legislature and the Governor that examines and includes certain information, including the participation, retention, and completion rates in community college allied health programs of students admitted through a multicriteria screening process, as specified. This bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2030.