AB731 - Pupil instruction: dual enrollment: College and Career Access Pathways partnerships.

Amended IN Senate July 01, 2025 Amended IN Assembly May 05, 2025 Amended IN Assembly March 27, 2025 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 731 Introduced by Assembly Member Fong (Coauthor: Assembly Member Jeff Gonzalez) (Coauthors: Assembly Members Jeff Gonzalez and Hadwick) February 18, 2025 An act to amend Section 76004 of the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 731, as amended, Fong. Pupil instruction: dual enrollment: College and Career Access Pathways partnerships. Existing law authorizes the governing board of 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 for the purpose of offering or expanding dual enrollment opportunities for pupils who may not already be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education, as provided. Existing law requires the partnership agreement to outline the terms of the partnership, as specified, and to establish protocols for information sharing, joint facilities use, and parental consent for high school pupils to enroll in community college courses. Existing law requires the protocols to only require a high school pupil participating in a CCAP partnership to submit one parental consent form and principal recommendation for the duration of the pupil’s participation in the CCAP partnership. This bill would revise the CCAP partnership provisions to eliminate the requirement that the protocols require principal recommendation. Existing law requires the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to revise the special part-time student application process to allow a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil’s attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. This bill would require a CCAP partnership agreement to also establish protocols that authorize a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil’s attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. Existing law authorizes a community college district to limit enrollment in a community college course solely to eligible high school pupils if the course is offered at a high school campus, either in person or using an online platform, during the regular schoolday and the community college course is offered pursuant to a CCAP partnership agreement. This bill instead would authorize a community college district to limit enrollment in a community college course solely to eligible high school pupils if the course is offered either in person at a high school or community college campus, or using an online format, either synchronous or asynchronous, as defined, and the community college course is offered pursuant to a CCAP partnership agreement. The bill would require the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges to adopt regulations to ensure that comprehensive support services are provided to high school pupils dually enrolled in asynchronous courses, as specified. Existing law authorizes a community college district to allow a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement to enroll in up to a maximum of 15 units per term in courses offered at the community college campus or the participating high school campus if certain circumstances are satisfied, including that the units constitute no more than 4 community college courses per term. This bill would eliminate the 4 community college courses per term limit for a special part-time student enrolling in up to 15 units under a CCAP partnership agreement. Existing law requires, for each CCAP partnership agreement, the affected community college district and school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually report specified information to the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, including the total number of community college courses, by course category and type and by schoolsite, enrolled in by CCAP partnership participants. This bill instead would require the affected community college district and school district, county office of education, or charter school to annually report the total number of high school pupils who successfully completed 12 or more units of college coursework by graduation, completed a certificate, or completed the courses required for an associate degree or an associate degree for transfer. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 76004 of the Education Code is amended to read: 76004. Notwithstanding Section 76001 or any other law: (a) (1) The governing board of a community college district may enter into a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership with the governing board of a school district or a county office of education for the purpose of offering or expanding dual enrollment opportunities for pupils who may not already be college bound or who are underrepresented in higher education, 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. (2) As used in this section, “high school” includes a community school, continuation high school, juvenile court school, or adult education program offering courses for high school diplomas or high school equivalency certificates. (3) As used in this section, “underrepresented in higher education” may include first-time college students, low-income students, students who are current or former foster youth, homeless students, students with disabilities, and students with dependent children. (b) A participating community college district may enter into a CCAP partnership with a school district or county office of education partner that is governed by a CCAP partnership agreement approved by the governing boards of both partners. As a condition of adopting a CCAP partnership agreement, the governing board of each partner shall do both of the following: (1) For career technical education pathways to be provided under the partnership, consult with, and consider the input of, the appropriate local workforce development board to determine the extent to which the pathways are aligned with regional and statewide employment needs. The governing board of each partner shall have final decisionmaking authority regarding the career technical education pathways to be provided under the partnership. (2) Present, take comments from the public on, and approve or disapprove the dual enrollment partnership agreement at an open public meeting of the governing board of the partner. (c) (1) The CCAP partnership agreement shall outline the terms of the CCAP partnership, and shall include, but not be limited to, the total number of high school pupils to be served and the total number of full-time equivalent students projected to be claimed by the community college district for those pupils; the scope, nature, time, location, and listing of community college courses to be offered; and criteria to assess the ability of pupils to benefit from those courses. The CCAP partnership agreement shall also establish protocols for information sharing, in compliance with all applicable state and federal privacy laws, joint facilities use, and parental consent for high school pupils to enroll in community college courses. The protocols shall only require a high school pupil participating in a CCAP partnership to submit one parental consent form for the duration of the pupil’s participation in the CCAP partnership. The protocols shall authorize a pupil to complete one application for the duration of the pupil’s attendance at a community college as a special part-time student participating in a CCAP partnership agreement. (2) The CCAP partnership agreement shall identify a point of contact for the participating community college district and school district or county office of education partner. (3) A copy of the CCAP partnership agreement shall be filed with the office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and with the department before the start of the CCAP partnership. The chancellor may void any CCAP partnership agreement it determines has not complied with the intent of the requirements of this section. (d) A community college district participating in a CCAP partnership shall not provide physical education course opportunities to high school pupils pursuant to this section, or any other course opportunities that do not assist in the attainment of at least one of the goals listed in subdivision (a). (e) A community college district shall allow an existing CCAP partnership to be amended, or a new CCAP agreement to be established with a school district or county office of education and a community college district outside of the primary community college district’s service area, if the primary community college district has declined a request from the school district or county office of education, or has failed to take action within 60 calendar days of a request by the school district or county office of education, to either amend into the existing CCAP partnership the requested courses, or to approve another community college district to enter into a CCAP partnership to offer those courses. (f) A high school pupil enrolled in a course offered through a CCAP partnership shall not be assessed any fee that is prohibited by Section 49011. (g) (1) A community college district participating in a CCAP partnership shall assign priority for enrollment and course registration to a pupil seeking to enroll in a community college course that is required for the pupil’s CCAP partnership program that is equivalent to the priority assigned to a pupil attending a middle college high school as described in Section 11300 and consistent with the middle college high school provisions in Section 76001. (2) Units completed by a pupil pursuant to a CCAP partnership agreement may count towards determining a pupil’s registration priority for enrollment and course registration at a community college. (h) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that any community college instructor teaching a course on a high school campus has not been convicted of any sex offense as defined in Section 87010, or convicted of any controlled substance offense as defined in Section 87011. (i) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that any community college instructor teaching a course at the partnering high school campus has not displaced or resulted in the termination of an existing high school teacher teaching the same course on that high school campus. (j) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that a qualified high school teacher teaching a course offered for college credit at a high school campus has not displaced or resulted in the termination of an existing community college faculty member teaching the same course at the partnering community college campus. (k) The CCAP partnership agreement shall include a plan by the participating community college district to ensure both of the following: (1) A community college course offered for college credit at the partnering high school campus does not reduce access to the same course offered at the partnering community college campus. (2) Participation in a CCAP partnership is consistent with the core mission of the community colleges as described in Section 66010.4, and that pupils participating in a CCAP partnership will not lead to enrollment displacement of otherwise eligible adults in the community college. (l) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that both the school district or county office of education and community college district partners comply with local collective bargaining agreements and all state and federal reporting requirements regarding the qualifications of the teacher or faculty member teaching a CCAP partnership course offered for high school credit. (m) The CCAP partnership agreement shall specify both of the following: (1) Which partner will be the employer of record for purposes of assignment monitoring and reporting to the county office of education. (2) Which partner will assume reporting responsibilities pursuant to applicable federal teacher quality mandates. (n) The CCAP partnership agreement shall certify that any pretransfer-level course taught by community college faculty at a partnering high school campus shall be offered only to high school pupils who do not meet their grade level standard in mathematics, English, or both on an interim assessment in grade 10 or 11, as determined by the partnering school district or county office of education, and shall involve a collaborative effort between high school and community college faculty to deliver an innovative pretransfer course as an intervention in the pupil’s junior or senior year to ensure that the pupil is prepared for college-level work upon graduation. (o) (1) A community college district may limit enrollment in a community college course solely to eligible high school pupils if the course is offered either in person at a high school or community college campus, either in person or using an online format, either synchronous or asynchronous, platform, during the regular schoolday and the community college course is offered pursuant to a CCAP partnership agreement. The board of governors shall adopt regulations to ensure that comprehensive support services are provided to high school pupils dually enrolled in asynchronous courses. These support services shall include, but are not limited to, academic counseling, online tutoring, technical assistance, orientation, access to office hours, progress monitoring, and student success workshops. Each community college district, as well as each school district, county office of education, or charter school participating in a CCAP partnership, shall designate a liaison responsible for coordinating with the partnering entity to ensure consistent communication and issue resolution. (2) For purposes of this subdivision, the following definitions apply: (A) “Synchronous” means classroom-style instruction or designated small group or one-on-one instruction delivered in the form of internet or telephonic communications, and involving live two-way communication between the teacher and pupil. (B) “Asynchronous” means a program in which a pupil and teacher interact using online resources, including, but not limited to, discussion boards, websites, and email. However, the pupil and teacher need not necessarily be online at the same time. (3) (2) For purposes of al [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]