West Los Angeles College Student Success & Support Program Dr. Patricia Banday Fall 13
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EST T LOS OS ANGELES COLLEGE LEGE
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TUDENT ENT SUCCESS A AND D SUPPO PORT PROG OGRAM
SB14 1456 56 RESPONSE
SB1456 History: “Our goal - our primary goal - has to be one offering students a better path to graduation,” Lowenthal said. “It is unacceptable that more than 50 percent of community college students are not graduating
- r transferring within six years. This bill is the first step toward a refocused community college system that is
rededicated to student success and achievement.” In an effort to improve the educational progress of students in California the Senate Bill 1143 Chapter 401 of the Statues of 2010 directed the California Community Colleges Board of Governors to establish a 20 member “Student Success Task Force”. The State Legislature appointed a Student Success Task Force to outline recommendations and guidelines for the improvement of Student Outcomes for the 2.4 million students now attending the 112 California Community Colleges. The Task Force was charged with designing a plan for the improvement of community college student success and completion rates. The task force worked one year in the development of a comprehensive report detailing 22 recommendations that were submitted and subsequently adopted by the Board Governors January 2012. This Seymour Campbell Student Success Act of 2012 also known as SB 1456 (the revision of the Seymour- Campbell Matriculation Act of 1986) authored by State Senator Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) was approved in the Senate by a vote of 36 to 1 after having passed the Assembly on 8/27/12 by a unanimous vote. Signed into Law by Governor Brown on September 27, SB 1456 is serving as the catalyst to meaningful Educational Code and policy changes for the Community Colleges and provides a foundation to implement several recommendations from the Student Success Task Force (SSTF). THE TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATIONS ADDRESSED IN SB 1456 ARE RECOMMENDATIONS: 2.2 on mandating core matriculation services, 2.5 on requiring students to declare a course of study early, 3.2 on establishing academic conditions for the Board of Governors Fee Waiver program (to be addressed in a separate title 5 regulatory amendment) and 8.2 the repurposing of the Matriculation program by targeting funds for provision of orientation, assessment, counseling, advising and other student education planning services. SB 1456 also renames the former Matriculation program as the Student Success and Support Program. The bill states as its purpose the increase of California community college access and success and calls for the support of core Matriculation services to include Orientation, Assessment, Counseling, and other educational planning services and academic interventions. The bill also specifies the responsibilities of colleges and students in entering into the matriculation process. The focus of the Student Success Act of 2012 is on the entering student’s transition into college in order to provide a foundation for student achievement and successful completion of student’s educational goals, with a priority toward serving students who enroll to earn degrees, career technical certificate, transfer preparation, or career advancement. The Seymour-Campbell Student Success Act of 2012 targets state resources on core matriculation services that research has shown to be critical in increasing the ability of students to reach their academic and career goals. By focusing funding in these cores areas and leveraging the use of technology to more efficiently and effectively serve a greater number of students. A phased-in implementation period, student notification, and appeals process is ensured to prevent students from being unfairly impacted.