California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley’s Statement on Gov. Brown Signing AB 705, Requiring Community Colleges to Use High School Performance in Course Placement

October 13, 2017

Paige Marlatt Dorr

Office:  916.327.5356

Cell:  916.601.8005

Office E-mail:  pdorr@cccco.edu

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley today issued the following statement in response to Gov. Jerry Brown signing AB 705 (Irwin), legislation intended to support assessment and placement strategies proven to increase student completion rates and close the achievement gap.

“This is a win-win for our students, colleges and the state’s taxpayers. Requiring unnecessary remediation courses can have severely damaging consequences.  It’s clear that the use of traditional assessment skills tests as the main variable in placing students in math and English courses does not work.  Many of our colleges have started using a student’s high school coursework and GPA as the primary determining factors for placement. Research shows high school performance is a more accurate predictor of college readiness than assessment tests – even for students who do not enroll directly in college from high school.

AB 705 calls on our system to engage in statewide reforms that will provide every student with a strong start on their way to earning a degree, certificate or transferring to a university.  Currently, too many of our students are stuck in courses that do not count toward their educational goals and cost them valuable time and money.I applaud the governor for signing this bill that establishes a stronger assessment process and will ultimately lead to a dramatic improvement in our student completion rates.  This is an important milestone in the drive to improve student success and the first of several steps our system is taking to put students at the center of all policy discussions because they come with different circumstances and we need to be able to adapt to meet their needs.”

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 114 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions. The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. For more information about the community colleges, please visit our website.