(Photo _ Pasadena City College)
On Tuesday, January 9, 2024, Assemblymember Chris Holden’s bill, AB 359 passed the Assembly Committee on Higher Education with bipartisan support.
By News Desk
This bill would remove existing barriers for Local Education Agencies and Community Colleges by providing technical assistance to create partnerships and increase the students’ ability to access necessary resources and additional courses.
Dual and concurrent enrollment provides high school students access to college-level coursework. In some cases, students earn both high school and college credit for the same course depending on approval from local school and community college governing boards. Assemblymember Holden first established the College and Career Access Pathways program in 2015 (AB 288) and has since passed numerous bills to increase and expand dual enrollment opportunities through these partnerships.
“I have spent the last nine years championing these efforts by providing aspiring students across the state, irrespective of socioeconomic status, the opportunity to excel without the heavy burden of college debt,” said Assemblymember Holden.
As the quality of dual enrollment programs throughout the state widely varies, many students express that they feel disengaged from school, or that they are constantly repeating material that they have already covered. Increasing educational opportunities, such as dual enrollment, provides a turning point for students that can lead to academic success and future employment.
In 2022, Holden authored, AB 102, which was signed into law and increased access to dual enrollment opportunities for students in juvenile court schools as well as eliminated the 2027 sunset date for the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnerships, indefinitely.
Leave a Reply