(Photo _ Pasadena City College)
Assemblymember Chris Holden’s bill, Assembly Bill 359 passed the Assembly Floor with bipartisan support.
By News Desk
The bill would remove existing barriers for Local Education Agencies and Community Colleges to make College Career Access Pathways Program (CCAP) available to every student while prioritizing outreach to pupils who are underrepresented and not college bound.
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 CCAP program in 2015 (AB 288) and has since passed numerous bills to increase and expand dual enrollment opportunities through these partnerships.
Alton Wang, Pasadena City College and Board Vice President, said:
Dual enrollment programs are among the most important tools that California’s community colleges have to help drive success for the next generation of college students, workers, and families. Assemblymember Holden has been a longtime champion of these programs at Pasadena City College and across the state. We salute his efforts to bring the benefits of a college education to greater numbers of Californians.”
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.
“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.
Tammy Silver, Pasadena City College Board of Trustee, Area 4, said:
AB 359 represents the kind of creative thinking that is the hallmark of California’s national leadership. Dual enrollment joins the strengths of our K-12 schools and our California Community Colleges to provide outstanding opportunities for our students. Dual enrollment breaks barriers. With college courses offered at their high school, students can easily experience college coursework and come away with the confidence they can do college level work and that college is for them. In addition, dual enrollment courses give students a huge advantage over AP courses as a dual enrollment course is an actual college course that transfers to the UC and many other colleges, unlike AP courses. I am grateful to Assemblymember Holden for his tireless work to provide greater opportunities and improved outcomes for all California students.”
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 CCAP partnerships, indefinitely.
“Two years ago, we were able to ensure that education has no sunset, and with this new bill, we hope to focus on the long-term success and sustainability of dual enrollment by providing necessary reform that benefits all key stakeholders,” said Holden.
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