California community colleges have been struggling in recent years, facing dwindling budgets and increasing scrutiny from college regulatory agencies. Governor Jerry Brown has now taken the community college problem into his own hands, signing legislation that will lead to significant changes in these institutions of higher education. With concern for the low completion rates the California community college system now faces, Governor Brown focused specifically on laws that would increase the odds of student success at community colleges throughout the state.
The Student Success Act of 2012
One of the key pieces of legislation Governor Brown recently signed into law was the Student Success Act of 2012 or SB1456. The Press-Telegram reports that this bill focused directly on the state’s community college system, in an effort to improve completion rates and student success at these institutions. The Student Success Act of 2012 includes a number of specific measures community colleges will now have to utilize to help their students succeed in college. Some of the measures include:
- Development of a student education plan to help students plan course schedules accordingly
- The requirement that all incoming students attend an orientation session before taking courses
- Minimum standards for academic success in order to receive fee waivers
- Creation of a student success report card that will be used to determine future funding
- Addition of an all-new assessment test that will help place students in the proper classes
The bill also contains a provision that ensures new students entering