Head Start on College: Senate Education Committee Passes Newman’s Dual Enrollment Bill
Sacramento, Calif. — Senate Bill 1244 (SB 1244) gained momentum on Wednesday after being approved by the Senate Education Committee in a 6-0 vote. The bill, authored by Senate Education Committee Chair Senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton), focuses on expanding access to beneficial community college courses for California high school students through dual enrollment programs.
Dual enrollment programs allow high school students to participate in college-level courses while still enrolled in high school. Research from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) show that dual enrollment participation is associated with a number of benefits for high school students, including:
- A head-start on college: Earning college credits can shorten overall college time and save on costs, making higher education more attainable.[1]
- Enhanced college readiness: Dual enrollment exposes more students to the rigor and expectations of college-level work, fostering stronger academic skills and a smoother transition to full-time college. [1]
- Exploration of academic interests: Community colleges offer a wider range of courses that allow students to explore different academic paths and discover potential majors before committing to a four-year university program. [1]
- Increased college success: Studies show that students who participate in dual enrollment are more likely to enroll and graduate from college on time with improved college GPAs and overall academic achievement. [2]
SB 1244 empowers school districts to establish College and Career Access Pathway (CCAP) partnerships outside their service area if the local community college fails to respond to a partnership request within 60 days or declines to participate. The bill allows districts to enter into partnership with a nearby community college district for dual enrollment programs for their students in the event that the community college district in which a school is located has either rejected an application to do so or failed to act in a timely fashion on a pending application.
“Dual enrollment has been proven as highly valuable to expanding the horizons of high school students in a variety of meaningful ways,” Senator Newman said. “SB 1244 ensures that a school district will have more than one option for extending those benefits to its students even if the community college district in which it is located is either unable or unwilling to partner with them.”
With its passage out of Senate Education, SB 1244 now advances to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
To schedule an interview with Senator Newman, contact Brian Wheatley at 916.651.4029.
###
State Senator Josh Newman represents the 29th Senate District, which is comprised of portions of Los Angeles County, Orange County, and San Bernardino County. The 29th District includes all or parts of the cities of Anaheim, Brea, Buena Park, Chino Hills, City of Industry, Cypress, Diamond Bar, Fullerton, La Habra, La Palma, Placentia, Rowland Heights, Stanton, Walnut, West Covina and Yorba Linda. Senator Newman is a former United States Army officer, businessperson, and veterans’ advocate, and lives in Fullerton with his wife and daughter.