Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, together with Assemblymember Jose Medina (D-Riverside) introduced Assembly Bill 1930, to protect students if any admission requirement policy changes are sought by California State University or University of California.
AB 1930 comes on the heels of a proposed decision by California State University to add to the already long list of “A through G” requirements high school students need to determine minimal eligibility for CSU admissions. The proposed expansion includes additional course work in quantitative reasoning.
“Decisions to change admissions requirements need to be vetted fully, including collaboration and transparency, as well as through studies, that would determine any impact it may have on students,” said Quirk-Silva. “We must identify how any decision will disproportionately affect students of color, creating additional barriers to a student’s education.”
AB 1930 requires CSU must coordinate with UC if there are any changes in student eligibility policy requirements, and vice versa. The purpose is to try to align their respective student eligibility policies so that there is a common set of clear state public university requirements for students. Additionally, an independent third-party research organization must be commissioned to assess whether the change in student eligibility policy would have a disparate impact on rates of graduates in public secondary schools, who are members of underrepresented student groups.
“As a teacher for over 30 years, I have seen how decisions like this one can disproportionately affect one group of students over another,” said Quirk-Silva. “We do not want to add this to a K-12 system, where disparities in college readiness already exist.”
