Article 2.5. State Goals For California’s Postsecondary Education System of California Education Code >> Division 5. >> Title 3. >> Part 40. >> Chapter 2. >> Article 2.5.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(a) Since the enactment of the Master Plan for Higher Education in
1960, California's system of postsecondary education has provided
access and high-quality educational opportunities that have fueled
California's economic growth and promoted social mobility.
(b) In today's global information economy, California's national
and international success as an educational and economic leader will
require strategic investments in, and improved management of, state
educational resources.
(c) Several factors, including changing demographics, rising
costs, increased competition for scarce state funding, and employer
concerns about graduates' skills, present new challenges to higher
education and state policymakers in effectively meeting the
postsecondary education needs of Californians.
(d) Although the public segments of postsecondary education have
each undertaken efforts to improve reporting and transparency, these
efforts do not combine to indicate whether the postsecondary system
as a whole is on track to meet the state's needs.
(e) The absence of a common vision and common goals for California'
s postsecondary education system hinders the state's ability to
effectively make critical fiscal and policy decisions.
(f) Policy and educational leaders should collectively hold
themselves accountable for meeting the state's civic and workforce
needs, for ensuring the efficient and responsible management of
public resources, and for ensuring that California residents have the
opportunity to successfully pursue and achieve their postsecondary
educational goals.
In order to promote the state's competitive economic
position and quality of civic life, it is necessary to increase the
level of educational attainment of California's adult population to
meet the state's civic and workforce needs. To achieve that
objective, it is the intent of the Legislature that budget and policy
decisions regarding postsecondary education generally adhere to all
of the following goals:
(a) Improve student access and success, which shall include, but
not necessarily be limited to, all of the following goals: greater
participation by demographic groups, including low-income students,
that have historically participated at lower rates, greater
completion rates by all students, and improved outcomes for
graduates.
(b) Better align degrees and credentials with the state's
economic, workforce, and civic needs.
(c) Ensure the effective and efficient use of resources in order
to increase high-quality postsecondary educational outcomes and
maintain affordability.
(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that appropriate
metrics be identified, defined, and formally adopted for the purpose
of monitoring progress toward the achievement of the goals specified
in Section 66010.91. It is further the intent of the Legislature that
all of the following occur:
(1) The metrics take into account the distinct missions of the
different segments of postsecondary education.
(2) At least six, and no more than 12, metrics be developed that
can be derived from publicly available data sources for purposes of
periodically assessing the state's progress toward meeting each of
the goals specified in Section 66010.91.
(3) The metrics be disaggregated and reported by gender, race or
ethnicity, income, age group, and full-time or part-time enrollment
status, where appropriate and applicable.
(4) The metrics be used for purposes of the requirements of
subdivision (a) of Section 69433.2.
(5) The metrics take into account the performance measures
required to be reported pursuant to Sections 89295 and 92675.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to promote progress on the
statewide educational and economic policy goals specified in Section
66010.91 through budget and policy decisions regarding postsecondary
education. It is the intent of the Legislature that the metrics be
used to ensure the effective and efficient use of state resources
available to postsecondary education. It is further the intent of the
Legislature that progress on the adopted metrics be reported and
considered as part of the annual State Budget process.
For the purposes of this chapter, "segments of
postsecondary education" means the California Community Colleges, the
California State University, the University of California,
independent institutions of higher education, as defined in Section
66010, and private postsecondary educational institutions, as defined
in Section 94858.