(a) The governing board of a school district may determine which pupils would benefit from advanced scholastic or vocational work. The intent of this section is to provide educational enrichment opportunities for a limited number of eligible pupils, rather than to reduce current course requirements of elementary and secondary schools, and also to help ensure a smoother transition from high school to college for pupils by providing them with greater exposure to the collegiate atmosphere. The governing board of a school district may authorize those pupils, upon recommendation of the principal of the pupil’s school of attendance, and with parental consent, to attend a community college during any session or term as special part-time or full-time students and to undertake one or more courses of instruction offered at the community college level.

(b) If the governing board of a school district denies a request for a special part-time or full-time enrollment at a community college for any session or term for a pupil who is identified as highly gifted, the governing board shall issue its written recommendation and the reasons for the denial within 60 days. The written recommendation and denial shall be issued at the next regularly scheduled board meeting that falls at least 30 days after the request has been submitted.

(c) A pupil shall receive credit for community college courses that the pupil completes at the level determined appropriate by the governing boards of the school district and community college district.

(d) (1) The principal of a school may recommend a pupil for community college summer session only if that pupil meets both of the following criteria:

(A) Demonstrates adequate preparation in the discipline to be studied.

(B) Exhausts all opportunities to enroll in an equivalent course, if any, at the pupil’s school of attendance.

(2) For any particular grade level, a principal shall not recommend for community college summer session attendance more than 5 percent of the total number of pupils who completed that grade immediately before the time of recommendation.

(3) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a high school pupil recommended by the pupil’s principal for enrollment in a course shall not be included in the 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) if the course in which the pupil is enrolled is part of a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) program established pursuant to Section 76004 in which a majority of the pupils served are unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02, the course meets one of the criteria listed in clauses (i) and (ii), and the high school principal who recommends the pupil for enrollment provides the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges, upon the request of that office, with the data required for purposes of paragraph (5).

(i) The course is a lower division, college-level course for credit that is designated as part of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum or applies toward the general education breadth requirements of the California State University.

(ii) The course is a college-level, occupational course for credit assigned a priority code of “A,” “B,” or “C,” pursuant to the Student Accountability Model, as defined by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and reported in the management information system, and the course is part of a sequence of vocational or career technical education courses leading to a degree or certificate in the subject area covered by the sequence.

(B) The 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) shall apply to all physical education courses.

(4) (A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a high school pupil recommended by the pupil’s principal for enrollment in a course shall not be included in the 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) if the course in which the pupil is enrolled is either of the following:

(i) A lower division, college-level course for credit that is designated as part of the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum or applies toward the general education breadth requirements of the California State University.

(ii) A college-level, occupational course for credit assigned a priority code of “A,” “B,” or “C,” pursuant to the Student Accountability Model, as defined by the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges and reported in the management information system, and the course is part of a sequence of vocational or career technical education courses leading to a degree or certificate in the subject area covered by the sequence.

(B) The 5-percent limitation of pupils allowed to be recommended pursuant to paragraph (2) shall apply to all physical education courses.

(5) On or before March 1 of each year, the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges shall report to the Department of Finance the number of pupils recommended pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4) who enroll in community college summer session courses and who receive a passing grade. The information in this report may be submitted with the report required by subdivision (c) of Section 76002.

(6) The Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges shall not include enrollment growth attributable to paragraphs (3) and (4) as part of its annual budget request for the California Community Colleges.

(7) Notwithstanding Article 3 (commencing with Section 33050) of Chapter 1 of Part 20 of Division 2, compliance with this subdivision shall not be waived.

(e) Paragraphs (3) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (d) shall become inoperative on January 1, 2027.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 784, Sec. 1. (AB 1729) Effective January 1, 2020.)