(a) From the funds provided for this part, the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges shall allocate:

(1) Up to 10 percent of the total amount of these funds for statewide assistance and programmatic support to implement this part.

(2) All remaining funds shall be allocated as grants to participating community colleges.

(b) (1) The chancellor’s office shall award grants to participating community colleges from the funds described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) as follows:

(A) Twenty percent of these funds shall be awarded equally among all participating colleges.

(B) Thirty-five percent of these funds shall be awarded based on the percentage of full-time equivalent students at each participating college.

(C) Forty-five percent of these funds shall be awarded based on the percentage of students at each participating college that satisfy the requirements to receive federal Pell Grants and the requirements in Section 68130.5.

(2) The chancellor’s office may include additional measures or adjust the allocation percentages in subparagraphs (A) to (C), inclusive, of paragraph (1) to accomplish the purposes of this part consistent with paragraph (3).

(3) The chancellor’s office shall notify and receive concurrence from the Department of Finance before including additional measures or adjusting the allocation percentages pursuant to paragraph (2) and providing these funds to participating community colleges. The department shall consult with the Legislative Analyst’s Office before determining whether to concur. The Director of Finance shall notify the Joint Legislative Budget Committee if the department intends to concur.

(c) Before the chancellor’s office may award grant funds to a participating community college, the college shall demonstrate its commitment to implement a guided pathways framework by completing all of the following:

(1) Submitting a letter to the chancellor’s office signed by, and expressing the commitment of, the president of the governing board of the community college district, the chief executive officer of the college, and the president of the college’s academic senate to adopt a guided pathways model.

(2) Notifying the chancellor’s office that the college has attended an Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative workshop for guided pathways. The chancellor’s office shall ensure that community college representatives have sufficient access to an Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative workshop for guided pathways that provides expert assistance to college representatives in developing a work plan that identifies implementation tasks for each participating college.

(3) (A) Establishing and submitting to the chancellor’s office a work plan outlining the college’s commitment to implement a guided pathways program for all entering students and integrate existing student-success programs operating at the college, including, but not necessarily limited to, the Basic Skills Initiative, the Awards for Innovation in Higher Education Program established under Article 2.6 (commencing with Section 66010.96) of Chapter 2 of Part 40 of Division 5, associate degrees for transfer established pursuant to Article 3 (commencing with Section 66745) of Chapter 9.2 of Part 40 of Division 5, zero-textbook-cost degrees established pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 78050) of Chapter 1 of Part 48, the Student Success and Support Program established in Article 1 (commencing with Section 78210) of Chapter 2 of Part 48, student equity plans adopted pursuant to Article 1.5 (commencing with Section 78220) of Chapter 2 of Part 48, the Adult Education Block Grant Program established in Article 9 (commencing with Section 84900) of Chapter 5 of Part 50, and the Strong Workforce Program established in Part 54.5 (commencing with Section 88820).

(B) The work plan shall also include the college’s policies regarding the use of information from high school records and other assessment measures to determine each student’s course placement and academic support needs.

(4) Submitting additional information that may be required by the chancellor’s office, including an application developed by the chancellor’s office, to assess a community college’s commitment to implement a guided pathways program.

(d) If the chancellor’s office determines that a participating community college has not sufficiently met the requirements of subdivision (c), the college may access available technical assistance opportunities and revise and resubmit the documentation required pursuant to subdivision (c) after receiving its grant funds.

(e) (1) The chancellor’s office shall establish programmatic criteria to release funding in stages to a participating community college based upon a determination by the chancellor’s office that the college is making appropriate progress toward implementing a guided pathways program.

(2) (A) The chancellor’s office shall develop qualitative and quantitative indicators to measure early outcomes of guided pathways programs implemented pursuant to this part. In developing these indicators, the chancellor’s office shall consider existing research regarding credit accumulation, completion of gateway mathematics and English courses, and completion of required courses in an academic program as early indicators of program completion.

(B) The chancellor’s office shall develop college-level indicators measuring the share of entering students who are participating in the activities and practices as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 88921 and the alignment of course offerings with students’ education plans.

(C) Nothing in this paragraph shall preclude the chancellor’s office from using student success metrics that are already available as part of the California Community Colleges Student Success Scorecard, the American Association of Community Colleges Pathways Project, or other existing initiatives.

(f) To the extent feasible, the chancellor’s office shall utilize the structure and processes in place for the California Guided Pathways Project, including, but not limited to, the project’s application, participation agreement, professional development, outcome measures, and technical assistance models.

(g) Participating community colleges may use grant funds to implement guided pathways programs for various limited-term purposes, including, but not necessarily limited to, any, or any combination, including all, of the following:

(1) Faculty and staff release time to review and redesign guided pathways programs, instruction, and support services.

(2) Professional development in areas related to guided pathways.

(3) Administrative time to coordinate, communicate, and engage college stakeholders in the process of developing and implementing guided pathways programs.

(4) Upgrades to computer and student information systems to improve tracking of student progress and feedback to students.

(h) Participating community colleges shall not use grant funds to provide instruction or support services to students or for other ongoing operating costs.

(i) (1) The chancellor’s office shall report to the Director of Finance and the Legislature, pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code, as follows:

(A) By July 1, 2018, provide a summary of the plans received by the chancellor’s office pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c), a summary of activities supported by the funds identified in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), and a summary of activities related to implementation of this part from the Institutional Effectiveness Partnership Initiative and other existing programs of the chancellor’s office.

(B) By each July 1 from 2019 to 2022, inclusive, provide an updated summary of each community college’s progress toward implementing its plan established pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (c), including the share of each college’s students engaged in guided pathways activities and practices and the college’s alignment of course offerings with student education plans. The annual report due by July 1, 2022, shall include a summary of each participating community college’s progress on the qualitative and quantitative indicators of early outcomes developed pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (e) or as otherwise required by the chancellor’s office.

(2) Each of the reports in paragraph (1) shall include recommendations on any statutory or regulatory changes necessary to improve the ability of community colleges to implement their locally developed guided pathways programs.

(Added by Stats. 2017, Ch. 23, Sec. 14. (SB 85) Effective June 27, 2017.)