Academic Senate Guided Pathways Resolutions

17.0 LOCAL SENATES 17.01 F17

Faculty Involvement in Scheduling of Courses

Whereas, Many California community colleges are in various stages of implementing institution-wide reforms based on the California Community Colleges Vision for Success and the chancellor’s emphasis on the guided pathways framework on their campuses;

Whereas, The implementation of local initiatives and reforms based on a guided pathways framework may result in changes in course section scheduling procedures that potentially infringe on areas of faculty purview such as curriculum development, student preparation and success, and educational program development, which are academic and professional matters with academic senate primacy as defined in California Education Code section 70902(b)(7) and Title 5 §53200;   

Whereas, Resolution 6.02 S91 stated, “shared governance should include faculty involvement in deciding the scheduling of classes,” and local senates should “develop a procedure whereby faculty are involved in scheduling classes and determining which courses are offered;” and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges is developing resources to highlight effective practices to assist community colleges that are exploring and implementing pathway models per Resolution 9.03 S16 including resources related to scheduling and curriculum development;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate of California Community Colleges urge local senates to continue to assert their purview in the development of procedures for scheduling classes and the faculty role in determining which courses are offered within programs to support student achievement of their academic goals.

Contact: Executive Committee

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17.02 F17 Local Academic Senate Role in Developing and Implementing Guided Pathways Frameworks

Whereas, The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office has stated in the recently approved Vision for Success that “Colleges can use the Guided Pathways framework to bring about transformational change” and “the entire system is expected to adopt Guided Pathways over time;”   

Whereas, A guided pathways framework calls on colleges to make significant change to processes that support existing curriculum and academic standards that have been agreed upon through governance processes that respect and uphold local districts’ 10+1 agreements; 

Whereas, Education Code §70902 (B)(7) states “The governing board shall … ensure the right of academic senates to assume primary responsibility for making recommendations in the areas of curriculum and academic standards,” and Title 5 §53203 requires that a local college governing board shall adopt policies delegating authority and responsibility to its academic senate and those policies are adopted through collegial consultation with the academic senate; and 

Whereas, Resolution 17.01 F14 Consulting Collegially with Local Senates on Participation in Statewide Initiatives reminds “governing boards and their designees that they must engage in collegial consultation with local senates before and during participation in any current or future statewide initiatives which encompass academic and professional matters;”

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges affirm the right of local academic senates and senate leaders to play central roles in the development of all elements of a guided pathways framework at their college that are relevant to academic and professional matters; and 

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges support local senates with information and resources to help faculty understand their role in developing guided pathways frameworks and the reforms that grow from those frameworks. 

Contact: Executive Committee

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17.05 F17 Academic Senate Role in Appointing Faculty for Guided Pathways Framework Design and Implementation

Whereas, the California Community College Guided Pathways Grant Program, in California Education Code §8892231 states that: (g) Participating community colleges may use the 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 student services;  

Whereas, The California Code of Regulations Title 5 §5320332 states that: (f) The appointment of faculty members to serve on college or district committees, task forces, or other groups dealing with academic and professional matters, shall be made, after consultation with the chief executive officer or his or her designee, by the academic senate. Notwithstanding this Subsection, the collective bargaining representative may seek to appoint faculty members to committees, task forces, or other groups; 

Whereas, The development, design, and implementation of guided pathways frameworks or programs include review and redesign of curriculum, educational programs, instruction, and students services which are academic and professional matters; and

Whereas, Colleges are forming various groups and leadership structures to design and implement guided pathways frameworks or programs, and faculty, who play a critical role, may be released from current duties to participate in these reforms in order to review and redesign the guided pathways frameworks or programs, instruction, and student services;  

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges assert that it is the role and purview of the local academic senate to appoint faculty to provide leadership or serve on college or district groups that design and implement a college’s guided pathways framework or program, including those faculty that receive release or reassigned time to serve; and 

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge local senates to establish processes to appoint faculty to provide leadership or serve on college or district groups that design and implement guided pathways frameworks or programs, including those faculty that receive release or reassigned time to serve.  

Contact: Ginni May, Executive Committee  

Acclamation

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17.06 F17 Support for Local Academic Senates in Committing to a Guided Pathways Framework

Whereas, Resolution 9.12 F15 “urge[s] local academic senates and colleges to create formal processes and policies that require the local academic senate, in consultation with its curriculum committee, to evaluate and endorse any proposed curricular pathways offered by an external organization before such a program is institutionalized;”

Whereas, A guided pathways framework is an intentional and integrated construct including principles built on evidence-based practices that provide flexibility to allow faculty and colleges to determine, design, and implement those practices best suited to, and in service of, their local student population and communities, and the California Community College system has 114 colleges all at different stages of investigating, discussing, designing, and implementing a guided pathways framework;  

Whereas, In recognizing that the academic senate and faculty leadership and involvement is critical if any guided pathways effort is to succeed, the legislature required in California Education Code §88920 that colleges participating in the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program submit “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” and that colleges may use the grant funds for “[f]aculty and staff release time to review and redesign guided pathways programs, instruction, and support services;” and

Whereas, Participation in the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program is not mandated by the legislature, and colleges may apply for grant funds in year two if the timeline established by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office does not allow sufficient time in the first year for colleges and academic senates to engage in meaningful and deliberative decision making; 

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge local academic senates to engage in thoughtful and considered deliberation in determining if their colleges will participate in the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program; and

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges call on its administrative colleagues, including the Chief Executive Officers, Chief Instructional Officers, Chief Student Services Officers, and Chief Business Officers to support local senates by providing the time required to engage in genuine dialogue and deliberation to determine the best course of action in investigating, designing, and implementing a guided pathways framework at their college.  

Contact: Julie Bruno, Executive Committee

MSC

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17.07       17 Effective Shared Governance through Communication and Collaboration

Whereas, The Chancellor for the California Community Colleges was recently appointed (December 19th, 2016), and began to initiate and establish the California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program;

Whereas, The California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program requires completion of California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office mandates for fiscal allocations; 

Whereas, The California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program establishes policy development and implementation relating to “Academic and Professional Matters” specified in the California Title 5 Regulations §53200; 

Whereas, Initially, the self-assessment tool of California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program was due by November 15th, 2017, and then later was extended to December 23rd, 2017; 

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges establish a system of effective internal communication with the local academic senates in order to communicate, assess, and survey the effects of policy development and implementation coming from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, beginning with the implementation of the Guided Pathways Award Program; and   

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges communicate the information collected from the local academic senates to the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in a timely manner.   Contact: Justin Akers, San Diego City College  

MSC

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17.08 Inclusion of Library Faculty on College Cross-Functional Teams for Guided Pathways and Other Student Success Initiatives

Whereas, California community colleges continue to engage in numerous student success initiatives, including California Community College Guided Pathways Award Program, Student Equity, and Basic Skills Initiative;   

Whereas, The importance of libraries for student success has not been fully recognized or explored in the language or implementation of such initiatives, and often library faculty have not been encouraged to participate in developing the corresponding plans; 

Whereas, Numerous studies demonstrate that students who use the library are more successful in college; they earn better grades and are more likely to complete their courses and programs of study,33 and studies show that collaborative academic programs and services involving the library enhance student learning, and information literacy instruction strengthens general education outcomes;34 and

Whereas, The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has several resolutions (including Resolutions 16.01 S08, 2.02 S12, and 7.01 S12) encouraging the inclusion and involvement of library faculty in the student success initiatives;

Resolved, That the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges urge local senates to ensure library faculty are included on cross-functional teams for student success initiatives and guided pathways frameworks