Assemblymember Holden Aims To Increase College Attendance

Sacramento, CA – Today, Assemblymember Chris Holden's, Bill 368, which would provide a pathway for more high school graduates to attend college, passed the Assembly Higher Education Committee with bipartisan support.

"This is a special opportunity for us to set our young people up for success by making early access to college courses accessible, affordable, and realistic for students of all academic achievement levels," said Assemblymember Chris Holden.

Typically, dual enrollment through College and Career Access Pathways or CCAPs are offered exclusively to high performing students. With this legislation, CCAP partners would be required to enroll high school pupils in any course that is part of a CCAP partnership offered at a community college campus. It also provides authorization for courses to be offered on either the community college campus or partnering high school campus.

"College can be intimidating for students who feel unprepared or behind, but it doesn't have to be that way. With my bill, we get to redefine dual enrollment by focusing on guidance and support," said Holden.

AB 368 serves underrepresented groups in higher education by eliminating barriers such as fees and limited enrollment availability.

"We can never do too much to assist our young people in furthering education and career readiness," said Holden.