This is a draft worksheet for suggestions for revising the Parent Guardian Information/Dependency Status question in CCCApply.
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Action Item: Send all information, existing question language and proposed language, and details of the meetings discussions to Mia Keeley, CCCCO - who attended the December 18 meeting and has offered to support this effort from the position of the CO. Next actions will be determined based on feedback from Ms. Keeley. |
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Purpose of the Parent Guardian Information Question
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The data field behind this question is “Dependency Status” = <dependent_status> and the values are defined in the DED.
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Additional Information - Data
In FY 2018-2019, over 2.6 million CCCApply applications were submitted. For the purposes of this breakdown, spam applications were not removed from the total = 2,647,615.
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In FY2018-19, only 7% of all minors self-identified as “independent minors”. all the rest are “dependent” and must provide their Parent or Guardian’s name and relationship. |
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College Meeting Discussion Notes - December 2019
Immigrants Rising, advocating for undocumented/nonresident students, has suggested that clear, non-threatening language be added to the Parent/Guardian Information question to better help these students understand, feel welcome and secure, and accurately self-identify
Students want a streamlined, unambiguous question that clearly explains why they are being asked for their parent information (especially when they are 18 years old)
Students want to know that their parent’s information is protected by state and federal laws and will not be used for discriminatory purposes
Students who meet eligibility requirements need clear language so they can understand they can apply for tuition exemption through AB540 / SB 68.
Colleges need to collect parent or guardian information from dependent minors (under 19 yro) in order to determine residency status for tuition purposes from the parent or guardian
Colleges want a better layout in the P/G Info question in order to collect the minor student’s parent or guardian information
Colleges also need to identify Independent minors and remove barriers for these students to apply & enroll
Colleges want minimal changes to the data structure and the download files;
Next Actions
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Work with the Chancellor’s Office to confirm what language can be changed and whether the proposed layout changes are approved.
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The current layout has several issues:
LANGUAGE
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The language in the current question is too long overall, too ambiguous, and filled with legal language that is confusing to the minors it is presented to;
The language can be unwelcoming to undocumented and nonresident minor students, and doesn’t explain that students who meet the eligibility requirements can apply for nonresident tuition exemption through AB540 / SB68.
And, finally, as cautioned by the student advocacy group, Immigrants Rising, the current language can be threatening and DOES NOT reassure these students that their parents' data will be protected and not shared;
LAYOUT
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The layout is backwards - it features a confusing set of statements that appear to cater to identifying “independent” students rather than focus on the primary objective: collect the parent information required (name + relationship);
When a dependent student chooses the wrong option, the college has to do additional intake follow up with the student by phone or other time-consuming method.
While less than 8% of the minors are legitimately independent - the statements and the bulleted list make it seem that the applicant should answer that one of the bullet statements is true about them.
What do we need to change?
The majority of minors are determined to be “dependents” (see Stats) and therefore the college needs to collect their parent or guardian information. But However, because our current layout makes it too easy for a student who may not be reading the question closely to select is ambiguous - students who are not reading closely are selecting the wrong option. The way the question is laid out, the student’s first instinct is to select “one the first option - the one at the top - which is: “One of the following statements is true about me” - those statements being which is the option that identifies the exceptionswhich identify that classify the student as “Independent”.
Flip the Layout
We propose flipping the layout so that the collection of the parent or guardian information is collected at the top, and the “I do not have a parent or guardian…” option is clearly shown below.
The question is required and the student must either provide parent information or check the “I do not have a parent or guardian….” checkbox. When data is entered into the parent information input fields, the “I do not have a parent or guardian…” checkbox will be disabled.
Revise the Language
In addition to flipping the layout, the language needs to be revised to clarify why the student’s parent information is being collected, not just for undocumented and nonresident minors, but all minors. Acknowledging that their parents' data will be protected and not shared, will reassure the student with clear, non-threatening language.
Change: “By California law, qualification for resident tuition is based on the residency of your parent(s) or guardian(s) until you are 19 years of age, except in certain special circumstances. The following questions will be used to determine whether or not you need to provide parent or guardian information for the purposes of determining residency. Your response will not affect your admission to college.”
TO: “Determining your California residency for tuition purposes is based on the residency of your parent(s) or guardian(s) until you are 19 years of age, except in certain special circumstances. Nonresident students who meet eligibility requirements may apply for nonresident tuition exemption (AB540 / SB68). This information is protected by federal and state laws and will not be shared or used outside of the admission process.
Enter the name of your parent or guardian below, or check the box indicating you do not have a parent or guardian.”
NO CHANGE will be is needed to the <dependent_status> data field or the parent info fields. The proposed changes would be strictly cosmetic.
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Reference: Legal Information
Everything below is for reference only.
From the SAAM:
Self-Supporting Student
Two-Year Care & Control:
Residency for Minor
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From CCCApply Standard Application Data Dictionary v.2019.3)
Dependent of Parent/Guardian
Data Element: | dependent_status |
Description: | Whether applicant is a minor subject to care and control of guardian per residency law—and if not, whether applicant is a non-minor or an independent minor. |
Format, Length: | bpchar, 1 |
Values: | 1 = Applicant is dependent. Selected “None of the statements above is true about me.” 2 = Applicant is under 19 and independent. Selected “At least one of these statements is true about me”. 3 = Applicant is 19 or older and therefore independent. The applicant will not have been presented with the parent/guardian questions. |
Allows Null: | No |
Default: | 3 |
Usage: | If this field = 1, parent/guardian questions are asked and many residency-related questions are reworded to refer to parent/guardian rather than “you”. |
Notes: | General law identifies a ‘Minor’ as under age 18; however, the “Evidence of Intent” rules in the Student Attendance Accounting Manual (Chapter 2), based on Title 5 section 54024, specify ‘under 19 years’ as the differentiating criterion, superseding general law. |
Hover help | Whether applicant is a minor subject to care and control of guardian per residency law—and if not, whether applicant is a non-minor or an independent minor. |
Question Text: | Select the statement that applies to you: At least one of the following statements is true about me:
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Conditions: | Appears only if the applicant will be under 19 at RDD. |
Additional Text: By California law, qualification for resident tuition is based on the residency of your parent(s) or guardian(s) until you are 19 years of age, except in certain special circumstances. The following questions will be used to determine whether or not you need to provide parent or guardian information for the purposes of determining residency. Your response will not affect your admission to college. | |
Response Options: | Must select one of the two radio buttons. |
Pop-Up Help: | If any of the hyperlinks in the Question Text is clicked, a pop-up is displayed with the following text: Parent: For the purposes of this college application, your parent is a natural or adoptive mother or father with whom you live and/or who provides your support, care, and control. If you have two parents, you can enter the name of either one. Guardian: For the purposes of this college application, your guardian is a person other than a parent who has been legally appointed to provide your support, care, and control. If you have two guardians, you can enter the name of either one. Emancipated: Being emancipated means that you have been legally released from the care and control of parent(s) and/or guardian(s), and are now responsible for your own care and control. To be considered legally emancipated for the purposes of this college application, you must have received a declaration of emancipation from a California court, or have been legally emancipated in another U.S. state. Self-Supporting: You are considered to be self-supporting if you do not receive any financial support from a parent or legal guardian in the year leading up to the start of the term for which you are applying. Financial support you may receive from colleges, institutions, or individuals who are not your parent or legal guardian does not affect whether you are considered self-supporting.
Foster Care includes, but is not limited to, placement in out-of-home care under the supervision of the Juvenile Probation Department. As long as you were placed within the foster care system by order of a court, you were in foster care. Having a legal guardian does not necessarily mean that you have been in foster care. If you need assistance with determining whether you were in foster care, you can contact the California Foster Care Ombudsman's office at (877) 846-1602 or fosteryouthhelp@dss.ca.gov |
Field Error Check: | None |
Page Error Check: | Required selection; else error message, “You must select one of the options related to your parent or guardian status.” |
Notes: | This question determines whether someone who will be under 19 on RDD is subject to care and control of guardian for purposes of determining residency. For residency purposes (unlike in general law), a minor is defined as someone under 19 years of age. |
Data Element: | dependent_status |
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