2014-66 Create Paper-based Version of Standard Application for Special Populations

Request No.	2014-66
Target release	December 2016
Requester	Steering Committee
Application(s)	Standard App Only
Steering Approval	APPROVED
Steering Hearing Date	6.12.16
Change to Download File	NO
Change to Residency Logic	NO

Problem Statement or Business Need

For several years the issue of providing an non-computer-based admission application option for special populations, including noncredit students, has been proposed to the CCCApply Steering Committee.

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In 2014, Steering addressed this issue by forming a sub-committee to work with the CCCCO to determine which questions/data fields are "required" for noncredit students, and which questions on the current online CCCApply application can be removed, if any? Working with Elias Regalado, CCCCO, at the time, it was determined that very few questions could be removed from the current version of CCCApply and continue to be in compliance with 1) questions that help determine residency classification for all students; 2) questions that are "required" per federal laws and regulations; and 3) questions that are required by California state legislature, education code of regulations, and MIS reporting requirements. In sum, per Elias' analysis, the only questions on the current application that could be removed are the "Needs & Interests" questions, and those are critical for providing valuable data to colleges and the Chancellor's Office in order to provide support and services to students and special populations. Therefore, the sub-committee concluded that the proposal of creating a separate CCCApply admission application for noncredit students would not be feasible and non-compliant to state, federal and systemwide rules and regulations. The proposal was declined.

In 2016, CACCRAO again approached CCCApply with concerns that the online application was not appropriate for noncredit, ESL, adult education and other special populations and once again called for a new, separate application be created (in essence, a "short application" that contains only the questions relevant to these special groups). Though the CCCApply Steering Committee responded with the recommendation from the CCCCO in 2014, CACCRAO submitted a formal "memo" to CCCApply (05.04.16) calling for improvement and removal of barriers to CCCApply by way of a new, short-form application for noncredit applications.

Requests for Noncredit Application

ASCCC Resolution Draft
ASCCC Resolution for Modified CCCApply for Noncredit Students.pdf
Received 10.20.16 from Mike Quiaoit, ASCCC resolution was submitted to the CCCCO for response.
CACCRAO Memo
CACCRAO Open CCC (6).docx
Addressed to the CCCApply Steering Committee and CCCApply Product Manager, CACCRAO issued a memo with a list of concerns, including the need for/call for a special, separate, noncredit application version of CCCApply.

Quotes from colleges/staff:

1) From CCCTechnology.info:

Mia McClellan, Dean of Instruction Support Services, Continuing Ed, Southwestern College, asks: Can we have an application form that is consistent with the needs of non-credit and limited-english populations?
David adds: What are the minimum required fields for admission of a non-credit student? Reducing the barrier to entry for non-credit students and automating non-credit paper processes at the colleges would be very helpful.
What are non-credit implications for applying to online courses and doing education plans?

Responses:

<<From Eric McDonald Sr. Progrm Analyst, Cuesta College >>

I agree that it would be helpful and we've discussed such an application at our college. However, a significant number of questions on the current application have to do with determining residency. Residency plays a critical role in determining 320 attendance accounting. Removing those questions in order to streamline the application forces us to treat the student as non-resident.

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If a primary goal of noncredit education is to transition students into credit programs, then you've simply moved the barrier down the road a bit. Noncredit students must reapply in order to take that credit class or two. One could argue, however, that getting the noncredit student in the door is still preferable even if they would have to reapply prior to entering a credit program.

As far as minimum information needed, I would anticipate that all of the pages except the residency page would still be needed unless the Chancellor's Office reduced its requirements for SB (Student Basic Data Elements) reporting. Many of the SB reporting elements are located in the Education, Citizenship/Military, and Personal Information pages. Without the ability to optionally report some of the SB elements, there's not much one can do to streamline the application.

<< From Elias Regalado, CCCCO - July 11, 2016 >>

Hi Patricia,

The law (Education Code Section 68040 and Title 5 Section 54010) says that all students are to be assessed for residency classification status and prescribes uniform provisions for doing so, regardless of whether they are exclusively enrolling in noncredit courses or are part of any other subgroup of students. So, any aspect or question of a residency questionnaire (including via CCCApply) that is in place to help assess that residency classification must be uniformly applied to all students at the time applications for admission are accepted

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[Note: This same principle of uniform residence classification was affirmed as part of the admission of inmate students, where Legal Opinion O 06-07 indicates that “A student is not precluded from establishing residency simply by virtue of his or her status as a prison inmate. For purposes of determining residency, the same standards and procedures for all students should be applied to prison inmates.” (emphasis added)].

Beyond the uniform questions and information needed to determine resident status, it may be that other unrelated questions, may be omitted from a modified residency questionnaire being prepared for noncredit-only students. As long as the district still collects all of the uniform information necessary for an accurate residency classification, along with any information normally required for Chancellor's Office MIS reporting purposes or other necessary purposes, including possibly for federal reporting purposes, we have previously said that there may be some latitude in the development of these modified residency questionnaires/admission applications. However, the risk in creating modified admission/residency forms/questionnaires (including via CCCApply) is that you may inadvertently remove something that is necessary for some unanticipated purpose that is required or necessary for an important purpose, so I would strongly recommend using the same admission form and residency questionnaire used by all students, with the understanding that some items may not be answered or be applicable because of a student’s current noncredit-only admission/enrollment status.

Please consult with members of the CCCApply residency subcommittee and in our office (Academic Affairs/Student Services/etc.) about this matter to avoid any unanticipated consequences, including consulting with our MIS Division on required MIS student data elements. I’ve copied others in the agency in case they would also like to provide direct feedback to you on this very important question. Thanks for contacting me on this.

Elias Regalado, Director
Fiscal Standards and Accountability Unit
College Finance and Facilities Planning Division
California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office
Phone: 916.445.1165 | fax: 916.323-3057 | E-mail: eregalad@cccco.edu

<< End >>

Proposed Solution

Work with the CCCCO to get a formal, legal, opinion or advisory published mandating the use of CCCApply for all students, including noncredit, for the purpose of determining residency;
Create a "White Paper" via sub-committee, presenting the issue, solution, and outlining the state, federal, and MIS requirements that are "required" and appear currently in CCCApply
Create a paper-based version of the current CCCApply application for noncredit and/or students with challenged computer skills
Translate the paper-based version to Spanish (UPDATE: 11.01.16 - Contract professional translation company to do the English to Spanish translation. Patty to work with Sandoval on hiring contractor.)
Translate the paper-based version to other languages (TBD)
Create a set of references for the back of the application to provide explanation and more information to support the requirements within the application
(UPDATE 11.01.16: Per Steering committee discussion, Patty to create a survey to collect approvals and feedback on what should be included in the "Appendix i: Information Section". Patty sent it out to Steering on 11.11.16. See survey link here: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/3158666/dd39b8517b83).

Requirements Summary

#	Title	User Story	Importance
1	Create paper-based version of the existing CCCApply standard application	"As a noncredit student with limited access to computer, I need a paper version of the CCCApply standard application that can be completed with pen/pencil and submitted directly to the Admissions Office at the college I am applying to."	HIGH
2	Add a "References" section to the back of the application for explanation and to provide more information about requirements	"As a student completing the paper-application, I need a place to refer to - within the application - that provides the equivalent of hover help/support tips to help me complete the application with required information."	HIGH
3	Translate the paper-based CCCApply standard application to Spanish-language."	"As a predominately Spanish-speaking/reading student, I need a Spanish-language version of the CCCApply standard paper-application in order to better understand the "required" questions and responses."	HIGH
4	Get CCCCO approval of the paper-based application and formal mandate that all colleges must use the paper application in order to maintain compliance with state, federal, and MIS reporting requirements	"As a college admissions officer, I need the CCCCO to mandate the use of the CCCApply standard paper application as the official paper application to be used, with cited references outlining requirements."	HIGH
5	Ensure that all colleges have access to the CCCApply standard paper application in order to download and print copies for their use.	"As a college admissions officer, I need to be able to access and download the CCCCO approved CCCApply standard paper application at any time in order to print and provide to students who request a paper application."	HIGH

Drafts

Latest Draft Version

11.30.16 - Draft 6:

OLDER Version: Draft 3 below. This is the version that Steering reviewed and provided feedback and notes on through survey and email thread.

CCCApply-Paper-App_11.12.16-Draft3.pdf

Supporting Documentation

Below is additional documentation (i.e., CCCCO legal opinions, residency and/or education code citations, legislation citations, supplemental information, etc.) to be referenced in support of this change request.

Description	File or Link
CCCApply Standard Application - Paper Version Draft 3	CCCApply-Paper-App_11.12.16-Draft3.pdf
~~CCCApply Standard Application - Paper Version~~ Draft 1	~~CCCApply-Paper-App_11.01.16-Draft1.pdf~~