CAMARILLO — The Ventura County Community College District (VCCCD) and the Santa Paula Unified School District (SPUSD) established a College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) partnership agreement under the regulations of Assembly Bill 288 (AB 288). Effective Jan. 1, 2016, AB 288 authorizes the governing board of a community college district to enter into a CCAP partnership with the governing board of a school district to develop seamless pathways from high school to community college. The term of the agreement, effective as of July 12, 2017, is five years.
The dual enrollment agreement will allow students at Santa Paula High School (SPHS) to take college-level courses offered by Ventura College at SPHS, beginning with the Fall 2017 term. The classes will be delivered on the SPHS campus during normal high school hours. As part of the agreement, students may simultaneously earn high school and college credits for courses taken. The agreement is exclusive to Ventura College and SPHS, therefore, enrollment is restricted to SPHS students. The estimated student enrollment per year is 100. Students may take up to 15 units per term and will be exempt from tuition and fees.
“We value our partnership with the Santa Paula Unified School District and thank its superintendent and board members for supporting and approving this agreement,” stated VCCCD Chancellor Greg Gillespie. “This is a positive step towards increasing access to quality higher education and preparing more high school students to attend college,” said Gillespie. “This collaboration helps high school students achieve college readiness and aligns with our mutual goal to improve high school graduation rates and build a college-going culture,” added VCCCD Board Chair Bernardo Perez.
“We are excited about working with the administrators at Santa Paula High School to successfully carry out the terms of the agreement,” stated VCCCD Vice Chancellor Educational Services Rick Post. “This is the first AB 288 CCAP partnership agreement that the Ventura County Community College District has established with a local school district since the bill passed in 2016.”
“Our Board is looking forward to this collaboration with the college and the exciting possibilities for our students in Santa Paula,” said Santa Paula Unified School District Governing Board President Kelsey Stewart.
“As the Superintendent of the Santa Paula Unified School District, it is a great honor to be the first school district to approve a College and Career Access Pathways Partnership (CCAP) agreement,” said Alfonso Gamino, Superintendent of the Santa Paula Unified School District. “Our District is proactive in providing support to our academic struggling students. It is our expectation that this partnership will increase our already high graduation rate as well as increase the number of students attending college. Our students will reap the benefits because it is our intent that this program will allow for more students to earn college credit, to enroll in college, and most importantly, to complete a college degree,” Gamino added.
For more information on the agreement, including enrollment requirements, please contact Ventura College Dean of Off-Campus Programs Tim Harrison at 805-289-6348 or tharrison@vcccd.edu.
About the Ventura County Community College District: The Ventura County Community College District is a member of the 114-campus California Community College system and serves more than 50,000 students annually. The District’s three colleges—Moorpark, Oxnard, and Ventura—offer programs in general education for degrees and certificates, transfer to four-year colleges and universities, career technical education, and provides opportunities to engage in co-curricular campus activities. For more information, please visit www.vcccd.edu.
About Santa Paula Unified School District: The Santa Paula Unified School District, located in Santa Paula, Calif., began operation as a unified district on July 1, 2013. SPUSD operates an early childhood education program, six K-5 elementary schools, one 6-8 middle school, one comprehensive high school and one continuation high school. With approximately 535 certificated and classified employees on staff serving 5,500 students, SPUSD is dedicated to preparing students academically and socially for college, career, global citizenship, and life-learning.