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Webinar to Support Financial Aid Offices in Implementing AB 789 Provisions
In 2021, John Burton Advocates for Youth (JBAY) released the report The Overlooking Obstacles: How Satisfactory Academic Progress Policies Impede Student Success and Equity, revealing the disparate impact of SAP policies on first-year, low-income California Community College students. Nearly one-in-four students did not meet SAP for their first two consecutive terms, jeopardizing their continued access to financial aid. Of the students who did not meet SAP, only 13 percent remained enrolled and continued to receive financial aid, indicating the enormous impact of SAP standards on students who struggle academically during their first year of college.
To address these concerns, JBAY, along with eight of California’s leading college affordability advocates, sponsored Assembly Bill (AB) 789, which was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 8th, 2023. AB 789 requires post-secondary institutions, as a condition of participation in the Cal Grant program, to adhere to a common set of SAP standards, remove additional requirements that are more restrictive than those federally required, and ensure students have clear pathways to regain financial aid.
JBAY will host a webinar on Tuesday, April 30th at 1:00 PM to support financial aid offices in implementing the AB 789 provisions, which must be adopted by the start of the 2024-25 academic year. Attendees will learn about the new AB 789 requirements, identify strategies to create student-friendly, equity-based SAP policies and appeals processes, and receive resources and tools to update their institutional policies and practices. For more information or to register, click here.
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