(a) A school district together with a postsecondary educational institution or a consortium of postsecondary educational institutions may submit a joint application to the Chancellor of the California State University for a grant to fund a project intended to improve student performance in secondary schools. The advisory committee shall give consideration to the following, in addition to its own criteria for the recommendation of programs for funding:

(1) The inclusion of a comprehensive plan for curricular revision or enhancement and instructional change.

(2) The participation of postsecondary campus faculty working as equal partners with secondary school teachers in efforts to improve the academic quality of college preparatory instruction.

(3) The provision of activities and services designed to enhance the ability of students to benefit from college preparatory curricula.

(4) The provision of in-service training designed to increase college aspirations of students from groups with low participation rates in postsecondary institutions.

(5) The inclusion of procedures for the independent evaluation of the program budget.

(6) Plans for the participation of more than one secondary school.

(7) Plans for the inclusion of intermediate or junior high schools in the project.

(8) Plans for the continuation of the project after funding ceases.

(b) Upon receipt of an application submitted pursuant to subdivision (a), the Chancellor of the California State University may award a grant to the joint applicants for purposes of funding the proposed project. Each project which receives a grant pursuant to this subdivision shall provide matching funds from existing funds received from federal, state, local, or private sources or budget increases in those funds, with preference to projects which have the strongest demonstrated institutional commitment. Priority shall be given to projects which serve either of the following:

(1) Schools and school districts utilizing the provisions of Article 4 (commencing with Section 54700) of Chapter 9 of Part 29.

(2) Schools with low student participation in institutions of postsecondary education or with a concentration of students from groups which are underrepresented in postsecondary education, affording priority to those applicants in inverse order of their level of student participation in institutions of postsecondary education authorized to award baccalaureate degrees.

(c) The Chancellor of the California State University, with the assistance of the advisory committee established under Section 11001, and with the advice of faculty from appropriate disciplines, shall establish a voluntary cooperative program for the academic assessment of secondary school students in the state. In developing this system, the chancellor shall take steps necessary to ensure that increased uses of assessment instruments assist in all of the following:

(1) Reducing the demand for remedial programs at the postsecondary level.

(2) Analyzing student readiness for college-level work.

(3) Identifying the academic needs of students for secondary school teachers and counselors.

(4) Encourage and give priority to schools identified in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b) of Section 11003 for the utilization of these instruments.

(Amended by Stats. 1984, Ch. 620, Sec. 4. Effective August 15, 1984.)