California Community Colleges—The Colleges Reviewed Are ...

December 2017

California Community Colleges

The Colleges Reviewed Are Not Adequately Monitoring Services for Technology Accessibility, and Districts and Colleges Should Formalize Procedures for Upgrading Technology Report 2017-102

COMMITMENT

INTEGRITY

LEADERSHIP

CALIFORNIA STATE AUDITOR 621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 | Sacramento | CA | 95814

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For questions regarding the contents of this report, please contact Margarita Fern?ndez, Chief of Public Affairs, at 916.445.0255 This report is also available online at auditor. | Alternate format reports available upon request | Permission is granted to reproduce reports

Elaine M. Howle State Auditor Doug Cordiner Chief Deputy

December 5, 2017

2017-102

The Governor of California President pro Tempore of the Senate Speaker of the Assembly State Capitol Sacramento, California 95814

Dear Governor and Legislative Leaders:

As requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, the California State Auditor presents this audit report concerning the California Community Colleges' monitoring of services for technology accessibility and the procedures for upgrading information technology (IT).

This report concludes that the three community colleges we reviewed are not adequately monitoring their performance in responding to requests from students with disabilities for course materials in accessible media formats, and one has not established a goal for how long it should take to process these requests. Additionally, the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges (Chancellor's Office) has not provided guidance to community colleges on monitoring their compliance with accessibility standards. As a result, the colleges cannot demonstrate that they are meeting students' requests for accessible materials within a reasonable time frame. When students do not have equal access to instructional materials and their requests for an alternate format are not addressed promptly, they do not have equal educational opportunities.

Although the colleges and related districts we reviewed have some processes and tools for replacing and upgrading their IT equipment, none of them have formalized these processes to ensure consistency and continuity in the future. Additionally, the Chancellor's Office does not provide guidance to all of the colleges and districts related to upgrading or replacing IT equipment. We also noted that college instructional departments could not consistently provide documentation showing the stakeholder input received when deciding on what IT to replace or upgrade. Without formalizing their processes by documenting procedures for instructional department staff to follow when making decisions on technology equipment, the community colleges cannot ensure that these processes are consistently followed and are transparent.

Respectfully submitted,

ELAINE M. HOWLE, CPA State Auditor

621 Capitol Mall, Suite 1200 Sacramento, CA 95814 916.445.0255

916.327.0019 fax auditor.

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Report 2017-102 | C ALIFOR NIA S TAT E AUDITOR

December 2017

Selected Abbreviations Used in This Report

ACCIC

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Western Association of Schools and Colleges

ADA

Americans with Disabilities Act

American River American River College

Cerritos

Cerritos Community College [a single-college district]

De Anza

De Anza College

DSPS

Disabled student programs and services

Foothill?De Anza Foothill?De Anza Community College District

Los Rios

Los Rios Community College District

C ALIFOR NIA S TAT E AUDITOR | Report 2017-102

v

December 2017

CONTENTS

Summary

1

Introduction

5

Community Colleges Are Not Adequately Monitoring Compliance

With Accessibility Standards, and the Chancellor's Office Should

Provide Additional Guidance to Assist Community Colleges in

Supporting Students With Disabilities

13

Community College Districts Plan for and Fund IT Needs but Lack

Written Procedures to Guide Their Processes

27

Scope and Methodology

47

Responses to the Audit

California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office

51

Cerritos Community College District

53

California State Auditor's Comment on the Response From

Cerritos Community College District

59

Foothill?De Anza Community College District

61

California State Auditor's Comments on the Response From

Foothill?De Anza Community College District

67

Los Rios Community College District

69

California State Auditor's Comments on the Response From

Los Rios Community College District

73

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