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ZTC Summit 2026�Chancellor’s Office Updates�

James Todd

Vice Chancellor

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Chad Funk

ZTC Specialist

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Topics

  • Burden Free Instructional Materials Effort

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  • Regulation 54221 and OER/ZTC

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  • $30 Low-Textbook Cost Threshold

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  • ZTC Achievements

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  • LibreTexts Contract

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  • ASCCC OERI Contract

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BFIM 10-Year Effort

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2015

AB 798: Creates Open Educational Resources Adoption Incentive Fund.

2016

SB 1359: Requires identification of courses using free digital materials.

AB 1602: Establishes Zero-Textbook-Cost Degree Grant Program ($5M).

2017

AB 97/SB 72: Allows high-needs student funding for OER and zero-textbook-cost degrees.

2018

AB 2385: Urges publishers to detail differences between textbook editions.

SB 840: $3 million annually for textbooks for incarcerated students.

AB 1809: $6 million for OER development and California Online Community College.

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BFIM 10-Year Effort

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2021

AB 132: $115 million one-time funding for zero-textbook-cost degrees using OER.

AB 128: $3 million for textbooks/digital content for incarcerated students.

2022

Student Burden-Free Instructional Materials Task Force Formed�Chancellor's Office establishes a comprehensive task force to address systemic barriers to affordable instructional materials and develop sustainable solutions for reducing student costs.

XB12 Data Collection Enhancement�Implementation of enhanced data collection systems to track zero-cost course sections and measure the impact of OER initiatives across the system.

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BFIM 10-Year Effort

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2023

SB 101: Appropriates $3M for textbooks/digital content to incarcerated students, encourages OER use.

SB 117: $650M block grant for COVID-19 learning loss mitigation, includes OER development funding.

AB 607: Requires display of estimated course materials costs for 75% of classes in online schedules.

Task Force Report: 19 Recommendations�Student Burden-Free Instructional Materials Task Force delivers comprehensive report with 19 strategic recommendations to eliminate instructional material costs system-wide

Board of Governors Resolution 2023-18�Board adopts resolution committing to "strengthen student financial stability, equitable student engagement and success by prioritizing the reduction and ultimately elimination of instructional material costs."

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BFIM 10-Year Effort

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2024

BFIM Implementation Task Force Formed�Chancellor's Office establishes Implementation Task Force with three specialized work groups: Financial & Sustainability Solutions, Policy & Regulations, and Professional Development & Scaling Services.

Comprehensive Field Research�Jobs for the Future conducts extensive research including student focus groups at Shasta College and Cerritos College, plus interviews with college and system leaders to inform implementation strategies.

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BFIM 10-Year Effort

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2025

Title 5 Section 54221 Implementation�Passage and implementation of new Title 5 regulation establishing governance policy framework around burden-free instructional materials, creating mandatory institutional accountability measures.

Statewide OER Platform RFP Release�Chancellor's Office releases comprehensive RFP for a cutting-edge, system-wide OER platform featuring AI-enhanced content creation, accessibility tools, and predictive analytics for teaching and learning; LibreTexts selected

Implementation Task Force Progress�Task Force work groups deliver action plans to support systematic implementation of the 19 recommendations for the 116 California community colleges.

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Regulation 54221

  • Governing boards shall adopt policies that ensure student access to textbooks and supplemental materials that are needed on the first day of class. Practices that enable first day access to zero-cost resources include, but are not limited to, the following:

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    • adapting or adopting open educational resources for some or all textbook and ancillary material, when the option is available and feasible
    • developing and implementing sustainable zero-textbook-cost degrees, consistent with Education Code section 78052

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Regulation 54221

  • adapting open educational resources to complete degrees and career technical education certificates
  • adopting open educational resources (OER) for courses in which OER is commonly available and prioritizing courses needed to satisfy general education requirements
  • establishing lending programs and maintaining college library resources to support immediate access to course materials

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Statewide Low-Cost Course Materials Threshold - $30

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  • ASCCC Resolution 03.04 Fall 2021 directed the Academic Senate to work with the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC) and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to recommend a systemwide definition of “low-cost” course materials.�
  • Student Senate Recommendation: The SSCCC recommended the $30 “low-cost” threshold, reflecting students’ lived experience of how instructional material costs affect their academic persistence and success.�
  • Resulting Fall 2022 ASCCC Resolution 17.05 encourages local academic senates to adopt $30 or less as the cost threshold that must not be exceeded for a course to be designated and reported as “low-cost.”

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More details about $30 threshold will be provided in a forthcoming ESS guidance memo

  • Parameters of the materials cost threshold –
    • Digital?
    • Print?
    • New?
    • Used?
    • Rental?
    • Before taxes/After taxes?
    • Cost from the bookstore?
    • Other?

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Statewide Low-Cost Course Materials �MIS Data Element Update – XB12

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Current XB12 �

  • Section level data for course materials costs
  • Code D: Section has low course materials costs (as defined locally)

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Summer 2027 XB12

  • Remains section level data for course materials costs
  • Code D: Section has low-cost materials costs ($30 or less)

Coming Summer 2027 . . .

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ZTC Degree Grant Program

(based upon data from December 2025 ZTC Progress and Expenditure reports)

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Awards to Date:

130 Implementation ZTC Pathways

308 Acceleration ZTC Pathways

105 Acceleration II ZTC Pathways (to date)

131 Impact ZTC Pathways (to date)

711 Indirect ZTC Pathways (additional ZTC pathways being created although not directly awarded)

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ZTC Impact Still to Come . . .

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  • 393 ZTC pathways in Acceleration I and Acceleration II phases scheduled to be available to students by Fall 2026

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  • At least 216 additional ZTC pathways in Acceleration II and Impact phases scheduled to be available to students by Fall 2027 – and colleges are still reporting their final pathways plans

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Original “stretch goal” was 500 ZTC pathways state-wide . . .

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ZTC Awardees Web Page Updated

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https://www.cccco.edu/About-Us/Chancellors-Office/Divisions/Educational-Services-and-Support/burden-free-instructional-materials/zero-textbook-cost-program/ztc-awardees

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Legislative Report and Ongoing Funding

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Now working on informational materials tailored to educate each legislator about the impact of the ZTC program in their respective region

ZTC campaign being planned to raise awareness about ZTC program’s accomplishments and cost-savings efforts for students

More information about opportunities to participate in ZTC advocacy will be forthcoming – be attentive to the ZTC listserv!!!

Chancellor’s Office will formally make the “ask” for ongoing ZTC funds

WE NEED YOUR DATA ON TIME! The ZTC Final Report will go live in mid-fall 2026 and be due by January 31, 2027

Reporting data on-time are crucial for the goal of informing the legislature and Dept of Finance regarding the ZTC Program’s accomplishments!

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LibreTexts OER Platform Launched March 2026

  • 5-year contract making OER storage and development/adaptation free to colleges
  • Supports Title 5 § 54221 passed last year by the BOG
  • Meets a key recommendation of the Burden-Free Instructional Materials Task Force
  • Supports Vision 2030 Equity in Access objective

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  • LibreVerse includes:

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    • OER Libraries
    • OER unlimited storage
    • OER development and adaptation tools
    • College showcase area for locally developed OER
    • H5P homework system
    • Direct API integration with Canvas
    • First Year: “The Forge” writing development program

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Options in the LibreVerse

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ASCCC OERI Contract

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  • Outcome Goals:

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    • Establish specific target goals for OER adoption

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    • Identify and/or develop OER to enable all Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs) to be ZTC pathways via OER

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    • Increase the availability of OER for CalGETC areas - with an emphasis on high-enrollment courses and areas with few OER options

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    • Review available OER for consistency with Common Course Numbering (CCN) templates and prioritize identification or development of OER for CCN courses

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    • Address difficult to convert disciplines/courses with new or updated OER

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    • Establish OER review cycle to maintain currency of commonly adopted OER

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Thank you!

www.cccco.edu