Through a strategic partnership with the Chancellor’s Office, the Success Center for California Community Colleges, housed at FoundationCCC, continues to advance the Direct Assessment Competency-Based Education (CBE) Project. The project is a multi-year, systemwide effort to modernize and expand equitable pathways to degree completion across California’s community colleges.

In collaboration with the Success Center for California Community Colleges, the Chancellor’s Office launched this project to explore direct assessment CBE as a scalable learning model that enables students to earn degree-applicable credentials by demonstrating mastery of competencies rather than classroom time. As a key partner, the Success Center manages a peer-learning community of seven pilot colleges through the design and implementation of the system’s first direct assessment CBE associate degree programs.  

 These Pilot Colleges Include: 

• Bakersfield College 
• Coastline College 
• East Los Angeles College  
• Merced College 
• Mt. San Antonio College 
• Shasta College 
• Southwestern College 

Early phases of the work focused on rigorous research, policy analysis, and cross-sector stakeholder engagement to ensure alignment with system priorities, accreditation requirements, and workforce needs.  

The project has since grown into a nationally significant collaborative effort, bringing together a coalition of state and national partners to further guide pilot colleges from design to action. In Fall 2025, three pilot colleges officially launched direct assessment CBE programs: Coastline College introduced Pace+, an AS in Management (Applied); Southwestern College launched CBE Accelerate, which includes an AS in Automotive Technology, along with a certificate in Automotive Systems; and Shasta College rolled out its Early Childhood Education CBE certificate.  

In partnership with the Success Center, Jobs for the Future, and the Chancellor’s Office, the pilot colleges also co‑developed the Direct Assessment CBE Implementation Blueprint, available on the Chancellor’s Office website, to serve as a practical guide to help colleges move from concept to launch with confidence. 

In embracing direct assessment CBE, this work positions California as a national leader in postsecondary innovation and reinforces FoundationCCC’s role as a trusted partner in advancing high-impact, equity-centered solutions at scale. 

Explore more details about Direct Assessment CBE >