Who We Are
CCGI manages CaliforniaColleges.edu. Codified in the California Education Code in 2021, CCGI is led by a team of experienced educators, counselors, equity champions, data experts, and higher education leaders. CCGI is rapidly scaling CaliforniaColleges.edu to empower all students with the tools they need to transition to their chosen college and career paths smoothly.
Our History
In 1998, the education segments in California jointly submitted an intersegmental budget proposal identifying the need for a “common front door to higher education and an electronic transcript platform.”
In 2000, the first version of CaliforniaColleges.edu was released, supported by the “student friendly services” budget line item (6100-172-0001).
In 2013, Tessa Carmen De Roy founded CCGI, envisioning a statewide solution for college and career knowledge development after over a decade working to promote college access and success for first-generation, college-bound students in Los Angeles County. Under her leadership, CCGI took over management of CaliforniaColleges.edu, which was primarily an informational website at the time, and developed a suite of tools and resources based on students’ own transcript data. Since then, CaliforniaColleges.edu has been iterated to meet the needs of students, educators, and parents/guardians by providing robust college and career planning and a data infrastructure driven by the unique and specific requirements of the state of California.
Established with support from the chancellors’ offices of the California Community Colleges (CCC) and California State University in 2019, College Next California helped K-12 districts in the Central Valley and Inland Empire gain access to all the data-driven functionality available on CaliforniaColleges.edu.
The California Cradle-to-Career Data System was established by AB 132 in 2021, and CCGI’s purpose was codified in California Education Code 60900.5. CaliforniaColleges.edu serves as one of the Cradle-to-Career Data System’s “practical tools” and forms the core of its college planning and application tools.
With the enactment of SB 153 in 2024, CCGI is further able to reduce barriers for students. All districts enrolling 9th to 12th grade public school students in California were instructed to ensure that their students receive transcript-informed partner accounts on CaliforniaColleges.edu. To support districts in doing so, Student Information System vendors are to comply with the new California High School Transcript and Student Record Portability Standard and its Data Specification. And, all 11th grade students are to be advised to complete Financial Aid lessons on CaliforniaColleges.edu.
AB 123 called upon the CSU and requested the UC develop freshman admission policies that treat college courses taken through dual enrollment with the same clarity as high school coursework, in a format suitable for electronic transmission to CaliforniaColleges.edu. SB 640 established Direct Admission to the CSU system utilizing CaliforniaColleges.edu data and reporting. And, after 12 years as its President, Tessa Carmen De Roy retired from her position at CCGI. She continues her systems change work through consulting and documentary filmmaking. Mary Aguayo, previously the Chief Impact Officer at CCGI, was named as CEO.
CCGI in the California Education Code
California Education Code Section 60900.5 broadly charged CCGI with several main areas of work, which are outlined below.
- Ensuring all 6th-12th grade students have accounts on CaliforniaColleges.edu.
- Developing college, career, and financial aid lessons and tools that facilitate college and career planning for students, families, and the educators serving them.
- Pre-populating applications to the California Community Colleges (CCC), California State University (CSU), and University of California (UC) systems with students’ courses, grades, and demographic information.
- Providing final transcripts to the state’s public higher education systems and transcript-level data to the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).
- Support local educational agencies to plan for and monitor use of planning tools and curriculum.
Our History with the Cradle-to-Career Data System
The California Cradle-to-Career Data (C2C) Data System, established by California Education Code Section 10860, “is a statewide longitudinal data system that provides tools to help students reach their goals and delivers information on education and workforce outcomes.”
The C2C Data System’s mission is to be “California’s source of actionable data and research on education, economic, and health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities; to expand access to tools and services to navigate the education to employment pipeline.”
Its vision is to:
- Connect “individuals and organizations with trusted information and resources”;
- Provide “insights into critical milestones in the pipeline from early care to K-12 to higher education, skills training, and employment”; and
- Empower “individuals to reach their full potential” and “foster evidence-based decision-making to help California build a more equitable future.”
SB 153 was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom on June 29, 2024, reinforcing the importance of CaliforniaColleges.edu as both a guidance and data infrastructure. Education Code additions and amendments codified through SB 153 will enable CCGI to provide transcript-informed accounts to all 9th-12th grade public school students, ensuring CCGI can scale the full suite of tools on CaliforniaColleges.edu statewide through partnerships with LEAs by 2026.
Our Work with the C2C Data System
California Education Code Section 60900.5 called for the scaling of CaliforniaColleges.edu, as part of the C2C Data System, to address multiple barriers that students experience and provide educators and educational systems with the tools and data they need to streamline processes related to admissions, placement, guidance, financial aid, and the provision of supportive services.
Through CaliforniaColleges.edu, CCGI and the C2C Data System support:
Students and families with exploring “key information to help plan for, apply to, and pay for college, streamline the college and financial aid application process, and monitor the status of college and financial aid applications.”
Educators with streamlining “college and financial aid application review,” monitoring “students’ college planning and application progress to support targeted interventions,” and developing “action plans based on data about learning, supportive services, and employment.”
The California Legislature, advocates, and researchers with analyzing “data collected from multiple sources to shape policy and advance educational equity.”