California's Assembly Bill 705 (2017, implemented 2019) is the most significant policy shift in community college writing placement in a generation. It requires colleges to maximize the probability that students complete transfer-level English within one year, using high school GPA as the primary placement signal, and to offer corequisite support models as an alternative to developmental sequences.
Research showed 60–70% of students placed into developmental writing at some colleges would have succeeded at transfer level if placed there directly. Students of color, multilingual students, and lower-income students were systematically placed into developmental sequences at higher rates. Early implementation results showed transfer-level completion doubling or tripling at colleges that fully implemented the law.
Students without high school transcripts (adults, GED completers, international students). Students at the lowest preparation levels who may need more support than corequisite sections provide. Significant variation in corequisite quality across the system. The need to identify which transfer-level students need support — itself a placement decision.
AB 705 prohibits standardized tests as the primary placement tool but does not prohibit writing samples as a supplemental measure. For students without transcripts, a writing sample is often the only valid placement data available. For corequisite placement, writing samples provide more relevant information than GPA alone. AI-assisted scoring makes direct writing assessment practical at community college scale.
Use GPA as primary signal where available. Develop a clear protocol for students without transcripts. Use writing samples to drive corequisite placement decisions. Document your process for Chancellor's Office compliance. Track DFW rates by placement method and student subgroup.
See our guides on writing placement beyond Accuplacer and Accuplacer alternatives for community colleges.