Mission of C-ID/Vision of C-ID
C-ID is a faculty-driven system developed to assign identifying designations to significant transfer courses, addressing the need for common course numbering in the California Community College system. The C-ID process provides a mechanism to identify comparable courses among colleges based on a common course descriptor developed by intersegmental discipline faculty. Most C-ID descriptors identify lower-division transferable courses commonly articulated between colleges in the California Community College (CCC) system and universities, including the Universities of California, the California State Universities, as well as with many of California’s independent colleges and universities. In addition to the intersegmental work focused on transfer, C-ID has likewise facilitated the development of descriptors for non-transferable courses in career education and basic skills or pre-transfer fields to improve the portability of courses and articulation within the community college system. After the passage of SB 1440 (Padilla, 2010), C-ID’s robust structure and processes were leveraged to facilitate the development of Transfer Model Curricula (TMC), which serve as templates and structure for the associated local Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT).
ASCCC
Since 2007, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) has overseen and coordinated the Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID), providing staffing, resources, and structure. As the official voice of California community college faculty in academic and professional matters, the Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) is committed to advancing inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism, accessibility, student learning, and student success. The ASCCC acts to:
Engage faculty and system partners through collegial consultation
Empower faculty to engage in local and statewide dialogue and take action for the continued improvement of teaching, learning, and faculty participation in governance
Lead and advocate proactively for the development of policies, processes, and practices
Include diverse faculty, perspectives, and experiences that represent our student populations
Develop faculty as local and statewide leaders through personal and professional development
Organizational Structure
C-ID Organizational Structure Flowchart pdf
Policies and Guidelines
C-ID Handbook (Fall 2022 Revision) | PDF
C-ID Guidelines
- ADT Substitution Guidelines with Scenarios pdf
- Effective Practices for Determining Course Substitution for Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADT) pdf
C-ID Policies
- Appeals Process pdf
- Archiving Descriptors pdf
- Area of Emphasis Definition pdf
- COR Review Process Modification pdf
- CORE Removal pdf
- Course Status Definitions pdf
- Descriptor Development pdf
- Descriptor Numbering Protocol pdf
- Descriptor Review Process pdf
- General Education Component of ADTs pdf
- Incomplete FDRG Recommendations pdf
- ICC Responsibilities and Membership pdf
- Lowering Course Status pdf
- Model Curriculum Definitions pdf
- Number of TMC Per Discipline pdf
- Prerequisite/Corequisite Policy pdf
- Reciprocity pdf
- Reassessing Primary Determination of Final pdf
- Special Request for Modification to TMC pdf
- Textbook Date Requirements and the C-ID Review Cycle pdf
- TMC Development Criteria pdf
- TMC Development Guidelines pdf
- TMC Development Process pdf
- TMC Development – An Overview of Discipline Selection pdf
- TMC Modification, Discontinuation, and/or Consolidation Process pdf
- TMC Review and Revision Criteria pdf
History of C-ID
Since 2004, three key pieces of legislation have mandated clear and specific action from the California Community Colleges (CCCs) in order to support student success and improve transfer rates to the California State University (CSU) system. Senate Bill 1415 (2004, Brulte) sought to improve student outcomes through the establishment of a common course numbering system, Senate Bill 1440 (2010, Padilla) mandated the development of a new type of associate degree for transfer (ADT) designed to facilitate student transfer to the CSU, and Senate Bill 440 (2013, Padilla) expanded on the intent of the previous legislation regarding ADT development. Fortunately, most of this legislation allowed for faculty to take responsibility and propose a concerted, coordinated approach to implementation that would ensure that the CCC and CSU faculty remained in control of the curriculum and yielded additional benefits for students not dictated by the legislation. The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges (ASCCC) played a primary role in assisting the CCC system in responding to these legislative mandates by leading the creation of the Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID). C-ID facilitates the portability of courses between CCCs and supports the development of Transfer Model Curricula (TMCs) upon which the ADTs are based.
For more details on the history of C-ID, please visit our History of C-ID webpage.
Contact Us
Address: One Capitol Mall, Suite 230, Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-4753
Email: c-idsupport@asccc.org