Now that the 2008-09 legislative session has wrapped up, ACSA is keeping an eye on a number of education-related bills that were awaiting action from the governor at press time.
At the top of this list is Assembly Bill 429, Brownley, D-Santa Monica, a measure that will help California gain a competitive edge for federal Race to the Top grants.
Sponsored by ACSA, AB 429 would require an advisory committee, by Jan. 1, 2011, to make recommendations to the superintendent of public instruction for the establishment of a methodology for measuring a school’s academic achievement growth and a pupil’s academic achievement growth more accurately and validly over time.
This bill would require the committee to consider a specified pilot study of academic growth measures in making its recommendations to the SPI, and that the recommendations be consistent with specified federal laws. The SPI would be required to immediately forward the committee’s recommendations to specified state entities.
Proposed guidelines by the U.S. Department of Education require states interested in applying for $4 billion in Race to the Top grants to create data systems that track student progress and measure performance from pre-kindergarten through college.
California tests were designed only to measure students’ knowledge against a set of standards for a specific grade, but not to show whether students are improving over time. AB 429 will allow parents and teachers to track individual students’ year-to-year progress in a variety of academic areas. The bill has no opposition and received bipartisan support through the legislative hearing process.
Other bills awaiting the governor’s signature as of press time include:
AB 487, Brownley, D-Santa Monica. Instructional materials: sale of surplus or undistributed obsolete instructional materials. The bill would require that all proceeds from any sale of surplus or undistributed obsolete instructional materials be made available for school districts and county offices of education to acquire basic instructional materials, supplemental instructional materials or technology-based materials. The bill would also delete a provision requiring the purchasing organization to agree to use the materials for educational purposes and make no charge to the persons to whom the organization gives or lends the materials. ACSA position: support.
AB 506, Furutani, D-Long Beach. State teachers retirement: postretirement earnings. This bill would, as of July 1, 2010, apply a limitation of $0 to the compensation for performance of specified activities as an employee of an employer, an employee of a third party, or as an independent contractor during the first six calendar months after a member retired for service, if the member is below normal retirement age at the time the compensation is earned. This bill would also extend the operation of these provisions until June 30, 2012. ACSA position: support.
AB 673, Carter, D-Rialto. Regional occupational centers or programs: apportionments. This bill would require, if the growth average daily attendance funded in the annual Budget Act for any fiscal year is a negative adjustment, that the existing formula for the calculation of the funded growth average daily attendance for ROC/Ps be inoperative for that fiscal year, and that the growth average daily attendance be calculated as a percentage reduction and allocated to each ROC/P as an equivalent percentage reduction to the cap on the average daily attendance of that ROC/P. ACSA position: support.
AB 691, Gilmore, R-Hanford. School districts: four-day school week. This bill would extend the authority to operate one or more schools on a four-day school week and apply minimum annual instructional time requirements and other specified requirements to the Alpaugh Unified School District, beginning in the 2010-11 fiscal year. The bill would provide that, if a school operating on a four-day school week pursuant to the bill fails to achieve its Academic Performance Index growth target for two consecutive years, the authority of that school to operate on a four-day school week would be permanently revoked, commencing with the beginning of the following school year. This provision would be repealed on Jan. 1, 2016. ACSA position: support.
AB 1130, Solorio, D-Santa Ana. Academic performance. This bill would state findings and declarations regarding standards-based education reform, assessments and accountability and the use of cohort growth measures in accountability systems and intervention determinations. This bill contains other related provisions. ACSA position: support.
AB 1281, Portantino, D-Pasadena. Pupil data: California School Racial Equality Designation Act. This bill would enact the School Racial Equality Designation Act. The bill would express findings and declarations of the Legislature relating to the collection of data on the race or ethnicity of persons who identify themselves as members of more than one race. This bill contains other related provisions. ACSA position: support.
AB 1435, V. Manuel Perez, D-Cathedral City. Public school accountability. Sponsored by ACSA, this bill would require the Public Schools Accountability Act advisory committee, by July 1, 2010, to make recommendations to the superintendent of public instruction regarding the inclusion of the results of the English language development test or series of tests developed or acquired pursuant to a specified provision and the feasibility of including English learner proficiency as part of the Academic Performance Index. The bill would require the SPI, with the approval of the state board, to include the results of the English language development test or series of tests developed or acquired pursuant to a specified provision and English language proficiency levels and growth of those levels in the API.
Assembly Joint Resolution 10, Torlakson. Social Security: retirement benefits: public employees. Signed by the governor, this resolution requests the President and the Congress of the United States to enact the Social Security Fairness Act of 2009, which would repeal the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision from the Social Security Act. ACSA position: support.
SB 84, Steinberg, D-Sacramento. Education finance. This bill would condition QEIA funding reductions upon certification that an equivalent amount of additional federal or state funds that may be used by a school district or chartering authority for revenue limit or general purpose uses have been made available. The bill would require the superintendent of public instruction and the director of finance to report to the Legislature by March 1, 2010, the amount of the reductions specified in the bill that will not be eligible for restoration with available federal funding. This bill contains other related provisions. ACSA position: support.
SB 147, DeSaulnier, D-Antioch. California State University: career technical education courses. This bill would require the university to recognize completion of all high school career technical education courses that meet model curriculum standards established by the SPI as satisfying completion of a general elective course requirement for admission to the university, if, by Jan. 1, 2014, the university has not developed that procedure. The bill would require the trustees to adopt related requirements based on the recommendations and judgment of the Academic Senate of the California State University. ACSA position: support.
SB 651, Romero, D-Los Angeles. Pupil Retention. This bill would require the SPI, on or before Aug. 1, 2011, and annually thereafter, to submit to the governor, the Legislature, and the State Board of Education, a report called the Annual Report on Dropouts in California. The bill would require, among other things, that the report contain specified information on dropout rates, graduation rates, pupil promotion rates, course enrollment patterns and behavioral data. The bill would require that the report include data from the most recent year and, at a minimum, the two prior years. The bill would also require the SPI to make an oral presentation of the contents of the report to the SBE and to make the contents of the report available on the CDEs Internet Web site. The bill would state the intent of the Legislature that the report be usable by specified groups for analyzing the high rate of dropouts in California. ACSA position: support if amended.
EdCal will report further on pending legislation in future editions. For current bill status and full language, visit www.sen.ca.gov.