BILL NUMBER: AB 272 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 30, 2009
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 14, 2009
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Solorio
( Coauthor: Assembly Member
Torlakson )
FEBRUARY 12, 2009
An act to add and repeal Chapter 3.75 (commencing with Section
44788) of Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code,
relating to teachers schools .
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 272, as amended, Solorio. Teachers: professional
development. Leadership for English Learner Success
Program.
Existing law establishes the professional development block grant
to apportion funds to school districts for the purpose of funding
specified staff development, credentialed teacher retention in
high-priority schools, as defined, and intersegmental programs, as
specified.
This bill would authorize an institution of higher education, a
nonprofit organization specializing in English learner research or
professional development, or a county office of education with
demonstrated success in establishing and implementing English learner
professional development programs to offer a Leadership for English
Learner Success Program for school administrators or counselors, or
both, under contract or other cooperative arrangement with a school
district. The program would be required to include specified
components. Necessary facilities and equipment would be provided by
the school district and the necessary instructional materials would
be provided by the contractor. The program would be implemented with
funds from the school improvement grants component of the American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The program would become
inoperative on July 1, 2015, and, as of January 1, 2016, would be
repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on
or before that date, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes
inoperative and is repealed. The bill would require
the State Department of Education to submit to the Legislature, by
November 1, 2013, a report that evaluates the program and would
require school districts that offer the program to provide the
department with the information necessary to complete that report.
This bill would make these provisions inoperative on July 1, 2015,
and would repeal them as of January 1, 2016.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the
following:
(1) Millions of school-aged immigrants have arrived at the doors
of California's public schools, filling our classrooms with the most
ethnically, linguistically, and culturally diverse populations ever.
(2) Each year, thousands of California children who are United
States citizens come to school from homes where languages other than
English are spoken primarily.
(3) Educators need to make sure these learners reach the new,
higher standards set for all pupils in California as well as teach
them English.
(4) Schools must show that their programs are research based, has
sufficient resources to succeed, and result in pupils overcoming the
language barrier.
(5) Good instruction, a comprehensive program, and an accountable
school community must all be in place for English learner success.
Effective schools are able to put these ingredients into place
because they have knowledgeable, focused, and strong leadership at
the site and district level and these leaders have built the systems
and supports necessary to create and sustain the services and
programs that pupils need.
(6) Effective leaders must respond to pupil needs and build
accountability for inclusion and English learner success into the
life of the school. Effective leaders must understand the research
and theory behind second language development and have a very clear
vision of a program that is built upon research. Effective leaders
build consensus behind a vision of English learner success and
motivate, inspire and provide supports necessary to create and
sustain the services and programs that pupils need.
(b) The Legislature recognizes that the usual preparation and
professional development required by law of school administrators may
not provide sufficient exposure to the range of new and innovative
strategies and techniques necessary to strengthen their ability to
effectively and efficiently lead an organization and build the
capacity of staff to enhance the academic performance of English
learners.
(c) The Legislature, therefore, intends to establish a
professional development program for school administrators, to be
known as the "Leadership for English Learner Success Program."
SEC. 2. Chapter 3.75 (commencing with Section 44788) is added to
Part 25 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Education Code, to read:
CHAPTER 3.75. LEADERSHIP FOR ENGLISH LEARNER
SUCCESS PROGRAM
44788. An institution of higher education, a nonprofit
organization specializing in English learner research or professional
development, or a county office of education with demonstrated
success in establishing and implementing English learner professional
development programs may offer a Leadership for English Learner
Success Program for school administrators or counselors, or both,
under contract or other cooperative arrangement with a school
district. The program is voluntary, and participation is voluntary.
44788.1. An A Leadership for English
Learner Success Program shall not duplicate but build upon the
English learner components of the Administrator Training Program
established pursuant to Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 44510)
of Chapter 3.
44788.2. (a) The Leadership for English Learner
Success Program shall include, but not be limited to, strategies to
enable administrators and counselors who participate in the program
to accomplish all of the following:
(1) Create designated roles and structures for staff with specific
responsibility for the education of English learners while infusing
responsibility for English learners across roles and structures that
are not specific to English learners.
(2) Obtain and maintain active engagement of parents.
(3) Gauge the implications of current planning efforts for English
learners and steps for revision.
(b) The Leadership for English Learner Success Program
shall provide administrators and counselors who participate in the
program the knowledge and understanding of all of the following:
(1) The following skills that are needed by teachers to serve
English learners:
(A) Stages of second language development and the implications for
instruction.
(B) The different types of English learners and the implications
for instruction.
(C) Program options available to English learners.
(D) Strategies to build cultural competencies for all pupils.
(E) Strategies of specially designed academic instruction in
English that provide English learners with access to grade level
curriculum.
(F) Content-specific academic English and strategies for
developing academic English among English learners.
(2) Funding resources for English learners and the processes to
obtain funding.
(3) Parent rights, parent notifications, program options and
placement, and parent choice.
(c) The Leadership for English Learner Success Program
shall give administrators and counselors who participate in the
program approaches for creating mechanisms that ensure good
coordination, consistent focus, and communication across all
departments and aspects of the school.
(d) The Leadership for English Learner Success Program
shall identify and provide tools designed to gauge gaps in the
services and supports provided by the district, and in the
relationship between district and sites, that if addressed, would
strengthen programs for English learners.
(e) The Leadership for English Learner Success Program
shall provide administrators and counselors tools and support that
address, at least, all of the following:
(1) The ability to diagnose barriers to change and identify
opportunities for strengthening English learner responsiveness in the
school.
(2) Ways to support improvements in practice and program design.
(3) Ways of inspiring and motivating school personnel for the
purpose of increased responsiveness to the needs of English learners.
44788.3. The governing board of a school district may offer a
Leadership for English Learner Success Program and shall provide the
following information to prospective participants:
(a) The objectives of the school district in establishing the
project.
(b) The process and criteria to be used to select the program
participants.
(c) The duration of the program and the number of hours per week
each program participant would be in the program.
(d) The courses to be made available to program participants
through the school district and in collaboration with its contractor.
(e) A description of the criteria and manner in which the program
participants will be evaluated upon completion of the program.
(f) A description of the criteria and manner in which the program
will be evaluated.
(g) The proposed expenditures and an outline of proposed federal,
state, or local fund matching requirements.
44788.4. Necessary facilities and equipment shall be provided by
the school district and the necessary instructional materials shall
be provided by the contractor.
44788.5. The program shall be implemented with funds from the
School Improvement Grants component of the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act (Public Law 111-4). A school district may use any
other appropriate federal or state funds for purposes of this
chapter.
44788.6. (a) By November 1, 2013, the department shall submit to
the Legislature, including the chairpersons of the education policy
committees, a report that evaluates the program established pursuant
to this chapter. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the
number of administrators and counselors participating in the program
and the extent to which the objectives of the program are being met.
(b) A school district that offers a program pursuant to this
chapter shall provide the department with the information the
department deems necessary for the completion of the report that the
department is required to prepare pursuant to subdivision (a).
44788.6. 44788.7. This chapter
shall become inoperative on July 1, 2015, and, as of January 1, 2016,
is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative
on or before January 1, 2016, deletes or extends the dates on which
it becomes inoperative and is repealed.