BILL ANALYSIS Ó Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary Senator Christine Kehoe, Chair AB 180 (Carter) Hearing Date: 08/25/2011 Amended: 06/14/2011 Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-HernandezPolicy Vote: Education 10-0 _________________________________________________________________ ____ BILL SUMMARY: AB 180 requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and State Board of Education (SBE) to allow a dropout recovery high school to use, as part of the alternative accountability system, an individual pupil growth model that is proposed by the school and certified by the SPI. _________________________________________________________________ ____ Fiscal Impact (in thousands) Major Provisions 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Fund CDE review, certification Potentially significant start up, and ongoing costs General _________________________________________________________________ ____ STAFF COMMENTS: SUSPENSE FILE. This bill requires the SPI and the SBE to allow a dropout recovery high school, as defined in the bill, to report, in lieu of other indicators, the results of an individual pupil growth model that is proposed by the school and certified by the SPI. These provisions would, in effect, require the Department of Education (CDE) to review any proposal from a dropout recovery high school to use an individual pupil growth model, evaluate the model, and certify (or deny) its use as an alternative accountability measure. Pursuant to authorization provided through the Public Schools Accountability Act (SB 1x of the Statutes of 1999, Alpert), the SBE developed the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM) for schools under the jurisdiction of a county board of education or a county superintendent of schools, community day schools, and alternative schools, including continuation high schools and opportunity schools. The ASAM uses 15 indicators of accountability, and schools that choose to participate in the ASAM select three indicators that are then approved by the AB 180 (Carter) Page 1 district superintendent and governing board. In 2008, the SBE approved a conceptual framework for redesigning the existing ASAM to make it more rigorous. However, funding for redesigning the ASAM was vetoed, and the related work ceased. Eligible schools still have the opportunity to participate in the existing ASAM. The SPI and the SBE are currently tasked with making recommendations to the Legislature and the Governor, on establishing a methodology for generating a measurement of group and individual academic performance growth by using the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS). Those recommendations are due by July 1, 2013, after this bill would take effect. This bill specifically sets up a system outside the ASAM for evaluating certain dropout recovery high schools. AB 180 would define dropout recovery high schools as high schools in which 50 percent or more of its pupils are designated as dropouts pursuant to existing law and the school provides instruction in partnership with the federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA), the federally affiliated Youthbuild programs, the federal job corps training or instruction provided pursuant to a memorandum of understanding with the federal provider, or the California Conservation Corps (CCC) or local conservation corps certified by the CCC. The cost of this bill will depend upon the number of schools that propose individual pupil growth models they have developed, which must be reviewed by the CDE. While it is likely that only a few existing dropout recovery schools meet the criteria outlines in this bill, an exact number is not known, and the bill would apply to future dropout recovery schools that could meet the criteria. If the CDE is required to review individual growth models proposed by only a few schools, the ongoing fiscal effect could be a relatively minor increase in workload. However, the CDE would also likely have to provide technical assistance to dropout recovery high schools that are developing, or considering the development of individual growth models. Regardless of the number, however, there will be upfront costs to establish review criteria, and a process for certification by the SPI. This bill would specifically require the SPI and the SBE to certify the individual growth model, if the SPI AB 180 (Carter) Page 2 determines that the growth model proposed by the school meets the following criteria: Measures learning based on valid and reliable nationally normed or criterion-referenced reading and mathematics tests. Measures skills and knowledge aligned with state standards. Measures the extent to which a pupil scored above an expected amount of growth based on the individual pupil's initial achievement score. Demonstrates the extent to which a school is able to accelerate learning on an annual basis. The CDE and SBE would have to establish a process and policies for evaluating whether a proposed model meets the criteria, and for certifying the individual growth models. Those models would be used in lieu of other alternative accountability tools on an ongoing basis for each dropout recovery high school that has been certified to use its own model. It is also likely that the SPI would have to conduct periodic reviews of any certified individual growth models, especially to the extent that they interact with any future revision of the ASAM.