BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ķ



                                                                  AB 1330
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          Date of Hearing:   April 27, 2011

                           ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                                Julia Brownley, Chair
                AB 1330 (Furutani) - As Introduced:  February 18, 2011
           
          SUBJECT  :   Graduation requirements: career technical education 

           SUMMARY  :  Adds, commencing with the 2012-13 school year, career 
          technical education (CTE), as defined, as an option for pupils 
          to fulfill the existing high school graduation requirement to 
          complete a course in visual or performing arts (VPA) or foreign 
          language.    Specifically,  this bill  :   

          1)Defines "a course in career technical education" as a course 
            in a district-operated CTE program that is aligned to the CTE 
            standards and framework adopted by the State Board of 
            Education (SBE). 

          2)Specifies that the provisions of this bill do not require a 
            school or school district that currently does not offer CTE 
            courses to establish new CTE programs for purposes of meeting 
            the requirements of this bill and requires districts that 
            choose to offer CTE courses to pupils for purposes of meeting 
            the high school graduation requirements to fund those courses 
            through existing funds.

          3)Repeals the provisions of this bill on July 1, 2017. 

           EXISTING LAW  :

          1)Establishes the following minimum high school graduation 
            requirements for pupils in grades 9-12, inclusive:

             a)   Three years of English;
             b)   Two years of math;
             c)   Two years of science;
             d)   Three years of social studies, including United States 
               history and geography; world history, culture and 
               geography; and a one-semester course in American government 
               and civics and a one-semester course in economics;
             e)   One course in visual or performing arts (VPA) or foreign 
               language;
             f)   Two courses in physical education; and,
             g)   Other coursework that the governing board of the school 








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               district may specify.

          2)Specifies that governing boards, with the active involvement 
            of parents, administrators, teachers, and pupils, shall adopt 
            alternative means for pupils to complete the prescribed course 
            of study which may include practical demonstration of skills 
            and competencies, supervised work experience or other outside 
            school experience, CTE classes, courses offered by regional 
            occupational centers or programs (ROCPs), interdisciplinary 
            study, independent study, and credit earned at a postsecondary 
            institution, and requires that specified alternative modes for 
            completing the prescribed course of study shall be made 
            available to pupils, parents, and the public.

          3)Requires districts maintaining any of grades 7-12, inclusive, 
            to offer to all otherwise qualified pupils in those grade 
            levels a course of study that fulfills the requirements and 
            prerequisites for admission to California's public 
            institutions of postsecondary education.

          4)Requires districts maintaining any of grades 7-12, inclusive 
            to offer to all otherwise qualified pupils a course of study 
            that provides an opportunity for pupils to attain entry-level 
            employment skills in business or industry upon graduation from 
            high school.

          5)Requires, commencing with the 2003-04 school year and each 
            year thereafter, at least one course, or a combination of the 
            two courses, in mathematics required to be completed by pupils 
            while in grades 9 to 12, inclusive, prior to receiving a 
            diploma of graduation from high school, meet or exceed the 
            rigor of the content standards for Algebra I, as adopted by 
            the SBE.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  This bill is keyed non-fiscal, however, the 
          Assembly Appropriations Committee has requested this bill be 
          referred to them.  If this bill is passed by the Assembly 
          Education Committee, it will be referred to the Committee on 
          Appropriations to consider the fiscal implications.

          On an identical measure, AB 2446 of 2010, the Assembly 
          Appropriations Committee estimated General Fund/Proposition 98 
          cost pressure, likely between $880,000 and $1.5 million, to 
          school districts to provide increased CTE course offerings to 
          high school pupils.  








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           COMMENTS  :  The existing minimum high school graduation 
          requirements include one course in either VPA or foreign 
          language.  This bill adds CTE to this category as a course 
          option to meet the minimum graduation requirements in lieu of a 
          course in either VPA or foreign language.  An argument could be 
          made that this bill provides more options for pupils to complete 
          the minimum high school graduation requirements.  On the other 
          hand, this is a significant change that raises arguments over 
          whether the approach taken by this bill will reduce access to 
          courses in the curriculum that some would argue should be 
          expanded rather than diminished.  This is particularly relevant 
          in light of the growing concern over the narrowing of the 
          curriculum in schools and the reductions of course offerings in 
          arts and foreign language.  Additionally, this change may have 
          an effect on postsecondary admission eligibility for pupils that 
          exercise this option, thereby resurfacing the "either/or" debate 
          that has often dominated the discourse over CTE.  

           Core academic subjects  :  This bill appears to be based on the 
          premise that foreign language and VPA are non-core courses, and 
          therefore, proponents of this measure would argue that this bill 
          would add one more subject to the list of what are often viewed 
          as elective courses.  However, the federal No Child Left Behind 
          Act (NCLB) defines "core academic subjects" to mean English, 
          reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign 
          languages, civics and government, economics, arts, history, and 
          geography.  Supporters of foreign language and VPA argue that 
          these two subjects are core subject areas and thus should not be 
          diluted as a requirement for high school graduation.  
          Considering that VPA and foreign language are core content areas 
          under NCLB, it is not clear as to why the author is taking the 
          approach of allowing CTE to replace one of these core-content 
          courses and is not proposing to replace any of the other 
          existing core and non-core content areas.  The other graduation 
          requirements include, English, math, science, social studies, 
          history, civics and government and physical education; all of 
          which are core subject areas except physical education.  

          Some would argue that foreign language, VPA and CTE should all 
          be part of the graduation requirements, instead of making 
          students choose one over the other.  In fact, this bill points 
          to a much broader policy concern regarding the funding levels in 
          education and the precedent this bill could set.  Rather than 
          ensure pupils have access to a well-rounded education, this bill 








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          allows them to replace core subjects with non-core subjects, in 
          what some would argue is an attempt to accommodate the 
          insufficiency of education resources.  This Committee may wish 
          to consider whether this is the appropriate policy approach that 
          should be taken.  

          The SBE has adopted content standards in both VPA and foreign 
          language and it can be argued that each one of these subjects 
          plays a role in providing pupils a complete and well-rounded 
          education that keeps students engaged and motivated to stay in 
          school.  These two subject areas provide very valuable skills 
          and knowledge that can help pupils to be successful in the 
          global economy.  

           Foreign language  :  The benefits and importance of foreign 
          language study has been widely documented.  The Committee for 
          Economic Development (CED), an independent research and policy 
          organization of business leaders and educators, released a 
          report in 2006 titled, Education for Global Leadership: The 
          importance of International Studies and Foreign Language 
          Education for U.S. Economic and National Security.  The report 
          points out, "To confront the twenty-first century challenges to 
          our economy and national security, our education system must be 
          strengthened to increase the foreign language skills and 
          cultural awareness of our students.  America's continued global 
          leadership will depend on our students' abilities to interact 
          with the world economy."  The CED report further suggests, "The 
          need for foreign language skills is even more acute for our 
          national security.  The FBI and other federal government 
          agencies lack sufficient linguists to translate intelligence 
          information in critical languages in a timely manner. 
          Furthermore our diplomatic efforts have been hampered by a lack 
          of cultural awareness."  CED recommends to integrate 
          international content into the state's K-12 curriculum standards 
          and to require high school students to achieve proficiency in at 
          least one language in addition to their primary language.  

          Similarly, the California Master Plan for Education of 2002 
          recommends all schools to establish a foundation for students' 
          future mastery of a second language, by the end of elementary 
          school, and attainment of oral proficiency and literacy in both 
          English and at least one other language, by the end of secondary 
          school.  The Master Plan states, "Education must prepare 
          Californians for participation in the international community.  
          Ours is the nation's most linguistically rich state. At a time 








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          when global knowledge, skill, and understanding are at a 
          premium, California's multi-lingualism is an asset that should 
          be developed to a much greater extent. We must recognize our 
          state's widespread multiculturalism and bilingualism and embrace 
          them as 21st century educational and social resources."

          The State Board of Education (SBE) has adopted draft foreign 
          language content standards, now known as "world languages."  The 
          draft World Language Content Standards for California Public 
          Schools, Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve world language 
          content standards represent the knowledge, skills and abilities 
          that students should acquire during thirteen years in California 
          public schools.  The draft document states, "In order to succeed 
          in the 21st century, today's students need to develop linguistic 
          and cultural literacy, including academic knowledge, proficiency 
          in English, and in several of the world's languages and 
          cultures."  Recognizing the importance of cultural competence 
          and foreign language skills to compete successfully in the 
          global economy, some would argue that the existing high school 
          graduation requirements in the area of foreign language should 
          be strengthened and that foreign language learning should begin 
          earlier in a pupil's educational trajectory.  According to 
          information on the California Department of Education's (CDE) 
          Web site, in the 2008-2009 school year, 29,900 foreign language 
          courses were offered in 1,957 schools throughout the State. 

           Visual or performing arts  :  Supporters of VPA education would 
          argue that arts courses enhance creativity and critical thinking 
          abilities, which are recognized as important skills for the 
          workplace.  Like CTE, arts education has proven to be an 
          effective way to engage students in learning and in preventing 
          dropouts.  A review of research through a survey, "Critical 
          Links: Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social 
          Development," suggests that "education in the arts not only 
          fosters other specific skills but also improves students' 
          self-confidence and motivation to learn, particularly among poor 
          and other at risk students."  

          In 2001, the SBE adopted Visual and Performing Arts Content 
          Standards for California Public Schools, Pre-kindergarten 
          through Grade Twelve.  The standards include all four 
          disciplines of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts.  The VPA 
          standards were developed as a result of Senate Bill 1390 
          (Murray), Chapter 432, Statutes of 2000.  SB 1390 called for the 
          adoption of visual and performing arts content standards and 








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          stated that instruction in VPA should be made available to all 
          students.  The VPA standards state, "The arts convey knowledge 
          and meaning not learned through the study of other subjects. 
          Study in and through the arts employs a form of thinking and a 
          way of knowing based on human judgment, invention, and 
          imagination. Arts education offers students the opportunity to 
          envision, set goals, determine a method to reach a goal and try 
          it out, identify alternatives, evaluate, revise, solve problems, 
          imagine, work collaboratively, and apply self-discipline.  The 
          visual and performing arts are a vital part of a well-rounded 
          educational program for all students."

          Reports have shown that arts education in secondary schools 
          suffers from limited availability.  A recent report by SRI 
          International, An Unfinished Canvas, shows that 72% of high 
          schools fail to offer standards-aligned courses of study in all 
          four arts disciplines.  According to CDE data for 2008-09, 
          41,768 courses were offered in 3,242 of the State's schools.  
          Supporters of arts education have suggested that exposure to 
          arts education provides invaluable preparation for the world of 
          work.  VPA address and develop ways of thinking, questioning, 
          expression and learning that complement learning in other core 
          subjects and develop skills and abilities that are important for 
          students entering into the workforce after high school.  

           Career Technical Education  :  There is evidence that CTE has a 
          role in engaging students in academic learning and there is much 
          support in expanding opportunities that prepare pupils to make 
          choices for life after high school.  The SBE adopted Career 
          Technical Education Model Standards in 2005 and the CTE 
          Framework for California Schools for grades seven to twelve in 
          2007.  CTE course offerings range in method of delivery and 
          course content. CTE courses can be delivered by ROCPs, 
          partnership academies, agricultural programs, and tech-prep 
          programs and the courses offered vary in the degree of rigor and 
          alignment to the CTE standards, thus raising the question of 
          whether CTE courses are as rigorous as the high school 
          graduation required courses.  There are a number of CTE courses 
          that do meet and even exceed the rigor of high school graduation 
          courses and are approved and recognized to meet the A-G criteria 
          but not all CTE courses do.  This bill requires CTE courses 
          counted towards meeting the graduation requirements to be 
          CTE-standards aligned.  It is difficult to know how many of the 
          CTE courses in fact meet the CTE standards, as there is no 
          statewide mechanism in place to review and ensure that CTE 








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          courses are aligned to the CTE standards.  Districts that 
          receive funds from the Carl Perkins Career and Technical 
          Education Improvement Act are required to show in their Perkins 
          plan that course offerings are aligned to the CTE standards.  

          This bill limits the CTE courses that could count towards high 
          school graduation to those that are district-operated programs.  
          Programs such as county-operated ROCPs would not count towards 
          high school graduation.  According to information on the 
          California Department of Education's Internet Web site, there 
          are currently 42 county-operated ROCPs, 6 single district ROCPs, 
          and 26 joint powers agreement (JPA) ROCPs.  Currently ROCP 
          teachers do not have to meet the highly qualified teacher 
          requirements, unless that teacher teaches a core subject.  The 
          CTE instructor must, however be properly credentialed in their 
          respective CTE discipline.  The California Department of 
          Education (CDE) has established a policy regarding the "highly 
          qualified teacher" provisions of NCLB that states, "in order to 
          be considered highly qualified, a teacher must have a four-year 
          college degree and meet all other credentialing requirements.  
          If a CTE teacher does not have a four-year college degree and 
          his/or her class is an option for a  core  course for graduation 
          purposes, he/or she may not be meeting the highly qualified 
          teacher requirements."  The guidance that CDE has offered 
          regarding alternative ways of meeting the core subject 
          graduation requirements, however does not address the issue 
          regarding CTE teachers who teach CTE courses that meet the 
          alternative graduation requirements but do not have a four-year 
          degree because California's CTE credentials do not require a 
          4-year college degree.  It is uncertain that limiting the types 
          of CTE courses that would count towards high school graduation 
          to courses that are part of district-operated CTE programs would 
          addresses the issue of meeting the "highly qualified teacher" 
          requirements under NCLB.  

          Under current law, districts are required to adopt alternative 
          means for pupils to complete the prescribed course of study 
          which may include practical demonstration of skills and 
          competencies, supervised work experience or other outside school 
          experience, CTE classes, courses offered by ROC/Ps, 
          interdisciplinary study, independent study, and credit earned at 
          a postsecondary institution.  Districts have the option of 
          adopting alternatives for pupils to complete high school 
          graduation requirements. 
           








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          Effect on UC/CSU admission eligibility  :  The Board of Admissions 
          and Relations with schools (BOARS) establishes the subject areas 
          and pattern of courses required for minimum eligibility for 
          freshman admission to the University of California (UC).  These 
          requirements are known as the A-G requirements, and the 
          California State University (CSU) system also accepts courses 
          certified by BOARS as minimum eligibility requirements.  The A-G 
          requirements consist of 15 courses and three recommended courses 
          as follows:
           ---------------------------------------------- 
          |History/Social Science - 2 years required     |
          |----------------------------------------------|
          |English - 4 years required                    |
          |----------------------------------------------|
          |Mathematics - 3 years required, 4 years       |
          |recommended                                   |
          |----------------------------------------------|
          |Laboratory Science - 2 years required, 3      |
          |years recommended                             |
          |----------------------------------------------|
          |Language Other than English - 2 years         |
          |required, 3 years recommended                 |
          |----------------------------------------------|
          |Visual and Performing Arts - 1 year required  |
          |----------------------------------------------|
          |College-Preparatory Electives - 1 year        |
          |required                                      |
           ---------------------------------------------- 
          Recognizing that this bill could result in high school students 
          graduating without taking a single course in foreign language, 
          or VPA, it must be noted that this could have an effect on a 
          pupil's eligibility for admission to UC and CSU because both of 
          these are courses required for minimum eligibility for freshman 
          admission to California's four-year public postsecondary 
          institutions.   Staff recommends  an amendment to add a 
          requirement for school districts that elect to offer CTE as a 
          course option within the high school graduation requirements to 
          notify in writing pupils and their parents, legal guardians or 
          education rights holder that exercising this option could have 
          an effect on pupils' eligibility for admission to UC or CSU and 
          to also notify pupils of the availability of CTE courses that 
          meet the A-G requirements, if any.  

          A substantially similar measure, AB 2446 (Furutani), was vetoed 
          by Governor Schwarzenegger in 2010 expressing concerns that this 








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          bill could be construed to impose higher costs without a fund 
          source.  The enrolled version of AB 2446 included several 
          provisions that are not in the introduced version of this bill.  
          One of those was a requirement for a school district or county 
          office of education (COE) that elects to allow a CTE course to 
          satisfy the graduation requirements to notify, prior to offering 
          that alternative to pupils, the public at a regularly scheduled 
          meeting of the governing board about all of the following: 

               1.     The intent to offer career technical education 
                 courses to fulfill the graduation requirements;
               2.     The impact that offering career technical education 
                 courses, will have on the availability of A-G courses and 
                 whether the career technical education courses to be 
                 offered are approved to satisfy those eligibility 
                 requirements; and, 
               3.     The distinction, if any, between the high school 
                 graduation requirements of the school district or county 
                 office of education and the A-G requirements.

           Staff recommends  the bill be amended to include these provisions 
          in order to provide teachers, parents, pupils and the public an 
          opportunity to learn about the impact this bill could have on 
          course offerings and on UC/CSU eligibility.  

          The enrolled version of the bill also included a requirement for 
          the CDE to report to the appropriate policy committees of the 
          Legislature specified information to help the Legislature assess 
          and evaluate the impact of this policy on dropout rates, course 
          offerings, and other opportunities for pupils.  Since these 
          provisions sunset in five years, it is important for the 
          Legislature to have this information.   Staff recommends  the bill 
          be amended to include a similar requirement for CDE to report on 
          the following: 

             1.   The number of pupils who took a career technical 
               education course in order to fulfill the requirement 
                        specified in this bill. A school district may report this 
               number through the California Longitudinal Pupil 
               Achievement Data System;
             2.   Reasons given by pupils for choosing to enroll in a 
               career technical education course to satisfy the 
               requirement specified in this bill;
             3.   The type and number of CTE courses that were available 
               for pupil enrollment;








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             4.   The number of CTE courses that satisfied the subject 
               matter requirements for admission to the University of 
               California or the California State University;
             5.   The extent to which the CTE courses addressed local 
               workforce needs;
             6.   The impact on VPA and foreign language courses that 
               resulted from pupils choosing to enroll in CTE courses to 
               satisfy the graduation requirement specified in this bill; 
               and
             7.   Annual pupil dropout and graduation rates for the 
               2010-11 to 2013-14 school years, inclusive.

           Impact on English learners  :  Linguistic minority students are 
          the fastest growing demographic group in California and they 
          enter school at considerable disadvantages relative to their 
          native English speaking peers.  Approximately 1/3 of all English 
          learner (EL) students are found in grades 7-12.  According to a 
          report titled, Promoting Academic Literacy Among Secondary 
          English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Research and Practice, 
          secondary English learners are the fastest growing segment of 
          ELs; and older ELs "have less time to acquire both English and 
          the academic skills they need to get ready for high school 
          graduation and to prepare for post-secondary options."  It has 
          been documented that secondary ELs encounter difficult 
          challenges in acquiring the language, more specifically the 
          academic English of the classroom and of texts, and the 
          disciplinary content material such as history, social studies, 
          science, mathematics and literature that is required for high 
          school graduation and for success in postsecondary life.  This 
          affects newcomer high school ELs the most as they struggle in 
          meeting graduation requirements while trying to learn the 
          language and subject matter content, and they also have a more 
          difficult time meeting the A-G requirements.  Arguments have 
          been made that this bill could impede EL access to meet the A-G 
          requirements due to the number of intervention and support 
          classes in English and math that crowd out access to courses in 
          arts, foreign language, and even science and social studies, 
          hence making it more important to give pupils and parents 
          notification of the potential impact on UC/CSU eligibility if a 
          pupil chooses to take a CTE course instead of a VPA or foreign 
          language class.  

           Sequences of courses and multiple pathway programs  :  Research 
          has shown that pupils that complete both an academic and a CTE 
          sequence of courses in high school have the greatest likelihood 








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          of being employed in professional, managerial, or skilled jobs 
          and have the greatest likelihood of being enrolled in 
          postsecondary education.  Furthermore, the California Career 
          Technical Education 2010 Longitudinal Study shows that CTE 
          students generally had better grades in their CTE courses if 
          they took more of them within a single industry sector and 
          students with only one course in a sector had the lowest CTE 
          grades, and that salaries increased post-high school by number 
          of courses taken in a sequence up to the point of four courses 
          where there occurred a drop off in average wages earned.  Hence, 
          it is questionable that one CTE course will have an impact in 
          job and postsecondary readiness for pupils.  Proven and 
          promising programs like the California Partnership Academies and 
          multiple pathway programs promote CTE course sequences with 
          academic coursework as integral components to prepare pupils for 
          college and careers.

          A previously enacted measure, AB 2648 (Bass, Carter & Furutani), 
          Chapter 681, Statutes of 2008, required the Superintendent of 
          Public Instruction (SPI) to develop, in conjunction with 
          specified individuals, a report that explores the feasibility of 
          expanding and establishing career multiple pathway programs.  
          The "multiple pathways" can deliver a rigorous and relevant 
          curriculum that includes core academics, applied learning and a 
          CTE course sequence.  The integration of career based themes and 
          content across all subject areas is a promising approach that 
          would give students the opportunity to access both core content 
          and CTE without having to choose one over the other.  The report 
          suggests that currently, the requirements for high school 
          graduation, as defined in the California Education Code, do not 
          meet actual admission requirements of many postsecondary 
          educational institutions, and while the report does not include 
          recommendation on this particular subject, it does suggest that 
          the multiple pathways approach could work to relieve the 
          concerns that students who take an applied course sequence 
          cannot be eligible for the UC or CSU, and that students who 
          complete the A-G sequence will have no room in their schedule 
          for CTE courses.  A bill by the same author, AB 790 (Furutani), 
          also scheduled to be heard in this Committee on April 27, 
          establishes a pilot program for the implementation of 
          district-wide multiple pathway programs in at least 20 
          participating school districts.  The idea behind the pilot is 
          that all high schools within a participating school district 
          would implement multiple pathway approaches, and as the language 
          in AB 790 states, "The multiple pathway approach is one of the 








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          most promising high school transformational strategies and can 
          be expanded to play a pivotal role in enabling all of our pupils 
          to be well prepared for life and workforce demands in a 21st 
          Century global economy."      

           Arguments in support  : The State Building and Construction Trades 
          Council, the sponsor of the bill writes, "AB 1330 would increase 
          access to these courses by allowing students to choose to enroll 
          in a CTE course instead of a visual or performing arts course or 
          a foreign language course.  The ability to choose will help 
          students become more engaged in their education and will improve 
          graduation rates and levels of postsecondary education 
          enrollment in college, universities or apprenticeship programs.  
          Since a recent study entitled: The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives 
          of High School Dropouts found that 47% of high school dropouts 
          indicated that they were not interested in or engaged in their 
          coursework the new choice that AB 1330 would provide students 
          might very well help mitigate that statistic."  

          The California Manufacturers & Technology Association writes, 
          "Our member companies are already finding it difficult to find 
          qualified machinists, engineers, and other manufacturing 
          workers.  This promises to become a workforce shortage crisis in 
          the future as aging baby boomers retire in ever increasing 
          numbers.  This means that in the coming decades the California 
          economy will be offering exciting and well-compensated 
          employment for students who acquire high level technical skills 
          in manufacturing, construction, healthcare, and many other 
          industry sectors.  These jobs often require less than a 
          bachelors degree, but require a rigorous curriculum that 
          includes core academics and applied learning opportunities."  
            
            Arguments in opposition  :  The California Alliance for Arts 
          Education writes, "AB 1330 would undermine access to arts 
          education courses by allowing students to substitute Career 
          Technical Education courses for current requirements in visual 
          and performing arts or foreign language.  While we support 
          efforts to create pathways to the workforce for students, we 
          believe this legislation unfairly targets arts education and 
          prevents every student from gaining access to the unique 
          training and skills that grow from quality arts education.  
          Classes in dance, music, theater, and visual arts are the very 
          courses that engage at-risk students who might otherwise drop 
          out from school. With high school drop out rates soaring in 
          California, we cannot risk a further disincentive to attending 








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          school." 

          Public Advocates has an oppose unless amended position on this 
          bill and is seeking the following amendments: require that the 
          optional CTE course is A-G aligned; require that the optional 
          CTE course be one of at least 2 CTE courses, the demonstrated 
          number of courses necessary to see academic improvement; School 
          districts that implement the option must be required to provide 
          full disclosures to individual students and their families that 
          they may be foregoing their eligibility for college or 
          university; Schools who choose to substitute a CTE course for 
          the arts/foreign language course requirement must provide CTE 
          courses that meet the minimum content standards adopted by the 
          State Board of Education; and to condition the use of this 
          curriculum flexibility by prohibiting districts from reducing 
          their existing course offerings for visual and performing arts 
          or foreign language after adopting AB 1330's flexible graduation 
          standard.  Public advocates further notes, "Without these 
          amendments, AB 1330 will lower graduation standards by making it 
          easier for poor performing students to get a diploma without 
          preparation for any post-secondary option, meaning students will 
          be much more likely to graduate prepared for neither career nor 
          college."  

           Related legislation  :  AB 790 (Furutani & Carter) establishes the 
          Multiple Pathway Pilot Program to be administered by the 
          California Department of Education (CDE) according to specified 
          requirements for the purpose of implementing district-wide 
          multiple pathway learning approaches in all participating school 
          districts, and authorizes a school district that maintains 
          grades 9 to 12, inclusive, to apply to the Superintendent of 
          Public Instruction (SPI) to operate a pilot program.  Requires 
          the SPI to transmit a report to the Legislature and the Governor 
          by January 18, 2018, that makes specified evaluations and 
          recommendations.

          AB 815 (Brownley) establish the State Seal of Biliteracy to 
          recognize high school graduates who have attained a high level 
          or proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing in one or more 
          languages in addition to English.  AB 815 is pending in this 
          Committee.  

           Previous legislation  :  AB 2446 (Furutani) of 2010, a 
          substantially similar measure, adds, commencing with the 2011-12 
          school year, CTE, as defined, as an option for pupils to fulfill 








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          the existing high school graduation requirement to complete a 
          course in VPA or foreign language.  Requires the California 
          Department of Education (CDE), on or before January 1, 2015, to 
          report to the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature 
          specified data and information relative to the course taking in 
          CTE and the impact this bill has had on other subject areas, and 
           requires a school district or COE that chooses to offer CTE 
          course as an option for pupils to meet graduation requirements 
          to notify the public, as specified, through a regularly 
          scheduled board meeting Sunsets the provisions of the bill on 
          July 1, 2016.  AB 2446 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger 
          with the following veto message: 

               Improving and expanding Career Technical Education 
               (CTE) opportunities has been among my highest 
               priorities.  While I am supportive of the author's 
               intent to give CTE a prominent place in high school 
               graduation priorities, the final version of this bill 
               omitted my Administration's proposed amendments that 
               were intended to limit the new costs to school 
               districts.  Therefore, I am concerned that this bill 
               could be construed to impose higher costs without a 
               fund source, which could also be interpreted as a 
               state reimbursable mandate.  Given that school budgets 
               are very constrained due to the recession, adding new 
               costs at this time is not advisable.

          SB 253 (Wyland) of 2010, a substantially similar measure, adds, 
          commencing with the 2011-12 school year and for five years 
          thereafter, career technical CTE, as defined, as an option for 
          pupils to fulfill the existing high school graduation 
          requirement to complete a course in VPA or foreign language.  SB 
          253 was referred to the Assembly Rules Committee. 

          AB 554 (Furutani) adds one course to the existing minimum high 
          school graduation requirements and includes career technical 
          education (CTE) as an option to fulfill this additional 
          requirement.  AB 554 was held in the Assembly Appropriations 
          Committee suspense file. 

          AB 2648 (Bass, Carter & Furutani), Chapter 681, Statutes of 
          2008, requires the SPI to develop, in conjunction with specified 
          individuals, a report that explores the feasibility of expanding 
          and establishing career multiple pathway programs.









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          SB 672 (Torlakson) of 2008 requires high schools participating 
          in the California Enhanced Instructional Time Program, pursuant 
          to Senate Bill 681 (Torlakson) of 2008, to adopt a graduation 
          policy that requires pupils to complete two courses in CTE.  SB 
          672 was held in the Assembly Education Committee. 

          AB 272 (Kuehl) of 1999 increases course requirements for the 
          receipt of a high school diploma to require one year-long course 
          in visual or performing arts and one year-long course in a 
          foreign language, commencing with the graduating class of the 
          2004-2005 school year.  AB 272 was held in the Senate 
          Appropriations Committee. 

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   
           Support 
           Association of California School Administrators
          Automotive Service Councils of California
          California Autobody Association 
          California Association of Leaders for Career Preparation
          California Association of Regional Occupational Centers and 
          Programs
          California Business Education Association
          California Farm Bureau
          California Federation of Teachers
          California Manufacturers & Technology Association 
          California School Employees Association
          California Teachers Association 
          Engineering & Utility Contractors Association
          Golden State Builders Exchanges 
          State Building and Construction Trades Council (Sponsor)

           Opposition 
           Alliance for a Better Community 
          Arts for LA
          California Alliance for Arts Education
          California Art Education Association
          California Association for Health, Physical Education, 
          Recreation and Dance
          California Dance Education Association
          California Language Teachers Association 
          Californians for Justice
          Californians Together 
          Education Trust-West
          LEAP
          Performing Arts Workshops








                                                                  AB 1330
                                                                  Page  16

          Public Advocates (Unless Amended) 
          Theatre Bay Area
          Individuals

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Marisol Aviņa / ED. / (916) 319-2087