BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                      



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          |SENATE RULES COMMITTEE            |                  AB 1330|
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                                 THIRD READING


          Bill No:  AB 1330
          Author:   Furutani (D)
          Amended:  8/30/11 in Senate
          Vote:     21

           
           SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE  :  6-1, 6/29/11
          AYES:  Lowenthal, Alquist, Hancock, Huff, Price, Simitian
          NOES:  Blakeslee
          NO VOTE RECORDED:  Runner, Liu, Vargas, Vacancy

           SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE  :  9-0, 8/25/11
          AYES:  Kehoe, Walters, Alquist, Emmerson, Lieu, Pavley, 
            Price, Runner, Steinberg

           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :  78-0, 6/2/11 - See last page for vote


           SUBJECT  :    Graduation requirements:  career technical 
          education

           SOURCE  :     Author


           DIGEST  :    This bill, commencing with the 2012-13 school 
          year, adds career technical education, as defined, as an 
          option for pupils to fulfill the existing high school 
          graduation requirement to complete a course in visual or 
          performing arts or foreign language, and requires school 
          districts that elect this option to notify parents, 
          teachers, pupils and the public, as specified.

           ANALYSIS  :    Existing law requires the governing board of a 
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          school district that maintains at least one high school to 
          prescribe courses of study designed to provide pupils with 
          the skills and knowledge required for adult life, including 
          a course of study designed to prepare prospective pupils 
          for admission to state colleges and universities and a 
          course of study for career technical training. 

          In order to graduate high school, current law requires all 
          pupils to:  (1) pass both the English language arts and 
          mathematics portions of the California High School Exit 
          Exam (CAHSEE); (2) complete the 13 year-long courses listed 
          below; and (3) complete other coursework requirements 
          adopted by the governing board of the school district.

          1.Three courses in English.
          2.Two courses mathematics.
          3.Two courses of science, including biological and physical 
            science.
          4.Three courses in social studies, including: United States 
            history and geography, one semester of American 
            government, and one semester of economics.
          5.One course in visual or performing arts or foreign 
            language. 
          6.Two courses in physical education, unless exempt by law. 
           
          High school students interested in matriculating to a 
          California public university upon graduation must complete 
          the minimum coursework for high school graduation and 
          satisfy the subject area requirements established by the 
          California State University (CSU) and the University of 
          California (UC) for undergraduate admission.  The following 
          pattern of coursework is commonly referred to as the "a-g" 
          requirements:  

          1.Two years of history/social science.
          2.Four years of college preparatory English or language 
            instruction.
          3.Three years of college preparatory mathematics (four 
            years recommended).
          4.Two years of laboratory science (three years 
            recommended).
          5.Two years of a foreign language (three years 
            recommended).
          6.One year of visual and performing arts.

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          7.One year of college preparatory electives.

          Existing law requires each school district maintaining any 
          of grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to offer courses of study 
          that (1) fulfill the requirements and prerequisites for 
          admission to California public institutions of 
          postsecondary education and (2) provide an opportunity for 
          pupils to attain entry-level employment skills in business 
          or industry.  School districts may fulfill their 
          responsibility pursuant to number (2) by adopting a 
          required curriculum that meets or exceeds the model 
          standards for career technical education (CTE) adopted by 
          the State Board of Education (SBE).  

          Existing law requires that, at the beginning of the first 
          semester or quarter of the regular school term, the 
          governing board of each school district notify the parent 
          or guardian of a minor pupil regarding the right or 
          responsibility of the parent or guardian under specified 
          law, as well as other specified information.  

          This bill:

          1.Adds, until July 1, 2017, and commencing with the 2012-13 
            school year, a course in CTE as an option to the existing 
            graduation requirement that pupils complete one course in 
            visual or performing arts (VPA) or foreign language.

          2.Defines a course in career technical education to mean a 
            course in a district-operated career technical education 
            program that is aligned to the career technical model 
            curriculum standards and framework adopted by the SBE.

          3.Clarifies that a school or school district that does not 
            currently offer career technical education courses is not 
            required to start a new career technical education 
            program for purposes of this bill. 

          4.Requires that a district or county office of education 
            that elects to allow a CTE course to satisfy graduation 
            requirements pursuant to the bill's provisions, prior to 
            offering the alternative to students, to notify parents, 
            teachers, pupils, and the public at a regularly scheduled 
            meeting of the governing board of the following:

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             A.   Its intent to do so.

             B.   The impact that this decision will have on the 
               availability of courses that meet UC and CSU 
               admission requirements and whether the CTE courses 
               to be offered meet these requirements.

             C.   The distinction, if any, between the district or 
               county office's graduation requirements and the 
               admission requirements of the CSU and UC.

          5.Requires the CDE to submit a comprehensive report to the 
            appropriate policy committees of the Legislature by 
            January 1, 2016, on the addition of career technical 
            education courses to satisfy the requirement , as 
            specified, but not limited to, the following information:

             A.    A comparison of the pupil enrollment in CTE 
                courses, foreign language courses, and visual and 
                performing arts courses for the 2005-06 to 2011-12 
                school years, inclusive, to the pupil enrollment in 
                CTE courses, foreign language courses, and visual and 
                performing arts courses for the 2012-13 to 2016-17 
                school years, inclusive.

             B.    The reasons, reported by school district, that 
                pupils give for choosing to enroll in a CTC course to 
                satisfy specified requirements.

             C.    The type and number of CTE courses that were 
                conducted for the 2005-06 to 2011-12 school years, 
                inclusive, compared to the type and number of CTE 
                courses that were conducted for the 2012-13 to 
                2016-07 school years, inclusive.

             D.    The number of CTE courses that satisfied the 
                subject matter requirements for admission to UC or 
                CSU.

             E.    The extent to which the CTE courses chosen by 
                pupils are aligned with the California Career 
                Technical Education Standards, and prepare pupils for 
                employment, advanced training, and postsecondary 

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                education.

             F.    The number of CTE courses that also satisfy the 
                visual and performing arts requirement, and the 
                number of CTE courses that also satisfy the foreign 
                language requirement.

          6.Allows the Superintendent to use existing state resources 
            and federal funds for the purposes of completing the 
            report.  If state or federal funds are not available or 
            sufficient, SPI may apply for and accept grants, and 
            receive donations and other financial support from public 
            or private sources.

          7.Allows the SPI to accept support, including, but not 
            limited to, financial and technical support, from high 
            school reform advocates, teachers, chamber organizations, 
            industry representatives, research centers, parents, and 
            pupils.

          8.Declares the intent of the Legislature that new CTE 
            courses that satisfy the foreign language requirement for 
            admission to the CSU and the UC focus on world languages 
            aligned with career pathways, emphasizing-real-world 
            application and technical content in related career and 
            technical education courses.

          9.Becomes inoperative on the earlier of the following two 
            days:

            A.   On the July 1, immediately following the first 
               fiscal year after the enactment of the act that adds 
               this paragraph in which the number of CTE courses 
               that, as determined by CDE, satisfy the foreign 
               language requirement for admission to the CSU and the 
               UC is at least twice the number of CTE courses that 
               meet these admission requirements as of January 1, 
               2012.  

            B.   On July 1, 2017, and, as of January 1, 2018, is 
               repealed unless a later enacted statute, that becomes 
               operative on or before January 1, 2018, deletes or 
               extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and 
               is repealed.

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           Comments
           
          According to the author's office, a February 2008 report 
          from the California Dropout Research Project concluded that 
          dropping out and low achievement have many shared causes, 
          including low engagement. In addition, a recent Public 
          Policy Institute of California (PPIC) report found that one 
          in four California high school students fails to graduate 
          and concluded that the programs that show promise in 
          keeping children in schools include career technical 
          education.  According to the author's office, the purpose 
          of this bill is to help students stay engaged during high 
          school and enable them to be successful by allowing them to 
          meet one of the graduation requirements by taking a CTE 
          course.

           Visual or performing arts/foreign language courses  .  
          Existing law requires that students complete a course in 
          visual performing arts or foreign language in order to 
          graduate high school.  According to the California Foreign 
          Language Project (a California Subject Matter project 
          professional development program designed to strengthen 
          foreign language instruction) foreign language education is 
          crucial for the development of California's economy, 
          domestic security and international peace, and the 
          sustaining of our multicultural society.  The federal No 
          Child Left Behind Act of 2001 defines "core academic 
          subjects" to mean English, reading or language arts, 
          mathematics, science, civics and government, economics, 
          history, geography, foreign language and arts.  With the 
          exception of the two physical education courses, all of the 
          state's graduation courses, including visual or performing 
          arts and foreign language, are considered core academic 
          subjects and enable students to meet "college prep" 
          coursework typically required by many postsecondary 
          institutions.  The UC for example, requires two years of 
          foreign language and one year of visual or performing arts 
          class in order to be eligible for admission.

           Career technical education (CTE) courses  .  This bill 
          requires that CTE courses that meet the graduation 
          requirement be aligned to the state CTE model curriculum 
          standards (adopted by the SBE in 2005).  However, there is 

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          no statewide mechanism in place to ensure that CTE courses 
          are aligned to the SBE standards, making it difficult to 
          know how many, and whether CTE courses meet these 
          standards.  While there are a number of CTE courses that 
          meet or even exceed the rigor of high school graduation 
          courses and more than 6,500 have been approved to meet the 
          "A-G" requirements, CTE courses vary in the degree of rigor 
          and alignment to the CTE standards.  Unless a CTE course is 
          "A-G" approved, it is unlikely the course grade would be 
          included in the GPA calculations used for admission to the 
          CSU or UC. 

           At the expense of foreign language and visual or performing 
          arts  ?  Given current fiscal conditions, it is not clear how 
          many school districts have the resources to provide CTE 
          options for students without reducing course options in 
          other areas.  In its report, the  2011-12 Budget: Year Two 
          Survey: Update on School District Finance in California  , 
          the LAO reports that 26 percent of districts have 
          discontinued their Arts and Music Block Grant programs 
          since flexibility was granted in 2009, and 77 percent have 
          diverted funds away from that program.  According to a 2009 
          report produced by the California Foreign Language Project, 
          "Learning World Languages and Cultures in California:  A 
          Stimulus for Academic and Economic Success, California's 
          foreign language course enrollment is below the national 
          average, with high school enrollment in California at 40.34 
          percent compared to 43.83 percent nationally. 

           Will this hurt or help our lowest-achieving students  ?  This 
          bill is based upon the premise that providing students the 
          option to take a CTE course instead of a visual or 
          performing arts, or foreign language course to meet 
          graduation requirements could help schools reduce their 
          dropout rates.  According to information from the CDE, in 
          2008-09, 60 percent of foreign language/visual or 
          performing arts courses and 10 percent of CTE courses met 
          the "A-G" requirements.  The CTE population 
          disproportionately consists of limited-English proficient 
          students, students with disabilities, minorities, and 
          high-poverty students.  This bill requires information in 
          the annual packet to parents as well as specified 
          notifications at a public school board meeting. 


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           Local control  .  Existing law prescribes 13 year-long 
          courses in order to graduate high school.  A good case 
          could be made that CTE, foreign language, and visual or 
          performing arts should each be required for high school 
          graduation.  Existing law grants local governing boards the 
          authority to establish local graduation requirements that 
          could conceivably include courses in all three areas. 

           Only district operated CTE programs  ?  This bill restricts 
          the CTE courses that may be taken to satisfy the graduation 
          requirement to district-operated CTE programs.  CTE courses 
          may also be delivered by Regional Occupational 
          Centers/Programs (ROC/P), partnership academies, 
          agricultural programs, and tech-prep programs.  While some 
          would argue that restricting the option to 
          district-operated CTE programs enables a district to have 
          greater control over the coursework, ROC/P programs 
          integrate core academic knowledge with technical and 
          occupational knowledge to provide students with a pathway 
          to postsecondary education and careers. 

           Prior/Related Legislation
           
          AB 2446 (Furutani), 2009-10 Session, was substantively 
          similar to this bill.  The bill was subsequently vetoed by 
          the Governor whose message read, in pertinent part:

            "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."
          
          In addition, the Legislature has considered several bills 
          attempting to encourage the offering of career technical 
          education courses including the following:

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          SB 381 (Wright), 2009-10 Session, would have prohibited 
          school districts from adopting the "a-g" requirements for 
          high school graduation unless they also required students 
          to complete career technical education courses, as 
          specified in order to receive a high school diploma.  (Held 
          under submission in Assembly Appropriations Committee)

          SB 147 (DeSaulnier), Chapter 168, Statutes of 2009, 
          requires the Trustees of CSU to develop by January 1, 2014, 
          a process by which students could satisfy the general 
          elective course requirement by completing a CTE course that 
          meets specified criteria.

          AB 554 (Furutani), 2009-10 Session, would have added one 
          course to the existing high school graduation requirements 
          and included CTE as an option to fulfill this additional 
          requirement.  (Held under submission in Assembly 
          Appropriations Committee)

          AB 2648 (Bass), Chapter 681, Statutes of 2008, requires the 
          Superintendent of Public Instruction to develop, in 
          conjunction with specified individuals, a report that 
          explores the feasibility of expanding and establishing 
          career multiple pathway programs.  Passed the Senate with a 
          vote of 26-9 on August 20, 2008.

          SB 672 (Torlakson), 2007-08 Session, required high schools 
          participating in the California Enhanced Instructional Time 
          Program pursuant to SB 681 (Torlakson), 2007-08 Session, to 
          adopt a graduation policy requiring pupils to complete two 
          CTE courses.  SB 672 and SB 681 were held in the Assembly 
          Education Committee.

           FISCAL EFFECT  :    Appropriation:  No   Fiscal Com.:  Yes   
          Local:  No

          According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:

                          Fiscal Impact (in thousands)

           Major Provisions                2011-12     2012-13    
           2013-14   Fund  


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          CTE courses                                       
          Potentially significant cost pressure             General*

          CDE reporting                      $22       $22  General

          *Counts toward meeting the Preposition 98 minimum funding 
          guarantee


           ASSEMBLY FLOOR  :   78-0, 6/2/11
          AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Allen, Ammiano, Atkins, Beall, Bill 
            Berryhill, Block, Blumenfield, Bonilla, Bradford, 
            Brownley, Buchanan, Butler, Charles Calderon, Campos, 
            Carter, Cedillo, Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Davis, Dickinson, 
            Donnelly, Eng, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong, Fuentes, Furutani, 
            Beth Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick, Gatto, Gordon, Grove, 
            Hagman, Halderman, Harkey, Hayashi, Roger Hernández, 
            Hill, Huber, Hueso, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, 
            Lara, Logue, Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mansoor, Mendoza, 
            Miller, Mitchell, Monning, Morrell, Nestande, Nielsen, 
            Norby, Olsen, Pan, Perea, V. Manuel Pérez, Portantino, 
            Silva, Skinner, Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torres, Valadao, 
            Wagner, Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, John A. Pérez
          NO VOTE RECORDED: Gorell, Hall


          CPM:do  8/30/11   Senate Floor Analyses 

                       SUPPORT/OPPOSITION:  NONE RECEIVED

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