BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 532|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 532
Author: Hernandez (D)
Amended: 4/26/11
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/13/11
AYES: Lowenthal, Runner, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Blakeslee, Huff, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Pupil instruction
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to annually update the information on advanced
placement available on the California Department of
Education Web site, inform specified high schools of the
various options for making advanced placement courses and
other rigorous courses available to pupils who may benefit
from them, and encourages the Academic Senates for the
California Community Colleges, the California State
University, and University of California to continue their
efforts to adopt consistent systemwide guidelines for the
acceptance and granting of credit for International
Baccalaureate Diploma Program courses taken by students
while they are in high school.
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ANALYSIS : Current law contains legislative findings and
declarations stating the that advanced placement (AP)
courses, among other things, help to improve the overall
curriculum at schools where they are provided and provide a
cost-effective means for high school pupils to obtain
college-level coursework experience.
Current law recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB)
Diploma Programs.
This bill:
1.Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI)
to annually update the information on AP courses
available on the Internet Web Site of the California
Department of Education to include current information on
the various means available to school districts to offer
or access AP courses, including online courses.
2.Requires the SPI to annually communicate with high
schools that offer AP courses in fewer than five subjects
and inform them of the various options for making AP
courses and other rigorous courses available to pupils
who may benefit from them.
3.Encourages the Academic Senate for the California
Community Colleges, the California State University
(CSU), and the University of California (UC) to continue
their efforts to adopt consistent systemwide guidelines
for the acceptance and granting of credit for IB Diploma
Program courses taken by students while they are in high
school.
Comments
Status of AP Course Offerings in California High Schools ?
According to the CDE, 36 different kinds of AP courses were
offered in over 1,000 California high schools in 2008-09.
Approximately 470,000 students statewide enrolled in over
17,000 classes. While the number and type of courses
offered vary across the state and within schools, courses
in AP English Language, English Literature and Composition,
Spanish, Calculus, Biology, U.S. Government and Politics
and U.S. History, were offered by over 500 schools.
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Differential Access to Rigorous College Preparatory
Curriculum . Both the UC and CSU require students to take a
minimum of 15 "a-g" pattern of courses to become eligible
to attend one of their institutions. Although AP courses
can meet the a-g requirements, a course does not have to be
designated as AP in order to meet these eligibility
requirements.
According to a 2006 report by UC ACCORD and UCLA/IDEA,
"Removing the Roadblocks: Fair College Opportunities for
All California Students," fewer than half (45 percent) of
the state's comprehensive high schools provided all
students a sufficiently rigorous academic curriculum
because they failed to offer enough college preparatory
(a-g) classes to enable all students to take them. These
shortages are reportedly much more likely in schools where
African American and Latino students are in the majority.
In its January 2010 report, "Conditions, Opportunities, and
Outcomes in California Public Schools," it was noted that
in 22.8 percent of high schools, more than 20 percent of
college preparatory courses are taught by teachers teaching
outside their subject area expertise.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/12/11)
Advancement Project
California Association of International Baccalaureate World
Schools
California Immigrant Policy Center
College Board
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
current law encourages but does not require students to
take challenging AP and honors courses. Access to these
courses/programs continues to be limited because there are
no standards or requirements for schools to satisfy. In
addition, the author's office contends that the CCC and the
CSU do not have a consistent process and/or policy in place
to award credits for students who have completed IB
courses.
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CPM:cm 5/12/11 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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