BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1316
Author: Hancock (D)
Amended: 5/1/12
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 3/28/12
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Hancock, Huff, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Blakeslee, Vacancy
SUBJECT : School attendance: early and middle college
high schools
SOURCE : Tulare County Office of Education
DIGEST : This bill exempts early and middle college high
schools from the 240 minute requirement for a minimum
school day and establishes a day of attendance as 180
minutes for pupils enrolled in these programs if they are
also enrolled in part time in classes at the University of
California, California State University, or a community
college as specified to be 180 minutes. This bill
specifies that a day of attendance for a pupil enrolled in
an early college high school or middle college high school
satisfy certain criteria or it will be calculated at a 240
minute school day.
Senate Floor Amendments of 5/1/12 change a declarative
statement in the uncodified section of the bill by stating
that an early college high school may instead of shall
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include specified key elements.
ANALYSIS : Existing law specifies that the minimum school
day in any high school is 240 minutes. Evening high
schools, regional occupational centers, opportunity schools
and opportunity classes, continuation high schools and
occupationally organized vocational training programs are
exempt from the 240 minimum day requirement.
Existing law establishes the minimum school day for pupils
engaged in vocational training and work experience to be
180 minutes per day and establishes 180 minutes as the
minimum day for pupils attending school in a regional
occupational center or program.
Existing law provides that a day of attendance in grades 11
and 12 is 180 minutes if the pupil is also enrolled part
time in classes of the California State University (CSU) or
the University of California (UC). A day of attendance for
a pupil who is also a special part-time student enrolled in
a community college and who will receive academic credit
upon satisfactory completion of enrolled courses is 180
minutes. For purposes of computing average daily
attendance (ADA) for these pupils, current law specifies
that the 180 minute minimum is computed as three-quarters
of a full 240 minute school day.
This bill:
1. Exempts early and middle college high schools from the
240 minute minimum school day.
2. Provides that a day of attendance for an early and
middle college high school student is 180 minutes if the
pupil is enrolled part time in classes of the CSU or the
UC and will earn academic credit upon satisfactory
completion of those courses.
3. Provides that a day of attendance for an early and
middle college high school student is 180 minutes if the
pupil is also a special part-time student enrolled in a
community college as specified, and who will earn
academic credit upon satisfactory completion of enrolled
courses.
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4. Makes findings and declarations regarding early and
middle college high school programs and their benefits
and specifies key elements of an early and middle
college high school.
5. Specifies that a day of attendance for a pupil enrolled
in an early or middle college high school satisfy
certain criteria or it will be calculated at a 240
minute school day.
Comments
Many career-focused educational programs and alternative
high schools have a 180 minute threshold for ADA purposes.
Yet for purposes of ADA, early and middle college high
schools are held to the same 240 minute minimum as other
comprehensive high schools. According to the author's
office, the 240 minute requirement creates logistical
problems for school schedules that are also trying to
accommodate pupils' college schedules and creates long days
for students. Presumably, students would be able to use
the extra time this bill would provide to take more college
courses or make more efficient use of their time while
meeting their high school graduation requirements.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/2/12)
Tulare County Office of Education (source)
Community College League of California
University Preparatory High School (Visalia)
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : Supporters of the bill write,
"Early College High Schools and Middle Level Colleges are
innovative partnerships between public or charter secondary
schools and local community colleges that allow students to
earn a high school diploma and complete two years of
college credit, in five years or less. There are more than
40 programs in California and many were established as part
of the nationwide Early College High School Initiative in
2000 with start up grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates
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Foundation. The primary focus of an early college high
school is to focus on students that are at-risk and/or come
from backgrounds where there is no culture of college
success. Many of these schools are located on or in close
proximity to community college campuses and about one-half
are charter schools. In the case of University Preparatory
High School, the school is a dependent charter authorized
by the Tulare County Board of Education as a way to provide
the ECHS experience to students on a county-wide basis."
PQ:mw 5/2/12 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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