BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1458
Author: Steinberg (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-0, 4/18/12
AYES: Lowenthal, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price, Simitian,
Vargas
NO VOTE RECORDED: Runner, Blakeslee, Huff, Vacancy
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-2, 5/24/12
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Lieu, Price, Steinberg
NOES: Walters, Dutton
SUBJECT : Academic Performance Index
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill reduces the value of test scores in
the constitution of a schools Academic Performance Index
(API) from at least 60% to no more than 40%, authorizes the
incorporation of additional measures, and deletes the
decile ranking and authorizes a program of locally convened
school quality review panels.
ANALYSIS : California established the Public Schools
Accountability Act in 1999 to measure academic performance
and growth. The API is a single number, ranging from
200-1,000, that reflects a school's and it's subgroups'
performance on statewide tests. The API is an improvement
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model (not a growth model that tracks an individual pupil's
performance over time) that compares school and subgroup
API scores from year to year. School ranking are produced
by comparing API scores across the state and with 100 other
schools with similar demographics.
The API is also used for purposes of calculating Adequate
Yearly Progress, as required by the federal No Child Left
Behind Act.
API Indicators
Existing law requires the API to consist of a variety of
indicators including the results of Standardized Testing
and Reporting program (STAR) tests, the California High
School Exit Exam, attendance rates, and high school
graduation rates. (Education Code (EC) Section
52052(a)(4))
The results of the STAR tests and the high school exit exam
constitute at least 60% of the value of API scores. (EC
Section 52052(a)(4)(C))
To date, the only indicators used to calculate the API have
been test scores. Therefore, test scores constitute 100%
of API scores.
API Rank
Two types of API ranks are reported, a statewide rank
(compares scores statewide) and a similar schools rank
(compare scores with 100 schools with similar
demographics). A school's Base API is used to determine
its rank, and is done separately for elementary, middle,
and high schools.
Reports about Future API
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) and State Board of Education (SBE), in
consultation with the Public School Accountability Act
(PSAA) advisory committee to recommend to the Legislature
and Governor:
1. By January 1, 2011, methods and approaches for
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incorporating into the calculation of the API:
A. An increased emphasis on math and science.
B. Measures of the degree to which pupils graduate
from high school with the skills and knowledge
necessary to attain entry-level employment in
business or industry.
C. Measures of the degree to which pupils graduate
from high school with the skills and knowledge
necessary to succeed in postsecondary education. (EC
Section 52052.5(c))
2. By July 1, 2013, on the establishment of a methodology
for generating a measurement of group and individual
academic performance growth by using individual pupil
results from a longitudinally valid achievement
assessment system. The recommendations should also
address any interactions between the API, or any
successor measure, and individual test scores from the
state's tests, as well as implications for the
reauthorization of the state's assessment system. (EC
Section 52052.5(d))
This bill reduces the value of test scores in the
constitution of a school's API from at least 60% to no more
than 40%, authorizes the incorporation of additional
measures, and deletes the decile ranking and authorizes a
program of locally convened school quality review panels.
Specifically, this bill:
API Weight
1. Reduces the value of test scores (STAR tests and High
School Exit Exam) in the constitution of a school's API
to no more than 40%
2. Requires results of the STAR tests to constitute at
least 40% of the value of the API for primary and middle
schools.
API Indicators
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3. Deletes the requirement that, before including
attendance and graduation rates in the API, the SPI
determine the extent to which graduation rates and
attendance data are already collected and if that data
is accurate.
4. Authorizes the SPI, with the approval of the SBE, to
incorporate into the API the rates at which pupils
successfully promote from one grade to the next in
middle school and high school, and successfully
matriculate from middle school to high school.
5. Authorizes the SPI, with approval of the SBE, to
incorporate into the API for secondary schools valid,
reliable, and stable measures of pupil preparedness for
postsecondary education and career.
6. Requires the SPI, in consultation with the PSAA advisory
committee, by March 1, 2013, to report to the
Legislature and recommend to the SBE for adoption a
method for increasing the emphasis on pupil performance
in science and social science in the API.
API Rank
7. Deletes the requirement that schools be ranked into
deciles for purposes of:
A. Measuring the progress of schools participating in
the Immediate Intervention/Underperforming Schools
Program.
B. The High Achieving/Improving Schools Program.
Report on Reducing Testing
8. Requires the SPI, in consultation with the PSAA advisory
committee, by March 1, 2013, to report to the
Legislature both of the following:
A. A plan to streamline and reduce state-mandated
middle and secondary school testing, including
eliminating redundant assessments and assessments
that lack tangible meaning for pupils, and reducing
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or minimizing testing time for pupils, teachers, and
administrators in order to restore instructional
time.
B. An alternative method in place of decile rank for
determining eligibility, preferences, or priorities
for any statutory program that currently uses decile
rank as a determining factor.
Local Review Panels
9. Authorizes the SPI, with the approval of the SBE, to
develop and implement a program of school quality review
that features locally convened panels to visit schools,
observe teachers, interview students and examine student
work, if an appropriation for this purpose is made in
the annual Budget Act.
Miscellaneous
10.Deletes the requirement that the SPI provide an annual
report on the graduation and dropout rates.
Comments
Current API indicators . Existing law requires the API
indicators to include test scores, attendance rates and
graduation rates. To date, the only indicators used to
calculate the API have been test scores. The California
Department of Education (CDE) indicated that reliable data
for attendance and graduation rates were not available for
prior API reports. However, graduation and dropout rates
are now available through DataQuest (CDE web tool). It
appears that student-level attendance data is not currently
collected by the state. CDE indicates that reporting
promotion rates is possible with the data collected through
California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System but
those calculations may not have been made at this point.
Value of indicators . Existing law requires test score
results to constitute at least 60% of the value of the API.
However, test scores have constituted 100% of the value
because other indicators have not been used. This bill
reduces the value of test scores to no more than 40%. This
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bill essentially reduces the value of test scores from 100%
to 40% and places a value of 60% on graduation and
attendance rates.
Rankings . Schools receive two rankings based on the
school's API score: a statewide rank and a similar schools
rank. Rankings are used to determine a school's
eligibility, preferences or priorities for certain
programs. This bill deletes the requirement that the API
be used for purposes of the Immediate
Intervention/Underperforming Schools (II/USP) Program,
which is being phased out as the state has been
implementing federal Program Improvement. The improvement
of schools in II/USP is measured by API growth targets.
Prior Legislation
SB 547 (Steinberg, 2011) would have replaced the API with
the Education Quality Index. SB 547 was vetoed by the
Governor, who did not believe that the bill would make our
state's accountability regime either more probing or more
fair.
AB 224 (Bonilla, 2011) would have modified the indicators
that contribute to the API and would have required the SPI,
beginning in the 2012-13 fiscal year, to create a new API
for grades 8-12. The bill was held in the Senate
Appropriations Committee.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/24/12)
American Association of University Women - California
Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of
Color
California Association of Regional Occupation Centers and
Programs
California Association of School Counselors
California Catholic Conference
California Correctional Peace Officers Association
California Council for the Social Studies
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
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California State PTA
Children Now
Fight Crime Invest in Kids California
Metropolitan Education District
North State Building Industry Association
Regional Economic Association Leaders Coalition:
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Bay Area Council
Orange County Business Council
North Bay Leadership Council
Inland Empire Economic Partnership
San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation
Business Council of San Joaquin County
East Bay Economic Development Alliance
San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership
Southern California Leadership Council
Chambers of Commerce of Fresno, Long Beach, Los Angeles,
Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and San
Jose/Silicon Valley
University of California
United Ways of California
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author, "The API
has performed an important function, but has been limited
by its sole reliance on standardized test scores in limited
subjects as indicators of school performance. In addition,
the practice of ranking schools from top to bottom, in
'deciles,' has fostered a sense that those in the lower
decile rankings are failing or otherwise underperforming,
even though a number of such schools have improved
significantly over time. The existing API has encouraged
schools/districts to focus so hard on test scores in
limited subject areas that other important aspects of
education have been deemphasized. Career tech, science and
history, arts and music, work experience and other
important learning has been marginalized in favor of
coursework that improves scores in tested subjects. This
doesn't reflect what business and industry leaders say they
need from their future workforce."
PQ:kc 5/25/12 Senate Floor Analyses
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SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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