Amended in Assembly April 3, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 455

Introduced by Assembly Member Medina

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Quirk)

February 19, 2013

An act to amend Sections begin insert 56351.7, end insert 56351.8 begin insert , end insert and 56351.9 of begin insert , and to add Article 3.6 (commencing with Section 56355) to Chapter 4 of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2 of, end insert the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 455, as amended, Medina. Pupil instruction: special begin delete education: braille reading and mathematics standards. end delete begin insert education. end insert

begin delete

Existing

end delete

begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Existing end insert law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to form an advisory task force to develop standards for the mastery of the braille code as a child progresses through kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. Existing law requires the Superintendent to utilize this advisory task force to develop standards for visually impaired pupils to learn, and achieve mastery of, the braille mathematics code, and requires the task force to report those standards to the State Board of Education by March 1, 2006.

This bill would begin delete require those standards to be aligned to the common core academic content standards and would end delete begin insert replace the advisory task force with a group of experts on the end insert begin insert blind and end insert begin insert visually impaired, as defined end insert begin insert , and would end insert require the begin delete task force end delete begin insert Superintendent, upon consultation with the group of experts, end insert to begin delete report the new end delete begin insert develop end insert standards begin insert that are aligned to the common core academic standards for blind and visually impaired pupils to learn, and achieve mastery of and literacy in, braille and braille mathematics codes. The bill would require the Superintendent to recommend those standards end insert to the state board by March begin delete 1 end delete begin insert 30 end insert , 2015.

begin insert

This bill would additionally require the Superintendent, upon consultation with a group of experts on the deaf and hard-of-hearing, to develop standards that are aligned to the common core academic content standards, for deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils to learn, and achieve mastery of and literacy in, American Sign Language as a child progresses through kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive. The bill would require the Superintendent to recommend these standards to the state board by March 30, 2015.

end insert begin delete

Existing

end delete

begin insert (2) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Existing end insert law requires the state board to adopt braille reading and mathematics standards for visually impaired pupils by June 1, 2006.

This bill would require the state board to adopt braille reading and mathematics standards for begin insert blind and end insert visually impaired pupils that are aligned to the common core academic content standards by June begin delete 1 end delete begin insert 30 end insert , 2015 begin insert , as specified end insert . The bill would require county offices of education, school districts, and special education local plan areas to provide begin insert blind and end insert visually impaired pupils opportunities for instruction to master begin delete those end delete begin insert the end insert standards adopted by the state board, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

begin insert

This bill would also require the state board to adopt American Sign Language standards for deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils that are aligned to the common core academic content standards by June 30, 2015, as specified. The bill would require county offices of education, school districts, and special education local plan areas to provide deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils opportunities for instruction to master the standards adopted by the state board, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program.

end insert

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 56351.7 of the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert is amended
to read: end insert

56351.7.  

(a) The Superintendent begin delete of Public Instruction shall
form an advisory task force end delete begin insert shall consult end insert begin insert with end insert begin insert a group of experts
on the end insert begin insert blind and end insert begin insert visually impaired end insert to develop standards begin delete for end delete begin insert that
are aligned to the common core academic content standards to
learn, and achieve end insert the mastery of begin insert and literacy in, end insert the braille code
as a begin delete child end delete begin insert pupil end insert progresses through kindergarten begin delete to grade end delete begin insert and
grades 1 to end insert 12, inclusive.

(b) The begin delete task force end delete begin insert group of experts end insert shall include, but shall not
be limited to, members begin delete approved by the State Board of Education end delete
representing all of the following:

(1) Parents of begin insert blind and end insert visually impaired pupils.

(2) Teachers of begin insert blind and end insert visually impaired pupils.

(3) Researchers in the field of begin insert blindness and end insert visual impairment.

begin delete

(4) Braille experts.

end delete begin insert

(4) Curriculum and instructional specialists with experience
with blind and visually impaired pupils.

end insert

(5) Groups that advocate for teaching of, and use of, braille.

begin delete

(6) Groups that advocate for the visually impaired.

end delete begin delete

(c) The task force shall report to the Governor and to the
education committees of the Assembly and the Senate by June 30,
2004.

end delete begin insert

(c) At least one-half of the members of the group of experts shall
be currently employed public school teachers.

end insert begin insert

(d) The Superintendent shall make a recommendation to the
state board regarding the standards developed pursuant to
subdivision (a) by March 30, 2015.

end insert

begin delete SECTION 1. end delete
begin insert SEC. 2. end insert   

Section 56351.8 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

56351.8.  

(a) The Superintendent shall begin delete utilize the advisory task
force end delete begin insert consult with the group of experts end insert established pursuant to
Section 56351.7 to develop standards that are aligned to the
common core academic content standards for pupils described in
subdivision (b) to learn, and to achieve mastery begin delete of end delete begin delete , end delete begin insert of end insert begin insert and literacy
in, end insert the braille mathematics code as they progress through
kindergarten and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.

(b) The standards described in subdivision (a) shall be developed
for pupils who, due to a visual impairment, are functionally blind
or may be expected to have a need to learn the braille code as their
primary literacy mode for learning.

(c) The begin delete task force end delete begin delete shall, by March 1, 2015, report end delete begin insert Superintendent
shall end insert begin insert make a recommendation end insert to the state board begin delete with end delete begin insert regarding end insert
the standards begin delete it develops end delete begin insert developed end insert pursuant to subdivision (a) begin insert by
March 30, 2015 end insert .

begin delete SEC. 2. end delete
begin insert SEC. 3. end insert   

Section 56351.9 of the Education Code is amended to
read:

56351.9.  

(a)  begin delete By June 1, 2015, end delete begin insert Except as provided in
subdivision (c), by June 30, 2015, end insert the state board shall adopt braille
reading and mathematics standards that are aligned to the common
core academic content standards for pupils who, due to a visual
impairment, are functionally blind or may be expected to have a
need to learn the braille code as their primary literacy mode for
learning.

(b) County offices of education, school districts, and special
education local plan areas shall provide to pupils described in
subdivision (a) opportunities for instruction to master the braille
reading and mathematics standards begin delete described in subdivision (a) end delete
begin insert adopted by the state board end insert .

begin insert

(c) (1) The state board shall, if it revises braille reading or
mathematics standards recommended by the Superintendent,
provide written reasons for the revisions at a public meeting held
pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

end insert begin insert

(2) The state board shall adopt the revised braille reading and
mathematics standards at a meeting subsequent to the meeting
held pursuant to paragraph (1) but no later than August 31, 2015.

end insert

begin insert

begin insert SEC. 4. end insert   

Article 3.6 (commencing with Section 56355) is added
to Chapter 4 of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Education
Code, to read:

 

Article begin insert 3.6. end insert   Individualized Education Program for Deaf and
Hard-of-hearing Pupils

 

begin insert 56355. end insert   

(a) The Superintendent shall consult with a group of
experts on the deaf and hard-of-hearing to develop standards that
are aligned to the common core academic content standards to
learn, and achieve the mastery of and literacy in, American Sign
Language as a pupil progresses through kindergarten and grades
1 to 12, inclusive.

(b) The group of experts shall include, but shall not be limited
to, members representing all of the following:

(1) Parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils.

(2) Teachers of deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils.

(3) Researchers in the field of deafness and auditory impairment.

(4) Curriculum and instructional specialists with experience
with deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils.

(5) Groups that advocate for teaching of, and use of, American
Sign Language.

(c) At least one-half of the members of the group of experts shall
be currently employed public school teachers.

(d) The standards described in subdivision (a) shall be
developed for pupils who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and who
use American Sign Language as their primary language or literacy
access mode.

(e) The Superintendent shall make a recommendation to the
state board regarding the standards developed pursuant to
subdivision (a) by March 30, 2015.

begin insert 56356. end insert   

(a) Except as provided in subdivision (c), by June 30,
2015, the state board shall adopt American Sign Language literacy
standards that are aligned to the common core academic content
standards for pupils who are deaf or hard-of-hearing and use
American Sign Language as their primary language or literacy
access mode.

(b) County offices of education, school districts, and special
education local plan areas shall provide to pupils described in
subdivision (a) opportunities for instruction to master the American
Sign Language literacy standards adopted by the state board.

(c) (1) The state board shall, if it revises American Sign
Language literacy standards recommended by the Superintendent,
provide written reasons for the revisions at a public meeting held
pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code).

(2) The state board shall adopt the revised standards at a
meeting subsequent to the meeting held pursuant to paragraph (1)
but no later than August 31, 2015.

end insert

begin delete SEC. 3. end delete
begin insert SEC. 5. end insert   

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.