BILL NUMBER: AB 455 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY APRIL 3, 2013
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Medina
(Coauthor: Assembly Member Quirk)
FEBRUARY 19, 2013
An act to amend Sections 56351.7, 56351.8 ,
and 56351.9 of , and to add Article 3.6 (commencing with Section
56355) to Chapter 4 of Part 30 of Division 4 of Title 2 of,
the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 455, as amended, Medina. Pupil instruction: special
education: braille reading and mathematics standards.
education.
Existing
(1) Existing 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 require those standards to be aligned to
the common core academic content standards and would
replace the advisory task f orce with a group of experts
on the blind and visually impaired, as defined
, and would require the task force
Superintendent, upon consultation with the group of
experts, to report the new develop
standards 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 to the state board by March 1
30 , 2015.
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.
Existing
(2) Existing 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 blind and visually impaired
pupils that are aligned to the common core academic content standards
by June 1 30 , 2015 , as
specified . The bill would require county offices of education,
school districts, and special education local plan areas to provide
blind and visually impaired pupils opportunities for
instruction to master those the
standards adopted by the state board, thereby imposing a
state-mandated local program.
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.
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:
SECTION 1. Section 56351.7 of the
Education Code is amended to read:
56351.7. (a) The Superintendent of Public Instruction
shall form an advisory task force shall consult
with a group of experts on the blind and
visually impaired to develop standards for
that are aligned to the common core academic content
standards to learn, and achieve the mastery of and
literacy in, the braille code as a child
pupil progresses through kindergarten to grade
and grades 1 to 12, inclusive.
(b) The task force group of experts
shall include, but shall not be limited to, members approved
by the State Board of Education representing all of the
following:
(1) Parents of blind and visually impaired pupils.
(2) Teachers of blind and visually impaired pupils.
(3) Researchers in the field of blindness and visual
impairment.
(4) Braille experts.
(4) Curriculum and instructional specialists with experience with
blind and visually impaired pupils.
(5) Groups that advocate for teaching of, and use of, braille.
(6) Groups that advocate for the visually impaired.
(c) The task force shall report to the Governor and to the
education committees of the Assembly and the Senate by June 30, 2004.
(c) At least one-half of the members of the group of experts shall
be currently employed public school teachers.
(d) The Superintendent shall make a recommendation to the state
board regarding the standards developed pursuant to subdivision (a)
by March 30, 2015.
SECTION 1. SEC. 2. Section 56351.8
of the Education Code is amended to read:
56351.8. (a) The Superintendent shall utilize the
advisory task force consult with the group of experts
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
of , of and
literacy in, 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 task force shall, by March 1,
2015, report Superi ntendent shall
make a recommendation to the state board with
regarding the standards it develops
developed pursuant to subdivision (a) by
March 30, 2015 .
SEC. 2. SEC. 3. Section 56351.9 of
the Education Code is amended to read:
56351.9. (a) By June 1, 2015, Except as
provided in subdivision (c), by June 30, 2015, 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 described in subdivision
(a) adopted by the state board .
(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).
(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.
SEC. 4. 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 3.6. Individualized Education Program for Deaf and
Hard-of-hearing Pupils
56355. (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.
56356. (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.
SEC. 3. SEC. 5. 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.