BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 455
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Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Joan Buchanan, Chair
AB 455 (Medina) - As Amended: April 9, 2013
SUBJECT : Pupil Instruction: Special Education: Standards
SUMMARY : Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to recommend and the State Board of Education (SBE) to
adopt standards for the mastery of the braille reading,
literacy, and mathematics codes that are aligned to California's
Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Additionally, this bill
requires that the SPI recommend and the SBE adopt standards for
the mastery of American Sign Language that are aligned to CCSS.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the SPI to consult a group of experts on the blind
and visually impaired for the purpose of developing standards
for the mastery of the braille, reading, literacy, and
mathematics codes that are aligned to CCSS for use in grades
K-12, inclusive.
2)Specifies that not less than one-half of the members of the
group of experts be currently employed public school teachers
and shall include representatives of each of the following:
a) Parents of blind and visually impaired pupils;
b) Teachers of blind and visually impaired pupils;
c) Researchers in the field of blindness and visual
impairment;
d) Curriculum and instructional specialists with experience
with blind and visually impaired learners;
e) Groups that advocate for the teaching of, and use of,
braille.
3)Requires the SPI to consult a group of experts on the Deaf and
hard of hearing for the purpose of developing standards for
the mastery of American Sign Language (ASL) that are aligned
to CCSS.
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4)Specifies that not less than one-half of the members of the
group of experts be currently employed public school teachers
and shall include representatives of each of the following:
a) Parents of Deaf and hard of hearing pupils;
b) Teachers of Deaf and hard of hearing pupils;
c) Researchers in the field of the Deaf and the hard of
hearing;
d) Curriculum and instructional specialists with experience
with Deaf and hard of hearing learners;
e) Groups that advocate for the teaching of, and use of,
ASL.
5)Requires the SPI to make a recommendation to the SBE with
regard to the standards for the mastery of the braille
reading, literacy, and mathematics codes and standards for the
mastery of American Sign Language that are aligned to CCSS by
March 30, 2015.
6)Requires the SBE to adopt standards for the mastery of the
braille, reading, literacy, and mathematics codes and
standards for the mastery of American Sign Language that are
aligned to CCSS by June 30, 2015.
7)Requires the SBE, if it revises the standards from the
recommendations of the SPI, to provide written reasons for its
revisions and prohibits the SBE from adopting revised
standards at the same meeting at which it provides its written
reasons for revisions. If the SBE adopts revised standards,
it must do so by August 31, 2015.
8)Makes technical, non-substantive edits to these sections.
EXISTING LAW
1)Defines a "pupil with low vision" as a pupil who uses vision
as a channel for learning, but who may also benefit from
instruction in braille.
2)Defines a "functionally blind pupil" as a pupil who relies
basically on senses other than vision as major channels for
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learning.
3)Defines "visually impaired pupil" as a pupil who is
functionally blind or a pupil with low vision.
4)Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide for
braille instruction to functionally blind pupils, pupils with
low vision, visually impaired pupils, and pupils with a
prognosis of visual deterioration who may need braille as a
reading medium.
5)Required the SPI, by June 30, 2004 to convene an advisory task
force for the purpose of developing standards for the master
of the braille code as a child progressed through Kindergarten
to grade 12, inclusive and specified the entities to be
represented on this task force. These standards were to 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.
6)Required the SBE to adopt braille reading and mathematics
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
no later than June 1, 2006.
7)Requires County Offices of Education, school districts, and
special education local plan areas to provide to visually
impaired students, as specified, opportunities for instruction
to master the braille reading and mathematics standards
adopted by the SBE.
8)Requires that braille instruction must be provided by a
teacher who holds an appropriate credential, as determined by
the Commission on Teacher Credentialing, to teach pupils who
are functionally impaired.
FISCAL EFFECT : State Mandated Local Program
COMMENTS : Educational standards describe what students should
know and be able to do in each subject in each grade. In
California, the SBE adopts standards that may be used by LEAs
for students, from kindergarten through high school. The
California Department of Education (CDE) helps schools make sure
that all students are meeting the standards. The SBE adopted
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the Common Core State Standards for California in English
Language Arts and Mathematics in 2010. In 2012, the SBE adopted
English Language Development Standards that are aligned to the
California Common Core State Standards in English Language
Development.
According to a Legislative Analyst Office Report in 2012, in
the 2011-12 school year, approximately 4, 325 California
students met the definition of "visually impaired" and another
14,097 were Deaf or hard of hearing.
California was the first state in the nation to address the
unique needs of students who use braille for learning their
state-adopted reading and mathematics content standards when
the SBE adopted the Braille Mathematics and Reading Standards
in 2009. These standards do not establish new content
standards; instead they include instructional principles and
prerequisites appropriate for students who learn through the
sense of touch. These standards were carefully aligned with the
English-language arts and mathematics content standards for
students who use print. However, with the adoption the
California Common Core State Standards for California in
English Language Arts and Mathematics, the Braille Mathematics
and Reading Standards are no longer useful tools in ensuring
that visually impaired students are college and career ready
and have access to the same standards and instructional
materials as other students.
California does not, however, have standards for American Sign
Language (ASL). While California has established standards and
benchmarks for what students should know and be able to
demonstrate in academic subject areas, including English and
some foreign languages, there have not been formal standards and
benchmarks established for ASL learning. Given the importance of
being able to assess students' ASL skills by comparing them
against a set of standards, and planning instruction
accordingly, the development of such standards is a key
component of helping Deaf and hard of hearing students become
fluent in both ASL and English.
Currently, there are efforts underway to develop a set of
national content standards for ASL. These efforts are being led
by Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet
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University in Washington D.C. The leaders of California's State
School for the Deaf in Fremont are leading and participating in
these efforts.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Association of California School Administrators
California Federation of Teachers
California School Boards Association
Superintendent of Public Instruction, Tom Torlakson (Sponsor)
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Jill Rice / ED. / (916) 319-2087