BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 570
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 570 (Jones-Sawyer)
As Amended May 24, 2013
Majority vote
EDUCATION 6-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Buchanan, Olsen, Chavez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Nazarian, Ammiano, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Williams | |Calderon, Campos, |
| | | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| | | |Hall, Ammiano, Linder, |
| | | |Pan, Quirk, Wagner, Weber |
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SUMMARY : Requires the governing board of a school district that
chooses to voluntarily enroll high school pupils in a
continuation school to establish and adopt policies and
procedures governing the identification, placement, and intake
procedures of pupils who voluntarily enroll in continuation
schools. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires the policies and procedures to ensure there is a
clear criterion for determining which pupils may voluntarily
transfer, or be recommended for a transfer, to a continuation
school, and requires this criterion be consistently applied on
a district wide basis.
2)Requires approval for the voluntary transfer of a pupil to a
continuation school to be based on a finding that the
voluntary placement will promote the educational interests of
the pupil.
3)Requires the policies and procedures to ensure voluntary
placement in a continuation school will not be used as an
alternative to expulsion unless alternative means of
correction have been attempted pursuant to existing provisions
of law governing disciplinary alternatives.
4)Requires the policies and procedures to strive to ensure no
specific group of pupils, including a group based on race,
ethnicity, language status, or special needs, is
disproportionately enrolled in continuation schools within the
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school district.
5)Requires a copy of the adopted policies and procedures to be
provided to a pupil whose voluntary transfer to a continuation
school is under consideration and his or her parent or
guardian.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, one-time General Fund/Proposition 98 cost pressure,
likely less than $500,000, to school districts that choose to
voluntarily enroll pupils in continuation high schools.
COMMENTS : Continuation education is an alternative high school
diploma program for pupils who are sixteen years of age or
older, have not graduated from high school, are still required
to attend school, and who are at risk of not graduating. Many
students in continuation education are behind in high school
credits. Others may need a flexible school schedule because
they have jobs outside of school. Some pupils choose
continuation education because of family needs or other
circumstances. Students who attend continuation high schools
must spend at least 15 hours per week or three hours per day at
school. They take courses that are required for graduation.
They also receive guidance and career counseling. Some programs
offer independent study, job-placement services, and concurrent
enrollment in community college.
Existing law establishes continuation high schools as both a
voluntary alternative for under-credited pupils and a place for
the involuntary transfer of pupils for reasons unrelated to
academic performance if it is determined that the pupil's
presence causes a danger to persons or property or threatens to
disrupt the instructional process at the comprehensive high
school. A May 2012 report from The California Alternative
Education Research Project called, "Raising the Bar, Building
Capacity: Driving Improvement in California's Continuation High
Schools," states that, taken together, the provisions for both
voluntary and involuntary transfers to continuation high schools
"?suggest that a continuation high school should
provide a high quality alternative route to the
diploma for struggling students, but it can also be a
dumping ground for students deemed too disruptive for
comprehensive schools. In fact, we saw many schools
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where both types of students were placed in the same
classroom creating an untenable situation for teachers
and principals trying to create a coherent set of
student supports."
According to the author's office, clear intake, identification,
and placement procedures can help resolve this problem.
Analysis Prepared by : Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000959