Amended in Assembly May 6, 2013

Amended in Assembly April 25, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 899


Introduced by Assembly Member Weber

February 22, 2013


An act tobegin insert amend Section 60811 of, and toend insert add Section 60811.4begin delete ofend deletebegin insert to,end insert the Education Code, relating to academic content standards.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 899, as amended, Weber. begin insertAcademic content standards: end insertEnglish language developmentbegin delete standards: English learners: mathematics: science.end deletebegin insert standards.end insert

begin delete

Existing

end delete

begin insert(1)end insertbegin insertend insertbegin insertExistingend insert law requires each school district that has one or more pupils who are English learners and, to the extent required by federal law, each county office of education and each charter school, to assess the English language development of each of those pupils upon initial enrollment in order to determine the level of proficiency of those pupils, and thereafter to assess each of those pupils annually until the pupil is redesignated as English proficient.

Existing law requires the State Board of Education to approve standards for English language development for pupils whose primary language is a language other than English. Existing law further requires that these standards be comparable in rigor and specificity to the statewide academically rigorous content standards for English language arts.

begin insert

This bill would instead require that the standards for English language development for pupils whose primary language is a language other than English be comparable in rigor and specificity to the academic content standards to which they are aligned, including specified standards for English language arts and mathematics and specified science content standards.

end insert
begin delete

Existing

end delete

begin insert(2)end insertbegin insertend insertbegin insertExistingend insert law, which is to be repealed on July 1, 2013, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to update, revise, and align the English language development standards adopted pursuant to existing law to the state board-approved academic content standards for English language arts, as provided.

This bill would require the Superintendent, on or before January 1, 2015, to recommend modifications to the English language development standards to align with the state board-approved academic content standards for mathematics, and wouldbegin delete authorizeend deletebegin insert also requireend insert the Superintendent to recommend modifications to the English language development standards to align with the state board-approved science content standards, for adoption to the state board. The bill would require the Superintendentbegin delete and state board,end delete to hold a minimum of 2 public meetings in order for the public to provide input regarding any modifications to the English language development standards.

The bill would require the state board, on or before August 1, 2015, to adopt or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations for the alignment of the English language development standards with the state board-approved academic content standards for mathematics and science, as specified.

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

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

P2    1begin insert

begin insertSECTION 1.end insert  

end insert

begin insertSection 60811 of the end insertbegin insertEducation Codeend insertbegin insert is amended
2to read:end insert

3

60811.  

The state board shall approve standards for English
4language development for pupils whose primary language is a
5language other than English. The standards shall be comparable
6in rigor and specificity tobegin insert the academic content standards to which
7they are aligned, includingend insert
the standards for English language arts
P3    1begin insert and mathematicsend insert adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8begin insert and the
2science content standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.85end insert
.

3

begin deleteSECTION 1.end delete
4begin insertSEC. 2.end insert  

Section 60811.4 is added to the Education Code, to
5read:

6

60811.4.  

(a) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent
7shall recommend to the state board modifications to the English
8language development standards, adopted pursuant to Section
960811, to align with the academic content standards for
10mathematics adopted by the state board pursuant to Section
1160605.8. If the state board modifies the English language
12development standards to align with the academic content standards
13for mathematics, it shall explain, in writing, to the Governor and
14the Legislature the reasons for the modification. The
15Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
16shall assist schools in the implementation and application of
17English language development standards in the mathematics subject
18 area.

19(b) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendentbegin delete mayend deletebegin insert shall end insert
20recommend to the state board modifications to the English language
21development standards, adopted pursuant to Section 60811, to
22align with the science content standards adopted by the state board
23pursuant to Section 60605.85. If the state board modifies the
24English language development standards to align with the science
25content standards, it shall explain, in writing, to the Governor and
26the Legislature the reasons for the modification. The
27Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
28shall assist schools in the implementation and application of
29English language development standards in the science subject
30area.

31(c) In carrying out subdivisions (a) and (b), the Superintendent
32begin delete and the state boardend delete shall hold a minimum of two public meetings
33pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
34(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
35Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) in order for the
36public to provide input regarding any modifications recommended
37pursuant to this section.

38(d) On or before August 1, 2015, the state board shall do both
39of the following:

P4    1(1) Adopt or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations for
2the alignment of the English language development standards
3adopted pursuant to Section 60811 with the state board-approved
4academic content standards for mathematics adopted pursuant to
5Section 60605.8.

6(2) Adopt or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations for
7the alignment of the English language development standards
8adopted pursuant to Section 60811 with the state board-approved
9academic content standards for science adopted pursuant to Section
1060605.85.



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