AB 899, as amended, Weber. Academic content standards: English language development standards.
(1) Existing 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.
This bill would instead requirebegin delete thatend deletebegin insert the state board to direct the Superintendent to recommend to the state board linking the adopted English language development standards to the academic content standards for mathematics and science. The bill would require the Superintendent to convene a group of experts, as provided, to review the mathematics and science academic content standards to identify those standards that correspond to the English language development standards. The bill would instead requireend insert thebegin delete standards forend deletebegin insert linkedend insert English language developmentbegin delete for pupils whose primary language is a language other than Englishend deletebegin insert
standards toend insert be comparable in rigor and specificity to the academic content standards to which they arebegin delete aligned,end deletebegin insert
linked,end insert including specified standards for English language arts and mathematics and specified science content standards.
(2) Existing law, which is to be repealed on July 1, 2013, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to update, revise, and align the English language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 tobegin delete alignend deletebegin insert
linkend insert with the state board-approved academic content standards for mathematics, and would also require the Superintendent to recommend modifications to the English language development standards tobegin delete alignend deletebegin insert linkend insert with the state board-approved science content standards, for adoptionbegin delete toend deletebegin insert byend insert the state board. The bill would require the Superintendent, in consultation with the state board, to convene a group of experts in English language instruction, curriculum, and assessment, as provided, to meet those requirements. The bill would require the Superintendent 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 thebegin delete alignment of theend delete English language development standardsbegin insert to correspondend insert with the state board-approved academic content standards for mathematics and science, as specified.
This bill would require that funding be provided in the annual Budget Act or another statute before these provisions could be implemented. The bill would make its provisions inoperative on July 1, 2016.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 60811 of the Education Code is amended
2to read:
The state board shallbegin delete approve standards for English begin insert direct the Superintendent to
4language development for pupils whose primary language is a
5language other than English.end delete
6recommend to the state board linking the adopted English language
7development standards to the academic content standards for
8mathematics and science. The Superintendent shall convene a
9group of experts, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 60811.4,
10to review the mathematics and science academic content standards
11to identify those standards that correspond to the English language
12development standards.end insert Thebegin insert
linked English language developmentend insert
13
standards shall be comparable in rigor and specificity to the
14academic content standards to which they arebegin delete aligned,end deletebegin insert
linked,end insert
15 including the standards for English language arts and mathematics
16adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8 and the science content
17standards adopted pursuant to Section 60605.85.
Section 60811.4 is added to the Education Code, to
19read:
(a) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent
21shall recommend to the state board modifications to the English
22language development standards, adopted pursuant to Section
2360811, tobegin delete alignend deletebegin insert linkend insert with the academic content standards for
24mathematics adopted by the state board pursuant to Section
2560605.8. If the state board modifies the English language
26development standards tobegin delete alignend deletebegin insert linkend insert
with the academic content
27standards for mathematics, it shall explain, in writing, to the
28Governor and the Legislature the reasons for the modification. The
29Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
30shall assist schools in the implementation and application of
31English language development standards in the mathematics subject
32
area.
33(b) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent shall
34recommend to the state board modifications to the English language
35development standards, adopted pursuant to Section 60811, to
P4 1begin delete alignend deletebegin insert linkend insert with the science content standards adopted by the state
2board pursuant to Section 60605.85. If the state board modifies
3the English language development standards tobegin delete alignend deletebegin insert linkend insert with the
4science content standards, it shall explain, in writing, to the
5Governor and the Legislature the
reasons for the modification. The
6Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
7shall assist schools in the implementation and application of
8English language development standards in the science subject
9area.
10(c) In meeting the requirements of subdivisions (a) and (b), the
11Superintendent, in consultation with the state board, shall convene
12a group of experts in English language instruction, curriculum,
13and assessment, including individuals who have a minimum of
14three years of demonstrated experience instructing English learners
15in the classroom at the elementary or secondary level. The
16Superintendent shall ensure thatbegin delete the group includes, but isend deletebegin insert members
17of the group
include, but areend insert not necessarily limited to,begin delete membersend delete
18begin insert individualsend insert who are schoolsite principals, school district or county
19office of education administrators overseeing programs and support
20for English learners, personnel of teacher training schools at
21institutions of higher education, and curriculum and instructional
22specialists with English learner experience.begin delete For the purpose of this
23subdivision, the Superintendent may use the group of experts
24convened pursuant to subdivision (b) of former Section 60811.3,
25as it read on June 30, 2013, with
modifications to account for
26mathematics and science content experience.end delete
27the members of the group of experts shall be currently employed
28public school teachers.end insert
29(d) Prior to completing the requirements of subdivisions (a) and
30(b), the Superintendent shall hold a minimum of two public
31meetings pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article
329 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
33Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) in order for the
34public to provide input regarding any modifications recommended
35pursuant to this section.
36(e) On or before August 1, 2015, the state board shall do both
37of the following:
38(1) Adopt or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations for
39begin delete the alignment ofend delete
the English language development standards
40adopted pursuant to Section 60811begin insert to correspondend insert with the state
P5 1board-approved academic content standards for mathematics
2adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8.
3(2) Adopt or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations forbegin delete4 the
alignment ofend delete
5adopted pursuant to Section 60811begin insert to correspondend insert with the state
6board-approved academic content standards for science adopted
7pursuant to Section 60605.85.
8(f) This section shall not be implemented unless funds are
9appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another
10statute for its purposes.
11(g) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and
12as of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
13that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
14extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
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