Amended in Senate July 11, 2013

Amended in Senate June 26, 2013

Amended in Assembly May 24, 2013

Amended in Assembly May 6, 2013

Amended in Assembly April 25, 2013

California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 899

Introduced by Assembly Member Weber

February 22, 2013

An act to amend Section 60811 of, and to add and repeal Section 60811.4 of, the Education Code, relating to academic content standards.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

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 begin delete statewide academically rigorous content end delete standards for English language arts.

This bill would begin delete instead require 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 require the linked English language development standards to be comparable in rigor and specificity to the academic content standards to which they are linked, including specified standards for English language arts and mathematics and specified science content standards. end delete begin insert additionally require these standards to be comparable in rigor and specificity to the end insert begin insert standards for mathematics and science. end insert

(2) Existing law, which is to be repealed on July 1, 2013, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to update, revise, and align the English language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 to link with the state board-approved academic content standards for begin delete mathematics, and would also require the Superintendent to recommend modifications to the English language development standards to link with the state board-approved science content standards, end delete begin insert mathematics and science end insert for adoption by 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 begin delete requirements. end delete begin insert requirements and to review the mathematics and science academic content standards to identify those standards that correspond to the English language development standards. end insert 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 the English language development standards to correspond with the state board-approved academic content standards for mathematics and science, as specified.

begin delete

This

end delete

begin insert The end insert 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:

begin delete

SECTION 1.  

Section 60811 of the Education Code is amended
to read:

60811.  

The state board shall 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 Superintendent shall convene a
group of experts, pursuant to subdivision (c) of Section 60811.4,
to review the mathematics and science academic content standards
to identify those standards that correspond to the English language
development standards. The linked English language development
standards shall be comparable in rigor and specificity to the
academic content standards to which they are linked, including
the standards for English language arts and mathematics adopted
pursuant to Section 60605.8 and the science content standards
adopted pursuant to Section 60605.85.

end delete

begin insert

begin insert SECTION 1. end insert   

end insert

begin insert Section 60811 of the end insert begin insert Education Code end insert begin insert is amended
to read: end insert

60811.  

The state board shall approve standards for English
language development for pupils whose primary language is a
language other than English. The standards shall be comparable
in rigor and specificity to the standards for English language arts
adopted pursuant to Section begin delete 60605.8. end delete begin insert 60605.8, the standards for
mathematics adopted pursuant to Sections 60605.8 and 60605.11,
and the standards for science adopted pursuant to Section
60605.85. end insert

SEC. 2.  

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

60811.4.  

(a) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent
shall recommend to the state board modifications to the English
language development standards, adopted pursuant to Section
begin delete 60811 end delete begin insert 60811.3 end insert , to link with the academic content standards for
mathematics adopted by the state board pursuant to begin delete Section
60605.8. end delete begin insert Sections 60605.8 and 60605.11 and the academic content
standards for science adopted by the state board pursuant to
Section 60605.85. end insert If the state board modifies the English language
development standards to link with the academic content standards
for begin delete mathematics, end delete begin insert mathematics and science, end insert it shall explain, in
writing, to the Governor and the Legislature the reasons for the
modification. The Superintendent’s recommendations and the state
board’s actions shall assist schools in the implementation and
application of English language development standards in the
mathematics begin insert and science end insert subject begin delete area. end delete begin insert areas. end insert

begin delete

(b) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent shall
recommend to the state board modifications to the English language
development standards, adopted pursuant to Section 60811, to link
with the science content standards adopted by the state board
pursuant to Section 60605.85. If the state board modifies the
English language development standards to link with the science
content standards, it shall explain, in writing, to the Governor and
the Legislature the reasons for the modification. The
Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
shall assist schools in the implementation and application of
English language development standards in the science subject
area.

(c)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert b) end insert  In meeting the requirements of begin delete subdivisions (a) and (b), end delete
begin insert subdivision (a), end insert the Superintendent, in consultation with the state
board, shall convene a group of experts in English language
instruction, curriculum, and assessment, including individuals who
have a minimum of three years of demonstrated experience
instructing English learners in the classroom at the elementary or
secondary level. begin insert The experts shall review the mathematics and
science academic content standards to identify those standards
that correspond to the English language development standards. end insert
The Superintendent shall ensure that members of the group include,
but are not necessarily limited to, individuals who are schoolsite
principals, school district or county office of education
administrators overseeing programs and support for English
learners, personnel of teacher training schools at institutions of
higher education, and curriculum and instructional specialists with
English learner experience. At least begin delete one-half end delete begin insert a majority end insert of the
members of the group of experts shall be currently employed public
school teachers.

begin delete

(d)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert c) end insert  Prior to completing the requirements of begin delete subdivisions (a) and
(b), end delete begin insert subdivision (a), end insert the Superintendent shall hold a minimum of
two public meetings 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) in order
for the public to provide input regarding any modifications
recommended pursuant to this section.

begin delete

(e)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert d) end insert  On or before August 1, 2015, the state board shall begin delete do both
of the following: end delete

begin delete (1) end delete begin delete   end delete begin delete Adopt end delete begin insert adopt end insert or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations
for the English language development standards adopted pursuant
to Section begin delete 60811 end delete begin insert 60811.3 end insert to correspond with the state
board-approved academic content standards for mathematics
adopted pursuant to begin delete Section 60605.8. end delete begin insert Sections 60605.8 and
60605.11 and the state board-approved academic content
standards for science approved pursuant to Section 60605.85. end insert

begin delete

(2) Adopt or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations for
the English language development standards adopted pursuant to
Section 60811 to correspond with the state board-approved
academic content standards for science adopted pursuant to Section
60605.85.

end delete begin delete

(f)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert e) end insert  This section shall not be implemented unless funds are
appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another
statute for its purposes.

begin delete

(g)

end delete

begin insert ( end insert begin insert f) end insert  This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and
as of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.