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 standards for English language arts.
This bill would additionally require these standards to be comparable in rigor and specificity to the standards for mathematics and science.
(2) Existing law, which is to be repealed on July 1, 2013, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to update, revise, and align the English language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 mathematics and science 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 requirements and to review the mathematics and science academic content standards to identify those standards that correspond to the English language development standards. 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 insert The bill would require the state board to ensure that any modifications to the English language development standards adopted by the state board are incorporated into the appropriate mathematics and science curriculum frameworks.end insert
The 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 shall approve standards for English
2language development for pupils whose primary language is a
3language other than English. The standards shall be comparable
4in rigor and specificity to the standards for English language arts
5adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8, the standards for mathematics
6adopted pursuant to Sections 60605.8 and 60605.11, and the
7standards for science adopted pursuant to Section 60605.85.
Section 60811.4 is added to the Education Code, to
9read:
(a) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent
11shall recommend to the state board modifications to the English
12language development standards, adopted pursuant to Section
1360811.3, to link with the academic content standards for
14mathematics adopted by the state board pursuant to Sections
1560605.8 and 60605.11 and the academic content standards for
16science adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.85.
17If the state board modifies the English language development
18standards to link with the academic content standards for
19mathematics and science, it shall explain, in writing, to the
20Governor and the Legislature the reasons for the modification. The
21Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
22shall assist schools in the implementation and application of
23English language
development standards in the mathematics and
24science subject areas.
25(b) In meeting the requirements of subdivision (a), the
26Superintendent, in consultation with the state board, shall convene
27a group of experts in English language instruction, curriculum,
28and assessment, including individuals who have a minimum of
29three years of demonstrated experience instructing English learners
30in the classroom at the elementary or secondary level. The experts
31shall review the mathematics and science academic content
32standards to identify those standards that correspond to the English
33language development standards. The Superintendent shall ensure
34that members of the group include, but are not necessarily limited
35to, individuals who are schoolsite principals, school district or
36county office of education administrators overseeing programs
37and support for English learners, personnel of teacher training
38schools at institutions of higher education, and
curriculum and
39instructional specialists with English learner experience. At least
P4 1a majority of the members of the group of experts shall be currently
2employed public schoolteachers.
3(c) Prior to completing the requirements of subdivision (a), the
4Superintendent shall hold a minimum of two public meetings
5pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article 9
6(commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
7Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) in order for the
8public to provide input regarding any modifications recommended
9pursuant to this section.
10(d) begin insert(1)end insertbegin insert end insert On or before August 1, 2015, the state board shall adopt
11or reject the
Superintendent’s recommendations for the English
12language development standards adopted pursuant to Section
1360811.3 to correspond with the state board-approved academic
14content standards for mathematics adopted pursuant to Sections
1560605.8 and 60605.11 and the state board-approved academic
16content standards for science approved pursuant to Section
1760605.85.
18(2) The state board shall ensure that any modifications to the
19English language development standards adopted by the state
20board are incorporated into the appropriate mathematics and
21science curriculum frameworks.
22(e) This section shall not be implemented unless funds are
23appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another
24statute for its purposes.
25(f) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and
26as of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
27that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
28extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
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