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(2) Existing law, which is to be repealed on July 1, 2013, requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in consultation with the state board, to update, revise, and align the English language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. 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.
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
4language development for pupils whose primary language is a
5language other than English. The standards shall be comparable
6in rigor and specificity to the standards for English language arts
7adopted pursuant to Section 60605.8, the standards for mathematics
8adopted pursuant to Sections 60605.8 and 60605.11, and the
9standards for science adopted pursuant to Section 60605.85.
Section 60811.4 is added to the Education Code, to
11read:
(a) On or before January 1, 2015, the Superintendent
13shall recommend to the state board modifications to the English
14language development standards, adopted pursuant to Section
1560811.3, to link with the academic content standards for
16mathematics adopted by the state board pursuant to Sections
1760605.8 and 60605.11 and the academic content standards for
18science adopted by the state board pursuant to Section 60605.85.
19If the state board modifies the English language development
20standards to link with the academic content standards for
21mathematics and science, it shall explain, in writing, to the
22Governor and the Legislature the reasons for the modification. The
23Superintendent’s recommendations and the state board’s actions
24shall
assist schools in the implementation and application of
25English language development standards in the mathematics and
26science subject areas.
27(b) In meeting the requirements of subdivision (a), the
28Superintendent, in consultation with the state board, shall convene
29a group of experts in English language instruction, curriculum,
30and assessment, including individuals who have a minimum of
31three years of demonstrated experience instructing English learners
32in the classroom at the elementary or secondary level. The experts
33shall review the mathematics and science academic content
34standards to identify those standards that correspond to the English
35language development standards. The Superintendent shall ensure
36that members of the group include, but are not necessarily limited
37to, individuals who are schoolsite principals, school district or
38county
office of education administrators overseeing programs
P4 1and support for English learners, personnel of teacher training
2schools at institutions of higher education, and curriculum and
3instructional specialists with English learner experience. At least
4a majority of the members of the group of experts shall be currently
5employed public schoolteachers.
6(c) begin deletePrior to end deletebegin insertBefore end insertcompleting the requirements of subdivision
7(a), the Superintendent shall hold a minimum of two public
8meetings pursuant to the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act (Article
99 (commencing with Section 11120) of Chapter 1 of Part 1 of
10Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code) in order for the
11public to provide
input regarding any modifications recommended
12pursuant to this section.
13(d) (1) On or before August 1, 2015, the state board shall adopt
14or reject the Superintendent’s recommendations for the English
15language development standards adopted pursuant to Section
1660811.3 to correspond with the state board-approved academic
17content standards for mathematics adopted pursuant to Sections
1860605.8 and 60605.11 and the state board-approved academic
19content standards for science approved pursuant to Section
2060605.85.
21(2) The state board shall ensure that any modifications to the
22English language development standards adopted by the state board
23begin insert pursuant to this sectionend insert are
incorporated into the appropriate
24mathematics and science curriculum frameworks.
25(e) This section shall not be implemented unless funds are
26appropriated by the Legislature in the annual Budget Act or another
27statute for its purposes.
28(f) This section shall become inoperative on July 1, 2016, and
29as of January 1, 2017, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute,
30that becomes operative on or before January 1, 2017, deletes or
31extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.
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