BILL ANALYSIS Ó
Senate Appropriations Committee Fiscal Summary
Senator Kevin de León, Chair
AB 899 (Weber) - English Language Development Standards
Amended: July 11, 2013 Policy Vote: Education 9-0
Urgency: No Mandate: No
Hearing Date: August 30, 2013
Consultant: Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez
SUSPENSE FILE. AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED.
Bill Summary: AB 899 requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) to recommend modifications to the English
language development (ELD) standards to link those standards
with the Common Core standards in mathematics and science.
Fiscal Impact:
Convene experts and modify standards: Significant costs to
the California Department of Education (CDE), likely in the
low hundreds of thousands.
Cost pressure: Substantial cost pressure for school
districts to provide instructional materials aligned to the
new standards.
Background: Existing law requires the State Board of Education
(SBE) to approve standards for ELD for pupils whose primary
language is a language other than English. The ELD standards
help guide curriculum, instruction, and assessment for English
learners who are developing the English language skills needed
to engage successfully with state subject matter standards.
(Education Code § 60811)
The SBE adopted Common Core state standards in English language
arts and mathematics on August 2, 2010. (EC § 60605.8)
The SBE adopted revised ELD standards that are aligned to the
Common Core standards in English language arts on November 7,
2012. (EC § 60811.3)
The SBE is required to consider the adoption of new science
standards that are based on the Next Generation Science
Standards by November 30, 2013. (EC § 60605.85)
AB 899 (Weber)
Page 1
Proposed Law: AB 899 requires the SPI to recommend modifications
to the ELD standards to link those standards with the Common
Core standards in mathematics and science. Specifically, this
bill:
1) Requires the SPI, in consultation with the SBE, to
convene a group of experts in English language instruction,
curriculum, and assessment, as specified, and requires the
group of experts to review the mathematics and science
standards to identify those that correspond to the ELD
standards.
2) Requires the SPI to recommend to the SBE modifications
to the ELD standards to link with the Common Core standards
for mathematics and science. Requires the SPI, prior to
making recommendations to the SBE, to hold at least two
public meetings for the public to provide input.
3) Requires the SBE to adopt or reject the recommendations
by August 1, 2015.
4) Requires the SBE, if the SBE chooses to modify the ELD
standards, to explain in writing to the Governor and
Legislature the reasons for modification.
5) Prohibits this bill from being implemented unless funds
are appropriated for its purpose.
6) Sunsets the provisions of this bill on July 1, 2016.
Staff Comments: This bill requires the CDE (on behalf of the
SPI) to convene a group of experts to review the mathematics and
science standards to identify those that correspond to the ELD
standards. The SPI must then develop recommendations, hold at
least two public meetings, and then present to the SBE
modifications to the ELD standards to link with the Common Core
standards for mathematics and science. These requirements will
result in significant workload for the CDE to coordinate and
staff the prescribed process, the extent of which will depend on
how extensive the process ends up being and the level of support
needed by the experts to complete the tasks. The CDE will also
incur costs for required expert meetings (including travel
reimbursement), required public meetings, and contracting costs:
$175,000 for analysis and technical writing for identification
AB 899 (Weber)
Page 2
of ELD standards corresponding with math and science Common Core
standards, and minor costs to consult with individuals with
expertise in both mathematics and ELD.
If the SBE adopts the modifies ELD standards proposed by the
SPI, there may be cost pressure for school districts to adopt
new instructional materials and to provide additional
professional development to teachers.
AS PROPOSED TO BE AMENDED: Author's amendments would specify
that the updated standards would be incorporated into updated
frameworks, as appropriate.