BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1719 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 1719 (Weber and Buchanan) As Amended August 19, 2014 Majority vote ----------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |56-18|(May 28, 2014) |SENATE: |25-11|(August 21, | | | | | | |2014) | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Original Committee Reference: ED. SUMMARY : Requires, no later than July 1, 2017, the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to provide the Legislature with an evaluation of kindergarten program implementation in the state, including part-day and full-day kindergarten programs. Specifically, this bill : 1)Requires the evaluation to include the following: a) Recommended best practices for providing full-day kindergarten programs. b) A sample of local educational agencies' (LEAs) full day and part-day kindergarten programs from across the state. Expresses the intent of the Legislature that this sample be representative of the diversity of the state, and shall include both urban and rural and small and large LEAs within the school districts. 2)Specifies that this bill shall not become operative until the Legislature makes an appropriation in the annual Budget Act or in any other statute. 3)Requires the report to be submitted in accordance with the process required under the Government Code Section 9795. 4)Requires, beginning with the 2015-16 school year, a LEA to provide an annual report to the California Department of the Education (CDE) that contains information on the type of kindergarten program offered by the LEA, including part-day, full-day, or both, in a manner determined by the CDE. 5)Sunsets on July 1, 2017, and repeals on January 1, 2018, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on or AB 1719 Page 2 before January 1, 2018, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed. The Senate amendments strike the requirement for the SPI to conduct a feasibility and implementation plan for providing full-day kindergarten programs in all public schools and instead require the SPI to conduct an evaluation of kindergarten programs in the state. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, approximately $240,000 (General Fund) in one-time contract costs for the CDE to conduct a kindergarten program evaluation, based on a diverse sampling of part-day and full-day kindergarten programs, as specified. Potentially significant workload increase to monitor contract over 10 months. Minor workload increase to elementary schools to annually report on the type of kindergarten programs they run. This activity is unlikely to result in significant enough costs to file a mandate claim. COMMENTS : Prior versions of this bill would have required school districts to implement full-day kindergarten programs. The current version of the bill requires the SPI to, by July 1, 2017, conduct an evaluation of kindergarten program implementation in the state, including full-day and part-day kindergarten programs. The bill also requires LEAs to submit annual information to the CDE on the kindergarten programs offered within the LEAs. In 2005, WestEd released a policy brief titled, Full-Day Kindergarten: Expanding learning opportunities. In that brief they compiled data from several studies on full-day kindergarten. Full-day kindergarten can provide teachers with more time to have both formal and informal interactions, including more time for small-group and individual activities. WestEd found that students in full-day kindergarten tend to be better prepared for primary-grade learning than those in half-day programs. They do better with the transition to first grade, show significant gains in school socialization, and are equipped with stronger learning skills. Studies also show that full-day kindergarten students show faster gains on literacy and language measures when compared to half-day kindergarten students, a finding of particular importance for the growing numbers of English learners. Moreover, such gains may last over time. One study, for example, showed higher reading achievement AB 1719 Page 3 persisting through third grade and in some cases through seventh grade, a benefit that bolsters students' overall school performance. Prior to 2005, school districts interested in offering an extended-day program (more than four hours) must seek a waiver from the State Board of Education. AB 2407 (Bermudez), Chapter 946, Statutes of 2004, eliminated the requirement to seek a waiver. A survey of full-day kindergarten in California conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) in 2009 found that full-day classes increased substantially following the enactment of AB 2407. In 2000-01, 11% of kindergarteners attended full-day kindergarten programs. In 2007-08, 43% of kindergarteners attended full-day kindergarten, with lower-performing and economically disadvantaged schools more likely to offer full-day programs. PPIC noted that California's enrollment of kindergarteners in full-day programs lagged behind those of other states. According to PPIC, two-thirds of all kindergarteners nationally attend full-day programs. According to the Education Commission of the States, while all states permit full-day kindergarten on some level, as of 2010, 11 states, including Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and West Virginia require that full-day kindergarten be offered. In New Jersey, schools in certain districts called "Abbott" districts, who receive additional financial assistance due to a Supreme Court order in Abbott v. Burke ((1997) 149 N.J. 145, 693 A.2d 417), are required to offer full-day kindergarten. Some states offer funding to implement full-day kindergarten but do not require it. Analysis Prepared by : Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0004927