BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 247 Page 1 SENATE THIRD READING SB 247 (Liu) As Amended September 3, 2013 Majority vote SENATE VOTE :27-11 EDUCATION 7-0 APPROPRIATIONS 12-1 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Buchanan, Olsen, Chávez, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, | | |Gonzalez, Nazarian, | |Bradford, | | |Weber, Williams | |Ian Calderon, Campos, | | | | |Eggman, Gomez, Hall, | | | | |Holden, Pan, Quirk, Weber | | | | | | |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------| | | |Nays:|Donnelly | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Addresses the use of second grade diagnostic assessments for use by classroom teachers in the absence of state-required testing of second grade pupils. Specifically, this bill : 1)Requires the California Department of Education (CDE), by November 1, 2014, to identify to school districts existing assessments in English language arts and mathematics that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and are appropriate for diagnostic use by classroom teachers for use in second grade. 2)Specifies that the savings from the elimination of the second grade achievement assessments be used by local education agencies (LEAs) should they choose to administer the second grade diagnostic assessment. 3)Requires the CDE to ensure that the diagnostic second grade assessments it identifies are valid for the purpose of identifying particular knowledge or skills a pupil has or has not acquired in order to inform instruction and make educational decisions. 4)Specifies that the diagnostic assessments identified pursuant SB 247 Page 2 to this bill are not intended to be valid measures of pupil, personnel, or LEA accountability. 5)Makes this bill operative only if AB 484 (Bonilla) of the current legislative session is also enacted and takes effect on or before January 1, 2014. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, this bill has the following fiscal effects: 1)Loss of General Fund (GF)/ Proposition 98 savings of approximately $2 million by eliminating second grade testing in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program and redirecting this expenditure for the administration of second grade diagnostic assessments, as proposed in this measure. Of this cost, approximately $800,000 is for test development and $1.2 million GF/Proposition 98 is annual apportionment savings. Currently, the state provides $2.52 per pupil for the administration of each STAR assessment. This bill requires the entire $2 million GF/Proposition 98 in savings to be used by LEAs for the administration of second grade diagnostic assessments. The entire amount may not be used, however, given the fact that only $1.2 million is currently used to pay for administration. As such, the state may still realize $800,000 in GF/Proposition 98 savings. 2)GF/Proposition 98 costs of at least $100,000, to State Department of Education (SDE) to contract for the evaluation of existing second grade diagnostic assessments. This information would be made available to school districts, as specified. COMMENTS: This bill eliminates the requirement for LEAs to administer achievement assessments in second grade. While The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) does not require testing of second grade pupils, California's STAR Program includes assessments administered to pupils in second grade in English language arts and mathematics. This decision stemmed from the concern that without second grade testing, parents and teachers will not have this data sufficiently early in a pupil's educational career in order to make adjustments to that student's instruction. This bill continues to make available diagnostic assessments for second grade to address the concerns SB 247 Page 3 of those who rely on these assessments as an indicator of the need for adjustments to a pupil's educational program. However, such an assessment would no longer be provided by the state and LEAs would be required to purchase these assessments at their own expense. Analysis Prepared by : Jill Rice / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0002225