BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Carol Liu, Chair
2013-2014 Regular Session
BILL NO: SB 379
AUTHOR: Hancock
AMENDED: April 17, 2013
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: April 24, 2013
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Lenin Del Castillo
SUBJECT : School Attendance-Early and Middle College
Programs.
SUMMARY
This bill exempts a charter operated early college or middle
college high school from the 240 minute requirement for a
minimum school day and establish a day of attendance as 180
minutes for pupils enrolled in these programs if they are
also enrolled part-time in classes at the University of
California (UC), California State University (CSU), or a
community college, as specified.
BACKGROUND
Early college high schools are small, autonomous schools that
blend high school and college into a coherent educational
program. Middle college high school programs are also small,
autonomous schools that blend high school and college into a
coherent educational program but have a career
preparation/work experience component. Both programs focus
on students from communities underrepresented in
postsecondary education, first generation college goers, and
English learners.
Existing law specifies that the minimum school day in any
high school is 240 minutes. However, evening high schools,
early college high schools, middle college high schools,
regional occupational centers, opportunity schools and
opportunity classes, continuation high schools, and
occupationally organized vocational training programs are
exempt from this 240 minute minimum day requirement. The
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minimum school day for pupils engaged in vocational training
and work experience or those attending school in a regional
occupational center or program is 180 minutes per day.
(Education Code � 46141, � 46144, and � 52325)
Existing law also provides that a day of attendance in grades
11 and 12 is 180 minutes if the pupil is also enrolled part
time in classes of the CSU or the UC. A day of attendance
for a pupil who is also a special part-time student enrolled
in a community college and who will receive academic credit
upon satisfactory completion of enrolled courses is 180
minutes. For purposes of computing average daily attendance
for these pupils, current law specifies that the 180 minute
minimum is computed as three-quarters of a full 240 minute
day. (Education Code � 47146)
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Provides that a day of attendance for a charter operated
early college high school student in grade 11 or 12 that
is eligible to claim classroom based apportionment, as
specified, is 180 minutes if the pupil is also enrolled
part time in classes at the California State University
of the University of California for which academic
credit will be provided upon satisfactory completion of
enrolled courses.
2) Provides that a day of attendance for a charter operated
early college high school student in grade 11 or 12 that
is eligible to claim classroom based apportionment, as
specified, is 180 minutes if the pupil is also a special
part-time student enrolled in a community college and
who will earn academic credit upon satisfactory
completion of enrolled courses. For pupils enrolled in
grade 9 or 10 that meet the same criteria, a day of
attendance is 240 minutes.
3) Requires a day of attendance for a pupil enrolled in a
charter operated early college high school or middle
college high school who does not satisfy these
provisions is 240 minutes.
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4) Provides that the bill's provisions do not change the
requirement for charter schools to offer a minimum
number of annual instructional minutes, as specified.
5) Provides that for a pupil enrolled in a charter operated
early college high school or middle college high school
who does not satisfy the attendance and enrollment
requirements as specified, attendance shall be claimed
by the charter school.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. Many career-focused educational
programs and alternative high schools have a 180-minute
threshold for average daily attendance (ADA) purposes.
Prior to January 1, 2013, early college high schools
were held to a higher minimum threshold of 240 minutes
which is the same as comprehensive high schools.
According to the author, the 240 minute requirement
creates logistical problems for school schedules that
are also trying to accommodate pupils' college schedules
and creates long days for students. Presumably,
students could use this extra time to take more college
courses or make more efficient use of their time while
meeting their high school graduation requirements.
SB 1316 (Hancock), Chapter 67 of Statutes of 2012,
sought to address these issues and allow early college
and middle college high school students who are also
enrolled in college to meet the minimum day requirement
of 180 minutes. However, SB 1316 did not specifically
apply to charter operated programs and therefore, they
are still required to provide 64,800 minutes of
instruction per year which is the equivalent of 288
minutes per day of instructional time for full classroom
based average daily attendance. As a result, there are
two sets of requirements for programs operated by
comprehensive high schools and charter schools.
According to the author, the purpose of SB 379 is to
correct this discrepancy and "level the playing field"
for early college and middle college high school
programs operated by charter schools.
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2) Early College High Schools . Early college high schools
are small, autonomous schools that blend high school and
college into a coherent educational program. Programs
operate as partnerships between a high school and
community college and are designed so that students can,
within four to five years of entering ninth grade,
attain a high school diploma and earn two years of
college credit. Students start college work based on
their performance to ensure that the program meets the
student's developmental and intellectual needs.
Learning takes place in a personalized environment where
rigorous work is demanded and supported. Proponents
maintain that early college high school programs help
ease the transition between high school and college.
There are more than 60 programs in California. These
programs can be organized in a variety of ways depending
on the needs of the school district, school site and
partnering postsecondary institution. Some early
college high schools were established as charter high
schools.
3) Impact on average daily attendance . Although current
law provides for a 180 minute minimum day for 11th and
12th grade students who are also concurrently enrolled
in a CSU, UC, or community college, school districts
earn only 75% of a full average daily attendance for
these students. By exempting charter operated early
college high school programs from the current 240 minute
minimum day requirement and by specifying that a day of
attendance for early high school students taking college
courses is 180 minutes, this bill would enable these
schools to earn full average daily attendance for their
students. According to the author's office, the support
system for early college high school students enrolled
in college is an important component of an early college
high school. Unlike individual students who choose to
enroll in college classes while still in high school,
taking college courses is an integral part of the early
college educational program. These students work
closely with teachers and counselors from both the high
school and the community college to ensure they get the
necessary support for their college courses. While it
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could be argued that changing the minimum requirement to
180 minutes may reduce the number of courses these
schools may need to staff, it can also be argued that
the coordination and support systems needed to ensure a
successful educational experience for early college high
school students effectively offsets any workload
reduction associated with eliminating course offerings.
SUPPORT
California Charter Schools Association Advocates
Tulare County Office of Education
University Preparatory High School
OPPOSITION
None on file.