BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 220 (Holden) - Pupil instruction: mathematics: algebra.
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|Version: April 7, 2015 |Policy Vote: ED. 8 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: June 22, 2015 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill amends the existing high school mathematics
graduation requirement by authorizing the completion of a course
in Algebra I or integrated mathematics that is aligned to the
most recently adopted academic content standards by the State
Board of Education (Board).
Fiscal
Impact:
No fiscal impact is expected to result from this bill. To the
extent local educational agencies modify algebra course
offerings as a result of this bill costs would likely not be
reimbursable as a state mandate.
Background: Existing law requires students to take two courses in
mathematics before graduating from high school.
AB 220 (Holden) Page 1 of
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Current law also requires that at least one course, or a
combination of the two courses, in mathematics required for
graduation meet or exceed the rigor of the content standards for
Algebra I adopted by the Board in 1997. Content standards
describe what students should know and be able to do in each
subject in each grade.
Current law established the Academic Content Standards
Commission for the purpose of developing the California common
core standards in English language arts and mathematics. In
August 2010, the Board adopted the standards as proposed, which
include the common core standards as well as additional
standards that the commission deemed necessary. These new
standards, and the modifications made in 2013, supersede the
standards adopted by the Board in 1997. Since 2010, a number of
states have adopted the same standards for English and
mathematics.
The California common core standards for higher mathematics are
organized in two ways: as model courses and in conceptual
categories. The model courses provide guidance for developing
curriculum and instruction. Model courses for higher
mathematics have two pathways: traditional and integrated. The
traditional pathway consists of the higher mathematics standards
organized along more traditional lines into Algebra I, Geometry,
and Algebra II courses. The integrated pathway consists of the
courses Mathematics I, II, and III. This pathway presents
higher mathematics as a connected subject, in that each course
contains standards from all six of the conceptual categories.
The six conceptual categories include: number and quantity,
algebra, functions, modeling, geometry, and statistics and
probability.
Proposed Law:
This bill amends the existing high school mathematics
graduation requirement. Specifically this bill:
(1) Authorizes students to fulfill the mathematics
graduation requirement by completing at least one course,
or a combination of the two mathematics courses required
for graduation, that meets or exceeds the rigor of Algebra
I or Mathematics I aligned to the common core standards.
AB 220 (Holden) Page 2 of
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(2) Requires that students who complete a course or courses
that meet or exceed the previous content standards adopted
by the Board are deemed to have satisfied the revised
graduation requirement (above). This provision is
consistent with existing law.
(3) Provides that a student who, before entering ninth
grade, completed a course in Algebra I or Mathematics I, or
mathematics courses of equal rigor, is exempt from the
requirement to take an algebra course prior to graduating
from high school. This does not exempt the student from
taking two mathematics courses while enrolled in grades 9
to 12.
Related
Legislation:1. AB 1599 (Education Committee, Ch. 327, Statutes of 2014), until
July 2, 2014 amendments, included a provision that was very
similar to this bill.
Staff
Comments: Currently, the algebra graduation requirement in
existing law is inconsistent with the state's adoption and
implementation of the common core standards. According to
guidance provided by the State Department of Education, local
educational agencies determine what course or courses satisfy
the requirement that algebra courses meet or exceed the rigor of
the previous standards.
This bill modifies the Algebra I high school graduation
requirement to be consistent with the common core standards for
mathematics while also allowing algebra courses that meet or
exceed the previous content standards to satisfy the graduation
requirement. Therefore, this bill does not require local
educational agencies to change the courses currently being
offered. Instead, it provides clarification that courses that
meet or exceed Algebra I or Mathematics I aligned to the current
content standards meet the mathematics graduation requirement.
To the extent local educational agencies modify algebra course
offerings as a result of this bill costs would likely not be
reimbursable as a state mandate.
AB 220 (Holden) Page 3 of
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