BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 252
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|Author: |Holden |
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|Version: |June 2, 2015 |
| |Hearing Date: July 8, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant: |Lenin Del Castillo |
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Subject: Advanced placement program: Advanced Placement STEM
Access Grant Program
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the Advanced Placement (AP) STEM Access
Grant Program through July 1, 2021, for purposes of awarding
funds to cover the costs associated with a high school
establishing or expanding its AP science, technology,
engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1)Declares the Legislature's intent that certain state funding
currently provided to school districts be made available to
provide financial assistance to economically disadvantaged
pupils in the payment of AP examination fees.
2)Expresses the intent of the Legislature that a competitive
grant program be established for the purpose of awarding
grants to economically disadvantaged pupils to cover the costs
of AP examination fees, thereby creating a second source of
financial assistance for economically disadvantaged pupils
taking AP examinations.
3)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to
annually update information on the AP programs posted on the
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California Department of Education's (CDE) web site and
specifies that this information include the various means
available to school districts to offer or access AP courses,
including online courses.
4)Requires the SPI to annually communicate with high schools
that offer less than 5 AP courses in fewer than 5 subjects,
and inform those schools of the various options for making AP
courses and other rigorous courses available to pupils who may
benefit from them.
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1)Makes various findings and declarations regarding the benefits
of AP STEM courses and the shortfall in minority students
taking these courses.
2)Defines "STEM curriculum" as courses in any of the following
subject areas: biology, calculus, chemistry, computer
sciences, environmental science, physics, and statistics.
3)Establishes the Advanced Placement (AP) STEM Access Grant
Program to be administered by the California Department of
Education (CDE) for the purpose of awarding monies to cover
the costs associated with a high school establishing or
expanding its AP science, technology, engineering and
mathematics (STEM) curriculum.
4)Establishes the AP STEM Access Grant Program Account in the
State Treasury and authorizes funds in the account to be used
to fund grants for purposes of this program.
5)Requires the grants awarded by the CDE to be matched by the
participating school district on a dollar-for-dollar basis, or
the equivalent value in services or resources.
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6)Authorizes grant funds to be used for one-time costs of
establishing or expanding AP STEM courses, including but not
limited to, professional development, instructional materials,
and laboratory materials and supplies.
7)Requires the grant amount to be determined based on the cost
of the type of AP course in the STEM curriculum, not to exceed
$8,000 per grant application.
8)Provides that a school district may apply for a maximum of one
grant per high school and 10 grants per school district if the
high school or school district does not offer AP courses in
the STEM curriculum or its AP STEM courses are oversubscribed.
Requires that a high school has identified pupils from
populations that are underrepresented in STEM courses and who
have demonstrated they have high potential to be successful in
one or more AP courses in the STEM curriculum, using any means
it deems appropriate, as specified.
9)Provides that the grant program shall be implemented only if
moneys are made available for its purpose from any source.
10)Provides that the program shall become inoperative on July 1,
2021.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. According to the author's office, "AP
courses give students access to rigorous college-level work
and builds their confidence to learn the essential time
management and study skills needed for college and career
success. Research shows that students who take AP courses are
much more likely than their peers to complete a college degree
on time." However, "in many areas throughout California,
minority, female, and lower income students who have the
potential of succeeding in AP courses and could receive
college credit, do not have access to those classes."
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2)AP courses and exams. The AP Program was established over 40
years ago by the College Board, which is a national
not-for-profit organization that fosters students' transitions
to college through programs and services in college readiness
and college success, including the Scholastic Aptitude Test
and the Advanced Placement (AP) Program. The AP Program
consists of college-level courses in 31 subject areas offered
at the high school level.
The AP Program provides incentives for public high schools in
California to provide access to rigorous, college-level
courses for interested and prepared students. AP courses are
recognized by virtually all public and private universities.
Successful completion of AP courses, and the related tests,
can greatly help students in the very competitive process of
university admission. Exams are administered every May and
are scored on a scale from 1 to 5. Students earning
qualifying scores, typically scores of 4 or 5, on AP
examinations may obtain course credit and/or placement from
colleges and universities. The recently-enacted Local Control
Accountability Plan (LCAP) includes AP scores among several
outcomes used to measure student achievement. Specifically,
student achievement will be measured, in part, by the
percentage of students who score a 3 or higher on AP exams.
3)STEM courses. The United States Department of Commerce
estimates that STEM jobs are expected to grow by 17 percent
during the 2008-2018 period, nearly double the rate of
non-STEM jobs. There are currently 10 AP courses and
examinations in the following science, technology, engineering
and mathematics (STEM) areas: calculus, computer science,
statistics, biology, chemistry, environmental science, and
physics. In the fall of 2013, the College Board implemented a
nationwide AP STEM Access Program utilizing a $5 million
private grant it received. This program focuses on expanding
AP course offerings to typically underrepresented minority and
female students who have demonstrated strong academic
potential to enroll in and explore these areas of study and
related careers. The College Board estimates that by 2016,
this program will have provided 36,000 students the
opportunity to study college-level STEM course work in these
newly offered AP classes.
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This bill is intended to provide incentive for schools to
offer or expand AP courses in the STEM fields and increase
participation of low-income and or minority students who
currently are not offered such courses, which is substantially
similar to the objectives of the College Board's existing AP
STEM Access Program. While that program serves high schools
nationwide, one could argue whether this bill is necessary.
Additionally, as part of the AP STEM Access Program,
participating schools and the College Board agree to work
together to achieve the stated objectives of the program to
meet specific school circumstances. This includes supporting
communications to create awareness, encouraging students to
seek out additional support, ensuring that low-income students
take advantage of federal funding for AP Exams, as well as
increasing participation of underrepresented students in AP
STEM courses. Should this bill also include a similar
partnership with the College Board, especially if it could
result in additional AP course offerings?
4)Need for diversity. In a survey of chemists and chemical
engineers conducted by the Bayer Corporation ("Bayer Facts of
Science Education XIV: Female and Minority Chemists and
Chemical Engineers Speak about Diversity and
Underrepresentation in STEM," March 2010), 75% of respondents
agreed that lack of quality science and math education
programs in poorer school districts is a top cause of
underrepresentation in STEM, and 66% agreed that stereotypes
that say STEM is not for girls or minorities is a top cause of
underrepresentation in STEM. The Bayer survey also reports
that 77% of respondents say "significant numbers of women and
underrepresented minorities are missing from the United States
STEM workforce today because they were not identified,
encouraged or nurtured to pursue STEM studies early on."
5)Fiscal impact. According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill would result in unknown Proposition 98
General Fund cost pressure in the hundreds of thousands.
Program requirements would be contingent upon state, federal
or non-state funding; however, no specific funding source has
been identified. Actual costs will depend on the amount of
the total grant award. For illustration, assuming 100 schools
qualify for the maximum grant award of $8,000; costs would be
in excess of $800,000. Additionally, there would be
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administrative costs of approximately $400,000 to the
California Department of Education (CDE) to review and approve
applications, provide technical assistance and write an
evaluation of the program. CDE would likely contract with a
statewide evaluator to evaluate the effectiveness of the
programs.
6)Related and prior legislation. AB 1940 (Holden, 2014)
proposed to stablish a pilot program to expand science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics advanced placement
programs in high schools. This bill failed passage in the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SUPPORT
Advanced Medical Technology Association
American Chemistry Council
American Council of Engineering Companies, California
BayBio
Bayer Corporation
Biocom
Boehringer-Ingelheim Pharmaceutical Company
California Chamber of Commerce
California Communities United Institute
California Healthcare Institute
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California State PTA
California Teachers Association
College Board
Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
Pharmaceutical Researchers and Manufacturers Association
Service Employees International Union
Silicon Valley Community Foundation
TechNet
OPPOSITION
None received.
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