BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 1153
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|Author: |Calderon |
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|Version: |April 20, 2015 Hearing |
| |Date: June 17, 2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Lenin Del Castillo |
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Subject: School accountability: local control and
accountability plans: posting: ????..evaluation rubrics
SUMMARY
This bill requires the State Board of Education (SBE), by
January 31, 2017, to consider revising the template for the
local control and accountability plan (LCAP) to include a
section or appendix sufficient to monitor actual progress on
outcomes related to the evaluation rubric adopted by the SBE.
This bill also requires each school district and county office
of education to post on its internet web site its populated
evaluation rubric, if available.
BACKGROUND
AB 97 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 47, Statutes of 2013) and
subsequent legislation created the Local Control Funding Formula
(LCFF), which consolidated most of the state's categorical
programs with general purpose revenue limit funding and would be
phased in over the coming years. One of the main principles
behind the LCFF is that English learners and low-income students
require more attention and resources in the classroom than
students who do not have these same challenges. By providing
more services (and in turn, additional funding) to these student
populations, it is widely believed that this will help close the
achievement gap and help all students perform better.
In addition to the LCFF, the 2013 Budget established a new
system for school accountability. Under the new system, school
AB 1153 (Calderon) Page 2
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districts, county offices of education, and charter schools are
required to complete an LCAP. The LCAP must include a
district's annual goals in each of the following eight state
priority areas: 1) student achievement; 2) student engagement;
3) other student outcomes; 4) school climate; 5) implementation
of the Common Core State Standards; 6) course access; 7) basic
services; and 8) parental involvement. The LCAPs must also
include both district wide goals and goals for specific
subgroups. Districts are required to consult with stakeholders
on their plans and hold at least two public hearings before
adopting or updating their LCAP.
Additionally, the LCFF legislation requires that on or before
October 1, 2015, the State Board of Education shall adopt
evaluation rubrics for the following purposes: 1) to assist a
school district, county office of education, or charter school
in evaluating its strengths, weaknesses, and areas that require
improvement; 2) to assist a county superintendent of schools in
identifying school districts and charter schools in need of
technical assistance, as specified, and the specific priorities
upon which the technical assistance should be focused; and 3) to
assist the Superintendent of Public Instruction in identifying
school districts for which intervention is warranted. The
evaluation rubrics shall reflect a holistic, multidimensional
assessment of school district and individual school site
performance and shall include all of the state priorities
described in the local control and accountability plan (LCAP).
Additionally, as part of the evaluation rubrics, the State Board
of Education (SBE) is required to adopt standards for school
district and individual school site performance and expectation
for improvement in regard to each of the state priorities.
Further, the Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF) legislation
established a new system of school district support and
intervention. The California Collaborative for Educational
Excellence (CCEE) was created in order to provide advice and
assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs). Under the new
system, if an LEA does not meet performance expectations in the
eight state priority areas, they could be subject to
intervention by their county office of education or the CCEE.
LEAs that are continuously not meeting performance standards, as
specified, could be subject to intervention by the SBE and
Superintendent of Public Instruction. However, LEAs also may
seek assistance from the CCEE on their own.
AB 1153 (Calderon) Page 3
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ANALYSIS
This bill requires the SBE, by January 31, 2017, to consider a
revision to the LCAP template to include a section or appendix
to monitor actual progress with respect to the SBE-adopted
standards and expectations for improvement, as specified.
This bill also requires a superintendent of a school district or
county superintendent of schools to post on its internet web
site, if available, its populated evaluation rubric unless the
SBE revises the template for the LCAP, as specified.
STAFF COMMENTS
1)Need for the bill. According to the author's office, there is no
requirement that districts publicly report or simply post
online annual data on the eight state priorities and
accompanying data metrics for each. Absent availability of
critical baseline data, it is difficult if not impossible to
have meaningful stakeholder engagement. The author's office
indicates that making this information available will make for
more informed needs assessments and conversations as districts
and communities prioritize local LCFF goals and actions.
2)Is the bill premature? On or before October 1, 2015, the SBE is
required to adopt the evaluation rubrics. While LEAs will be
able to use the rubrics for self-assessment, evaluating
strengths and weaknesses, and in identifying schools and
districts in need of technical assistance, there does not
appear to be an explicit requirement for LEAs to utilize the
evaluation rubrics. Additionally, as part of the rubrics, the
SBE is required to adopt standards for school district and
individual school site performance and expectation for
improvement in regard to each of the state priorities.
Just recently, a variety of stakeholders and organizations
within the education community requested that the
Administration and Legislature enact legislation that would
delay adoption of the evaluation rubrics to February 2016.
They indicate a statutory extension is necessary to balance
AB 1153 (Calderon) Page 4
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the need for further deliberation with the goal of providing
useful guidance to the field to inform the development of
2016-17 local control and accountability plans (LCAPs) and to
provide more time for stakeholders and the State Board of
Education (SBE) to engage on numerous technical and policy
issues that need to be further discussed. While no
legislative action has been taken as of the date of this
analysis, the bill's provisions could be premature if any
delay on the adoption of the rubrics were to happen. One
could also argue that any revision to the LCAP template
regarding the evaluation rubrics at this point is premature
given that the soonest the SBE is likely to adopt them is late
summer or early fall of 2015 (the statutory deadline is on or
before October 1, 2015). As the bill would require the SBE to
consider a revision to the LCAP template by January 31, 2017,
the Committee may wish to consider whether this provides
sufficient time for the SBE to consider whether such a
revision is necessary and also whether it provides ample time
to develop any changes.
3)Duplication. This bill requires a school district or county
office of education to post its populated evaluation rubric,
if available, on its internet web site. However, if the SBE
elects to revise the LCAP template to include evaluation
rubrics data, it appears that this provision would be
redundant because LCAPs are already required to be posted
online.
SUPPORT
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color
Bay Area Council
California Association for Bilingual Education
California School-Based Health Alliance
Children Now (sponsor)
Education Trust-West
EdVoice
Families In Schools
Fight Crime: Invest in Kids California
PICO California
Restorative Schools Vision Project
OPPOSITION
AB 1153 (Calderon) Page 5
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None received.
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