AB 1876, as amended, Lopez. Pupils: diploma alternatives: language options.
Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a high school equivalency certificate and an official score report, or an official score report only, to a person who has not completed high school and who meets specified requirements, including, among others, having taken all or a portion of a general education development test that has been approved by the State Board of Education and administered by a testing center approved by the State Department of Education, with a score determined by the state board to be equal to the standard of performance expected from high school graduates.
Commencing January 1, 2019, this bill would prohibit the department from approving or renewing approval of a contractor or testing center to administer the tests described above unless the contractor or testing center provides those tests
inbegin delete the top 3 primary languages used in the state, as determined by the department based on United States Census data.end deletebegin insert English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.end insert The bill would require that an examinee be permitted to take the test in the language of his or her choice ofbegin delete the top 3 primary languages used in the state.end deletebegin insert those specified languages.end insert
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares both of the
2following:
3(a) The intention in enacting the Dymally-Alatorre Bilingual
4Services Act was to provide for effective communication between
5all levels of government in this state and the people of this state
6who are precluded from utilizing public services because of
7language barriers.
8(b) It is in the interest of California to reduce language barriers
9in obtaining high school equivalency certificates.
Section 51420.5 is added to the Education Code, to
11read:
(a) Commencing January 1, 2019, the department
13shall not approve or renew approval of a contractor or testing center
14to administer tests for purposes of Section 51420 unless the
15contractor or testing center provides the general educational
16development tests that have been approved by the state board inbegin delete17 the top three primary languages used in the
state, as determined
18by the department based on United States Census data.end delete
19Spanish, and Vietnamese.end insert
20(b) An examinee shall be permitted to take the test in the
21language of his or her choice of thebegin delete top three primary languages begin insert languages specified in subdivision (a).end insert
22used in the state.end delete
23(c) This section is intended to supplement and not supplant any
24other requirements the department adopts for the approval of
25contractors or testing centers under this article.
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