BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2072
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|Author: |Chang |
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|Version: |April 27, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: June 15, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant:|Olgalilia Ramirez |
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Subject: High school diplomas: State Seal of STEM
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the State Seal of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to be voluntarily affixed to
the diploma or transcript of a high school graduate who has
attained proficiency in science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics fields.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Establishes requirements for the issuance of diplomas
and certificates to students who complete a prescribed
course of study.
(Education Code § 51400-51442)
2) Provides for the Golden State Seal Merit Diploma to
recognize students who have mastered specific courses in
the high school curriculum. This voluntary program
recognizes public school graduates who have demonstrated
mastery of the high school curriculum in six designated
subject areas, four of which must be mathematics, English
language arts, science, and United States history.
Qualifying students must be receiving a high school diploma
and have earned designated results on the California
Standards Test in six qualifying subject areas (previous
Golden State Exam results may also be used). Each school
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district that confers high school diplomas is responsible
for maintaining appropriate records in order to identify
eligible students and for affixing a Golden State Seal
Merit Diploma insignia to the diploma and transcript of
each qualifying student. Foreign language can be one of the
designated subject areas for which a student earns a Golden
State Seal Merit Diploma.
(Education Code § 51450-51455)
3) Establishes the State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB), which
provides recognition to high school students who have
demonstrated proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing
in one or more languages in addition to English. Requires
each school district, county office of education, or
direct-funded charter school that confers the SSB to
maintain appropriate records in order to identify students
who have met the established criteria for the award and to
affix the SSB insignia to the diploma or transcript of each
qualifying student. (EC § 51460.)
4) Declares a policy of the State of California that all
students in grades 1 - 12 must have equitable access to
educational programs designed to strengthen technological
skills, including computer education programs, and that
funds appropriated for these educational programs have the
goal of ensuring equitable access to those programs for all
students. (EC § 51007, et seq.)
ANALYSIS
This bill:
1) Establishes a State Seal of Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) to recognize high school
graduates who have attained a proficiency in science,
technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
2) Specifies that the State Seal of STEM is to be awarded by
the Superintendent.
3) Provides that school district participation in this program
is voluntary.
4) Specifies that the purpose of the State Seal of STEM is
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to:
a) Encourage students to study science, technology,
engineering, and
mathematics.
b) Certify achievement with the STEM fields.
c) Provide students with the tools to demonstrate
STEM competency to
employers.
d) Provide universities with a method to recognize
and give academic credit
to applicants seeking admission.
e) Prepare students for with 21st century skills.
f) Engage students in STEM learning at an early age.
g) Prepare students for a job market increasingly in
need of individuals with
STEM skills.
5) Requires that high school students meet all of the
following criteria to be eligible for the State Seal of
STEM:
a) Attained a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale
for all STEM classes
taken in high school.
b) Successfully completed four yearlong classes or
equivalent in
mathematics and science while enrolled in high school as
specified.
c) Has met one of the following criteria in the area
of science:
i) A score of 3 or higher on a science
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Advanced Placement (AP)
examination.
ii) A score of 600 or higher on a science
Scholastic Assessment Test
(SAT) subject test.
iii) A score of 4 or higher on an
International Baccalaureate (IB)
examination.
iv) A grade of B or higher in a
college-level science course taken
through concurrent enrollment.
d) Has met one of the following criteria in the area
of mathematics:
i) A score of 3 or higher on a mathematics
AP examination.
ii) A score of 600 or higher on a
mathematics SAT subject test.
iii) A score of 4 or higher on a mathematics
IB examination.
iv) A score indicating that the student
has met or exceeded standards
on a state-standards-aligned assessment in
mathematics.
6) Requires the Superintendent to:
a) Prepare and deliver to school districts an
appropriate insignia to be affixed
to the diploma or transcript of the student indicating that
the student has
been awarded a State Seal of Science, Technology,
Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM).
b) Provide other necessary information for school
district's to successfully
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participate in the program.
7) Requires participating school districts to maintain records
in order to identify students and affix the insignia to the
diploma or transcript for each student that has earned a
State Seal of STEM.
8) Prohibits a fee from being charged to students to receive a
State Seal of STEM.
9) Makes the program operative only when data from the
statewide administration of state science assessments
aligned to the California Next Generation Science Standards
(NGSS) are available. States that data from a field test
of a state science assessment does not satisfy this
requirement.
10) Sunsets the program on July 31, 2024.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author, "with jobs in
the STEM field poised to increase by 19% over the next
decade, the state could fall short of providing the
workforce with number of individuals skilled in STEM
necessary to fill those rolls. In 2011, the state created
the State Seal of Biliteracy. This served as both a reward
for students able to demonstrate proficiency in more than
language but also as a tool. A tool with which that student
could market themselves to a college or to an employer.
Biliteracy is a skill highly desirable to employers in
diverse areas like California but so is Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The State
Seal of STEM will also serve as both a reward and marketing
tool to a different pool of California students." This bill
seeks to reward students who reach proficiency in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.
2) Student access to STEM Education. The Superintendent of
Public Instruction's Science, Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM) Education Task Force, in a 2014 report
on STEM education titled INNOVATE: A Blueprint for Science,
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Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in California
Public Education, found: Many of California's students lack
consistent access to high-quality STEM education. The
report attributes the problem to a lack of access to
"materials and instruction; insufficient opportunities for
students to engage in hands-on, inquiry based learning; and
insufficient professional preparation by teachers at all
levels".
The gaps in access are reflected in many measures of
student course-taking and achievement, including Advanced
Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), SAT II
subject tests, and out-of-school STEM educational
opportunities. Advanced Placement data published by the
College Board, for example, indicate that a very small
percentage of California high school students took AP
examinations. The College Board also notes that "in many
cases, schools serving large numbers of traditionally
underrepresented minority students do not yet provide AP
course work in STEM disciplines."
To be eligible, State Seal of STEM students are required to
enroll in four years of math and science and attain at
least a 3.0 grade point average and demonstrate proficiency
by scoring at the specified levels on one of the following
AP exams, SAT, IB exam or take a college level course
through concurrent enrollment. To address some of the
concerns relating to access to STEM education, this bill
was amended to include the state-standards-aligned
assessments in mathematics as one of the criteria for
eligibility. These exams are administered statewide.
However, concerns still remain whether students have
sufficient access to STEM education in school.
Technical amendment. As drafted, this bill's provisions
specifies that a student may demonstrate proficiency in
science by meeting or exceeding standards on a
"state-standards-aligned assessments in mathematics ,"
rather than in science. If it is the desire of the
committee to approve this measure, staff recommends the
bill be amended to fix the drafting error by changing the
mathematics to science in section 51472 (c)5.
3) Is the bill premature? Notably, the state, in recent years
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has undertaken a number of policy reforms to address
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
teaching and assessment practices, curriculum, and policies
that expand STEM opportunities for all students. Many of
these efforts have yet to take shape, including state's
science curriculum framework. California adopted Next
Generation Science Standards (NGSS)-aligned science
standards in 2013, however, the California Department of
Education (CDE) is currently revising the state's science
curriculum framework to align with the state's standards,
and its completion has been delayed until January of 2017.
This in turn has delayed the state and local adoption of
standards-aligned instructional materials for use in
classrooms. CDE is also currently developing NGSS-aligned
assessments, which are expected to be fully administered in
the 2018-2019 school year.
In recognition of the pending science curriculum and
assessments, this bill makes the State Seal of Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program
operative only when data from the statewide administration
of NGSS-aligned assessments are available. If the
assessments are fully implemented in 2018-2019 school year,
as noted above, the program could become operative in
2019-2020 school year. Staff notes that this bill's
provisions sunset the program July 31, 2024. Arguably, this
would allow for one graduating class to test the program
before sunsetting.
4) Other State Seals. The state has established two State
Seals, the State Seal of Biliteracy and the Golden State
Seal Merit Diploma. The State Seal of Biliteracy (SSB) was
established in 2011 with the goal of encouraging students
to acquire other languages, which in turn would grant
students a competitive edge in postsecondary education and
employment. In its first year, more than 10,000 graduating
high school students across California earned recognition
for achieving proficiency in multiple languages. The CDE
reports that since 2012 nearly 60,000 SSBs have been
awarded to graduating seniors.
The Golden State Seal Merit Diploma (GGSMD) was established
in 1997 to provide recognition to public high school
graduates who have demonstrated mastery of the high school
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curriculum in six subject areas four of which are English,
history, mathematics and science the remaining two are
selected by the student. In 2015, a total of 51,253
graduating seniors from 1,018 schools were awarded the
GSSMD.
Given that the GGSMD recognizes mastery in mathematics and
science, the committee may want to consider whether a
standalone Seal is necessary?
As future legislation is brought forward on this topic, the
committee may also want consider whether it is appropriate
to establish Seals in multiple subject areas?
5) Related and Prior legislation.
AB 2237 (Olsen, 2016), would establishes STEM Partnership
Academies for the purpose of providing grants to school
districts to establish up to 100 academies in STEM
occupations which would establish 100 STEM Partnerships. AB
2237 was held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB 2329 (Bonilla, 2016), would establish a process to
develop a K-12 computer science strategic implementation
plan for the purposes of expanding access to computer
science course in schools. AB 2329 is pending hearing this
Committee.
AB 815 (Brownley, Chapter 618, Statutes of 2011)
established the State Seal of Biliteracy in recognition of
high school graduates who have attained functional
proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing skills in one
or more languages, in addition to English.
SUPPORT
American Association of University Women
Association of California School Administrators
California Association of Professional Scientists
California Life Sciences Association
California School Boards Association
Children Now
College Board
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Project Lead the Way
Superintendent, Pomona Unified School Districts
OPPOSITION
None received.
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