BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2350
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Date of Hearing: May 4, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Lorena Gonzalez, Chair
AB
2350 (O'Donnell) - As Amended April 19, 2016
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable:
Yes
SUMMARY:
This bill prohibits English learners (ELs) in middle and high
school from being prevented from enrolling in core curriculum
courses and courses required for graduation, requires that
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courses designed for long term English learners (LTELs) be
offered for graduation credit, and requires the California
Department of Education (CDE) to create a video-based
professional development series on integrated and designated
English Language Development (ELD). Specifically, this bill:
1)Prohibits a middle or high school pupil who is enrolled in an
ELD course, or who is classified as an EL, from being
prevented from the following:
a) Enrolling in core curriculum courses in English language
arts or any other course required for graduation or to meet
the a-g subject requirements for admission to the
University of California (UC) or the California State
University (CSU).
b) Taking a full course load in core subjects required for
graduation or to meet the a-g subject requirements for
admission to the UC or CSU.
2)Specifies this prohibition does not apply to a pupil
participating in an articulated newcomer program unless the
pupil meets the local educational agency's exit criteria for
transition into a general education program. "Articulated
newcomer program" is defined as a separate, sometimes
self-contained program that is designed to meet the academic
and transitional needs of newly arrived immigrants and is
aligned to the standards, as specified.
3)Requires, if a local education agency (LEA) offers a course
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for LTELs, the course to confer credits in English language
arts necessary to meet graduation requirements. Specifies
Legislative intent that LEAs submit those courses to the
University of California and California State University for
approval to meet the a-g subject requirements for admission.
4)Defines, for the purposes of the English Language Arts/English
Language Development (ELA/ELD) Framework, the following:
a) "Designated English language development" means
instruction designed for English learners according to
their level of English proficiency to overcome language
barriers in a reasonable amount of time, during a protected
time in the regular schoolday, in which teachers use the
California English Language Development Standards as the
focal standards in ways that build into and from content
instruction in order to develop the critical language that
English learners need for content learning in English.
b) "Integrated English language development" means
instruction in which all teachers with English learners in
their classrooms, regardless of the course content, use the
California English Language Development Standards in tandem
with the California state standards.
5)Requires the CDE to contract for the development of a series
of videos demonstrating best practices, as specified, for
implementing designated and integrated ELD in transitional
kindergarten through 12 grade and make the series available on
the department's website. Requires CDE to convene a group of
experts and request public input in the development of the
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videos. Requires the videos to be completed and made available
by the beginning of the 2018-19 school year.
FISCAL EFFECT:
Administrative costs to the CDE of approximately $1.2 million
(federal Title III), over three years, to develop best practices
videos and update guidance documents on instruction. CDE would
contract with an outside consultant to produce the video series,
convene a panel of experts, receive public comment and submit to
the SBE for approval in the first 18 months of the project. CDE
would then make the videos available on a digital platform and
provide statewide technical assistance for administrators and
teachers. The last 12 months would be dedicated to updating the
research and guidance document and completing the development of
resources for teachers and administrators.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The achievement gap between California's English
learners and their peers is a central challenge facing in our
public education system. California's English learner students
score substantially lower on state assessments than
non-English learner students, graduate from high school at
lower rates, and attend postsecondary institutions at lower
rates. The state has focused on ensuring that all students
are college or career ready, however, barriers exist for
English learners including poor access to the core curriculum
and insufficient teacher preparation and professional
development to address the instructional needs of English
learners, particularly in light of the state's new English
language development standards.
This bill, co-sponsored by Californian's Together and the
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, seeks to
improve English learners' access to the core curriculum and
support educators in improving English language development
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instruction.
2)Background. There are approximately 1.4 million English
learners in California public schools, representing 22% of the
state's enrollment. 2.7 million students speak a language
other than English in their homes, representing about 43
percent of the state's public school enrollment. 73% of
English learners are enrolled in the elementary grades, and
27% are enrolled in the secondary grades. One in three
English learners in the U.S. resides in California.
Over the past 6 years, the California legislature has passed
key legislation for the development of state standards and
frameworks. The CDE has produced, and the State Board of
Education (SBE) has approved, state content standards for
mathematics, science, English language arts and ELD. The SBE
has also approved frameworks, and documents to ensure ELD is
aligned to the rigor of content standards.
Alignment with ELD and the content standards has necessitated
a shift in pedagogy so that language development is relevant
and consistent throughout the full day of instruction.
Teachers are struggling with what this looks like in the
classroom. To address this need, the CDE submitted a budget
request in April to the Department of Finance to revise the
Improving Education for English Learners: Research-Based
Approaches publication of 2009 and to produce a video series
demonstrating current implementation practices of the
pedagogy. This request was not approved. CDE has resubmitted
the request for consideration in the May Revise.
This bill addresses the video component of CDE's request. The
author has stated they may amend the bill to include the
publication update.
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Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)
319-2081