BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2656 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 20, 2016 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION Patrick O'Donnell, Chair AB 2656 (O'Donnell) - As Amended March 18, 2016 SUBJECT: Pupils: diploma alternatives: fee waiver: foster youth SUMMARY: Provides that a foster youth or former foster youth who has not attained the age of 25 shall not be assessed a fee to take a high school proficiency or high school equivalency exam. Specifically, this bill: 1)Prohibits the California Department of Education (CDE) from charging a fee for the high school proficiency exam to an examinee who is a foster youth or former foster youth who is younger than 25 years of age. 2)Prohibits a scoring contractor or testing center from charging a fee for the high school equivalency exam to an examinee who is a foster youth or former foster youth who is younger than 25 years of age. EXISTING LAW: 1)Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to award a AB 2656 Page 2 "certificate of proficiency" to persons who demonstrate proficiency in basic skills taught in public high schools. 2)Authorizes the CDE to charge a fee to cover the cost of administering the proficiency exam. 3)Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to issue a California high school equivalency certificate to a person who passes a SBE-approved equivalency exam and meets specified residency and age requirements. 4)Prohibits fees for the equivalency or proficiency tests from being assessed to homeless youth. FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown COMMENTS: Background. The California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) and High School Equivalency Tests are offered as alternatives to a high school diploma. The CHSPE is available to pupils 16 and over, and measures basic skills in English language arts and math. A Certificate of Proficiency is accepted by federal agencies for purposes of employment, and all persons and institutions subject to California law that require a high school diploma are required to accept the certificate as satisfying the requirement. The fee is $110 for those who register by the deadline, $135 for late registration, and $160 for emergency registration. The CDE reports that there were 4,594 CHSPE test takers in 2013-14, with a pass rate of about 47%. Those who fail the test can retake it. AB 2656 Page 3 The SBE has approved three high school equivalency tests for use in California: the General Educational Development Test (GED), published by the GED Testing Service, which is owned by Pearson, a for-profit company; the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET), published by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), a private not-for profit company; and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC), published by CTB/McGraw-Hill, a for-profit company. The fees vary from test to test and from one test center to another, but are more than $100. For example, the Los Angeles testing center for the HiSET charges $150. Related legislation. SB 252 (Leno), Chapter 384, Statutes of 2015, prohibits the assessment of fees to homeless youth. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION: Support American Civil Liberties Union John Burton Foundation AB 2656 Page 4 Opposition None received Analysis Prepared by:Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087