BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 2656


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          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS


          AB  
          2656 (O'Donnell)


          As Amended  June 9, 2016


          Majority vote


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          |ASSEMBLY:  |80-0  |(June 2, 2016) |SENATE: |38-0  |(August 18,      |
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          Original Committee Reference:  ED.


          SUMMARY:  Provides that a 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 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 who is younger than 25 years of age.


          The Senate amendments add Assembly Members Chang, Gallagher,  








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          Cristina Garcia, Gipson, Linder, and Maienschein as coauthors.


          EXISTING LAW:  


          1)Requires the State Board of Education (SBE) to award a  
            "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:  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee:


          1)Unknown special fund costs, likely minor, to subsidize fees  
            for foster youth and former foster youth who choose to take  
            any of the high school equivalency tests or the California  
            High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE). 


            It is difficult to predict the number of foster youth that  
            will take these tests.  There are approximately 60,000 foster  
            youth in California.  The author estimates there are  
            approximately 4,000 foster youth between the ages of 15-24  
            that do not receive a high school diploma.  Approximately  
            0.15% of eligible homeless students took these tests last  
            year.  Assuming a similar percentage of foster youth take  








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            these tests, the state would incur costs of approximately $980  
            for the equivalency exams and $770 for the CHSPE.


          2)Special fund costs to the CDE of approximately $260,000 to  
            provide assistance and support to the foster youth community,  
            verify foster youth eligibility, adjust testing contracts and  
            report participation rates. 


          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.


          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, a private not-for  
          profit company; and the Test Assessing Secondary Completion,  
          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.


          Purpose.  According to the author, foster youth and former  
          foster youth face issues and circumstances that make graduating  








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          from high school challenging or even impossible.  Only 50% of  
          foster youth in the United States receive a high school diploma.  
           Only 10% of foster youth will attend college and of that 10%  
          only 3% will graduate.  The CHSPE and high school equivalency  
          tests are two alternate paths to postsecondary education and the  
          opportunities and benefits that education provides.  However the  
          fees for these exams create a nearly impossible barrier for  
          foster and former foster youth to overcome.  This bill prohibits  
          a fee from being charged to foster, and former foster youth,  
          making this an accessible option for these youth. 


          Related legislation.  SB 252 (Leno), Chapter 384, Statutes of  
          2015, prohibits the assessment of fees to homeless youth.


          Analysis Prepared by:                                             
          Rick Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087  FN: 0004286