BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 2656 Page 1 CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS AB 2656 (O'Donnell) As Amended June 9, 2016 Majority vote -------------------------------------------------------------------- |ASSEMBLY: |80-0 |(June 2, 2016) |SENATE: |38-0 |(August 18, | | | | | | |2016) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | -------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, AB 2656 Page 2 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 AB 2656 Page 3 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 AB 2656 Page 4 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