SB 359, as amended, Mitchell. California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015.
(1) Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary education in this state, and authorizes local educational agencies throughout the state to provide instruction to pupils.
This bill would enact the California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015. The bill would require eachbegin insert governing board of aend insert local educational agency, as defined, serving pupils in grade 8 or 9, or both, tobegin delete developend deletebegin insert develop,end insertbegin insert adopt in a regularly scheduled
public meeting,end insert and implement a fair, objective, and transparentbegin delete statewideend delete
mathematics placement policy with specified elements. The bill would further require each local educational agency to ensure that its mathematics placement policy is available to each pupil and his or her parent or legal guardian and is posted prominently on its Internet Web site. By imposing additional requirements on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) Pupil achievement in mathematics is important to prepare
4pupils for college and their future careers, especially those careers
5in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
6(STEM).
7(b) A pupil’s 9th grade math course placement is a crucial
8
crossroads for his or her future educational success. Misplacement
9in the sequence of mathematics courses creates a number of barriers
10and results in pupils being less competitive for college admissions,
11including admissions at the California State University and
12University of California.
13(c) The most egregious examples of mathematics misplacement
14occur with successful pupils and, disproportionately, with
15successful pupils of color. These successful pupils are achieving
16a grade of “B” or better, or are testing at proficient or even
17advanced proficiency on state assessments. Nevertheless, they are
18held back to repeat 8th grade mathematics coursework rather than
19advancing to the next course in the recommended mathematics
20course sequence.
21(d) Mathematics
misplacement has far-reaching impacts on a
22pupil’s confidence, general knowledge of mathematical concepts,
23and high school experience, and may also impact the college career
24opportunities available to the pupil.
25(e) New research shows that it is less common for pupils of
26color, even high-achieving pupils of color, to reach calculus by
27grade 12 compared to their white and Asian peers.
28(f) All pupils, regardless of race or ethnic background, deserve
29an equal chance to advance in mathematics.
30(g) With the shift towards implementation of the Common Core
31State Standards for Mathematics, it is particularly important for
P3 1all pupils to have access to high-quality mathematics programs
2that meet the goals and expectations of these
standards.
3(h) It is crucial for teachers and guidance personnel to advise
4pupils and parents on the importance of accurate mathematics
5course placement and its impact on future college eligibility so
6pupils may take each course in the mathematics course sequence.
7(i) California faces a looming shortage of college-educated
8workers in an increasingly competitive global economy.
9(j) A policy for correct mathematics placement must be
10addressed in order to ensure a fair process and chance of success
11for all pupils.
Section 51224.7 is added to the Education Code, to
13read:
(a) This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the
15California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015.
16(b) Eachbegin insert governing board of aend insert local educational agency serving
17pupils in grade 8 or 9, or both, shallbegin delete developend deletebegin insert develop, adopt in a
18regularly scheduled public meeting,end insert andimplement a fair, objective,
19and transparentbegin delete statewideend delete
mathematics placement policy that does
20all of the following:
21(1) Systematically takes current academic objective measures
22into consideration, such as
statewide assessments, pupil grades,
23and diagnostic placement tests.
24(2) Includes multiple progress checkpoints throughout the
25academic year to permit reevaluation of
individual pupil progress,
26including at least one checkpoint within the first three months of
27the academic year.
28(3) Requires examination of pupil placement data, at least
29annually, to ensure that there is no disproportionate impact in the
30course placement of pupils by race,begin insert gender,end insert ethnicity, or
31socioeconomic background. The local educational agency shall
32report the aggregate results of this examination to the governing
33board of the local educational agency and prominently post the
34examination results on its Internet Web site. This report may be
35included as part of the local educational agency’s accountability
36report of its local control and accountability plan.
37(4) Offers clear and immediate recourse for each pupil and his
38or her parent or legal guardian who questions the pupil’s placement.
39(c) Each local educational agency shall ensure that its
40mathematics placement policy is available to each pupil and his
P4 1or her parent or legal guardian and is posted prominently on its
2Internet Web site.
3(d) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency”
4means county office of education, school district, state special
5school, or direct-funded charter school as described in Section
647651.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
8this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
9local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
10pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
114 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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