Amended in Assembly August 28, 2015

Amended in Assembly August 17, 2015

Amended in Assembly July 16, 2015

Amended in Assembly June 24, 2015

Amended in Senate June 2, 2015

Amended in Senate April 23, 2015

Amended in Senate April 6, 2015

Senate BillNo. 359


Introduced by Senator Mitchell

(Coauthors: Senators Beall and Hancock)

(Coauthor: Assembly Member Jones-Sawyer)

February 24, 2015


An act to add Section 51224.7 to the Education Code, relating to pupil instruction.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

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 governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies, as defined, that serve pupils entering grade 9 and that have not adopted a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy as of January 1, 2016,begin delete toend deletebegin insert to, before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year,end insert develop and adopt, in a regularly scheduled public meeting, a fair, objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy for pupils entering grade 9 with specified elements, and would authorize governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies serving pupils who are transitioning between elementary and middle school or elementary and junior high school to develop and implement a mathematics placement policy for these pupils, as applicable, with these specified elements. The bill would further require each governing board or body of a local educational agency to ensure that its mathematics placement policy is posted 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:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

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) Placement in appropriate mathematics courses is critically
8important for a pupil during his or her middle and high school
9years. A pupil’s 9th grade math course placement is a crucial
10 crossroads for his or her future educational success. Misplacement
11in the sequence of mathematics courses creates a number of barriers
12and results in pupils being less competitive for college admissions,
13including admissions at the California State University and
14University of California.

15(c) The most egregious examples of mathematics misplacement
16occur with successful pupils and, disproportionately, with
P3    1successful pupils of color. These successful pupils are achieving
2a grade of “B” or better, or are testing at proficient or even
3advanced proficiency on state assessments. Nevertheless, they are
4held back to repeat 8th grade mathematics coursework rather than
5advancing to the next course in the recommended mathematics
6course sequence.

7(d) Mathematics misplacement has far-reaching impacts on a
8pupil’s confidence, general knowledge of mathematical concepts,
9and high school experience, and may also impact the college career
10opportunities available to the pupil.

11(e) New research shows that it is less common for pupils of
12color, even high-achieving pupils of color, to reach calculus by
13grade 12 compared to their white and Asian peers.

14(f) All pupils, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or
15socioeconomic background, deserve an equal chance to advance
16in mathematics.

17(g) With the shift towards implementation of the Common Core
18State Standards for Mathematics, it is particularly important for
19all pupils to have access to high-quality mathematics programs
20that meet the goals and expectations of these standards.

21(h) It is crucial for teachers and guidance personnel to advise
22pupils and parents on the importance of accurate mathematics
23course placement and its impact on future college eligibility so
24pupils may take each course in the mathematics course sequence.

25(i) California faces a looming shortage of college-educated
26workers in an increasingly competitive global economy.

27(j) A policy for correct mathematics placement must be
28addressed in order to ensure a fair process and chance of success
29for all pupils.

30

SEC. 2.  

Section 51224.7 is added to the Education Code, to
31read:

32

51224.7.  

(a) This act shall be known, and may be cited, as the
33California Mathematics Placement Act of 2015.

34(b) Governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies
35that serve pupils entering grade 9 and that have not adopted a fair,
36objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy, as
37described in paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, as of January 1, 2016,
38begin delete shallend deletebegin insert shall, before the beginning of the 2016-17 school year, end insert
39develop and adopt, in a regularly scheduled public meeting, a fair,
P4    1objective, and transparent mathematics placement policy for pupils
2entering grade 9 that does all of the following:

3(1) Systematically takes multiple objective academic measures
4of pupil performance into consideration. For purposes of this
5paragraph, “objective academic measures” means measures, such
6as statewide mathematics assessments, including interim and
7summative assessments authorized pursuant to Section 60640,
8placement tests that are aligned to state-adopted content standards
9in mathematics, classroom assignment and grades, and report cards.

10(2) Includes at least one placement checkpoint within the first
11month of the school year to ensure accurate placement and permit
12reevaluation of individual pupil progress.

13(3) Requires examination of aggregate pupil placement data
14annually to ensure that pupils who are qualified to progress in
15mathematics courses based on their performance on objective
16academic measures selected for inclusion in the policy pursuant
17to paragraph (1) are not held back in a disproportionate manner
18on the basis of their race, ethnicity, gender, or socioeconomic
19background. The local educational agency shall report the aggregate
20results of this examination to the governing board or body of the
21local educational agency.

22(4) Offers clear and timely recourse for each pupil and his or
23her parent or legal guardian who questions the pupil’s placement.

24(5) For nonunified school districts, addresses the consistency
25of mathematics placement policies between elementary and high
26school districts.

27(c) Governing boards or bodies of local educational agencies
28serving pupils who are transitioning between elementary and
29middle school or elementary and junior high school may develop
30and implement a mathematics placement policy for these pupils,
31as applicable, that satisfies paragraphs (1) to (5), inclusive, of
32subdivision (b).

33(d) Each governing board or body of a local educational agency
34shall ensure that its mathematics placement policy is posted on its
35Internet Web site.

36(e) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency”
37means county office of education, school district, state special
38school, or charter school.

39

SEC. 3.  

If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
40this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
P5    1local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
2pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
34 of Title 2 of the Government Code.



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