BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 725
Page 1
(Without Reference to File)
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
725 (Hancock)
As Amended August 20, 2015
2/3 vote. Urgency
SENATE VOTE: 40-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Education |7-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, McCarty, | |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |17-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Chang, | |
| | |Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, | |
SB 725
Page 2
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Holden, Jones, Quirk, | |
| | |Rendon, Wagner, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Provides that the California High School Exit Examination
(CAHSEE) shall not be required as a condition of receiving a diploma
of graduation or a condition of graduation from high school for a
pupil completing grade 12 in 2015 and who has met all other high
school graduation requirements. Contains an urgency clause allowing
the provisions of this bill to take effect immediately.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
unknown, likely minor costs to local education agencies to modify
graduation policies to reflect the removal of the CAHSEE as a
requirement for receiving a diploma of graduation or as a condition of
graduation from high school in 2015.
COMMENTS: Current law requires students to pass the CAHSEE as a
condition of receiving a high school diploma, in addition to
completing all other state and local graduation requirements. At this
time, the contract for the CAHSEE has not been renewed, which has
eliminated an opportunity for students to take the exam. The last
administration of the CAHSEE was in May. Accordingly, students who
have not yet passed the exam no longer have the opportunity to do so.
According to the author's office, about 5,000 California students have
met all other requirements to graduate from high school, but will not
receive their diplomas because they have not passed the CAHSEE. Not
having a diploma will impair the ability of many of these students to
attend a college or university, acquire an apprenticeship, find
employment, or enter into military service. The purpose of this bill
SB 725
Page 3
is to avoid these consequences.
Related legislation. The CAHSEE is aligned to academic content
standards that were adopted over a decade ago and not to the current
Common Core State Standards. Accordingly, SB 172 (Liu), which is
pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, suspends the CAHSEE
until 2018-19 and requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to
convene an advisory committee to make recommendations regarding the
continuation of the CAHSEE and alternative pathways to satisfy high
school graduation requirements. Although SB 172 exempts students in
the class of 2015 from the exit exam requirement, it would not take
effect until January 1, 2016, which would not solve the immediate
problem.
Analysis Prepared by: Rick
Pratt / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN: 0001410