BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 750
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
750 (Mendoza)
As Amended May 12, 2015
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 36-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Education |7-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, McCarty, | |
| | |Santiago, Thurmond, | |
| | |Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |14-0 |Gomez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonta, | |
| | |Calderon, Chang, | |
| | |Eggman, Gallagher, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Jones, Quirk, Rendon, | |
| | |Weber, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
SB 750
Page 2
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SUMMARY: Modifies the definitions of a "long-term English
learner" (LTEL) and "an English learner at risk of becoming a
long-term English learner" (ARLTEL), expands the notification
requirements of the California Department of Education (CDE)
regarding these students, and authorizes the use of alternate
assessments for the purpose of the State Seal of Biliteracy
(SSB). Specifically, this bill:
1)Changes the definition of a "long term English learner" by:
a) Including students who have been enrolled in school for
six years or more (rather than more than six years)
b) Including students who have regressed to a lower English
language proficiency level (in addition to scoring at the
same level for two or more consecutive years)
c) Limiting the grades in which a student must score at
below basic or far below basic on the English language arts
assessment to grades 6-9 (instead of grades 6-12)
d) Stating that, if the assessment data above is not
available for a student, that student shall not have that
criteria applied and shall not be excluded based on those
criteria.
1)Changes the definition of "an English learner at risk of
becoming a long-term English learner" by:
SB 750
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a) Expanding the grade level of students who could be so
classified from grades 5-11 to grades 3-12.
b) Expanding the number of years of United States school
enrollment from four to five years.
c) Expanding the California Department of Education (CDE)
notice requirements to include the posting of the statewide
number of LTELs and ARLTELs.
1)Authorizes the use of alternate criteria for the purpose of
the SSB by requiring the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to designate alternative equivalent criteria for
eligibility for the SSB in the event that scores from the
California Standards Test in English language arts or its
successor are not available.
2)Requires the use of the alternative criteria only while the
assessment scores are unavailable.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor/absorbable costs to the CDE to modify and
expand data collection and reporting relative to LTELs and
at-risk LTELs.
COMMENTS:
Need for the bill. According to the author, this bill is
intended to addresses several technical issues identified by the
CDE upon their implementation of the Long Term English Learner
(LTEL) statute, and to update the criteria for the SSB by adding
the new California Assessment of Student Performance and
SB 750
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Progress in English language arts.
Changes to the LTEL and ARLTEL code include provisions which
align the code with the state's assessment program (allowing for
identification of LTELs when assessment data is not produced for
a given grade level, and eliminating the use of the English
language arts assessment in grades 10-12 because only 11th
graders are tested), provide authority for the CDE to consider
instances when a student's English proficiency scores regress
(rather than just stay the same), and expanding the definition
of ARLTEL to include students in their 5th year of school so
that they may be identified the year before they can become
identified as LTEL.
First state data on LTELs now available. The first data
available identifying the number and percentage of LTELs was
produced by the CDE in draft form in December, 2014 and provided
to school districts and county offices of education. The data
on ARLTELs was not informative due to limitations in current law
(including provisions which would be revised by this bill).
1)Of the approximately 471,000 English learners in grades 6-12
(who were not previously reclassified), approximately 339,000
have been in a United States school for more than six years.
2)Of the approximately 339,000 English learners who have been in
United States schools for more than six years (and who have
not been reclassified), approximately 90,000 are LTELs. This
represents 26.5% of population which can be identified under
current law (note that this percentage applies to the group of
English learners who were not previously reclassified).
SSB a growing trend. According to the CDE, since 2012 nearly
60,000 SSBs have been awarded to graduating seniors, and
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approximately 40% of those receiving the SSB are former EL
students. California was the first state to adopt a seal of
biliteracy.
Analysis Prepared by:
Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0001225