BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     SB 750


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          SENATE THIRD READING


          SB  
          750 (Mendoza)


          As Amended  September 1, 2015


          Majority vote


          SENATE VOTE:  36-0


           -------------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |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    |                     |
          |                |     |                       |                     |
          |                |     |                       |                     |
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                                                                     SB 750


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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), and expands state reporting  
          requirements regarding these students.  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 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:  


             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  








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               enrollment from 4 to 5 years


             c)   Expanding the California Department of Education (CDE)  
               notice requirements to include the posting of the statewide  
               number of LTELs and ARLTELs


          1)Provides authority to the Superintendent of Public Instruction  
            (SPI) to determine proficiency levels on new state assessments  
            of English language development and English language arts for  
            the purpose of identifying LTELs and ARLTELs.


          2)Encourages the SPI to revisit these proficiency levels after  
            three years of data is available from new state assessments of  
            English language development and English language arts.


          3)Specifies that data on LTELs and ARLTELs is to be posted on  
            the CDE's Web site. 


          4)Makes no changes to the statutes governing the State Seal of  
            Biliteracy.


          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 this 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  








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          (LTEL) statute by adding the new California Assessment of  
          Student Performance and 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 (this percentage applies to the group of English  
            learners who were not previously reclassified).


          Analysis Prepared by:                                             








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                          Tanya Lieberman / ED. / (916) 319-2087  FN:  
          0001882