BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Senator Carol Liu, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: SB 1123
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|Author: |Leyva |
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|Version: |February 17, 2016 Hearing |
| |Date: March 30, 2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |No |
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|Consultant:|Lynn Lorber |
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Subject: Pupil instruction: high school graduation
requirements
SUMMARY
This bill extends the sunset on the option for students to
fulfill a high school graduation requirement by successfully
completing a career technical education course for an additional
five years.
BACKGROUND
Existing law:
1) Requires a pupil to pass both the English language arts and
mathematics portions of the California High School Exit
Exam and complete the following courses as a condition of
graduating from high school:
a) Three years of English.
b) Two years of mathematics, one year of which must
be Algebra I.
c) Two years of science, including biological and
physical sciences.
d) Three years of social studies, including United
States history and geography; world history, culture,
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and geography; one semester of American government and
civics, and one semester of economics.
e) One year of visual or performing arts, foreign
language, or until July 1, 2017, career technical
education.
f) Two years of physical education. (Education Code
§ 60851, § 51225.3, and § 51224.5)
2) Authorizes school districts to impose additional coursework
requirements as a condition of graduation from high school.
(EC § 51225.3)
3) Defines "a course in career technical education" as a
course in a district-operated career technical education
program that is aligned to the career technical model
curriculum standards and framework adopted by the State
Board of Education,
including courses through a regional occupational center or
program operated by a county superintendent of schools or
pursuant to a joint powers agreement.
(EC § 51225.3)
4) Provides that a school or school district that currently
does not offer career technical education courses are not
required to start new career technical education programs.
(EC § 51225.3)
5) Requires the governing board of a school district or county
office of education that elects to allow a career technical
education course to satisfy a graduation requirement,
before offering that alternative to students, to notify
parents, teachers, students, and the public at a regularly
scheduled meeting of the all of the following:
a) The intent to offer career technical education
courses to fulfill a graduation requirement.
b) The impact that offering career technical
education courses will have on the availability of
courses that meet the eligibility requirements for
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admission to the California State University and the
University of California, and whether the career
technical education courses to be offered are approved
to satisfy those eligibility requirements.
c) The distinction, if any, between the high school
graduation requirements of the school district or
county office of education, and the eligibility
requirements for admission to the California State
University or the University of California. (EC §
51225.3)
ANALYSIS
This bill extends the sunset on the option for students to
fulfill a high school graduation requirement by successfully
completing a career technical education course, from July 1,
2017, to July 1, 2022.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill. According to the author, "A 2006 study
entitled 'The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School
Dropouts' found that students who were not interested or
engaged in their coursework accounted for 47% of high
school dropouts. Under current law, students have the
option of taking a career technical education course to
fulfill the existing high school graduation requirement to
complete a course in visual or performing arts or foreign
language. However, this option will expire on July 1, 2017
and negatively impact a student's ability to participate in
career technical education based courses at school. This
alternative gives students another choice in their
education in order to help them stay engaged during high
school. Research shows that students who complete both an
academic and a career technical education sequence of
courses in high school have a higher likelihood of being
enrolled in postsecondary education and being employed in
professional, managerial, or skilled jobs."
2) Arts, foreign language, or career technical education.
Successful completion of a course in visual or performing
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arts (VAPA) or foreign language has been a long standing
high school graduation requirement. In 2011, legislation
was passed to authorize successful completion of a course
in career technical education as an alternative to VAPA or
foreign language, beginning with the 2012-13 school year.
3) Career technical education model curriculum standards. The
career technical education model curriculum standards were
initially adopted in 2005. The model curriculum standards
were then updated for alignment with the common core
standards and Next Generation Science Standards, and were
subsequently adopted by the State Board of Education in
2013. The career technical education standards are
organized into California's 15 high-employing industry
sectors, and are designed to assist schools in developing
curriculum and measuring student achievement. Existing law
requires a career technical education course, for purposes
of high school graduation requirements, to be aligned to
the career technical education model curriculum standards.
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/ct/sf/ctemcstandards.asp
4) Pending report. Existing law requires the California
Department of Education to submit a comprehensive report to
the Legislature, by July 1, 2017, on the addition of career
technical education courses to satisfy a graduation
requirement, including but not limited to the following
information:
a) A comparison of the student enrollment in career
technical education courses, foreign language courses,
and visual and performing arts (VAPA) courses for the
2005-06 to 2011-12 school years to the student
enrollment in career technical education courses,
foreign language courses, and VAPA courses for the
2012-13 to 2016-17 school years.
b) The reasons that students give for choosing to
enroll in a career technical education course to
satisfy a graduation requirement, as reported by
school districts.
c) The type and number of career technical education
courses that were conducted for the 2005-06 to 2011-12
school years compared to the type and number of career
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technical education courses that were conducted for
the 2012-13 to 2016-17 school years.
d) The number of career technical education courses
that satisfied the subject matter requirements for
admission to the University of California or the
California State University.
e) The extent to which the career technical
education courses chosen by students are aligned with
the California Career Technical Education
Standards, and prepare students for employment,
advanced training, and postsecondary education.
f) The number of career technical education courses
that also satisfy the VAPA requirement, and the number
of career technical education courses that also
satisfy the foreign language requirement.
g) Annual student dropout and graduation rates for
the 2011-12 to 2014-15 school years.
The pending report should provide the information necessary
to determine how the career technical education graduation
option was utilized, how it affected enrollment in visual
and performing arts (VAPA) courses, how it affected
eligibility for the California State University and the
University of California, and ultimately if this option
should continue. This bill extends the sunset on the
career technical education graduation requirement option to
allow time for the report to be completed and contemplated
prior to either extending this option indefinitely or
eliminating it completely.
5) Fiscal impact. This bill is flagged as being non-fiscal,
as schools are not required to offer career technical
education courses for the purpose of meeting a high school
graduation requirement.
6) Related legislation. AB 1689 (Low) among other things,
requires students to complete at least one course with a
service learning component as a condition of graduation
from high school, beginning with the 2021-22 school year.
AB 1689 is scheduled to be heard by the Assembly Education
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Committee on April 6.
7) Prior legislation. SB 253 (Wyland, 2010) added the option
for students to fulfill the VAPA high school graduation
requirement by successfully completing a career technical
education course. SB 253 died on the Assembly Floor, as it
was never heard on Assembly Third Reading.
AB 2446 (Furutani, 2010) added the option for students to
fulfill the VAPA high school graduation requirement by
successfully completing a career technical education
course. AB 2446 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger,
whose veto message read:
Improving and expanding Career Technical
Education opportunities has been among my highest
priorities. While I am supportive of the
author's intent to give career technical
education a prominent place in high school
graduation priorities, the final version of this
bill omitted my Administration's proposed
amendments that were intended to limit the new
costs to school districts. Therefore, I am
concerned that this bill could be construed to
impose higher costs without a fund source, which
could also be interpreted as a state reimbursable
mandate. Given that school budgets are very
constrained due to the recession, adding new
costs at this time is not advisable.
AB 554 (Furutani, 2009) increased the number of courses
required for high school graduation from 13 to 14 and
offered students a choice between a VAPA course, foreign
language, or career technical education to fulfill the
additional course requirement. AB 554 was held on the
Assembly Appropriations Committee's suspense file.
SB 672 (Torlakson, 2008) required high schools
participating in the California Enhanced Instructional Time
Program, as specified, to adopt a graduation policy
requiring students to complete two career technical
education courses.
SUPPORT
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Association of California School Administrators
California Business Education Association
California Federation of Teachers
OPPOSITION
None received.
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