BILL NUMBER: AB 1319 CHAPTERED 10/10/99 CHAPTER 955 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 10, 1999 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR OCTOBER 10, 1999 PASSED THE SENATE SEPTEMBER 8, 1999 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY JUNE 2, 1999 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 28, 1999 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Correa FEBRUARY 26, 1999 An act to amend Sections 54685, 54685.1, 54681.2, 54685.3, 54685.7, 54685.9, 54686, and 54686.2 of the Education Code, relating to the Early Intervention for School Success Program. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1319, Correa. Early Intervention for School Success Program. Existing law states the Legislature's intent to implement the Early Intervention for School Success Program in 300 public schoolsites between July 1, 1994, and June 30, 1999. Existing law requires the program to use a collaborative team approach and the use of the home language of the pupil to assess the pupil's developmental stages. Existing law requires the use of authentic assessment techniques in determining the developmental stages and learning styles of pupils. Existing law repeals the program on January 1, 2000. This bill would extend the dates during which this program would be implemented to July 1, 1999, through June 30, 2004, in the 300 schoolsites and would state the intent of the Legislature to provide a support network for schools previously involved in the program and to enable school personnel to acquire the knowledge, techniques, and resources to provide individually appropriate intervention that increases pupil achievement of state standards. The bill would require the use of a collaborative school team approach instead of a collaborative team approach and would delete the required use of the home language of the pupil to assess the pupil's developmental stages. The bill would refer to instructional levels instead of developmental stages. The bill would require the use of multiple, rather than authentic, assessment techniques, including norm and criterion referenced tests in determining the instructional levels of pupils. The bill would require the development and management of classroom environments, consistent with class size reduction legislation, that encourage and motivate pupils to succeed and the implementation of interventions and appropriate differentiated instruction that prevent reading failures. Existing law requires the management plan for the Early Intervention for School Success Program to include, among other things, the awarding of incentive grants to schools and adaptation of the program to meet local needs. This bill would require that plan instead to include the implementation of the program at 300 schoolsites between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2004; the awarding of competitive grants and adaptation of the program to meet state and local standards, the goals of the California Reading Initiative and the expectations of the class size reduction legislation; the development of a statewide support network, the provision of professional development; and the training of school personnel in certain skills. Existing law requires the training received by a teacher in techniques for the Early Intervention for School Success Program apply toward the professional growth required to maintain the validity of teaching credentials. This bill would require that the training also be consistent with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession developed by Commission on Teacher Credentialing. This bill would provide that the program becomes inoperative on July 1, 2004 and would repeal the program on January 1, 2005. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 54685 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54685. (a) The Legislature finds that many public school pupils enrolled in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 and 2 arrive at school with a wide variety of abilities and experiences that will influence the degree of their school success. In order for all pupils to meet the expectations of state standards, early intervention is necessary for many pupils to prevent them from being retained in a grade and failing in school. (b) The development of reading and literacy skills is a priority for the education of all pupils and early intervention is necessary for many pupils to be successful readers. (c) The Legislature also finds and declares that there is a need to do all of the following: (1) To establish a system to assess pupils in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 and 2 that measures their instructional levels and adapts instruction to prevent school failure, thus increasing achievement of state standards. (2) To implement appropriate instructional programs that reduce the frequency and severity of learning problems for these pupils in later years. (3) To reduce the likelihood that these pupils eventually will need to be placed in remedial programs with higher costs. (4) To help schools adjust curriculum and instruction to meet the needs of these pupils to increase their achievement of state standards. (5) To provide comprehensive parent education that defines home activities that support pupil learning. (d) The Legislature further finds and declares that the Early Intervention for School Success Program is a model capable of providing a comprehensive range of training materials and services to accurately assess individual pupil instructional and developmental levels, provide information and strategies to enhance the development of reading and literacy skills for all pupils, provide comprehensive parent education resources, expand the knowledge and skills of school personnel to deliver appropriate interventions that will increase pupil achievement of state standards, and reduce the need for remedial programs for pupils in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 and 2. SEC. 2. Section 54685.2 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54685.2. The Orange County Superintendent of Schools, having been selected by the Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall continue to manage the implementation of the Early Intervention for School Success Program pursuant to the management plan described in Section 54683.5. SEC. 3. Section 54685.3 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54685.3. The management plan required by this section shall include the following activities: (a) Implementation of the program at 300 public schoolsites within the state between July 1, 1999, and June 30, 2004. (b) The dissemination of program information. (c) The awarding of competitive grants to schools representative of the ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of the public school system. (d) Provisions for training, materials, parent education, and technical assistance. (e) Adaptation of the Early Intervention for School Success Program to meet state and local standards, the goals of the California Reading Initiative, and the expectations of class size reduction legislation, including identification of existing materials and development of new materials, if needed. (f) Development of a statewide support network. (g) Selection of successful sites as demonstration models for inclusion in a statewide network. (h) Certification of one teacher for each funded schoolsite to serve as a local trainer. (i) The provision of continued professional development instruction in prevention and early intervention methods based on research and exemplary practice. (j) The training of school personnel in the skills necessary to determine instructional levels of pupils based on a continuous assessment of pupils performance that is validated and supported by the use of multiple assessment techniques. For purposes of this section, "multiple assessment techniques" includes, but is not limited to, teacher observation, anecdotal records, norm referenced tests, and criterion referenced tests. (k) Provision for an annual program progress report and program evaluation by the Orange County Superintendent of Schools to be submitted to the State Department of Education. SEC. 4. Section 54685.7 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54685.7. The criteria to be used in selecting schoolsites as participants shall be based on the extent to which the school demonstrates all of the following: (a) A need for the program. (b) The ability and commitment to disseminate the model program, to serve as a model site, to release a teacher certified as a trainer in the program, to collect evaluation data, and to continue to employ the program after termination of state funding. SEC. 5. Section 54685.9 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54685.9. The techniques that shall be included in the Early Intervention for School Success Program include all of the following: (a) The use of a collaborative school team approach to plan instruction based on an initial assessment of each pupil validated and supported through ongoing multiple assessment techniques of the instructional learning needs of pupils in preschool, kindergarten, and grades 1 and 2. The results of these observations and assessments shall not be used to deny or delay school admissions or to track pupils. (b) The selection and application of educational materials and instructional strategies that are appropriate to pupils' instructional levels and individual learning needs. These materials and strategies will be selected with the purpose of providing an active and appropriate learning environment that will be consistent with current research and the California Reading Initiative. (c) The development and management of classroom environments, consistent with class size reduction legislation, that encourage and motivate pupils to succeed. (d) The implementation of interventions and appropriate differentiated instruction that prevents reading failure. SEC. 6. Section 54686 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54686. Training received by a teacher in techniques for the Early Intervention for School Success Program shall apply toward the requirement of professional growth, as required by subdivision (b) of Section 44277 and is consistent with the California Standards for the Teaching Profession developed by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. SEC. 7. Section 54686.2 of the Education Code is amended to read: 54686.2. This article shall become inoperative on July 1, 2004, and as of January 1, 2005, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, which becomes effective on or before January 1, 2005, deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.