BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 400|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 400
Author: Nunez (D), et al
Amended: 8/31/07 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 6-1, 7/11/07
AYES: Scott, Alquist, Padilla, Romero, Simitian, Torlakson
NOES: Denham
NO VOTE RECORDED: Wyland, Maldonado
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 10-7, 8/30/07
AYES: Torlakson, Cedillo, Corbett, Florez, Kuehl, Oropeza,
Ridley-Thomas, Simitian, Steinberg, Yee
NOES: Cox, Aanestad, Ashburn, Battin, Dutton, Runner,
Wyland
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 48-29, 6/5/07 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Public school accountability
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction to add dropout rates and course completion
rates to the Academic Performance Index (API) for high
schools through a process that begins in 2009-10 and ends
with these indicators making up 50 percent of the high
school API by 2013-14.
ANALYSIS : The API was established pursuant to AB 1X
CONTINUED
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(Alpert), Chapter 3, Statutes of 1999, Extraordinary
Session. The index was proposed as a means of combining
multiple indicators of school performance into one easy to
compare index. Current law still reflects this intention
by declaring the "API shall consist of a variety of
indicators?including, but not limited to, the results of
achievement tests?attendance rates?and graduation rates for
pupils in secondary schools." Current law also declares
that test results must constitute at least 60 percent of
the value of the index, but to date test scores have been
the only data taken into account, thereby, comprising 100
percent of the API for every school.
Current law specifies that secondary school graduation
rates for use in the API shall be calculated by dividing
the number of pupils graduating on time, as defined, by the
number of pupils in 9th grade three years earlier adjusted
for transfers in and out during those three years.
Current law requires that school districts with schools
teaching grades 7-12, offer all qualified pupils courses
that fulfill the requirements for admission to the
University of California (UC) and California State
University (CSU) ("A to G" courses), and further offer all
qualified pupils courses that provide an opportunity to
attain entry-level employment skills in business or
industry upon graduation from high school. Current law
specifies that any school district that adopts a curriculum
that meets or exceeds standards developed by the Board of
Education (SBE), or that adopts alternative means for
pupils to complete the prescribed course of study, may
substitute pupil demonstration of competence in the
prescribed subjects through a practical demonstration of
competence in the prescribed subjects through a practical
demonstration of these skills in a regional occupational
center or program, work experience, interdisciplinary
study, independent study, credit earned at a postsecondary
institution, or other outside school experience.
This bill:
1.Commencing with 2009-10, requires the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (SPI), in consultation with the SBE,
to incorporate the following indicators into the API of
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schools serving any grade 9 through 12:
A. High school graduation rates calculated according
to current law.
B. Rates of "A to G" course completion at a level
that meets the requirements for admission to the UC
or CSU.
C. Rates of career tech course completion that
provides the skills and knowledge necessary to attain
entry-level employment, as indicated by one or more
of the following:
(1) Satisfactory completion of a designated
career and technical education course or series of
courses that meet the career technical education
standards adopted by the SBE.
(2) The number or percentage of pupils who earn
a certificate, license, or the equivalent in the
designated occupation for which it is issued.
(3) The scores of pupils on valid and reliable
assessments, including portfolio assessments, that
are designed to assess the degree to which pupils
have acquired the skills and knowledge necessary
to be successful in a specific occupation or in
the general workforce.
2.Provides that workforce outcomes for pupils graduating
form high school may include, but are not limited to,
employment rates and earnings.
3.On or before the 2013-14 fiscal year, the SPI is required
to assure that:
A. Test results constitute 50 percent of the value of
the API.
B. The indicators added by this bill, including
graduation rates and course completion rates,
collectively constitute 50 percent of the value of
the API, provided that these indicators are assigned
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equal weight in the API, except that pupils who
complete courses that count towards UC/CSU admission
and career tech objectives may be given additional
weight.
4.Clarifies that testing must constitute at least 60
percent of the API until 2009, and between 2007 and 2014,
shall constitute at least 50 percent.
5.Authorizes the SPI convene an advisory committee of
recognized experts to recommends means of revising the
API. The committee shall also develop recommendations
for the inclusion of multiple measures in the APIs of
middle and junior high schools.
5.Repeals the requirement that test scores constitute at
least 60 percent of the API (replacing it with a 50
percent requirement (see No. 3(a) above).
7.Repeals the requirement to include student attendance
rates in the API.
Comments
Related Legislation . SB 219 (Steinberg) requires that, by
July 1, 2008, the SPI and the SBE revise the API to
include:
1.The test scores of pupils fro that school are, or have
been, in an alternative education program, such as a
community school or independent study.
2.8th and 9th grade drop out rates if reliable data is
available.
3.High school graduation rates when reliable data becomes
available.
SB 219 also requires that the SPI establish a
representative advisory committee on revising the API and
requires the SPI to include outcomes related to college and
career readiness as recommended by the advisory committee.
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AB 519 (Mendoza) requires the SPI to define the term
"dropout" and prepare a plan by July 1, 2008, to include
data on dropouts in the API. (Held in Senate
Appropriations Committee)
Prior Legislation . AB 2167 (Arambula), Chapter 743,
Statutes of 2006, established a specific methodology for
including graduation rates, as previously required, in the
API. Also requires the SPI to report annually to the
Legislature on graduation and dropout rates in the state.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2007-08 2008-09
2009-10 Fund
API revision $350
General
LEA data collection
Millions, annually General*
*Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
NOTE: Refer to the Senate Appropriations Committee
analysis for a
detailed discussion.
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/30/07)
California Alliance for Arts Education
California Business Education Association
California Coalition for Construction in the Classroom
California Manufacturers and Technology Association
California Space Authority
California State PTA
California State University
Johnson and Johnson
Public Advocates
State Building and Construction Trades Council
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State of California Auto Dismantlers Association
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Arambula, Bass, Beall, Berg, Brownley, Caballero,
Charles Calderon, Carter, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre,
De Leon, DeSaulnier, Dymally, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fuentes,
Galgiani, Hancock, Hayashi, Hernandez, Huffman, Jones,
Karnette, Krekorian, Laird, Leno, Levine, Lieber, Lieu,
Ma, Mendoza, Mullin, Nava, Parra, Portantino, Price,
Richardson, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Solorio, Swanson,
Torrico, Wolk, Nunez
NOES: Adams, Aghazarian, Anderson, Benoit, Berryhill,
Blakeslee, DeVore, Duvall, Gaines, Garcia, Garrick,
Horton, Houston, Huff, Jeffries, Keene, La Malfa, Maze,
Nakanishi, Niello, Plescia, Sharon Runner, Silva, Smyth,
Spitzer, Strickland, Tran, Villines, Walters
NO VOTE RECORDED: Emmerson, Fuller, Soto
NC:cm 9/1/07 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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