BILL ANALYSIS
AB 519
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 519 (Mendoza)
As Amended April 24, 2007
Majority vote
EDUCATION 7-3
APPROPRIATIONS
(vote not
available)
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|Ayes:|Mullin, Brownley, Coto, | | |
| |Eng, Hancock, Karnette, | | |
| |Solorio | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Garrick, Huff, Nakanishi | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction
(SPI) to work toward incorporating additional measures of
performance into the Academic Performance Index (API).
Specifically, this bill requires the SPI to:
1)Develop a definition of the term "dropout."
2)Develop a plan to incorporate dropout data into the API.
3)Submit this plan, including the definition of "dropout," to
the Legislature by July 1, 2008.
EXISTING LAW requires the SPI, with the approval of the State
Board of Education, to develop the API to measure the
performance of schools, and to include a variety of indicators
in that measure, including, but not limited to, achievement test
results, attendance rates, and graduation rates; this statute
was enacted in 1999.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, one-time General Fund costs to the SPI, likely less
than $125,000, to prepare and submit a plan to the Legislature,
as specified.
COMMENTS : Only achievement test results are currently
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incorporated into the API.
Arguments in support would suggest that having an API that
focuses solely on achievement test results is too narrow and
does not reflect information about student outcomes (e.g.,
dropout and graduation rates, college readiness, preparation for
the workplace) that are as important in measuring the
performance of districts, schools and subgroups as testing
results. Perversely, increases in dropouts could easily lead to
an increase in test scores and in the API for a given school or
district, yet this may not be reflective of a real increase in
performance within that school or district.
Opponents argue that including data on dropouts will skew the
emphasis of the API toward high schools, resulting in the
focusing of more resources at that level to the detriment of
elementary and middle schools. Since the legislature can target
the use of resources by grade span, as well as by API ranking,
this effect, to the extent that it exists, could be easily
moderated.
Opponents also argue that data on dropouts or graduation rates
are not well grounded. In fact, this bill does not propose to
include dropout data in the API, but requires a definition of
the term "dropout" to be developed and the submission of a plan
to include this data in the API. Opponent's point, however, may
be valid when made against any future bill proposing to include
dropout data in the API.
According to Harvard University's Civil Rights Project,
California's methodology for reporting graduation rate is flawed
since it relies on a federal Department of Education formula
that dramatically underestimates the actual number of dropouts.
Harvard's research places California's graduation rate at 71% in
2002 rather than the 87% generally reported; in addition Harvard
reports graduation rates for minority students that are
substantially lower.
Analysis Prepared by : Gerald Shelton / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0000950
AB 519
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