BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    






                         SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
                               Jack Scott, Chair
                           2007-2008 Regular Session
                                        

          BILL NO:       AB 519
          AUTHOR:        Mendoza
          AMENDED:       April 24, 2007
          FISCAL COMM:   Yes            HEARING DATE:  June 27, 2007
          URGENCY:       No             CONSULTANT:James Wilson

           SUBJECT  :  Academic Performance Index
          
           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction  
          to define the term "dropout" and prepare a plan by July 1,  
          2008, to include data on dropouts in the Academic  
          Performance Index (API).

           BACKGROUND  

          Current law, established by AB 1496 (Goldberg) of 2005,  
          requires the Department of Education to compile an  
          "attrition rate" for high school pupils defines as "the  
          difference between the number of pupils who enrolled in  
          grade 9 in a particular year and the number of pupils who,  
          four years later, receive a diploma of graduation from high  
          school, divided by the number of pupils who enrolled in  
          grade 9 in the particular year."

           ANALYSIS
           
           This bill:  

          1)   Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction  
               (SPI) by July 1, 2008, to submit a plan to the  
               Legislature on how to include dropout data in the  
               Academic Performance Index (API).

          2)   Requires the SPI to develop a definition of the term  
               "dropout".

           STAFF COMMENTS  

           1)   Related legislation:  




                                                                AB 519
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               a)        SB 219 (Steinberg) requires the  
                    Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) to  
                    modify the Academic Performance Index (API) to  
                    include information on drop-out rates, as well as  
                    the test scores of pupils who have been referred  
                    to alternative educational settings.

               b)        SB 344 (Steinberg) requires the SPI to  
                    modify the API to include information on the  
                    schools drop-out rates, as well as the test  
                    scores of the pupils who have been referred to  
                    alternative educational settings.

               c)        AB 400 (Nunez) requires the SPI to add high  
                    school graduation rates to the API by 2009-10,  
                    and eliminates a current requirement that  
                    attendance rates be incorporated when available.  
                    AB 400 is also scheduled to be heard in this  
                    Committee today.

           2)   Fiscal impact.   The Assembly Appropriations Committee  
               estimates that this bill would create one-time General  
               Fund costs to the SPI, likely less than $125,000, to  
               prepare and submit a plan to the Legislature.  

          SUPPORT 
          
          None received on this version of the bill.

          OPPOSITION

           None received on this version of the bill