BILL ANALYSIS
SB 405
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Date of Hearing: August 22, 2007
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mark Leno, Chair
SB 405 (Steinberg) - As Amended: August 20, 2007
Policy Committee: EducationVote:7-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill establishes the College and Career Opportunity Pilot
(CCOP) program, administered by the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI), to provide high schools ranked in deciles one
to five of the Academic Performance Index with grant funding to
better prepare and enroll students in rigorous college
preparatory and career technical education (CTE) courses until
January 1, 2014, as specified. This bill also modifies the
Middle and High School Supplemental Counseling (MHSSC) program
to emphasize the importance of college preparatory and CTE
courses. Specifically, this bill:
1)Specifies that a school district has met the current
requirement to offer courses to students that fulfill the
requirements for admission to UC and CSU (A-G courses) if it
offers both of the following at each high school: (a)
sufficient A-G courses taught by credentialed teachers and (b)
instructional support for pupils who struggle to pass A-G
courses, as specified.
2)Specifies that a school district has met the current
requirement to offer CTE courses to students in grades 7-12,
if it offers both of the following at each high school: (a)
sufficient CTE courses and (b) instructional support for
pupils enrolled in CTE courses, as specified.
3)Modifies the MHSSC program to require review of a pupil's
career goals and the availability of academic and CTE
opportunities, and to provide pupils and parents with
information on admission to a higher education institution, as
specified.
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4)Requires eligible high schools for the CCOP program to have
fewer than 67% of total courses offered as A-G and fewer than
80% of the A-G and CTE courses taught by credentialed teachers
in the subject matter that they teach.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Annual GF/98 costs of about $25 million to provide 100 high
schools with grants at $100 per pupil for the CCOP program
until 2014, as specified. There are 1,165 high schools
serving 1.8 million students. This measure also establishes
the CCO Fund to receive private matching funds for this
program (see comment #3 below).
2)GF administrative costs to the SDE, likely between $500,000
and $2 million, to develop, administer, and evaluate the CCOP
program, as specified.
3)GF/98 cost pressure, likely between $2 million and $4 million,
to require additional duties for high school counselors under
the MHSSC program. This program requires school districts to
hold counseling meetings with 7th, 10th, and 12th grade pupils
who are at-risk of failing the California High School Exit
Exam or who have failed one or both parts of the exam. The
2007-08 Budget Conference Committee report provides $208
million for this program.
SUMMARY CONTINUED
5)Requires the SPI, by January 15, 2008, to invite high schools
to apply for the CCOP program and select no more than 100
schools to participate. This measure also requires applicants
to submit a five-year plan by September 2, 2008, which
describes how the school will provide additional A-G and CTE
courses; provide professional development to teachers;
establish a support system for A-G and CTE course teachers;
and reflect strategies and benchmarks, as specified.
6)Requires the SPI to allocate $100 per pupil to high schools to
implement the five-year plan, and expresses legislative intent
that no more than $25 million be appropriated for the CCOP
program. This bill requires funds to be used to prepare
pupils for the rigors of A-G and CTE courses and to increase
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the access to these courses.
7)Establishes the College and Career Opportunity (CCO) Fund,
administered by the SPI, to receive private matching funding
for the CCOP program. This bill also expresses legislative
intent for schools and districts to seek private partners to
assist in the implementation of the CCOP program.
8)Requires a school that achieves its annual improvement targets
outlined in its five-year plan to publish an annual report on
its best practices to aid other grant recipients, and requires
the governing board of a school district that fails to meet
its annual growth targets, as defined in the five-year plan,
to invite public comment on its lack of progress within 12
months of receipt of grant funds, as specified.
9)Requires the SPI to contract for an independent evaluation of
the effectiveness of the CCOP program and report its findings
to the Legislature and the governor on or before August 1,
2010.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . In November 2006, UC ACCORD/UCLA IDEA projects
released a report entitled Removing the Roadblocks: Fair
College Opportunities for All California Students. This report
provides statistics that demonstrate the lack of access poor
and minority students have to an "A-G" curriculum and other
resources that indicate a college-prep culture. Likewise,
according to a report by Ed Trust-West, The A-G Curriculum:
College Prep? Work Prep? Life Prep. (2004), only four out of
10 California high school students complete the A-G
requirements for CSU and UC. Specifically, 56% of Asian and
39% of Caucasian high school graduates successfully complete
these requirements. Likewise, 24% of African American and 22%
of Latino complete these requirements.
In February 2007, the UCLA IDEA institute released a report
entitled Multiple Perspectives on Multiple Pathways: Preparing
CA's Youth for College, Career, and Civic Responsibility. This
report attempts to bridge the divide between the following two
high school curriculum debates: "A-G" and CTE. "A-G"
proponents argue that the default curriculum in high schools
for all students should be meeting these requirements in order
for all students to be prepared to attend college. On the
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opposite side of the spectrum, CTE advocates argue that not
all students want or will go to college and therefore, high
schools need to prepare these students to graduate with
employable skills.
This bill establishes the CCOP program, which provides grants
to high schools to assist them in preparing and enrolling
students in rigorous A-G and CTE courses, as specified. It
also modifies existing law to emphasize and assist in ensuring
high school pupils complete A-G and CTE courses, as specified.
2)Accountability for the CCOP program . The bill requires high
schools to submit a five-year plan that describes how the
school will provide additional A-G and CTE courses, provide
professional development to teachers, and establish a support
system for A-G and CTE course teachers, as specified. It also
requires these plans to "reflect a set of strategies and
benchmarks specific to that high school."
As proposed, the CCOP is a statewide incentive program to aid
high schools in ensuring more pupils meet A-G and CTE
requirements. The committee may wish to consider whether it
is appropriate to have individual high schools establish their
own benchmarks, with no consequences if they do not meet them.
If the CCOP is a statewide program, should the state
establish minimal accountability measures for it? Likewise,
if schools receive $100 per pupil each year, the committee may
wish to require that high schools meet specified benchmarks in
order for schools to continue to receive funds.
3)One-time or on-going grants ? The bill requires that each
selected high school receive $100 per pupil for implementation
of the five-year plan and expresses legislative intent that no
more than $25 million be appropriated for this purpose in a
fiscal year.
The bill provides authority for funds to be utilized in
providing academic assistance to pupils in meeting A-G and CTE
requirements. Costs associated with this can be one-time,
such as providing professional development to teachers and
purchasing additional materials and equipment in order to
offer these courses. Other critical services needed to
achieve this goal, such as hiring additional credentialed
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teachers, are on-going costs.
The committee recommends the author clarify whether grant
funding is for one-time or on-going costs, or both, and
whether there is to be more than one cohort of schools
participating in the program.
4)Current law requires students in grades 9 to 12 to take three
courses in English, two courses in mathematics, two courses in
science, three courses in social studies, one course in visual
or performing arts of foreign language, and two courses in
physical education. School districts may add other
requirements for graduation at their discretion.
The UC and the CSU require high school students to complete a
specified pattern of coursework to be eligible for admission.
This course pattern of 15 courses is commonly known as the A-G
requirements. Courses that meet the A-G requirements must be
previously reviewed and approved by UC. Students who do not
have access to the A-G required courses in high school are,
essentially, unable to qualify for admission to either UC or
CSU upon high school graduation.
5)Similar legislation . SB 890 (Scott), pending in this
committee, establishes the Early Commitment to College
program, a voluntary program until January 1, 2020, to
increase high school completion rates, direct college-going
rates, and college preparation of low-income K-12 pupils.
Analysis Prepared by : Kimberly Rodriguez / APPR. / (916)
319-2081