BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 1435
AUTHOR: V. Manuel Perez
AMENDED: April 29, 2009
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: July 8, 209
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT:Kathleen Chavira
SUBJECT : Academic Performance Index and English learners.
SUMMARY
This bill requires the advisory committee to the
Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) and State Board
of Education (SBE) on matters relative to the creation of
the Academic Performance Index (API), to make
recommendations to the SPI regarding the inclusion of the
results of the English language development test and the
feasibility of including English learner proficiency as
part of the API and requires the SPI, with the approval of
the SBE, to include both in the API.
BACKGROUND
Current law establishes the Public School Performance
Accountability Program under which the Superintendent of
Public Instruction (SPI), with approval of the State Board
of Education (SBE), is required to develop an Academic
Performance Index (API), to measure the performance of
schools. The Academic Performance Index (API) was
established pursuant to SB 1 X (Alpert, Ch. 3 of 1999). The
index was proposed as a means of combining multiple
indicators of school performance into one easy-to-compare
index. The API is required to consist of a variety of
indicators including, but not limited to, the results of
the achievement test, attendance rates for pupils in
elementary schools, middle schools, and secondary schools,
and the graduation rates for pupils in secondary schools.
Currently, a school's API score is based on the test scores
of pupils on several statewide tests, including scores from
the California Standards Tests of pupils in grades 2
through 11, and the California High School Exit Examination
(CAHSEE).
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Current law also requires the establishment of a broadly
representative and diverse advisory committee to advise the
SPI and the SBE on all appropriate matters relative to the
creation of the Academic Performance Index and to make
recommendations on the feasibility of utilizing unique
pupil identifiers to provide a more accurate measure of a
school's growth over time.
ANALYSIS
This bill :
1) Requires the advisory committee to the Superintendent
of Public Instruction (SPI) and State Board of
Education (SBE) on matters relative to the creation of
the API, to make recommendations to the SPI regarding
the inclusion of the results of the English language
development test(s) developed or acquired, pursuant to
current law, and the feasibility of including English
learner proficiency as part of the Academic
Performance Index.
2) Requires the SPI, with the approval of the SBE, to
include the results of the English language
development test(s) developed or acquired and English
language proficiency levels and growth of those levels
in the API.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill . According to the author, despite
great gains by English learners and their parents,
teachers, schools and districts toward English
language acquisition, the state's Public School
Accountability System lacks a mechanism for reporting
the progress captured by the California English
Language Development Test (CELDT) results. According
to the author, while the Standardized Testing and
Reporting (STAR) and the California High School Exit
Examination (CAHSEE) measure and report on what
English learners don't know, the CELDT provides
valuable information about what these students do
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know. Inclusion of this data in the API will help
schools demonstrate how well they are instructing
English learner students and assist schools and
teachers to refine their instructional practices and
strategies for working with English learners.
2) CELDT . The California English Language Development
Test (CELDT) is the assessment developed for measuring
student's language acquisition and English language
proficiency pursuant to both state and federal law.
According to the CDE, the CELDT has three purposes.
It identifies students who are limited English
proficient, it determines the level of English
language proficiency for these students, and it
assesses the progress of these students in acquiring
the skills of listening, reading, speaking, and
writing in English. The CELDT is required to be
administered within 30 calendar days after enrollment
in a California public school for the first time and
then annually until the identified English learner is
reclassified as fluent English proficient. In
2008-09, 1.33 million English learner pupils were
administered the CELDT.
3) Similar legislation . AB 492 (Brownley) and AB 1130
(Solorio), both scheduled for hearing today, also
propose changes to the API measure. AB 492 requires
the existing advisory committee to the Superintendent
of Public Instruction (SPI) to make recommendations
for development of a longitudinally valid assessment
system in which annual academic growth can be measured
for a school and a pupil over time. AB 1130 (Solorio)
requires the advisory committee to consider a measure
of annual academic achievement growth, and establishes
requirements to be met for the measure.
4) Prior legislation . AB 2776 (Mullin, 2008) among other
things, would have required the advisory committee to
make recommendations to the SPI regarding the
inclusion of the California English Language
Development Test (CELDT), and the feasibility of
including English learner proficiency in the API and
required the SPI to forward the recommendations, with
cost estimates and timelines, to the State Board for
approval. AB 2776 passed this committee by a vote of
9-0, but was subsequently held under submission in the
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Senate Appropriations Committee.
SUPPORT
Association of California School Administrators
California Association for Bilingual Education
Californians Together
OPPOSITION
None received.