BILL ANALYSIS
SENATE COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
Gloria Romero, Chair
2009-2010 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 2211
AUTHOR: Fuentes
AMENDED: April 13, 2010
FISCAL COMM: Yes HEARING DATE: June 30, 2010
URGENCY: Yes CONSULTANT:Beth Graybill
SUBJECT : Work-based learning.
SUMMARY
This bill, an urgency measure, authorizes school districts to
provide instruction by means of work-based learning, requires
the Superintendent of Public Instruction, in conjunction with
specified education stakeholders, to develop principles and
guidelines for the establishment of work-based learning
programs, and encourages school districts to submit specified
information relating to work-based learning to the California
Department of Education, as specified.
BACKGROUND
Existing law provides for various career technical education
(CTE) programs including Regional Occupational Centers and
Programs (ROC/Ps) and Partnership Academies (PAs) for the
purpose of integrating academic and vocational education and
motivating students to stay in school and graduate with the
skills necessary to advance into postsecondary education,
advanced workforce training, or the workforce. (Education
Code 54690 et. seq., 52300, et. seq.)
Existing law authorizes the governing board of school
districts maintaining a high school to establish work
experience education programs for the purpose of providing
students with instruction in skills, attitudes, and
understandings necessary for employment success, including
providing guidance and supervision, arranging credit for work
experience education courses, and authorizing the district to
purchase liability insurance for students enrolled in
programs of study involving work experience or vocational
education at locations off school grounds.
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(EC 51760)
ANALYSIS
This bill , an urgency measure:
1) Defines work-based learning as an educational approach
or instructional methodology that uses the workplace or
real work to provide pupils with
knowledge and skills that will help them connect school
experiences to real-life work activities and future
career opportunities.
2) Specifies that work-based learning may be delivered by
partnership academies, regional occupational programs,
and other educational programs and may include but are
not limited to work experience education, community
classrooms, cooperative career technical education
programs, and job shadowing.
3) Authorizes governing boards of school districts that
maintain high schools to provide work-based learning
courses and requires school districts that opt to offer
work-based learning opportunities to pupils to ensure
that when applicable, pupils are afforded the same
statutory and regulatory safeguards as pupils in work
experience programs; authorizes school districts to
purchase liability insurance for pupils enrolled in
programs of study involving work-based learning.
4) States that high-quality work-based learning may
include, among other characteristics, exposure to a wide
range of career areas and worksites; an explicit aim to
supplement or systematically reinforce classroom
instruction in technical courses, academic courses, or
both; an appropriate sequencing of experiences; and
clear and measurable learning outcomes.
5) Requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI),
in conjunction with teachers, chamber organizations,
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industry representatives, research centers, parents,
school administrators, representatives of regional
occupational centers and programs (ROC/P), and others
deemed appropriate by the SPI, to develop principles and
guidelines for the establishment of work-based learning;
requires consideration of existing guidelines or
regulations relative to work-based learning or work
experience programs including the most current academic
and CTE standards adopted by the State Board of
Education (SBE).
6) Authorizes the SPI to use existing federal and state
funds to complete the principles and guidelines and
authorizes the SPI to apply for and accept grants and
receive donations or other financial support from public
or private sources if federal or state funds are not
available or sufficient.
7) Encourages school districts offering work-based learning
to provide information to local transportation agencies
about existing schools offering work-based learning
opportunities and participating industry worksites in
order to maximize existing and proposed public
transportation routes to ensure that high school pupils
have greater access to work-based learning sites.
8) Encourages school districts to work with local workforce
investment board (WIB), youth councils and workforce
investment boards to maximize the use of available
resources for youth employment opportunities.
9) Encourages school districts offering work-based learning
to submit to the California Department of Education
(CDE) work-based learning best practices and specific
examples of work-based learning offered by the district
and encourages the CDE to post this information on its
Internet Web site for the purpose of informing school
districts about work-based learning.
10) Makes findings and declarations regarding work-based
learning and its value in providing pupils with
opportunities to have real-world experiences that
integrate classroom experiences with real-world career
preparation.
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11) Adds an urgency clause allowing this measure to become
effective immediately upon enactment.
STAFF COMMENTS
1) Need for the bill : Under specified conditions, current
law allows school districts to claim apportionments for
students in work experience programs. According to the
author's office, because current law does not clearly
define work-based learning as an allowable work
experience education delivery model, local education
agencies rely on their respective legal interpretation
as to responsibilities regarding general liability
insurance and whether the district can claim average
daily attendance apportionment for students
participating in those programs. The purpose of AB 2211
is to create greater clarity on this issue by
establishing work-based learning as an alternative
delivery model for work experience type programs and to
enable the establishment of a uniform work-based
learning model that will help ensure that work-based
learning is closely aligned to academic learning.
2) Work-based learning . According to the CDE, work
experience education (WEE) is a course of study that may
be established by a governing board of any local
education agency (LEA) to provide paid or unpaid
on-the-job experiences for high school students through
training agreements with employers. WEE programs
combine an on-the-job component with related classroom
instruction designed to maximize the value of the
on-the-job experiences.
The objective is for work-based learning to systematically
reinforce both academic and technical content, and the
approach requires active involvement with industry
partners and teachers to coordinate the curriculum.
Work-based learning can take the form of internships,
apprenticeships, workplace simulations, job shadowing,
and other opportunities in the business or nonprofit
arena. By authorizing work-based learning as a service
delivery model for work experience programs, this bill
may increase the types of work experience opportunities
available to students and allows work-based learning to
qualify for average daily apportionment.
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3) Related and prior legislation . This bill is similar to
prior measures that attempted to define work-based
learning.
AB 332 (Fuentes, 2009) would have allowed school districts to
provide work-based learning opportunities for pupils
through existing programs such as partnership academies
and ROC/Ps. AB 332 was vetoed by the Governor with the
following veto message:
While I am very supportive of the intent of
this bill of providing students with opportunities
to receive rigorous and relevant career technical
education linked to real world experiences, I am
concerned that this bill lacks sufficient
protections to ensure that students are not solely
enrolled in job opportunities that are not combined
with sufficient academic coursework.
However, I am directing my Administration to
work with the author so that I can consider a
measure that is more tightly crafted and would
accomplish the goal of promoting a balanced
approach towards work-based learning.
AB 2078 (Fuentes, 2008) would have provided that
work-based learning opportunities for pupils may be
delivered through existing programs such as partnership
academies and ROC/Ps. Governor Schwarzenegger's veto
message read:
The historic delay in passing the 2008-09
State Budget has forced me to prioritize the bills
sent to my desk at the end of the year's
legislative session. Given the delay, I am only
signing bills that are the highest priority for
California. This bill does not meet that standard
and I cannot sign it at this time.
AB 2211 is different from those previous bills in that
it includes a requirement for the SPI to develop
principles and guidelines for the delivery of work-based
learning, as specified, and to consider existing
guidelines and regulations that have been developed for
similar programs. To ensure that students who
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participate in work-based learning have job
opportunities that provide meaningful connections to
academic coursework, staff recommends an amendment to
require the SPI, in developing the specified principles
and guidelines to include specific guidance so that the
objectives of a student's work-place learning
opportunity is linked directly to academic learning
objectives.
SUPPORT
Association of California School Administrators
California Association of School Psychologists
California School Boards Association
City of Los Angeles
Junior Leagues of California State Public Affairs Committee
Los Angeles Unified School District
OPPOSITION
None received.