BILL ANALYSIS
------------------------------------------------------------
|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2211|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|1020 N Street, Suite 524 | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
------------------------------------------------------------
THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2211
Author: Fuentes (D)
Amended: 8/17/10 in Senate
Vote: 27 - Urgency
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 7-0, 6/30/10
AYES: Romero, Alquist, Emmerson, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian
NO VOTE RECORDED: Huff, Wyland
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 11-0, 8/12/10
AYES: Kehoe, Ashburn, Alquist, Corbett, Emmerson, Leno,
Price, Walters, Wolk, Wyland, Yee
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 77-0, 6/1/10 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : Work-based learning
SOURCE : Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
DIGEST : This bill 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.
ANALYSIS : Existing law provides for various career
CONTINUED
AB 2211
Page
2
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.
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
understanding 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.
This bill:
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, consistent with the most recent state
plan on career technical education, work-based learning
may be delivered by partnership academies, regional
occupational programs, other educational programs, and
local educational agencies, and limited to work
experience education, community classrooms, cooperative
career technical education programs, and job shadowing.
3.School districts and community colleges that receive
funding to provide career technical education programs
may include a work-based learning component in these
programs.
4.Authorizes governing boards of school districts that
maintain high schools to provide work-based learning
courses and requires school districts that op to offer
work-based learning opportunities to pupils to ensure
AB 2211
Page
3
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.
5.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.
6.Authorizes regional and local business organizations, in
conjunction with school districts and community colleges,
and any other representatives deemed appropriate,
including, but not limited to, industry representatives,
research centers, and parents, to develop principles and
guidelines for the establishment of work-based learning
programs. If these organizations develop principles and
guidelines, both of the following shall occur:
A. The organizations shall consider existing
guidelines or regulations relative to the to the
programs described in subdivision (a) of Section
51760.1 of the Education Code, the state's most
recent career technical education plan, and the most
current academic and career technical education
standards adopted by the State Board of Education.
B. The guidelines shall include specific guidance to
school districts and community colleges on ensuring
that a pupil's workplace learning opportunities are
lined directly to academic learning objectives and
provide the necessary skills for the pupil to use in
future employment or postsecondary education
opportunities.
7.Encourages school districts to work with local workforce
investment board, youth councils and workforce investment
boards to maximize the use of available resources for
youth employment opportunities.
AB 2211
Page
4
8.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.
9.Adds an urgency clause allowing this bill to become
effective immediately upon enactment.
Comments
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.
Work-Based Learning . According to the CDE, work experience
education is a course of study that may be established by a
governing board of any local education agency to provide
paid or unpaid on-the-job experiences for high school
students through training agreements with employers. Work
experience education programs combine an on-the-job
component with related classroom instruction designed to
maximize the value of 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
AB 2211
Page
5
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.
Related/Prior Legislation
This bill is similar to prior measures that attempted to
define work-based learning.
AB 332 (Fuentes), 2009-10 Session, would have allowed
school districts to provide work-based learning
opportunities to 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), 2007-08 Session, 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
AB 2211
Page
6
standard and I cannot sign it at this time."
This bill 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.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee:
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12
2012-13 Fund
Guidelines Minor costs for technical
assistance General
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/17/10)
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce (source)
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
ASSEMBLY FLOOR :
AYES: Adams, Ammiano, Anderson, Arambula, Bass, Beall,
Bill Berryhill, Blakeslee, Block, Blumenfield, Bradford,
Brownley, Buchanan, Caballero, Charles Calderon, Carter,
Chesbro, Conway, Cook, Coto, Davis, De La Torre, De Leon,
DeVore, Emmerson, Eng, Evans, Feuer, Fletcher, Fong,
Fuentes, Fuller, Furutani, Gaines, Galgiani, Garrick,
Gilmore, Hagman, Hall, Harkey, Hayashi, Hernandez, Hill,
Huber, Huffman, Jeffries, Jones, Knight, Lieu, Logue,
Bonnie Lowenthal, Ma, Mendoza, Miller, Monning, Nava,
Nestande, Niello, Nielsen, Norby, V. Manuel Perez,
AB 2211
Page
7
Portantino, Ruskin, Salas, Saldana, Silva, Skinner,
Smyth, Solorio, Swanson, Torlakson, Torres, Torrico,
Tran, Villines, Yamada, John A. Perez
NO VOTE RECORDED: Tom Berryhill, Audra Strickland, Vacancy
CPM:cm 8/17/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
**** END ****