BILL ANALYSIS
AB 2446
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2446 (Furutani)
As Amended August 31, 2010
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |76-0 |(June 2, 2010) |SENATE: |34-0 |(August 31, |
| | | | | |2010) |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY : Adds, commencing with the 2011-12 school year, career
technical education (CTE), as defined, as an option for pupils
to fulfill the existing high school graduation requirement to
complete a course in visual or performing arts (VPA) or foreign
language. Specifically, this bill :
1)Defines "a course in career technical education" as specified.
2)Specifies that the provisions of this bill do not require a
school or school district that currently does not offer CTE
courses to establish new CTE programs for purposes of meeting
the requirements of this bill and requires districts that
choose to offer CTE courses to pupils for purposes of meeting
the high school graduation requirements to fund those courses
through existing funds.
3)Prohibits districts from requesting supplemental reimbursement
to fund new CTE courses offered for purposes of this bill.
4)Requires the California Department of Education (CDE), on or
before January 1, 2015, to report to the appropriate policy
committees of the Legislature specified data and information
relative to the course taking in CTE and the impact this bill
has had on other subject areas.
5)Specifies that the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI)
may use existing resources and federal funds for purposes of
completing the specified report and authorizes the SPI to
apply for an accept grants and receive donations from private
sources if state or federal funds are not available for this
purpose.
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6)Authorizes the SPI to accept financial and technical support
from specified parties for purposes of completing the
specified report.
7)Requires a school district or county office of education (COE)
that chooses to offer CTE course as an option for pupils to
meet graduation requirements to notify the public, as
specified, through a regularly scheduled board meeting.
8)Repeals the provisions of this bill on July 1, 2016.
The Senate amendments :
1)Express the intent of the Legislature that the decision by a
school district or COE to designate a CTE course or courses as
satisfying a high school graduation requirement pursuant to
this bill will not diminish the VPA requirements or foreign
language requirements for admission to the California State
University (CSU) or University of California (UC).
2)Specify that a school district or COE that currently does not
offer CTE courses and elects to offer CTE courses to allow a
pupil to satisfy the graduation requirement pursuant to this
bill shall fund new CTE courses within existing resources and
is prohibited from requiring supplemental reimbursement from
the state.
3)Provide that if a school district or COE elects to allow CTE
courses to satisfy graduation requirements, the governing
board of the school district or the COE -prior to electing to
offer CTE courses pursuant to this bill- shall, at a regularly
scheduled board meeting, notify parents, teachers, pupils and
the public about all of the following:
a) The intent to offer CTE courses to fulfill graduation
requirements;
b) The impact that offering CTE courses will have on the
availability of courses to meet the eligibility
requirements for admission to the UC and the CSU and
whether the offered CTE courses are approved to satisfy
those eligibility requirements; and
c) The distinction, if any, between the high school
graduation requirements of the school district or COE and
the eligibility requirements for admission to the UC and
the CSU.
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4)Add that the specified report also include:
a) The reasons given by pupils for choosing to enroll in a
CTE course to satisfy the high school graduation
requirements;
b) The type and number of CTE courses that were available
for pupil enrollment;
c) The number of CTE courses that satisfied the subject
matter requirements for admission to the UC or the CSU;
d) The extent to which the CTE courses addressed local
workforce needs;
e) The impact on VPA and foreign language courses that
resulted from pupils choosing to enroll in CTE courses to
satisfy the graduation requirements; and,
f) Annual pupil dropout and graduation rates for the school
years 2010-11 through 2013-14.
5)Stipulate that for purposes of completing the specified report
the SPI may use existing state resources and federal funds and
if state or federal funds are not available or sufficient,
allows the SPI to apply for and accept grants, and receive
donations and other financial support from public or private
sources for purposes of completing the report.
6)Authorize the SPI to accept support including, but not limited
to, financial and technical support, from high school reform
advocates, teachers, chamber organizations, industry
representatives, research centers, parents and pupils for
purposes of completing the report.
7)Revise the definition of "CTE course" to also include courses
through a regional occupational center or program (ROC/P)
operated by a county superintendent of schools or pursuant to
a joint powers agreement (JPA).
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes the following minimum high school graduation
requirements for pupils in grades 9-12, inclusive:
a) Three years of English;
b) Two years of math;
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c) Two years of science;
d) Three years of social studies, including United States
history and geography; world history, culture and
geography; and a one-semester course in American government
and civics and a one-semester course in economics;
e) One course in VPA or foreign language;
f) Two courses in physical education; and,
g) Other coursework that the governing board of the school
district may specify.
2)Specifies that governing boards, with the active involvement
of parents, administrators, teachers, and pupils, shall adopt
alternative means for pupils to complete the prescribed course
of study which may include practical demonstration of skills
and competencies, supervised work experience or other outside
school experience, CTE classes, courses offered by ROC/Ps,
interdisciplinary study, independent study, and credit earned
at a postsecondary institution.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY, this bill:
1)Added, commencing with the 2011-12 school year, CTE, as
defined, as an option for pupils to fulfill a specified
existing high school graduation requirement.
2)Defined "a course in career technical education" as a course
in a district-operated CTE program and that was aligned to the
CTE model curriculum standards and framework adopted by the
State Board of Education (SBE).
3)Specified that the provisions of this bill did not require a
school or school district that currently did not offer CTE
courses to establish new CTE programs for purposes of meeting
the requirements of this bill.
4)Required the CDE, on or before January 1, 2015, to report to
the appropriate policy committees of the Legislature the
number of pupils that took a CTE course to fulfill the
specified high school graduation requirement and allowed
school districts to report this information through the
California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System.
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5)Repealed the provisions of this bill on July 1, 2016.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, on the previous version of this bill, potential cost
pressures for CTE courses and $150,000 to the CDE for the report
to be completed by January 1, 2015.
COMMENTS : The existing minimum high school graduation
requirements include one course in either VPA or foreign
language. This bill adds CTE to this category as a course
option to meet the minimum graduation requirements in lieu of a
course in either VPA or foreign language. An argument could be
made that this bill provides more options for pupils to complete
the minimum high school graduation requirements. On the other
hand, this is a significant change that raises arguments over
whether the approach taken by this bill squeezes out courses in
the curriculum that some would argue should be expanded rather
than diminished.
This bill appears to be based on the premise that foreign
language and VPA are non-core courses, and therefore, proponents
of this measure would argue that this bill would add one more
subject to the list of what are often viewed as elective
courses. However, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
defines "core academic subjects" to mean English, reading or
language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics
and government, economics, arts, history, and geography.
Supporters of foreign language and VPA argue that these two
subjects are core subject areas and thus should not be diluted
as a requirement for graduation. Some would argue that all
three subjects should be part of the graduation requirements,
instead of making students choose one over the other. The SBE
has adopted content standards in both VPA and foreign language
and it can be argued that each one of these subjects plays a
role in providing pupils a complete and well-rounded education
that keeps students engaged and motivated to stay in school.
Foreign language: The benefits and importance of foreign
language study has been widely documented. The Committee for
Economic Development, an independent research and policy
organization of business leaders and educators, released a
report in 2006 titled, Education for Global Leadership: The
importance of International Studies and Foreign Language
Education for U.S. Economic and National Security. The report
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points out, "To confront the twenty-first century challenges to
our economy and national security, our education system must be
strengthened to increase the foreign language skills and
cultural awareness of our students. America's continued global
leadership will depend on our students' abilities to interact
with the world economy."
Furthermore, the California Master Plan for Education of 2002
recommends all schools to establish a foundation for students'
future mastery of a second language, by the end of elementary
school, and attainment of oral proficiency and literacy in both
English and at least one other language, by the end of secondary
school. Additionally, it should be noted that the SBE has
adopted foreign language content standards, now known as "world
languages." The world language content standards represent the
knowledge, skills and abilities that students should acquire
during thirteen years in California public schools.
Visual or performing arts: Supporters of VPA education would
argue that arts courses enhance creativity and critical thinking
abilities, which are recognized as important skills for the
workplace. Like CTE, arts education has proven to be an
effective way to engage students in learning and in preventing
dropouts. A review of research titled, "Critical Links:
Learning in the Arts and Student Academic and Social
Development," suggests that "education in the arts not only
fosters other specific skills but also improves students'
self-confidence and motivation to learn, particularly among poor
and other at risk students."
Reports have shown that arts education in secondary schools
suffers from limited availability. A recent report by SRI
International, An Unfinished Canvas, shows that 72% of high
schools fail to offer standards-aligned courses of study in all
four arts disciplines. Supporters of arts education have
suggested that exposure to arts education provides invaluable
preparation for the world of work, and that VPA education
addresses and develops ways of thinking, questioning, expression
and learning that complement learning in other core subjects and
develop skills and abilities that are important for students
entering into the workforce after high school.
Career technical education: CTE course offerings range in
method of delivery and course content. CTE courses may be
delivered by ROC/Ps, partnership academies, agricultural
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programs, and tech-prep programs and the courses offered vary in
the degree of rigor and alignment to the CTE standards, thus
raising the question of whether CTE courses are as rigorous as
the high school graduation required courses. There are a number
of CTE courses that do meet and even exceed the rigor of high
school graduation courses and are approved and recognized to
meet the postsecondary education admission criteria but not all
CTE courses do. It is difficult to know how many of the CTE
courses in fact meet the CTE standards, as there is no statewide
mechanism in place to review and ensure that CTE courses are
aligned to the CTE standards. This bill limits the CTE courses
that could count towards high school graduation to those that
are district-operated programs and that are aligned to the CTE
content standards.
Effect on postsecondary education admission eligibility: The
Board of Admissions and Relations with schools (BOARS)
establishes the subject areas and pattern of courses required
for minimum eligibility for freshman admission to the UC. These
requirements are known as the A-G requirements, and the CSU
system also accepts courses certified by BOARS as minimum
eligibility requirements. The A-G requirements consist of 15
courses and three recommended courses as follows: two years of
history/social science, four years of English, three years of
mathematics, two years of laboratory science, two years of a
language other than English, one year of VPA, and one year of
college preparatory electives.
Recognizing that this bill could result in high school students
graduating without taking a single course in foreign language,
or VPA, it must be noted that this bill could have an effect on
a pupil's eligibility for admission to UC and CSU because both
of these are courses required for minimum eligibility for
freshman admission to California's four-year public
postsecondary institutions.
As amended, this bill requires the governing board of a school
district or COE to notify parents, teachers, pupils and the
public at a scheduled meeting of the governing board about the
impact of offering CTE courses would have on the availability of
courses that meet the A-G requirements. Additionally, according
to the author, the amendments taken in the Senate address fiscal
concerns and the bill prohibits a district from requesting
supplemental reimbursement from the state for this purpose. A
school district that chooses to allow a CTE course to satisfy
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graduation requirements would have to fund the new CTE courses
within existing resources.
Analysis Prepared by : Marisol Avina / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN: 0006905