BILL NUMBER: SB 253	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Wyland

                        FEBRUARY 24, 2009

   An act to amend Section 60642.5 of the Education Code, relating to
pupil assessment.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 253, as introduced, Wyland. Pupil assessment: STAR testing.
   The Leroy Greene California Assessment of Academic Achievement Act
requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction to design and
implement a statewide pupil assessment program, known as the
Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program.
   This bill would require that any reading selection that is used as
part of the assessment instruments administered under the STAR
Program relate to American history.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 60642.5 of the Education Code is amended to
read:
   60642.5.  (a)  (1)    The Superintendent, with
approval of the state board, shall provide for the development of an
assessment instrument, to be called the California Standards Tests,
that measures the degree to which pupils are achieving the
academically rigorous content standards and performance standards, to
the extent standards have been adopted by the state board. 
These 
    (b)     These  standards-based
achievement tests shall contain the subject areas specified in
paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 60603 for grades 2 to 8,
inclusive, and shall include an assessment in history/social science
in at least one elementary or middle school grade level selected by
the state board and science in at least one elementary or middle
school grade level selected by the state board, and the core
curriculum areas specified in paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of
Section 60603 for grades 9 to 11, inclusive, except that
history-social science shall not be included in the grade 9
assessment unless the state board adopts academic content standards
for a grade 9 history-social science course, and shall include, at a
minimum, a direct writing assessment once in elementary school and
once in middle or junior high school and other items of applied
academic skill if deemed valid and reliable and if resources are made
available for their use. 
   (3) Any reading selections that are used as part of an
administration of the assessment instruments under this section shall
relate to American history. 
   (b) In approving a contract for the development or administration
of the California Standards Tests, the state board shall consider
each of the following criteria:
   (1) The ability of the contractor to produce valid, reliable
individual pupil scores.
   (2) The ability of the contractor to report results pursuant to
subdivision (a) of Section 60643 by August 8.
   (3) The ability of the contractor to ensure alignment between the
standards-based achievement test and the academically rigorous
content and performance standards as those standards are adopted by
the state board. This criterion shall include the ability of the
contractor to implement a process to establish and maintain alignment
between the test items and the standards.
   (4) The per pupil cost estimates of developing and, if
appropriate, administering the proposed assessment with a system to
facilitate the determination of future per pupil cost determinations.

   (5) The procedures of the contractor to ensure the security and
integrity of test questions and materials.
   (6) The experience of the contractor in successfully conducting
testing programs adopted and administered by other states. For
experience to be considered, the number of grades and pupils tested
shall be provided.
   (c) The standards-based achievement tests may use items from other
tests.