BILL ANALYSIS
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UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Bill No: SB 1381
Author: Simitian (D)
Amended: 8/30/10
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 8-0, 4/14/10
AYES: Romero, Huff, Alquist, Hancock, Liu, Price,
Simitian, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Maldonado
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 8-2, 5/27/10
AYES: Kehoe, Alquist, Denham, Leno, Price, Walters,
Wyland, Yee
NOES: Corbett, Wolk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Cox
SENATE FLOOR : 28-4, 6/210
AYES: Aanestad, Alquist, Ashburn, Calderon, Cedillo,
Cogdill, Cox, Denham, Ducheny, Dutton, Florez, Hancock,
Harman, Hollingsworth, Huff, Kehoe, Leno, Liu, Lowenthal,
Price, Romero, Runner, Simitian, Steinberg, Strickland,
Walters, Wright, Wyland
NOES: Corbett, Correa, Wolk, Yee
NO VOTE RECORDED: DeSaulnier, Negrete McLeod, Oropeza,
Padilla, Pavley, Wiggins, Vacancy, Vacancy
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : Not available
SUBJECT : Kindergarten: age of admission
SOURCE : Author
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DIGEST : This bill (1) revises the age of admission to
kindergarten and first grade by one month in each of three
years so that in 2014 and later years, a child will have to
be five years old on or before September 1 in order to
attend kindergarten, and (2) states the intent of the
Legislature that one half of the savings generated form the
revised entry dates be used for purposes of expanding the
state preschool program and that children who are four and
five years of age and not eligible for kindergarten be
allowed to participate in that preschool program.
Assembly Amendments (1) implements the Kindergarten
Readiness Act of 2010, (2) delete language stating
legislative intent, (3) delete the provision authorizing a
child who will have his or her fifth birthday on or before
December 2nd to be admitted to the prekindergarten summer
program maintained by the school district for pupils who
will be enrolling in kindergarten in September, (4) add
language requiring a child whose admission to a traditional
kindergarten is delayed to be admitted to a transitional
kindergarten program, (5) add language requiring that
pupils who participated in transitional kindergarten be
included in computing the average daily attendance of a
school district in accordance with specified requirements,
(6) delete language prohibiting a school district from
including the year-to-year loss of ADA for kindergarten in
the 2012-13, 2013-14, and 2014-15 fiscal year, (7) add
language prohibiting a school district from including, for
apportionment purposes, the attendance of any pupil for
more than two years in kindergarten or for more than two
years in a combination of transitional kindergarten and
kindergarten, and (8) specifies that transitional
kindergarten shall not be construed as a new program or
higher level of service.
ANALYSIS :
Existing Law
1.Requires a child to be admitted to kindergarten at the
beginning of a school year if the child will be five
years old on or before December 2 of that school year.
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Current law allows a school district to admit, on a
case-by-case basis, children who turn five at any time
during the school year provided that (a) the parent gives
permission, (b) the district determines early admittance
is in the best interest of the child, and (c) the parent
or guardian is given information regarding the advantages
and disadvantages of early admittance.
2.Requires a child to be admitted to the first grade of an
elementary school during the first month of a school year
if the child will have his or her sixth birthday on or
before December 2 of that school year.
Existing law does not require a pupil to enroll in
kindergarten but does subject each person between the ages
of six and 18 years of age to compulsory full-time
education, unless exempted pursuant to prescribed
provisions of law.
Existing law establishes the California State Preschool
Program for purposes of providing part-day and full-day
educational development program to three and four year old
children.
Existing law, AB 25 (Mazzoni), Chapter 102, Statutes of
1999, established the Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program
for the purpose of providing incentive funding to districts
to change the entry date of kindergarten to September 1 and
to provide pre-kindergarten education for children to
enhance their readiness for kindergarten. To date, the
Legislature has not appropriated funding for this program.
This bill moves the dates by which a child must turn five
to enroll in kindergarten and six to enroll in the first
grade. Specifically, this bill:
1.Specifies that the provisions of this bill may be cited
as the Kindergarten Readiness Act of 2010.
2.Specifies that notwithstanding Education Code Section
41204(d), in computing the average daily attendance (ADA)
of a school district, there shall be included the
attendance of pupils in kindergarten after they have
completed one school year in kindergarten or pupils in a
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transitional kindergarten program after they have
completed one year in that program if one of the
following conditions is met:
A. The school district has on file for each of those
pupils an agreement made pursuant to existing law,
approved in form and content by the California
Department of Education (CDE) and signed by the
pupil's parent or guardian, that the pupil may
continue in kindergarten for not more than one
additional year; or,
B. The pupils participated in a transitional
kindergarten program.
3.Specifies that a school district may not include for
apportionment purposes the attendance of any pupil for
more than two years in kindergarten or for more than two
years in a combination of transitional kindergarten and
kindergarten.
4.Specifies the following dates by which a child must turn
five to enroll in kindergarten maintained by the school
district:
A. On or before December 2 for the 2011-12 school
year.
B. On or before November 1 for the 2012-13 school
year.
C. On or before October 1 for the 2013-14 school
year.
D.On or before September 1 for the 2014-15 school year and
each school year thereafter.
5.Specifies that as a condition of receipt of apportionment
for pupils in a transitional kindergarten program, a
school district or charter school shall ensure that a
child is admitted to a transitional kindergarten program
maintained by the school district as follows:
A. In the 2012-13 school year, a child will have his
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or her fifth birthday between November 2 and December
2.
B. In the 2013-14 school year, a child will have his
or her fifth birthday between October 2 and December
2.
C. In the 2014-15 school year and each school year
thereafter, a child will have h is or her fifth
birthday between September 2 and December 2.
6.Defines "transitional kindergarten" as the first year of
a two-year kindergarten program that uses a modified
kindergarten curriculum that is age and developmentally
appropriate.
7.Specifies that a transitional kindergarten shall not be
construed as a new program or higher level of service.
8.Makes corresponding changes to the dates by which a child
must turn six to enroll in first grade as follows:
A. December 2 for the 2011-12 school year.
B. November 1 for the 2012-13 school year.
C. October 1 for the 2013-14 school year.
D. September 1 for the 2014-15 school year and each
school year thereafter.
9.Specifies that for good cause, the governing board of a
school district may permit a child of proper age to be
admitted to a class after the first school month of the
school term.
Comments
This bill moves up the date by which a child must turn five
for kindergarten entry one month per year beginning with
the 2012-13 school year for three years. By the 2014-15
school year, a child must be five years old on or before
September 1st in order to start kindergarten. California is
one of four states (Connecticut, Michigan and Vermont) to
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have cut-off dates between December 1 and January 1.
Thirty five states have cut-off dates between August 31 and
October 16; four states have cut-off dates on or before
August 15; six states leave the entrance-age decision up to
local school districts; and one state allows districts to
choose September 30 or August 1. It is estimated that
115,000 or 25% of a kindergarten class would be affected by
this proposal (there were 461,043 kindergarteners in
2008-09). The CDE projects displacement of 3,500 teachers
associated with this shift.
Due to increased emphasis on test scores, kindergarten
classes now place heavier emphasis on academics. Success
in kindergarten is not only affected by what a child knows
or not knows academically, other factors such as physical,
social and emotional readiness are also important.
Delaying the entry of four-year-old children will give them
time to prepare and mature (e.g., able to follow
directions, take care of themselves).
There are anecdotal reports of increasing number of
districts experimenting with transitional kindergarten for
children with fall birthdays. Districts are using as the
basis of their programs existing law that allows parents
and school districts to, upon the conclusion of one year of
kindergarten, retain a child in kindergarten for another
year. These programs differ from preschool programs in
that they are taught by credentialed teachers and are
adapted from kindergarten curriculum. Another advantage is
that the kids will likely be on a school site where they
will experience a classroom setting, but without the stigma
of being "held back" for another year of kindergarten.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: Yes
Fiscal Impact (in thousands)
Major Provisions 2010-11 2011-12
2012-13 Fund
Age of admission/ Savings in the hundreds of
millions, General*
preschool as of 2012-13
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*Counts toward meeting the Proposition 98 minimum funding
guarantee
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/30/10)
Advancement Project
Association of California School Administrators
Bay Area Council
Bridgelux
California Association of School Psychologists
California Association of Suburban School Districts
California Business for Education Excellence
California Federation of Teachers
California Kindergarten Association
California Preschool Business Advisory Council
California School Boards Association (if amended)
California State PTA
Coalition for Adequate Funding for Special Education
Declaration Services
East Bay Economic Development Alliance
FIGHT CRIME: Invest in Kids
FIRST 5 California
FIRST Five Santa Clara County
Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce
Integrated Science Solutions, Inc.
Junior Leagues of California/State Public Affairs Committee
Junior League of San Jose
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights (San Francisco Bay Area)
Local Early Education Planning Council of Santa Clara
County
Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce
Los Angeles Business Council
Los Angeles Unified School District
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
North Bay Leadership Council
Orange County Business Council
Palo Alto Educators Association
Preschool California
Public Advocates
Regional Economic Association Leaders of California
Sacramento Metro Chamber
San Diego Chamber of Commerce
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San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation
San Francisco Chamber of Commerce
San Jose Silicon Valley Chamber of Commerce
Santa Clara County School Boards Association
Silicon Valley Leadership Group
Special Education Local Plan Area Administrators
Temple Isaiah Preschool (Los Angeles)
The Inclusion Collaborative
United Teachers Los Angeles
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : Writing in support, the California
Kindergarten Association states, "Kindergarten educators
know that changing the entrance date will help to ensure
success for children throughout their school careers.
California students compete with other states on
standardized testing and we are handicapping our students
with the current Dec. 2nd cut off date."
According to the Junior Leagues of California, "California
is one of the lowest test-scoring states and we need to be
in a level playing field with the other states...There are
so many positive impacts for a child who enters into school
possessing the necessary maturity that is required for
today's academic rigor that now exists in kindergarten and
first grade."
Proponents further believe that early childhood education
spending has one of the best returns of any public program.
Spending money early in a child's life saves the state
resources later in the form of reduced expenditures for
remedial education, criminal justice, and public
assistance.
CPM:cm 8/30/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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