BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 1422|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 1422
Author: Romero (D)
Amended: 4/19/10
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE : 6-0, 05/05/10
AYES: Romero, Alquist, Liu, Price, Simitian, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Huff, Hancock
SUBJECT : Student surveys of teachers
SOURCE : Association of Student Councils
DIGEST : This bill authorizes the student government of a
high school to establish a committee to develop a survey to
solicit student opinions of different class aspects and
teacher effectiveness, and establishes requirements for the
administration and results of the survey.
ANALYSIS : Current law requires a uniform system of
evaluation of all certificated personnel within each school
district, requiring each district to adopt objective
evaluation guidelines, including standards of expected
pupil achievement at each grade level in each area of
study. Current law requires the governing board of each
school district to evaluate certificated employee
performance as it reasonably relates to the progress of
pupils toward the established standards. Employee
performance, instructional techniques, adherence to
curricular objectives, and maintenance of a suitable
CONTINUED
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learning environment are all among the items evaluated
under current law.
This bill:
1.Authorizes the student government of a school that
maintains grades 9-12 to establish a committee of high
school pupils and teachers to:
A. Develop and administer a pupil survey that:
(1) Allows pupils to provide feedback
to teachers for purposes of improving
communication, individual classes, and teaching
methods for current and future students.
(2) Solicits information on aspects of
a class and the effectiveness of the teacher in
teaching the class annually revise the survey.
A. Authorizes the Committee to annually revise the
survey described in (A).
1.Establishes requirements for the administration of the
survey and the survey results. Specifically it:
A. Requires that the survey be provided to
teachers annually so that they may survey the
students in the classes they teach.
B. Requires that results be kept confidential and
made known only to the teacher whose class is
surveyed.
C. Prohibits any administrator or other school
district official from viewing or accessing survey
responses without the teacher's written consent and
additionally prohibits:
(1) Use of the survey and any responses
for collective bargaining purposes.
(2) Inclusion or use of survey
responses to influence any existing teacher
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evaluation process in the school or district.
Comments
Currently there is no systematic method by which high
school students can provide feedback to their teachers on
their performance, even if only for the teachers' private
use as a professional development tool. The California
Association of Student Councils (CASC) is sponsoring this
measure. At an informational hearing of the Senate
Education Committee on February 25, 2009, CASC Student
Advisory Board on Legislation in Education called for
"creating opportunities for students to provide feedback to
their teachers" using forms that "provide teachers with
valuable information regarding what can be done in order to
adjust their teaching styles to student needs (and) allow
teachers to focus on the specific, relevant subject matters
that students need more help with."
Prior Legislation
SB 688 (Romero), 2009-10 Session, establishes a process by
which school district governing boards could survey pupils
to provide confidential feedback to high school teachers
and required the California Department of Education, in
consultation with the California Association of Student
Councils, to develop model guidelines for the teacher
evaluation process, to be posted on the department's Web
site by January 1, 2011.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/7/10)
Association of Student Councils (source)
PQ:nl 5/7/10 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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